"Are you sure that you're not hiding anything at all? Did you really leave it in your room before you ran out of the house? A smart young man like you shouldn't have made such a huge mistake."

The man's fury had disappeared pretty fast. Seeing him calmly make his way down to the living room caught Mir off guard. He was expecting a bigger outburst, something that could help expose this suspicious guy. He still didn't believe that this man was not behind the robbery attempt.

But luck wouldn't always be on his side. Mir understood that. As the man came face to face with him once more, Mir muttered nervously,

"Where the heck would I run with that thing? My own life is more important than some sacred artifact. If the robbers had a way to trace the artifact, wouldn't they be able to find me hiding in a corner, all alone? That would just make things easier for them."

Mir's answer was flawless. No one was expecting him to be secretly playing a mind game against the enforcers anyway...no one except this investigator.

"I see, I see. Not a bad thing to do. Saving your own skin while abandoning the duty your brother gave you. I suppose you'll live long in this world with a mindset like that."

The investigator's words felt fairly malicious, as if he was trying to rile him up. But the insult didn't really bother Mir because, given that choice, he'd indeed sacrifice the diary for his own safety. He didn't care how precious it was to Murray.

Even the enforcers appeared uncomfortable by what he had said. But Mir noticed one of them making a gesture to stay silent at the rest almost imperceptibly. It was that same asshole who had greeted the investigator in a sugary tone!

His continuous interventions to shield this man made Mir suspect that the level of power and corruption taking place behind this conflict was way beyond his current perception.

Mir decided to hammer in the final nail, hoping to end this as quickly as possible. This would either end with the investigator finding the diary or backing off in defeat.

"Oh, Sir investigator, didn't you say that you crawled into the doghouse because you detected a trace of the artifact inside? How did you find the trace when I never brought it outside with me?"

The expression of the enforcers suddenly changed. Indeed, Mir had never told them during his briefing that he had taken the diary with him while escaping from the house. But the investigator had claimed otherwise.

This conflict instantly became a clash between two opposing narratives. Normally, the enforcers would definitely take the investigator's side since he could cooperate with them, but the investigator's presence there was truly suspicious, and not all of them had been convinced by the excuse that he had stumbled into the trap without realizing it.

When choosing between two narratives, people subconsciously tended to think of the one they heard first as the authentic one.

The investigator, however, was quick to answer.

"It is possible. All sacred artifacts continually leak their influence into the world, be it material or spiritual. The principle is similar to the viral infection caused by sunlight. The longer one is exposed to this pollution, the more pronounced the trace of the source in his body becomes. Sunlight isn't the only source of horrifying mutations, you know that, right?"

Mir nodded obediently. Seeing that his explanation had hit the mark, the man continued.

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"I suppose if your account of this incident is true, then I must have simply sensed the trace of the sacred artifact on you. The shirt you left in the kennel contained some traces too, a very small amount though."

"Well, in that case, try sensing the trace of the artifact again. You'll find out where the robbers have taken it easily that way, wouldn't you?"

"...."

The investigator's expression didn't look good. Mir chuckled inwardly in victory. If this guy could actually track the trace of that artifact, then he'd be able to find it easily. But it didn't seem like an easy feat to accomplish. So he had nothing to fear, for now.

"Get out of my way, please," Mir said as he pushed an enforcer aside to return to his parent's bedroom where a nurse was still observing their condition.

Straining his ears, he could hear a hushed conversation taking place in the living room. But he couldn't care less. There wasn't any legal way for any of them to interrogate him further when his story clearly matched every detail discovered by the enforcers so far. If it was solely up to the investigator to lead the interrogation, then Mir was almost certain that he'd use some sort of supernatural method available only to transcender superhumans.

But in the presence of the other enforcers, he'd have to conduct himself with more restraint.

Mir looked at the watch.

22:55

Just two hours remaining till the beginning of a new day, and four more for the sun to rise.

