Chapter 67: Poar (3)

“Dad, did you hear about the case?”

“I heard rumors around town.”

Alice, who returned home late, smelled strongly of ink and paper. She scratched her head, tidying her messy hair, her hands full of documents investigated by the guards and the local authorities. It seemed quite a lot of data was needed just to sort out one case.

“Ms. Ellen said she’s heading straight up to Ithaca tomorrow. Seriously, I’m the only one who has to solve this case, but it looks like the Charlotte Agency thinks Jack is innocent.”

Alice’s words were a bit surprising. I had naturally assumed that both the Charlotte Agency and Alice were convinced Jack was the culprit.

“Why do they think he’s innocent? Just hearing the details of the case, isn’t Jack the obvious culprit? Who would believe that money just appeared by the bedside?”

Alice nodded at my question.

“I think so too. It’s a ridiculous excuse, and even though Jack is the only one who could have committed the crime, they insist Jack wouldn’t do it. It seems that Charlotte-ssi, who founded the Charlotte Agency here, received significant help from Jack once. So Charlotte-ssi is strongly asserting Jack’s innocence and decided to take on this case pro bono.”

Jack must have been quite the knight in his youth. To think the founder of the largest law firm on the continent would personally step in to help.

“This case is heavily influenced by personal feelings. So, do we have to prove him innocent?”

Alice scratched her head. She sat down next to the desk and spread out some papers, saying,

“We need to find the real culprit. We need to find evidence that a third party, not Jack, is the culprit… but that doesn’t seem easy. Besides, all the data investigated here was found under the assumption that Jack was guilty, so there’s a lot of evidence that feels forced.”

“So, we have to start the investigation from scratch.”

“Yeah.”

Alice nodded and spread the documents on the desk. I said, lying back on the mattress,

“Need a hand?”

“Hm?”

Alice turned and looked at me. Bathed in the moonlight from the window, she looked much more beautiful than usual. I straightened my back and said to her again,

“Need a hand?”

“How can you help, Dad?”

She eyed me suspiciously. It was the kind of look you’d give an incompetent man who’s only good at sex, which hurt my feelings a little. I pointed to my head and said,

“Who am I?”

“A dad who’s good at sex, and a demon.”

Thanks to her reading my mind so perfectly, I had to hold back a laugh. Alice seemed to find it funny too after saying it, turning her head and giggling.

“…Yeah, a demon. Demons, you know. For starters, our senses are basically better than humans’. We can pick up on various details that humans might miss.”

Alice nodded. Having a human with good observation skills along was definitely useful for the investigation. She said,

“That sounds like a good idea. The guards even bring guard dogs for special investigations, right?”

“……That’s a weird comparison?”

“It just means you’re that reliable.”

Alice said that while tidying up the documents. Since they had to investigate again tomorrow, the papers she was looking at now weren’t very useful. Alice folded the papers into a thick book, crossed her legs, and looked at me. Her white thighs stood out.

“Dad, in exchange for you investigating, is there anything I need to do?”

“Be filial.”

Alice blinked for a moment, then understood my words a beat later and burst into laughter. Then, she lifted her skirt and knelt before me. I took off my pants and lay back, looking at the ceiling, while Alice threw her freshly removed panties onto my face.

I took a deep breath and reached for her waist.

“Ah……!”

A light moan accompanied a heavy weight that fell upon me. Soaked in the night air, we shared familial affection.

*******

From the morning, the scene was bustling. Even if we didn’t investigate, the world would keep turning like the gears of a clock, each part doing its job. When we arrived at the farm where the most recent incident occurred, the rancher chewed on a piece of hay, wearing an uncomfortable expression.

“What is it?”

Alice showed her badge from the Charlotte Law Agency, revealing her identity.

“We’re here from the agency to investigate.”

“I already told the guards everything last time.”

The rancher replied with a displeased look. He was blocking the entrance to the farm, making it obvious he didn’t want to let us in. Alice said,

“There were some deficiencies in the investigation. The most recent disappearance case didn’t have any on-site verification done.”

