"Clara, are you ready?" The grim expression on Clara's face gives frights to the surrounding doctors in the morgue. Most of the doctors unconsciously took a step back so that they would not be a target if she decides to rampage. The rest of the doctors within the morgue previously had left after greeting Harry and Clara.
Clara starts to bite her lips while slowly nodding her head to approve. Clara subconsciously hugs her arms while gripping her arms tightly without her realizing. Seeing Clara current situation, the doctor exhaled and proceeds to slowly pull the large red cloth away, revealing a body underneath.
What presented to both Harry and Clara, is a nude dead body. The body appears to be a middle age man, 176cm in height and has an orange wavy hair. Despite how the body has started to decompose, the freckles and the hair color of the body immediately allow Clara to recognize the identity of the man that is currently lying on the long table. The body appears to have claw marks on his shoulder and a few slash marks on his chest and leg. The most noticeable damage to the body is the large hole that isn't supposed to be on the neck of the body.
"F-Father..." Clara reaches out her hand to touch the forehead, and slowly trails her hand down to the eyes, the cheek and finally stop at the neck of the dead body. She started crying without her realizing. Clara approach closer and immediately bends down her body forward. Clara then proceeds to lay her forehead on her father forehead and continues to cry her hearts out. Her hands stretch out wide and hug her father.
Minutes of silence pours down in the morgue as except for Harry, none of the doctors wouldn't dare to disturb Clara while she grief. The doctor stood in their place while they timidly glance towards Harry once every few seconds before quickly looking down on the floor.
Ava father, Harry, gaze Clara actions without any change of expression, but he didn't step down to stop Clara. Three days ago, there was a report of murder had happened around fifteen meters near the inn where previously his daughter had stayed. Usually, the report would have gone unnoticed. The only reason it stood out was the fact that the body has an abnormal amount of aphrodisiac within the body.
Comparing to the report with the incident happened in Roukitz village, the only missing member known that couldn't be found is Clara father. Harry memories of Clara's expression, after being told that she is to verify a body is still fresh in his mind.
"The cause of death?" Harry turns his attention to the doctor in charge of the body.
"L-Loss of blood." The doctor didn't dare to make eye contact with Harry and unconsciously replied to Harry while looking at the floor.
"The murder weapon?" Harry expression change to confusion after hearing the given answer from the doctor, it seems that a different culprit had killed Clara father.
"A small sharp blade that had cut the victim neck artery, it causes the victim to suffocate, but symptom shows that he died of blood loss. There are a couple of things that we are still clueless on how to answer but other than that..."
"Tell me."
"Sorry?"
"Say out all of the things that you are still investigating. It's an order," Harry promised to protect Clara parents, now that he had failed to do so. It is only given to exact revenge on the person responsible for killing Clara father.
"I've done a full body check up on the victim body. Thanks to my spirit, the body had been overdose by the aphrodisiac drug. He should have died long ago. Despite that, he still manages to bypass the kingdom security. Clearly shows that someone is helping him to escape, his mind should have been broken by then, and all he would think of is to find an opposite gender to make out. May I continue, S-Sir?" The doctor unconsciously makes eye contact with Harry who is currently scowling. It forces the doctor to halts his explanation.
"Go on..."
"Y-yes, sir. Next will be the murder weapon."
"The murder weapon? What's wrong with it?"
"It's a sharp icicle. Better to show it to you in person." The doctor turns and gives a side glance to the colleague behind him to get the weapon. It didn't take long before his co-worker takes out the weapon that is currently stored in a fridge-like container that continually gives out cold air, the only difference is that it is transparent.
Harry momentarily widened his eyes upon seeing the weapon. The very first thing that comes to his mind is his daughter Ava. The day that Ava reveals her possible power before disappearing from his very own household.
"Sir, do you know who is the weapon owner?" Clara who was once crying her heart out is all along paying attention to the details of what appears to be the murder weapon. She didn't miss to notice Harry change of expression when he glances at the weapon.
"It's nothing. It is just a misunderstanding on my part. So what's weird about it?" Harry didn't linger any longer and quickly moving on by questioning the doctor.
"You see, despite being exposed by the hot sun for a total of four hours before the patrolling security finds the body, it didn't melt. We decided not to take any chance and immediately use this container so that we can research more about it. In fact, the weapon also helps in freezing the blood around it." The doctor continues his explanation in an excited tone.
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"You mean to torture my father so that he would suffer till his approaching death?" Clara gives a death glare at the doctor that had used a wrong choice of words that trigger Clara anger to vent on him.
"I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean it that way."
"Is there anything else?" Harry disrupt the conversation between Clara and the doctor as he doesn't want Clara to create any mistake.
"Before I forget, there's another precision below the murder weapon, a small hole in fact. I believe it is the cause of his helper, the person successfully allows the victim not to suffocate but appears to have come in late in saving as the victim had lost too much blood. My spirit has finish revising the situation, the scenario of the victim that tries to perform sexual intercourse with a woman that didn't favor it too well. Resulting in a direct stab, besides, we receive the victim body in his birthday suit. A possible reason why he is easily misunderstood."
