Ch.97009 Investigation Record – Towards Gremory (4)

“I’d say the opposite, miss reporter. They told us to let this train pass because of what was on the train behind it. Giving orders to these stupid bastards is like giving orders to a dog…”

The angel with golden hair that always looked like twisted gold threads made a gesture of pulling a leash. Perhaps due to the recent surge in activity from the Followers of the Forest’s Firstborn, there was a distinct look of disgust on the angel’s face.

“It’s better to tell them what not to do than what they can do. Max, don’t put your front paws on the table. Max, don’t come inside the house. Max, don’t touch the train departing at 4:30. That sort of thing.”

He spoke as if giving commands to a dog, dismissing the orders from the Forest’s Firstborn as if they were no different from commands given to dogs. It seemed unlikely we’d get help from the police.

But wait a minute… The Followers of the Forest’s Firstborn were told not to touch the train departing at 4:30. He definitely said 4:30.

What they heard was the departure time from New York, not the time it would pass through here. Considering they attacked the wrong train, the Forest’s Firstborn’s orders were quite inefficient.

There was only one reason for giving such inefficient orders. The Forest’s Firstborn must have only known the train’s departure time. They knew about the train departing at 4:30.

So did the Forest’s Firstborn give orders to followers in New York? Something seemed off. After all, the Followers of the Forest’s Firstborn were especially active in the southern United States, while New York was at the northeastern edge.

Why would the Forest’s Firstborn be in New York? As a journalist who read every newspaper thoroughly, I hadn’t seen any recent articles about influential elves visiting New York.

As far as I knew, the only influential elf who had come to New York was my father… No, that couldn’t be right. Even the Archangel at our family party in early March had said they had nothing to do with them.

Something was strange. But not necessarily in a bad way. I had found evidence the Forest’s Firstborn had left behind, and following this evidence might lead me to discovering who the Forest’s Firstborn actually was.

I returned to Paulina, who had been anxiously watching me talk to the police. We entered the train car and opened only the windows wide to let in somewhat fresh air.

“Paulina, there’s something strange… can you think about this with me? So, among what I heard from those followers was something like, ‘The Forest’s Firstborn told us not to touch the train departing at 4:30!’ That’s definitely what they said! I’m sure of it! Don’t worry, it’s not my forgetfulness this time.”

Paulina slightly clenched her teeth. Though she quickly closed her lips, I could see a momentary change in her expression. It seemed she felt something similar.

“So… does that mean the Forest’s Firstborn is in New York right now? Maybe they gave orders after seeing the train schedule at a New York station…”

That was a theoretical explanation. And we had one more clue. I showed her the train ticket with 4:30 crossed out in pen and replaced with 6:30.

“And the Forest’s Firstborn wasn’t at Grand Central around 4:00. If they had been there, they would have heard about the train delay, and we would have been attacked after the previous train passed.”

While Paulina was unable to respond, someone knocked on our compartment door. It was Willem. He had briefly returned to his compartment and now came back smelling of perfume rather than gunpowder.

“I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but your voices carried outside and sounded quite interesting. Did the Followers of the Forest’s Firstborn really say that? That the Forest’s Firstborn gave such orders?”

Having a detective would certainly help. The detective I knew seemed to specialize in breaking and entering, assault, kidnapping, and murder, but Willem at least gave off the air of an armchair detective.

I gestured to the seat across from me, inviting him to come in and sit down. With an “Excuse me,” he entered and sat down before us. Perhaps with a trustworthy person helping, we could find more information.

Paulina maintained her expressionless face. Though her lips trembled intermittently, as if she was barely maintaining it, Paulina always tried to act mechanically like this when others were present.

“They definitely said that! So the Forest’s Firstborn must be in New York…”

I didn’t need to explain all my opinions in detail. Prejudice was always our friend, but not a good one. Not wanting to push my thoughts into his mind, I cut myself off and nodded.

Willem quietly closed his eyes and tapped his palm with his other hand, silently continuing his train of thought. Soon, he opened his eyes and met my gaze.