Mir wasn't sure whether there would be more attempts to invade his home in these six hours. But he was sure that the attempts would bear no fruit so long as he didn't get captured and interrogated through supernatural methods.

After half an hour, one of the enforcers entered the bedroom, scanning its occupants. Mir recognized him instantly. He was the guy who had constantly aided the investigator.

"Come here, boy. We need to talk," he said.

Mir must have worn a suspicious look on his face, because the enforcer smiled guiltily and added, "Don't worry. He left."

Puzzlement growing, Mir followed him to the living room. The young enforcer who had asked for the investigator's warrant was there. The other members of the team must have taken their leave. Enet City was a huge area, taking up almost half the region belonging to Enet District. The night patrol teams couldn't afford to stay guard around one house on the border for the entire night.

"Sit down. I owe you two an explanation, it seems," the older enforcer said cheerfully.

"Of course not, Sir. I trust your judgment," the younger enforcer hastily replied, seemingly realizing only now why he had been told to stay behind.

Mir wasn't the polite sort, usually. But when it came to people with substantial power in their hands, he knew when to bend a knee.

"I believe Sir Enforcer had proper reasons to suddenly assist the investigator. If you're willing to share, I'd be grateful. If you're not, then that's fine too. It is entirely up to you!"

Their careful, polite tones made the older man chuckle again. "Look at you. That almost sounds like me whenever I am in my superior's presence."

All three of them got comfortable on the couch in the living room as he began to explain.

"Do you recall the investigator saying that he was sent to Enet District by the Aristocrats?"

Mir and the younger enforcer nodded.

"Well, I assume you're aware that only the members of the Circle of Commonwealth have the right to take an Aristocratic title. And that Circle is also one of the three powers capable of bringing a retired Lieutenant General back to employment, whether he wants to or not."

Mir gasped. "That guy used to be a 3-Star rank officer?"

Both enforcers shook their heads with wan smiles.

"His rank isn't actually a Lieutenant General, but rather an equivalent in a different type of special force. I shouldn't divulge all the details, but regardless, the investigator codenamed Wolf-7 was known for his specialty when it comes to searching and hunting Alien Creatures. In terms of fighting power, he wasn't even an ant compared to the monsters he helped bring down. Most of us who wish to specialize in the same field know of his feats even though he retired a decade ago."

"A decade? He doesn't look that old- Oh, I get it. A Transcendent doesn't age as fast as humans. Makes sense why he looks like he's still in his forties." Mir nodded, scratching his head.

Had he really fooled a legendary military figure successfully? It sounded rather implausible when he really thought about it now.

"The reason why he had to retire is one of the factors that made me cover for him in front of you. He was found to be colluding with a certain Aristocrat family for a cause that...goes against the cause the military fights for. His prior wrongdoings resulting from that collusion were enough to earn him a severe punishment under martial law, but the Aristocrats behind him helped the sentence turn into a forced retirement, stripped of the veteran benefits."

"Then how did he..." the younger enforcer trailed off.

"Exactly. Why would the Circle of Commonwealth choose him out of all people to be brought back to employment and search for this artifact?"

"He did say that finding the artifact was just one of his tasks. It might not even be up high on his list of priorities," Mir replied.

"Maybe. But you don't understand the inner working of the Circle of Commonwealth. The Aristocratic Family behind him has amassed a considerable amount of power and influence over the last decade. They practically have a chance to send a representative up a circle to join the Circle of Lords!"

Both Mir and the young enforcer gasped this time.

The Circle of Lords was the second highest level of power on the entire planet. It consisted of a hundred individuals only, mirroring the number of nations under the united empire.

"So do you understand the type of influence we're dealing with here? He was here completely legally, and falling into our trap proves nothing substantial. The only way to control his conduct was to assist him fully and pressure him using the status of the Office of Law Enforcement. Any other forms of persuasion could have ended with him declaring that we're obstructing his mission, in which case, you, my boy, would have been lucky to escape unscathed."

Seeing the finger pointed at his chest, Mir swallowed a gulp audibly.