“That’s because I gave a very vivid testimony.”

The rancher said that, leaning against the doorway. He blocked the door completely, like a sagging rafter. The rancher said,

“There’s nothing here. A cow just disappeared. Didn’t leave any traces either.”

“That’s something we need to check for ourselves.”

I was annoyed by this back-and-forth. Leaving Alice, who was about to say more, behind, I took a step forward. The rancher flinched and stepped back as I suddenly approached.

“W-What…!”

I placed my hand on the rancher’s head. The moment my hand touched his forehead, the rancher rolled his eyes back and let out a bizarre scream.

“Unghoooooook!”

“Now, you are receiving a handjob from a beautiful woman who suddenly visited your farm today, just your type.”

“…Ughok…! S-Sally…! I am your master…! S-Stop…!”

I glanced at him collapsed on the ground, then casually looked inside. Directly in front of the entrance, a cow wearing a brass collar was grazing. A name was engraved on the collar.

‘Sally’

“…..Well, shit, the Great Demon King was here all along.”

I nudged the rancher with my foot, shoving him roughly into a corner of the farm. I didn’t want to touch him. Alice stared at the rancher with a disgusted look. I covered her eyes and said,

“It’s just a beast, just a beast. You shouldn’t look at things like that.”

We left the collapsed rancher behind and went inside. Cows were grazing on the vast meadow. The cows seemed accustomed to outsiders; they paid no mind to our arrival and were busy grazing. I asked Alice,

“So, where did that missing livestock go? Honestly, I’m more curious about how that human named Jack managed to steal a cow in the first place?”

“According to the investigation report. The livestock in Poar village are accustomed to outsiders from a young age due to field trips and merchant visits, so they aren’t wary. It would have been easy for Jack to sneak one or two out.”

Alice explained the theft method speculated by the guards.

Jack used the vastness of the pasture, chose a spot with lax surveillance, grabbed the cow’s halter, and led it out. He then sold it to merchants he had colluded with beforehand for a price much lower than the original.

“That sounds quite plausible.”

I nodded and surveyed the pasture. On the wide pasture at night, it was hard to distinguish whether moving figures were animals or people. Due to the nature of the large ranch, even hiring guards made it impossible to monitor the entire area, inevitably leaving gaps.

Alice said,

“So, do you see anything?”

I walked forward silently in response to her question. Because I felt nothing at all. I thought I’d see something unusual upon arriving, but blue was the sky. The ones with big udders were dairy cows. Green was the grass. I felt absolutely nothing, to the point where cold sweat trickled down my back. You can’t strike gold on the first try, but still, I wanted to show a reliable side right now. It was a father’s desire, and a matter of pride after receiving filial piety yesterday.

“Just a moment….”

To meet her expectations, I pretended to sense something. I touched the fence, sniffed the grass, and stroked my chin pretending to be deep in thought, while she watched me with expectant eyes, keeping quiet. I alternated between thinking of Lorena and Alice, who were pinning their hopes on me, and ran my hand over the fence again. Could there be something important here? Wasn’t there some solid evidence somewhere?

Alice followed me, her face growing more expectant, and I needed to come up with a plausible theory to meet those expectations.

Where is the evidence?

Plausible evidence that Jack isn’t the culprit.

A definite trace that would allow me to make up any story.

I needlessly tapped the fence with force, and even shot some magic towards the end of the fence. Alice, who had been watching me with anticipation, narrowed her eyes and asked me in a small voice,

“Dad, perhaps….”

“Huh?”

And at that moment, I couldn’t help but widen my eyes and freeze. Seeing my surprised reaction, Alice stopped what she was about to say and came closer.

“What’s wrong. Dad? Do you see something?”

“Do you see that over there? Those strange characters.”

“……What? I don’t see anything?”

In a corner of the fence, far from the village, characters I didn’t recognize were reacting to my magic. Sensing the magic I emitted, they flickered as purple letters in the air before scattering.

“It’s a demon.”

“What?”

“A demon is involved in this case.”

Alice broke out in a cold sweat at my words.