Blue and white crystals shimmered throughout the town. The two arched gates at the northern and southern entrances were sealed tight with massive stones. Under Finn's command, Rivira had become a natural prison.
"Is this everyone?" Finn looked over the crowd.
"Yeah. A few people complained at first, but once they heard the victim was a level 4, they all showed up honestly enough," Bors said.
Even the toughest thugs didn't dare stay alone after hearing how unusual the situation was.
In the Crystal Plaza, twin blue-and-white pillars towered on either side, gazing down at the people like cold, indifferent gods. Nearly five hundred adventurers, under the watch of Ais and the others, had already been separated into male and female groups.
The gathered adventurers were loud and restless, but Riveria ignored the uproar and stepped forward with composed dignity. Under everyone's gaze, the elf princess known as the Nine Hell began chanting, her voice graceful and elegant.
"..."
"What is she doing?!"
"Has she gone crazy?"
Amid the chorus of doubt, Riveria wove a spell as beautiful as her appearance.
"—Wynn Fimbulvetr!"
Three giant pillars of blizzard crashed down in the distance. A portion of the town wall froze over instantly, turning into a massive sculpture of blue ice.
"No way…"
The adventurers whispered among themselves, staring in awe at the crystal-like wall of ice.
As shock and murmurs spread through the crowd, Riveria spoke calmly. "If anyone tries to leave the plaza during the investigation, they'll end up just like that wall."
"....."
Her voice wasn't loud, but the cold in her words cut straight into every heart.
"You're really something, Finn." Bors couldn't help praising the brutality of Loki Familia's methods. In Rivira, such unreasonable force worked better than anything else.
"I'll leave the rest to you," Finn said quietly.
Bors blinked in confusion for a few seconds. "...This is the first I'm hearing of this. All we know is that the culprit's a woman. How are we supposed to check that?"
"By checking their figure, of course. That's exactly why I can't be the one doing it."
Finn gave a small laugh. If the Braver stepped forward, the Amazoness who admired strength would probably trip over each other volunteering for an inspection.
"I get it," Bors said, finally understanding the Pallum captain's predicament. He turned and headed toward the crowd. "Leave it to me."
Finn watched him go without another word.
Dim light spilled from the crystals, refracting off the frozen wall with a biting chill. The spell felt like the start of the show—a warning that a farce was about to unfold.
...
Bors cleared his throat several times, his vicious face fixed on the female adventurers.
"I trust you're all aware that last night, an Lv4 adventurer was murdered. Witness reports indicate the perpetrator was a woman with a striking figure. To catch this bastard, we're going to check each and every one of you!"
"Oh oh oh!!"
A deafening roar of support erupted from the men's side.
The female adventurers, however, shot back with curses without hesitation. Words like "Die, scum!" and others just as sharp flew toward Bors like blades.
"You… don't push your luck! I've got Loki Familia's permission for this!"
Bors pulled out his strongest justification.
Then someone muttered, "An Lv4 adventurer got killed, so isn't Loki Familia the most suspicious one here?"
"..."
"Fair point."
The male adventurers nodded and shifted their attention toward Loki Familia.
Lefiya, startled by the sudden stares, immediately hid behind Bell.
Riveria's naturally icy aura kept most people from even daring to look her way. Ais simply blinked and stared openly at Lefiya hiding behind the boy, paying no mind to anyone else watching.
In the end, the only women left unshielded in Loki Familia were the Amazoness sisters.
"Well… that's probably impossible."
"Where have your eyes been? They said the culprit has a big chest."
"You're right. With her build, even padding wouldn't help!"
Tiona's anger built and built, tightening in her fists.
"You bastards!"
Just as the younger twin was about to explode, Riveria stepped in, raising her wand to block her path. Tiona could only glare murderously at the ones who had insulted her.
...
"So it must be her, right?"
"No question. With a body that perfect, what guy wouldn't follow her?"
Facing those stabbing stares, Tione snapped.
"I've said it a thousand times—my chastity belongs to the captain! And I've been playing the lady for so long!"
"If any of you dare say another word, I'll crush that thing between your legs into paste!"
Hearing her brutal threat, the male adventurers all stepped back at once. Some still couldn't help thinking that her fierce temper only made her look even more like the culprit… but when they noticed the cracked floor under Tione's feet, no one dared voice the thought.
"There must be a mistake."
"I think so too…"
The men in front instinctively clutched their legs.
Seeing this, the female adventurers were the ones who lost their composure.
One Amazoness spoke up, "If there's going to be an inspection, it should be done by Finn-sama."
She clearly disliked Loki Familia's stance and deliberately threw out a provocation.
Before Loki Familia could even respond, several more Amazoness chimed in, echoing the sentiment. They seemed very fond of the Braver.
"Yeah! Finn-sama should do it!"
"I'll fully cooperate with the investigation!"
"Check me down there first!"
"You filthy bitches!!! Finn-sama has to start with me!"
The Amazoness shoved each other aside, even yanking at their already thin clothing.
...
In this absurd farce, Lefiya watched the scene before her with trembling eyes and asked the boy:
"What on earth did you say to the Captain after you went in?! Why did things turn out like this?"
Chaos had overtaken the square. Even if the goal was to catch the culprit, a mess like this was nothing like Finn's usual style.
"I just said a few random things," Bell mumbled evasively.
"Mm… lying again!"
Lefiya puffed her cheeks in frustration. No one had told her anything about the details of the case. Just like the other female adventurers, she had no idea what had really happened or what the purpose of this farce even was.
"I'm not lying. Everything I said earlier—about liking your pointy ears—was the truth," Bell said softly.
"?!"
"You… what are you suddenly talking about?"
