"Val, do you feel bad about using the Police to deal with the Konrad Dykman case?" asked Graham. He paused for a second and then added with a cheeky smile, "Me neither. It's too dangerous for us to continue the investigation on our own. Besides, we've technically finished our commission from Frits Melchers. We'll just wait for him to come back and pay our remuneration,"
Graham was sitting in his office desk still wearing Rood's appearance. The dark brown trench coat was the only thing giving away his real identity. He wanted to give the area a sense of security with the disguise. Since a Police officer was seen there, whoever would be investigating him should be more careful in their action. However, he was also inviting unwanted troubles at the same time from the Police force if he was not careful.
"Anyway, Val, I think I can already get almost everything I need to know about my Transformation ability after using it several times now," he said while leaning back against the backrest. His right hand was stroking his chin.
"First, I get the physical ability of the body I am currently using. In this case; Rood's agility and stamina. This body feels lighter than ours and also stronger, I think. Not to mention the fact that this man is well built. However, I am sure it is purely based on what the person whose memory I'm reading remembers about the target. It's also a flaw in this ability," he paused.
"After all, everyone appears differently to different people. In my own memory, Luuk is an agile man and is also reliable, but if I read his family member's memory of him, we might get something slightly different. Now, I wonder if we read a memory about someone who is thought to be a superhero. Will we get a superhero body?" he said analytically. His tone was full of curiosity and enthusiasm; however, he was still speaking in Rood's intimidating voice, which made it sound creepy.
"So to sum it up, Val, this Transformation ability doesn't transform me into someone himself but someone based on the memory of the person I'm reading. Currently, I've already reached my limit of three people that I can change into. The wife of Konrad doesn't seem to be very useful, so we'll erase that one first if we need a new slot,"
"I also wonder, Val, if I can read my own memory. I would like to be able to transform into one of the people we've met in the past. Although, I don't think that's possible. Otherwise, I would have got the ability to transform right away since it is my own memory,"
Graham then paused for a while. His expression seemed to be that of someone thinking hard and because of the deep scar on the face he was currently wearing, he looked intimidating. He rested his chin on his right hand and his shoulders were tensed up.
"Speaking of memory, Val, how can we not remember the fact that we don't remember stuff happening in the past? Everything seems to be there, but when I try to recall the detail, it's just all blurry. Why is that, do you think? I'm positive the foggy world in our dream is related to it."
His expression then relaxed a little. The clenched left fist was loosened up.
"At least I can still remember our university years. Those were truly unforgettable years, Val. I was forced to eat pears that I really hated because I lost a bet. I vomited after that, do you remember? Haha!" Graham laughed nostalgically.
"Speaking of which, please remind me Val to check the ancient book again. I've been meaning to do it, but with everything that's going on, I just don't have the time to do so. I've ranked up, so there should be more pages that have been unsealed," he added.
Ding... dong...
The door to his office was rung once.
"That must be Frits. Let's change back, Val," he said as he looked up to the door.
"I order myself to change back to my original appearance!"
Once he finished the command, his skin began itching and he quickly turned into his usual self. He became a little shorter and his ripped body was again covered in thin layers of fat. His own body was not actually out of shape, but compared to Rood's daily-trained body, his was more like someone who had stopped training for months.
Graham stood up with his now oversized shoes, but he didn't mind the fact. It was better to wear oversized than undersized shoes; at least the former didn't hurt his feet. He walked with a confident gait towards the door and opened it. Behind the door was the man that he had been expecting; none other than Frits Melchers.
"Good afternoon, Detective Graham Hymes," said the man politely.
"Good afternoon, Frits. Please do come in," beckoned Graham.
The man in front of him had changed the suit he was wearing, but he still looked gentlemanly nonetheless. Frits Melchers hung his top hat on the coat rack and then followed Graham to his desk where took the seat opposite the host.
Frits' expression looked much lighter than before; a burden he was carrying seemed to have been lifted off his shoulders. His manner of sitting was still elegant and dignified, however.
"I cannot believe that you could solve this case so quickly. How did you make Konrad want to confess?" asked Frits.
Graham leaned back in his chair and smiled meaningfully.
"I just used the power of common sense-- and a little persuasion. I found a piece of incriminating evidence for his crime and told him his sentence would be less severe if he confessed to the crime on his own," said Graham with a lie that he had prepared. He couldn't just tell Frits that the 'Konrad' that went to the Police station was no one but himself.
