Roussin

Hehehe.

In the dimly lit room, the man left alone smiled ominously.

"After all the long suffering…"

Under the moonlight streaming in through the window, something in the man's hand glowed yellow. He carefully placed the object on a shelf, his lips trembling with excitement.

"Finally…!"

How much effort had he put in for this day?

In the pitch-black dawn, he had navigated dangerous alleyways. He had ventured to far-off lands whose names he didn't even know. He had fought and won against countless others.

Just for this day.

And today, he finally got the last piece of the puzzle.

"Hehe…hahaha…hahahaha!"

The object on the shelf gleamed under the moonlight, and the man couldn't help but burst into joyful laughter.

"Roussin, you are so noisy!"
"Ah! You scared me! Haven't you left yet?"
"It's so late, what are you doing alone with the lights off...huh? Is that…」

Bell furrowed her brow as she saw the "Chicken Detectives" merchandise gleaming on the shelf.

"Is that the Chicken Detectives merchandise from the soldier training ground?!" Did you really bring it back?!"
"No, there is a reason for this..."
"How can you bring it back! I'm going to return this to the owner right now!"

Bell snatched the merchandise and disappeared swiftly. Roussin sighed heavily, watching her leave.

"My assistant is terrifying…"

Being a detective is a harsh profession. You make a lot of enemies.

And isn't that just tragic? The way I see it, if a detective has many enemies, it only means one thing—there are a lot of people out there who fear the truth. Shouldn't detectives be admired for revealing it?

But the world isn't so kind. Instead of gratitude, we receive anger, revenge, and resentment. Even now, half the inmates in the Pereus underground prison are probably cursing my name.

Unbelievable. They committed the crimes. The soldiers arrested them. And all I did was reveal the truth. It's not like I go around framing innocent people and throwing them in jail!

But hey, if this is the fate of truth-seekers, I'll accept it.

What? What if one of those criminals comes after me? Oh, don't worry about that. I'm more than prepared.

The best way to deal with a threat? Snuff it out before it even begins. Make sure they don't even think about looking my way—let alone plotting revenge.

Not that I want that day to come, of course.

Dear Lord Vicarious,

Haha, you haven't forgotten me, have you? There's no way you'd forget a loyal client like me! That's right, it's me—Detective Roussin.

I'm writing because I have a request.

You and that black-cloaked Warden of yours are probably wondering, "Why a letter? Why not just meet in person?" Well, there's a reason. I don't want anyone else seeing what's in this letter—because it's important.

I got the payment for the last case. I know I complained about how slow it was, but I didn't expect you to add interest on top. Classic Pharos—always generous.

Anyway, let's get to the point! If you're ever paying me again, can you split it into two payments? This time, my assistant took the entire reward.

I begged and pleaded, but she didn't leave me a single coin. Not one! She says expenses are high, so I don't get to touch the money. But listen—The Chicken Detectives just released a new book and limited merch! And I also found a golden investment opportunity—this time, I'm definitely making bank!

So next time, please, please, please. Split my payment. That way, I can sneak some before my assistant gets to it.

Looking forward to the next interesting case.

—Detective Roussin