Lefiya faltered and quickly put several steps of distance between them. Her flushed cheeks gave her thoughts away completely. Had Bell Cranel been affected by the crowd too? Who would say something like that at a time like this?
She stared at the boy in front of her, unable to understand anything that was happening.
"I'm just being honest. And as for why I didn't tell you the details about the inn… it's because I saw something I shouldn't have when I went inside."
Bell spoke with calm clarity, making it impossible to tell if he was lying or telling the truth.
"...What did you see?" Lefiya swallowed without realizing it.
Bell looked into her blue eyes and answered softly, "Ais-san got blood on her clothes while she was tidying up the scene, so when she was changing…"
His sentence never finished.
A fury on par with Tione's exploded.
"You… saw her?!"
Lefiya's voice wasn't an accusation—it was a death sentence. A simple thought would have revealed that Ais had no spare clothes on her… but Lefiya had just endured what felt like a confession, her mind already spinning.
Now every thought in her head was swept away by her own imagination.
Ais had taken off her clothes. The boy had walked in right at that moment. That dignified posture, that alluring body, that golden-haired girl she admired so dearly—all seen, all tainted by the boy.
Lefiya gripped her wand tightly, murmuring under her breath.
"Death… unforgivable… death…"
She felt a strange sense of déjà vu. It was as if the boy were provoking her on purpose.
But Ais-san…
Just as Lefiya hesitated, the last thread of her sanity snapped at Bell's final words.
"To put it simply, the situation was the same as when I woke you up this morning."
His words echoed inside her mind, dragging up that shameless, bare memory.
"Like when he woke me up…"
"Like that…"
Boom.
Her rationality collapsed into rubble.
Lefiya could no longer hear or see anything else. Her gaze locked onto the white-haired boy fleeing for his life.
"...?"
Ais frowned.
They're arguing again… just like that couple we saw on the street last time. Do they really have no sense of timing?
"Go for it!" Tiona cheered brightly, though no one knew whether she was encouraging the fleeing boy or the red-faced, yellow-haired elf chasing him.
"Hahaha, don't run out of the square, kid!" the male adventurers shouted, excited the moment they recognized this familiar scene.
Bell dove into the crowd, slipping through gaps between adventurers to widen the distance. Lefiya ignored the surrounding cheers, chasing after him without hesitation.
"Enough fooling around, hurry up and run the inspection!"
"Here we go again. So what happened last night?"
"I bet a month of drinks—she's catching him this time!"
"She never planned to catch him. They're just messing around."
"Can you two settle your marital squabble somewhere else? We're working here."
"Move aside! You're blocking my view!"
…
Rivira Town had been rebuilt hundreds of times, and most who lingered here were adventurers who enjoyed the spectacle. Even when monsters attacked, they would abandon their stalls and worthless goods, then wait for everything to blow over before rebuilding again. What should have been a solemn investigation had, in this rogue-filled town, turned into a boisterous farce.
Bell wove through the crowd again and again. The jeering only grew louder.
At last, Bell raised both hands in surrender and pleaded, "I was wrong, Lefiya-san!"
The golden-yellow-haired elf gripped her wand tightly, showing no sign of stopping. Some adventurers claimed that a good blow to the head could erase memories. Every single thing Bell Cranel saw when he barged into her room this morning had to be wiped out. And the memories involving Ais-san too.
Lefiya lifted her wand high, ready to ram straight into the boy.
Riveria stepped between them.
Bell seized the chance and slipped out of the crowd.
Tears welled in Lefiya's eyes as she looked at the elf princess blocking her path. "Why did you stop me… It's all his fault… How could he…"
As an elf, Lefiya simply couldn't bring herself to say the boy's shameless words aloud. She puffed her cheeks, burying her embarrassment and frustration in her heart.
"Enough," Riveria said with a gentle smile, brushing a hand over her smooth hair. "I'll deal with Bell Cranel for you."
"…Really?" Lefiya blinked.
"Of course. I can tie him up so he can't go anywhere," Riveria promised softly, as though soothing a child.
"…Alright then…" Lefiya slowly moved aside.
Seeing the chase end so abruptly, the adventurers grumbled in disappointment, their excitement dying down.
"Whatever, let's just start the inspection."
"Why not have the women of Loki Familia check their belongings?"
...
The crowd kept chatting noisily. No one noticed that under Riveria's cover, the boy had already slipped into the shadows.
Finn had been waiting.
"Bell Cranel, you signaled so quickly. Your dynamic vision really is impressive."
His voice was quiet, and his praise held no falsehood.
This entire farce had been planned by Bell and Finn. First, they used the clueless Bors to stir up the atmosphere. When the moment was right, Bell would provoke Lefiya, then slip into the crowd while pretending to flee.
Most residents had witnessed their chase the night before, so it wouldn't raise suspicion. In fact, in a rogue-filled place like Rivira, adventurers probably enjoyed watching it.
During his escape, Bell quietly observed the male adventurers' faces. Once he recognized the culprit, he would speak the prearranged code, prompting Riveria to stop Lefiya's rampage.
If Finn and the others made contact too suddenly, a fight could break out immediately. First confirm the culprit's position, then move in to capture—that was the sensible course of action. And Bell was the most important piece of the plan.
The culprit likely never imagined that someone had actually seen the victim's face. To fool the murderer, only Riveria had been told the full details; everyone else was kept in the dark.
Finn had been surprised that the boy volunteered such a risky idea. But after thinking it through, he agreed. Bell Cranel always managed to exceed expectations.
What exactly had the boy said to turn the timid Lefiya into a raging demon? That, too, intrigued Finn.
...
Hidden in the shadows, Bell pointed out the culprit's location and appearance. His work was done. The farce had reached its end.
Now came Loki Familia's hunting time.
...