"Although in the end the man still managed to run away..." Frits responded with slight regret, "But with him gone, the rumor should also stop in a timely manner," he then smiled.
Frits opened the briefcase that he was carrying and took out a brown envelope from it. He slid the envelope across the desk with both hands to get it closer to the detective.
"Here is your payment, as we agreed upon earlier," he said. He had received Graham's call about Konrad's confession and the commission fee he needed to pay.
Graham took the envelope and opened it carefully. There were several guilder bills inside it, with the total amount of fifteen guilders. Graham's eyes were lit in the face of money. Although it was not as much as selling materials, it was still a big amount for a normal commission like that.
"!!!"
Suddenly, Graham's sense of danger was triggered. His eyes opened wide and he felt a big slap of wake up call.
"Val, how can I be so stupid! They must have investigated who Frits hired and followed him here," he muttered with urgency in his tone.
Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.
He felt like something dangerous was about to happen to him soon enough. He must have been able to feel it far ahead of time because of his status as a President rank Contractbound now. He needed to get ready to leave the apartment as soon as he could.
Seeing the abnormal behavior of the man in front of him, Frits Melchers couldn't help but ask.
"Is everything alright, Graham?" his posture had become more rigid because of the tense expression of the detective.
Graham quickly turned to him and said.
"It's fine. Please wait here. Don't go anywhere," he got up from the chair and grabbed his briefcase.
"Val, I'm sure they will strike once Frits is gone. We must stall for time for as long as we can!" he muttered quietly while crouching down.
Frits Melchers' expression was calm and he did as he was told. However, he was still wary because he knew something was not right.
Graham's sense of danger was still telling him something was about to happen, but its intensity didn't increase, which meant his conjecture was correct. The source of danger was most likely waiting for Frits Melchers to leave for some reason.
He opened his safe and packed everything he could and stuffed them inside his briefcase. There was the thick ancient book, all the scrolls that he had earned as well as materials that he had got. The unsold materials from the cave exploration were still with Luuk, so he didn't have a lot to carry. He still had his gun holster and ammunition pouch on, concealed under his coat, so after taking everything from the safe, he stood up and stuffed the brown envelope inside his briefcase.
"One more thing, Val," he muttered and then turned to Frits, "I'll be back,"
He got up and went to the kitchen and opened his fridge. He stuffed the remaining chocolate bars inside his pocket and then went to his bedroom quickly. He took everything that would lead to his identity being leaked and stuffed them either inside the briefcase or the coat that he was wearing. He just regretted that he couldn't pack his favorite clothes because of the lack of space. He only made sure he brought the Gemini mask along with him although it was rather big.
Graham did everything quickly and meticulously although he was pressed with time. After making sure everything was alright and nothing could lead to his identity being exposed, he stood in front of the mirror and chanted.
"I, in the name of the Deity of Cunningness and Transformation, hereby change my whole being to that of Cornelis Haring!"
His skin all itched and he grew three centimeters taller. His skin also became less loose and his muscles became more defined. He had quickly returned to the appearance of the Police Sergeant Rood.
"I hope I can come back here soon," he said as he left the bedroom that he had been sleeping in for a long time, "I've paid the rent for the whole year and the year hasn't even ended yet," he added with regret.
"Why don't we fight, Val? It's because we don't know who the enemies are and we don't have enough preparation. We won last time because we ambushed the enemies," he muttered again.
Graham returned to the office where Frits Melchers had been waiting. The latter looked surprised to see the sudden appearance of a Police Sergeant from the host's bedroom. What was even stranger was that the man was wearing the exact same clothes as the detective.
"Good afternoon, officer. It is... unexpected to see you here," he said politely.
Graham nodded and then spoke with urgency in his tone.
"We need to leave now. Detective Hymes is currently locked up in his room for some reason, and he asked me to escort you to safety."
Frits Melchers nodded and then got up from his chair with his own briefcase in his right hand. He followed the Police Sergeant out of the apartment closely. Graham, wearing Rood's appearance, locked his apartment from outside just to be safe. However, he knew that in the face of a Contractbound, a mere lock wouldn't mean anything.
"Let's go," he said to Frits.
