Elisa waited for a moment, and sure enough, new information appeared in [Simon’s Log].
[Simon thought to himself that Black Street lay on the border between the East District and the city proper, and was also home to the East District Police Headquarters. Strictly speaking, the people who lived here weren’t paupers, but laborers. They were dockworkers with steady jobs and street vendors with stable businesses. They served as a buffer between the poor and the city’s ordinary residents…]
Elisa rearranged the contents of the log as she recited them aloud, earning an admiring look from Mabel and an approving glance from Eleanor.
Mabel blinked. “So the real slums only start after this street? How far did we get last time?”
“Last time, we made it just past Black Street. The place where the gang attacked us was at the very end of Black Street. They generally don’t operate on Black Street itself, because doing so would be a slap in the face to the police station.” Elisa continued reading from the log.
Eleanor had another question. “The police can only keep one street under control?”
Elisa smiled mysteriously and opened her mouth to explain, but no lines appeared on her teleprompter.
[The demanding workload caused Simon’s mood and energy to plummet. He has entered a state of fatigue.]
We only just got here, and you’re already tired?!
You had plenty of energy for ages the last time we came here! You even stole my chance to play the hero and save the damsel in distress!
[Simon regretted that the cruel Miss Elisa hadn’t brought Eve along. Without a maid to admire, he had no way to recover his energy.]
You have three beautiful young ladies right here, and we’re still not enough for you to admire?!
What a shallow guy! Just a little baby who only knows how to stare at milk bottles!
After thoroughly berating her male servant in her head, Elisa glanced from the corner of her eye at Eleanor and Mabel. Both young ladies were watching her intently, waiting for an answer.
With tears in her heart, Elisa chose to pay up.
Pretending she had suddenly remembered the dangers nearby, she said to Simon, “Keep a closer eye on our surroundings. When we get back, I’ll pay you overtime.”
[At the promise of overtime pay, Simon recovered a little of his energy.]
[He thought back to Miss Eleanor’s question. Of course, the police weren’t limited to controlling a single street. They could keep four streets under control, with four police stations positioned around the outer edges of the East District. The farther one went toward the center, the weaker the police presence became…]
“…At the very heart of the East District, there’s a nameless street. It’s a street that doesn’t exist….or at least, not on any police map. It falls under none of the four stations’ jurisdictions. Hehe, that’s where the gangs have their headquarters.”
After reciting the lengthy passage, Elisa couldn’t help but marvel at the breadth of her male servant’s knowledge.
“Why don’t they just get rid of the gangs?” Mabel waved her fist.
Yeah, why don’t they? Elisa looked toward [Simon’s Log].
[Simon lacks motivation and is currently distracted.]
Why are you slacking off again?! You only answered one question! Give me back my overtime pay!
No, this can’t go on. The Simon Question-and-Answer Machine might be useful, but it costs way too much to run!
“There are… many factors to consider,” Elisa replied vaguely.
She quickly changed the subject and asked Eleanor, “Where are we headed now?”
Eleanor pulled a map from her satchel and pointed to a black dot. “Right here. This is where the victim lived.”
The black dot was close to the center of the East District, a relatively dangerous area, which made Elisa somewhat uneasy.
Although they had disguised themselves this time and looked like three gentlemen, no amount of disguise could make them look like genuine paupers. They wouldn’t stand out too much around the outskirts, but once they approached the center, they were bound to attract attention.
Elisa soon discovered that her worries had been completely unnecessary.
Once they passed Black Street, the roads of the East District abruptly narrowed, twisting and turning in every direction without any discernible pattern.
Mabel and Eleanor quickly lost their way. With no idea where they were or which direction to go, they ended up wandering in circles around the outskirts.
Like many famous armies throughout history, Mabel’s Investigation Team managed to lose all sense of direction while on the march.
Unfortunately, all that wandering around still managed to attract the attention of a gang.
A group of scruffy, unkempt children began following them. Soon afterward, five gang enforcers moved in from both ends of the street, cutting off their path.
Elisa calmly remained where she was. This time was different from the last. They hadn’t come here on a whim. They had arrived prepared, so Eleanor must have some way of dealing with a situation like this.
Revealing their identities as Transcendents would be unwise. Elisa guessed that Eleanor’s solution was the revolver concealed at her waist.
Firearms were strictly prohibited in the royal capital, and patrol officers had the authority to stop any resident and search them for guns.
Firearms were just as tightly controlled at the production level. Hehe, a single unexpected bullet was enough to take the life of a low-ranking Transcendent.
Eleanor placed a hand on her waist.
The five enforcers stopped advancing. One of the men took a careful look at Simon, fear appearing on his face. He made a hand gesture, then turned and left with his companions.
[Simon recognized one of the enforcers. It was someone he had knocked down last time. He hesitated over whether to tell Miss Elisa, then thought that the wise Miss Elisa had probably already realized it.]
No need to tell me. I have indeed already figured it out…though only from the log.
Who would remember the face of some random gang enforcer?!
Still, since my male servant went out of his way to praise me like that, I suppose I can pretend I recognized him.
“He was one of the enforcers from last time,” she told Mabel.
Mabel and Eleanor immediately understood. They continued onward, weaving back and forth through the maze of narrow alleys.
After turning yet another corner, they ran into another group of gang enforcers. This time, there was a whole mob of them. At least thirty.
Those five enforcers hadn’t been scared away just now. They had gone to fetch reinforcements!
More than thirty… This was getting a little troublesome. Even a master martial artist couldn’t take on thirty people at once, but a revolver should be enough to intimidate them.
Haah, so there are times even my manservant fails to see things coming. He never expected those five enforcers to go and call for reinforcements.
Elisa opened [Simon’s Log] to see if her manservant had any suggestions.
[Simon is waiting to see what contingency Miss Elisa has prepared.]
Contingency? What contingency? How come I didn’t know I had one?
[Since Miss Elisa recognized that enforcer earlier, she must know that, given the gangs’ usual temperament, he would inevitably return with a group of men seeking revenge.]
“……?”
So that’s what you were trying to tell me?! I thought you just wanted to tell me he was someone we’d met before! Spell it out for me, you bastard!
For a moment, Elisa felt as though she had been transported back to the classroom, faced once again with those infuriating top students who skipped all the working and wrote down only the final answer!
How am I supposed to copy your homework if you do that?!
Now she could only count on Eleanor. The threat of a revolver should be intimidating enough.
The thirty-odd gang enforcers quickly closed in. In the rows of houses lining both sides of the street, residents hurriedly shut their windows.
Mabel took Elisa’s hand and gently patted it, then turned to look at Eleanor.
She knew Eleanor had brought a revolver and was trying to reassure Elisa.
Eleanor drew the revolver from her waist and aimed it at the approaching enforcers.
“Stop! Or I’ll shoot!” She held her head high, looking down imperiously at the enforcers.
The enforcers did indeed stop, but not out of fear. Rather, it was out of… confusion.
[Simon has prepared to make a run for it.]
What? Why are you getting ready to run? She’s already drawn her gun, hasn’t she?
Elisa suddenly realized something: in the royal capital, where firearms were banned, did these gang enforcers even know what a revolver looked like?
Their hushed whispers drifted into her ears:
“What’s that?”
“Don’t know. Looks like one of those pistols from the newspapers?”
“A real one?”
“No way!”
They quickly came to a consensus: the gun was fake. And judging by the woman’s voice, these people might even be easy marks. Growing even more excited, they charged toward the three young ladies.
Leave a Reply