“It certainly makes sense. But it’s too early to be certain. I’ve heard those creatures move quite organizationally, so there might be a separate branch in a big city like New York. The branch leader might have contacted the Forest’s Firstborn, who then gave the order. Honestly, it’s hard to imagine the Forest’s Firstborn sneaking peeks at train schedules at the station.”

His point was valid too. To begin with, those low-level followers wouldn’t know who the Forest’s Firstborn was, and they might have just assumed it was the Forest’s Firstborn because someone high up gave the order.

But… something seemed familiar. A headache like electricity flowing through my head persisted briefly. I held my forehead but tried to recall the memory—a memory as hazy as milk foam.

Yes, that’s right! My father and brothers weren’t at the family party in early March. If father had been there, he would have checked the party preparations, but Benjamin… what was his name? Let’s just call him Benjamin. He was in charge.

So… it could be my father. I didn’t know whether he was connected to the Followers of the Forest’s Firstborn, but he had seen the train departure time… and left before the departure time changed.

It seemed unlikely… but I had no evidence in my hands to prove my father absolutely wasn’t involved. I wouldn’t appeal to family love. Entrusting logic to love is also foolish.

The headache that still felt like a tingling remained, but it was a possibility worth considering. I asked Willem for a moment. I smiled and skillfully mixed in a joke.

“Ah, could I speak with Paulina alone for a moment? We have some personal matters to discuss. You’re not the type to peek and eavesdrop on ladies’ rooms, Mr. Willem. You’re a fine gentleman.”

Thinking it probably wasn’t an important conversation, he picked up his round hat in thanks and stood up. His point about the possibility of a branch leader was certainly good.

“I swear by my suit and hat that I’m not that kind of person. This seems like an urgent conversation, so please call me when you’re finished. The lawyer knows where my room is.”

After he kindly smiled back and left my compartment, I spoke to Paulina, who was finally exhaling.

“Paulina, is it possible… that my father is connected to the Followers of the Forest’s Firstborn? I mean, it would make sense if it were father. The order to let the 4:30 train pass, and as far as I know, the only elves who left that station before 4:00 were father and two bodyguards. I don’t want to suspect him, but it’s not him, right?”

Should I add as evidence that my home state of Texas is particularly rampant with Followers of the Forest’s Firstborn? I seemed to have become too emotional while speaking.

I couldn’t tell what was rational evidence and what was emotion—either suspicion or the desire not to suspect. Still, my meaning should have been conveyed.

Paulina seemed surprised by the unexpected question but then curled up the corners of her mouth. I could see her cheeks trembling slightly. Elven senses were incredibly sensitive.

“How could that be, Rose? And even if Mr. Clichy was working with those… terrible things, he wouldn’t have planned something like this on the day you were taking the train, would he? We all know the truth that Mr. Clichy is a good father, and what you’re saying is suspicion. We should think about the truth, Rose.”

Did I think too much in that direction just because a few circumstances matched up? Paulina’s point was valid, so I nodded for now. But I won’t deny that a groove of suspicion had formed.

I should call the detective when we reach Pennsylvania. Compared to Willem, he was cold-blooded with a sense of humor only for mockery, but that didn’t matter.

I always bought his skills, not his attitude, and his skills were excellent enough to make me tolerate that attitude. It would be the same if I commissioned him regarding my father.

The train wasn’t delayed for long. It took only two hours for the angels to bring people to clean the train interior and a new engineer, and we were able to depart three hours later.

Of course, there was an ugly, hastily patched mark on the front window of the train, the smell of blood still lingered inside… and curtains were drawn over the corridor car where the followers had died, indicating not to enter.

Wounds, it seemed, could heal but not be hidden. It wasn’t a prolonged incident, just something that passed by quickly, but the air felt noticeably colder after it happened.

Sleep came quickly, probably because I had stayed awake until dawn when I would normally have fallen asleep. This time, instead of leaning on Paulina’s arm, I fell asleep with my head against the window where fresh air was seeping in.

The breeze is cool. I can feel warm sunlight on my cheeks. When I barely opened my eyes and woke my sleepy mind, the sun was already high in the sky. It wasn’t time to arrive yet, but… I had definitely overslept.