He walked confidently, making sure his face was visible. The scar on his face emphasized the intimidating but cautious posture he was aiming for. He couldn't see anyone suspicious, but his sense of danger was screaming for him to get away from the area as soon as he could.
"Officer Rood, why are you here anyway, if I may ask?" asked Frits curiously.
Graham had expected the question and also the answer. He responded loudly enough so whoever was watching could hear him.
"We, the Police, had received the mission of protecting this area since suspicious individuals have been sighter here. Not to mention one of the victims of the serial killing was found in this building," he said using Rood's manner of speaking. His tone was cold and matter-of-factly but showed confidence.
"Is that so? Then it is fortunate that you are here right now. I hope Detective Graham stays safe," replied Frits.
The two men walked downstairs without any problem except for creaking floors. Once they were outside, Frits thanked the 'Police Sergeant' and walked to his parked motor carriage where his driver had been waiting. As for Graham, he also quickly left the area without looking back.
"Val, we need to stay in the crowd just to be safe. I'm sure they won't attack with this many people. I haven't felt the danger either since we escaped from the building, so I believe they are not following us," he muttered while walking as quickly as he could while carrying the heavy briefcase.
"It is safe to assume that it is the Pale Society that is attacking us, and it means their whole organization might have found out where we live. We must steer clear of the area for now for our own safety. We must find a safe hotel to stay in for the time being, and we must also warn Luuk somehow. He still has most of our precious loots," he added.
"I think my disguise as this man works to deter them from attacking right away. But we can't keep using this face in public or another kind of problem will come knocking at our door," said Graham with a slight regret in his tone. He really liked using Rood's appearance because his physical ability was much better than Graham's.
Graham then walked to a secluded alley after making sure he was far from the apartment. He also sensed his surrounding for any danger and once he deemed it was safe, he quickly changed back to his original appearance using Order.
"Now we need a new appearance. Konrad or his wife is a big no-no since the enemies know of them. Let's find a random person and borrow someone from their memory," he said.
The street was still quite busy at that hour, so Graham could blend in safely with the crowd. However, if someone was looking for him, it would be easy to spot him since he was taller than most people there. Graham walked back to the busy street and came closer to the first stranger that he saw.
"I order you to follow me," he whispered in the male stranger's ear.
The man seemed to lose control of his body and was now following Graham back to the secluded alley. They were currently standing next to a big dumpster that blocked the view from the main street. Once they were out of people's prying eyes, Graham issued another order.
"I order you to fall asleep!"
The man suddenly collapsed, but Graham quickly caught him. He laid the man down on the paved ground and then focused on his own mind. He erased the transformation appearance of Konrad's wife from his memory to make room for another one. He then concentrated on the sleeping man while crouching, focusing on the information that he needed.
"I, in the name of the Deity of Cunningness and Transformation, ask to read the memory of this man!"
Graham then felt like he was underwater again and he was looking through the glass window at the scenes of interaction between the stranger and another man. The man was the stranger's brother. Graham memorized the appearance of the brother as well as his mannerisms. Besides that, he had also received information about the brother from the stranger's memory. Once he was done, he severe the connection and returned to reality.
"That should be good enough, Val," he muttered.
Graham then got up and started chanting after making sure there was no one watching.
"I, in the name of the Deity of Cunningness and Transformation, hereby change my whole being to that of Christian Barnhart!"
His whole skin began itching and he quickly transformed into a different human being. His hair became blonde just like the sleeping stranger beside him and his nose became thinner. His skin grew paler and his eyes turned to the color of dark brown. His height also changed to match the real person, which was 175 cm tall and his body became thinner. In less than thirty seconds, he had become someone who looked like an average factory worker.
Once he had finished his transformation, he focused on the sleeping man on the ground and opened his mouth to let out words that carried supernatural energy.
"I order you to forget what has just happened!"
With that, Graham's preparation was almost finished. He picked up his briefcase and walked away from the alley in the manner of the real Christian Barnhart; his posture was a bit hunched and his gait was rather lazy.
"So, Val, this is our current identity. We are Christian Barnhart and we work in a tobacco factory. We just need to do one more thing, Val; forge an identity card. Without it, we won't be able to use most public facilities, including renting a hotel room. And also, don't forget that the transformation only lasts for two hours, so we must keep that in mind," he said thoughtfully.