Roussin

"Hehehe."

The man left alone in the dark room gave a sinister smile.

"After a long hardship..."

Something in the man's hand glowed yellow in the moonlight seeping through the window. His lips trembled with excitement as he placed the trembling object onto the shelf.

"Finally...!"

How much effort had he put in for today?

He roamed dangerous alleys in the dark dawn. He set off for distant lands whose names he didn't even know. He even won in struggles against countless people.

All for this day.

And today, he finally obtained the last piece.

"Hehe... hahaha... hahahaha!"

The man burst into joyous laughter at the sight of the items on the shelf shining in the moonlight.

"Quiet down, Mr. Roussin!"
"Oh! You startled me! Are you still here, assistant?"
"What are you doing alone with the lights off at this late hour... Oh? Is that..."

Bell frowned at the sight of the Chick Detective merchandise shining brightly in the middle of the shelf.

"Isn't that the Chick Detective merchandise from the soldiers' training ground? Did you really bring it here?!"
"No, there's a deep reason for this..."
"How could you actually bring that here! I'll return it to its owner!"

Watching Bell snatch the merchandise and disappear in an instant, Roussin let out a heavy sigh.

"Our scary assistant..."

Being a detective is a rough job. You end up making a lot of enemies in this line of work.
How sad is that! The fact that a detective, who uncovers the truth, has many enemies means there are many who fear the truth in this world, doesn't it? Detectives should be respected by others.
But the world isn't that simple. What you receive in this job isn't gratitude, but rather anger, revenge, and grudges. Even now, half the prisoners in Pereus's underground prison are probably grinding their teeth at the thought of me.
Isn't it too much? They committed the crimes, and it was the soldiers who caught and imprisoned them. All I did was uncover a bit of the truth in between. I didn't capture innocent people and force them into prison!
But there's no helping it. If this is the fate of those who uncover the truth, then we must accept it, don't we?
What? What if the Shadowmarked come looking for me? Don't worry. Even if I seem careless, I've got my own precautions in place.
The best thing is to prevent them from doing so. Nip it in the bud, so they don't even think of looking this way or imagining revenge.
Well, I hope such a thing never happens.

Dear Vicarious,
Haha. You haven't forgotten me, have you? There's no way a regular like you, Vicarious, would. Yes, it's Detective Roussin.
The reason I'm reaching out this time is because I have a favor to ask.
You and the dark Warden might be thinking, why send a letter when we could meet in person? Of course, there's a reason for this letter. I don't want anyone else to see its contents. It's that important.
I received the payment you sent for the last case. Although I complained about the delay, I didn't expect you'd be so generous with interest. That's Pharos for you. So generous.
Shall we get to the point? If you ever have to pay me again, could you do it in two installments? The payment you sent ended up entirely in my assistant's hands.
Despite my earnest plea, my assistant took the entire payment without leaving a single penny. Not a single penny left. They wouldn't even let me touch the payment, saying there are many expenses! The new Chick Detective book and limited edition goods just came out! Plus, I've found a great investment opportunity that could finally make me a lot of money!
So next time, please. Please! Send the payment in two installments. So that when my assistant is busy, I can get the remaining payment.
Then, I look forward to you bringing another interesting case someday.
Detective Roussin