Paulina, whether she had slept or not, was comfortably sitting in the compartment chair with a book in her hand. But it seemed she had been suspicious too. The pages of the book she was reading hadn’t turned at all.

Still, it was fortunate that she handed me the hot towel she must have received in the morning. I wiped my face with the towel that was still warm thanks to magic. It felt refreshing.

“You seemed to sleep well, Rose. When morning came, you were about to fall forward, so I laid you back down.”

Was her inability to read not due to suspicion but because I was acting anxiously? Feeling blood rush to my face, I changed the subject. Something else would be more appropriate in this situation. Probably!

“You could have just let me lean on you, Paulina…. Anyway, yesterday, that corridor where the incident happened—it’s not the corridor to the dining car, is it? I hope not…”

“It’s completely on the opposite side, so don’t worry, Rose. Oh, Mr. Willem said he’d like to have lunch together if possible, so we should go now. It’s lunchtime.”

I must have really overslept. I covered my face with the hot towel as blood rushed to it again, calmed down, and nodded. “Lazy journalist” is a shameful title.

After that, we were able to spend somewhat leisurely time until we reached Pennsylvania in the evening. I felt suspicion gnawing at me, but gnawing only meant a corner being nibbled away.

Mr. Willem was originally a police officer but came to America because of the Great War. His face showed quite deep patriotism as he said he might still be Dutch.

I was also able to get a business card for Straessen Private Investigator and Police Investigation Advisor Office. I couldn’t help but smile as he joked that the phone number was his home phone number, even though he no longer worked as a detective. Yes, that momentary anxiety that had bloomed yesterday fell asleep as quickly as it had bloomed.

Passing the time until afternoon talking about books and detective work, we soon arrived in Pennsylvania. The attendant’s voice announced that we needed to transfer to take the line to Erie.

Fortunately, our destination was here, Lancaster… and I saw someone holding a sign with “Rose Leafman” written on it in front of the station. I looked up at Paulina briefly.

“Did father arrange a driver for us in Pennsylvania?”

Paulina, with a somewhat more natural expression this time, shook her head.

“No… I didn’t hear anything about that. Maybe Mrs. Gremory sent them? Anyway, let’s go.”

The sign seemed too small for the large ogre’s hands, but it was cute in its own way. Unlike typical ogres who tend to be chubby, a statue-like muscular man was waiting.

My body trembled slightly facing the boulder-like body, but I took out my business card from my wallet and handed it to him. He smiled after confirming I was Rose Leafman, reporter for Golden Age Press.

“I am Mrs. Gremory’s personal bodyguard and attendant. You can call me Oleg. The madam is waiting, so please come this way. She’s very worried after hearing you were attacked last night.”

Gremory seemed to be the kind of demon who would worry about someone she hadn’t even properly met yet. She certainly couldn’t be a bad person. Following the bodyguard, I saw a crowd gathered in front of a cafe near the station.

They mostly seemed to be factory workers. Workers who had finished their shifts were gathered like clouds, and inside the cafe sat a demon. That must be Gremory.

With flowing red hair, a black velvet suit with gold accents, and lace decorations around her neck… she was an extremely beautiful person. Enough to make one’s eyes shine.

She rolled her eyes as if uncomfortable sitting alone in that large cafe, then lightly rose and walked to the door. She approached the onlookers who were keeping a circular distance around her as if there was some kind of repulsive force. She spoke in a voice that seemed somewhat embarrassed.

“Um, everyone… I just have guests, I don’t want to take away the cafe owner’s customers… Please have coffee on me, just don’t sit at my table.”

At those words, a voice emerged from the gathered crowd. A dwarf’s voice that sounded somewhat awkward was heard.

“How could we accept coffee after all you’ve done for us, madam! You know, our next-door neighbor…”

Mrs. Gremory continued the dwarf’s words as if she knew what was coming next, in a voice mixed with laughter.

“Yes, yes. You’re talking about Cathy White, Johnny White’s daughter. Really. Please come in comfortably. You don’t think a demon who has built several schools can’t buy coffee, do you?”

I’m glad I came to Pennsylvania. It definitely seemed like the right choice. I could certainly learn something from a demon who had won people’s hearts to such an extent.