"Doesn't matter... I will find the murderer and personally end it." Clara announces while she clenches her teeth, her teary bloodshot eyes make her expression even more threatening. The doctor nearby gasps in fear and accidentally hit the table behind him as he takes a step back.
"T-That is all sir."
"Give me a report if you find anything else. Oh before I forget, do you mind if I help to take the murder weapon off from you?"
"O-Of course sir! Here you go." The doctor didn't dare to refuse to the one few influential people in the kingdom.
After taking the container off from the doctor, Clara and Harry went out of the building to walk towards their carriage,
"Sir where are you taking the weapon to?" Harry actions pique Clara curiosity as he rarely intervents the doctor's research.
"I've got a friend that I trust within the magic tower. Now let's be off to check the library. There's a report that someone had managed to break in and stole a couple of history book." He is not surprised if the lost books are the ones which they found in Ava room during her stay in the inn. Harry didn't expose his worries as there is a high probability that Ava had killed the father of his own commander.
He believes that allowing the doctors to research the weapon would definitely cause trouble in the near future.
'Daughter I hope you are still safe and alive.'
~
"So what is it, Janet?" Ava once again asks the same question as Janet didn't lay out the answer correctly, only giving a brief response that wouldn't help clarify things.
"I-It's just a feeling that's all. You don't have to be that serious, after all, you are still able to use your magic capabilities without being affected." Janet starts to play around with her words, suddenly trying hard to hide her abilities. By telling the human in front of her that she is able to feel their mana is also indirectly telling them that she may be related to elves and she sure wouldn't want that to happen.
It is understandable that Janet wouldn't expose her power to a stranger that she just met. Meanwhile, Ava also didn't want to reveal the fact that a demon possesses her body that allows her to use magic abilities within the realm. Thus Ava isn't able to just flat out say that she only manages to be able to use her power a few days ago.
'I am not a demon though. She wouldn't believe me either way. Even the status has updated my name 'demon'.''
Ava got caught in a dilemma of whether to tell Janet or not that she knows her true race, it could perceive as a wrong impression or Janet would be more wary of such person. Both of them doesn't know each other well enough and only minutes ago that Janet seems to accept her as a team member.
Ava also stops herself from asking more questions as she didn't want the relationship between Faron and Janet to be affected by their conflicts. She is also unsure whether Faron knows about Janet being an elf, it would be disastrous if it is found out that Faron hates other races.
After looting the dead bodies and manage to gather the red fire flower that fortunately isn't affected by the battle previously. They decided to go back to the kingdom to rest and patch up. Faron also wants to repair his leather armor that was mercilessly torn apart by the claws of the wolf. It would be stupid to engage with the moon bear that is evidently three times stronger and bigger than the wolves.
Faron starts to explain Ava about the monsters after seeing that she is looking seemingly confused. The white fang wolf as an individual is categorized as an 'F' rank monster but when in their packs with their leader. It could increase the danger level to a maximum of a 'C' rank monster. In the meantime, the moon bear that they are targeting alone is categorized as a 'C' rank monster by itself.
Even though it is rare, sometimes moon bear travels in packs when that happens even the adventurers who have a ranking of A and B would be injured or worse, death.
Ava becomes lifeless and stops listening to Faron explanation once she heard that the white fang wolf who she thought was a strong monster is only categorized as a rank F monster. She felt like pulling her hair out. Ava instantly changes the topic to how he met with Janet in order to escape from embarrassment.
'What's wrong with the people in charge of categorizing these monsters? Are they even qualified to set these things? People life is at stake here.' Ava continues to complain to herself.
[I guess meeting Faron, and his party member is a good fate after all. If you had not met with the beast folk the other day, you might have gone out unprepared. I wonder if you could survive that way.]
'Eeeii stop talking about the past! You're making me scared for nothing!'
"Alice? Are you alright?" Seeing that Ava wasn't responding to his story, he feels that there is something not right with her.
"MmMmm, I am alright. Thank you for asking. I was thinking about the monster intelligence that's all. Anyway, do you mind repeating what you have just said?" Ava shakes her head and unconsciously give a slight bow to Faron while she was apologizing.
"As expected of a noble young lady, I didn't expect such reaction from you. I met Janet when I was eating at the tavern that I am currently staying."
"Faron!" Janet suddenly yells at Faron, warning him not to give out unnecessary information to Ava.
Faron previously didn't reveal how they actually meet up, but after being told to repeat his story, he embarrassingly forgot how his fake story starts up with and decides to tell the truth.
"I am not saying that part, don't you worry. Hahaha. Something happens, and from there we became party members." Faron glance back to Janet to see if he had said anything wrong before he continues to converse with Ava.
Janet feels that she might have missed something crucial, but after they arrive back to the kingdom, she shrug it off. She is still curious about Ava body, how it works. She paces herself slowly, in order to be the last person to walk so that she can take a closer look at the condition of Ava body.
Upon arriving, there are huge arguments within the adventurer building. As they got closer to the crowds, Ava sees a poster.
'For one whole week starting tomorrow, the kingdom will be closing their gate earlier. Those that are not back before the sunset will not be allowed to gain access to the kingdom till sunrise.'
Aside from the use of red ink, the big bold letters and the sign off from Ava father, Harry, shows that they are not joking around.