The upper floor of the house was filled with papers nailed across the room. The chamber overflowed with old books and unfinished sheets of writing. For Vantias, this room carried a peculiar familiarity—it had the same traits as a room he once had in his past life.
The entire place was lit with half-burnt candles. In the middle of the room sat a woman in a chair, her hair falling long down to her waist. Her hair and eyes were as dark as the night. There was a strange beauty in her face, though she looked disheveled, as if her mind constantly leapt from one thought to another.
Aldrin placed a wooden candlestick on the side table and, with a warm smile, said to the woman:
"Brought you a new colleague, Youtab."
Youtab had her eyes closed, trying hard to focus on something. Aldrin quietly moved to the couch nearby, pulled away a white cloth, and sat down. Then he continued:
"I'm sure you two can work well together. He's a newcomer, but he's shown great ability, so I thought it would be good for him to help you on your new mission."
Youtab opened her eyes, analyzing and evaluating Vantias carefully. Then, with a tone of disappointment, she said:
"I don't need him. I can handle the mission alone."
Aldrin replied with a childish tone:
"Please! You and Vensing keep giving me a hard time—let me sleep peacefully at night for once, don't be stubborn."
He clasped his hands together in a pleading gesture, his eyes gleaming as he looked at Youtab. Youtab gave a sharp "tsk" and cast him a look of weary disapproval. She then ran a hand through her messy hair.
With a sigh, Youtab spoke calmly, though her words carried a faint threat:
"But I can't guarantee his survival. You know that, don't you?"
She then looked at Vantias. For a moment, he closed his eyes, lowered his head slightly, then raised it again with a respectful smile. In a polite tone, he said:
"An honor to meet you, Lady Youtab. I am Vantias, a new recruit."
He bowed his head a little and added:
"I'll be glad to work alongside you."
Youtab narrowed her eyes, glanced at the scattered sheets on the floor, and said:
"I'm Youtab. A detective. I've been in the organization since childhood—ever since Aldrin brought me there."
Vantias looked at Aldrin with surprise and doubt.and He thought:
" How old is he really? "
Aldrin grinned, clearly proud:
"And she's the most talented detective in the kingdom. Working with her will definitely be a great experience for you, Vantias. Learn all you can from her—it'll be useful one day."
Youtab gave a small laugh and muttered under her breath:
"Yeah, sure. But when there's a corpse, there's no need for knowledge or experience anymore."
Aldrin, seemingly oblivious, asked:
"What did you say?"
"Nothing. Just talking about the mission."
Rising from the couch, Aldrin said:
"Well then, I'll leave you two to it. Handle the rest yourselves. And don't forget to send the mission report to headquarters at the end of each day."
After Aldrin left, a heavy silence filled the room. Youtab turned her focus back to the papers, while Vantias's eyes were drawn to one particular sketch. He frowned, uneasy at what he saw.
The drawing showed three crucified figures—a woman and two men, all young. Across their chests, bloody smiles had been carved.
Vantias hesitated, then pointed at the papers and asked:
"These sketches… are they from the incidents of the past few days?"
Youtab replied:
"Yes. I always draw the crime scenes—it helps me understand them better."
Vantias slowly nodded.
"Do you think the bloody smile is the work of the Blood Smile cult? Or could it be someone trying to make it look that way?"
Youtab looked at him, then lay down on the floor and stared at the ceiling.
"According to the evidence I've gathered, it is the work of the Blood Smile cult. No one's foolish enough to frame themselves as part of such a dangerous group—that'd be asking to be hunted down. But… there's another reason. Something proven."
Vantias frowned, not understanding her meaning. Youtab pointed to the sketches covering the walls.
The drawings showed victims of all ages—children, the young, the old. But one thing tied them all together: the bloody smile carved onto their bodies.
Vantias thought to himself:
Horrifying… they have no shred of humanity left.
He lowered his head, trying not to look at the drawings. Youtab, still lying on the ground, looked at him and said:
"The one thing all these cases share is the carved smile. But before they make a major move, they always send a sign…"
"A sign?"Vantias asked curiously.
With her eyes closed, Youtab explained:
"Before they launch a massacre in a region, they first choose a few victims to serve as a warning. Only then do they strike…"
Vantias, confused, replied hesitantly:
"That doesn't make sense. Wouldn't that just give the soldiers and guards more time to prepare?"
Youtab chuckled mockingly.
"Idiot. They mark their targets, but they never specify the timing. And they choose several locations at once. That way, you never know when or where the attack will actually come."
Vantias nodded in understanding, stroking his chin.
"Then what exactly is our mission? If the Blood Smile cult is behind these crimes, what's next? There's no way the two of us alone could defeat an entire cult."
Youtab sighed, rubbing her forehead in frustration.
"We're not here to defeat them. Our mission is to gather information and report back to the organization."
"Oh, I see now."
Rising from the floor, Youtab grabbed the coat draped over the couch and began putting it on.
"We need to head to the Royal Academy. I want to gather better information there—and you'll understand things more clearly, too."
"Alright."
Youtab started toward the door, but suddenly
...
She stumbled and fell to the ground.
"Ugh! Ah…"
Vantias chuckled softly, thinking:
Well, in a house this dark, I shouldn't have expected anything else.
He asked:
"Need help?"
Holding her head, Youtab replied:
"No, I'm fine… come on, let's just go."