"What do you mean you can't come with us?"
I had asked Nadir for directions to the brothel without having to wander unnecessarily through the red-light district. I didn't mind being alone, but being with Emilia was a different story. I could imagine the stares and comments people would make when they saw her.
In fact, that was not likely since she had her robes on to avoid being recognized.
"I got into trouble last night, and things are a little tense." Nadir explained. "I'd better stay away from that place for a while. I recommend you be careful; they shouldn't know you're involved with me, or they might want to use you as revenge."
"I'm not that stupid. By the way, when do you think you lost your revolver?"
"When I got into a fight with some idiot. It probably fell out of its holster at that moment."
"I see... It means someone who was there took it. Shit, that makes things really difficult."
"It was definitely a client. I highly doubt the people who worked there had any personal grudges against that dead guy, Rosamel."
"It's Russell, but you're right. No brothel employee fits the profile of the killer I'm looking for."
I rubbed my chin reflexively, but I soon realized that I wouldn't solve anything if I didn't keep investigating, so I had to get going.
"Either way, don't move a single finger until I get back."
"Why?"
"Because if the knight's investigation leads them to you, it would be better if they found you like this, since your appearance supports your alibi that you were in the brothel and your weapon was lost there."
It was true, but I only said half of what I was thinking. With Puck present, I ruled out the possibility that Nadir was the killer, since the cat would have warned us. By asking Nadir to stay, I was betting on the possibility of using him as bait to catch the real killer.
"Whatever the boss says." Nadir gave in and accepted my suggestion. "Anyway, I have no plans for today."
"Okay, then we're off."
There were some curious onlookers staring at the entrance to the house. I raised my hand to my face when I realized I had caused this by breaking down the door to get in. Emilia looked at me, waiting for my reaction.
Putting on my best stone face and acting as natural as a tsunami in Bolivia, I lifted the fallen door and put it back in place as if that would be enough to repair it.
"Would you mind, dear?" I gestured to Emilia.
"Cheater."
Emilia scolded me, but she nonetheless placed her hand on the door frame, forming ice hinges to hold it in place. I wiped my hands as if I'd done all the work, and we left.
The shortest route to the brothel led us through the narrow, deserted streets where the city's thieves prowled. Fortunately (for them), we didn't encounter any.
"It's here."
A somewhat extravagant structure stood before us. Like all the nearby buildings, this one had been painted in dark reddish hues.
Even standing at the entrance, I could smell the scent of perfume, sweat, and other fluids. My nose wrinkled reflexively. I'd never been to a place like this before, as I didn't like prostitutes.
"I can hear some noises, like people screaming." Emilia murmured, tugging at my sleeve. "Maybe there's a fight inside?"
"No, definitely not. Shit, I knew this would happen."
"Is this normal? I have no idea what people do in this place."
"The women who work here help the men de-stress, so to speak. The process can be a bit... shocking for them: that's why they mo— scream."
I managed to give a factual explanation, but without the specific details that would put me in Puck's crosshairs. However, Emilia wouldn't let me go that easily.
"That sounds very altruistic! How exactly do they do it?"
"We have little time now, so we should focus on what's important."
Ignoring Emilia's innocent curiosity, I entered the brothel with my heart slightly racing from the nervousness of the whole situation.
The first room had a counter with a mature woman who appeared to be the receptionist or madam. Near her, there was a large door guarded by two men.
"Welcome to our establishment." The woman greeted me, looking at me with a fake smile and raising her eyebrows slightly at Emilia, who was protected by her robes. "What kind of service would you like?"
I placed some holy coins in front of her.
"I want all your girls, how about ten minutes with each one?"
"What? Are you serious?" She blinked several times. "Well, as long as you pay, you can do whatever you want (except maim or murder our staff)."
"Understood."
"The payment only covers your consumption, not that of your companion. If you want to bring her with you, you'll have to pay for her as well."
"She's just there for my protection."
"In that case, you can pay a minimal fee, but she must stay out of your activities or we'll have to kick you both out."
I nodded quickly. The woman smiled and looked for a list with what appeared to be names and times.
"I need a name to complete the client registration and consider you for a special discount if you decide to use our services again. You can give me an alias if you prefer."
I definitely couldn't take this seriously. This was the perfect time for mischief.
"I'll be Mr. Sex."
Hearing my answer, the receptionist made an uncomfortable expression.
"Are you sure? That's a bit presumptuous..."
"Well, that's the point."
She sighed in surrender and wrote my details in the notebook.
"It's done. Enjoy your time, Mr. Sex."
The prostitutes seemed quite confused when I explained that I wasn't asking for sexual favors, but rather a brief interview about their previous workday, specifically the night before. However, they all happily accepted, not having to use their bodies.
I interviewed several girls, but none of them knew anything about the object I described (the revolver). However, the girls did remember some men causing an incident last night, but they were all busy with their own clients, so they didn't see anything.
I racked my brains trying to come up with a clue. When I was interviewing the last girl, I suddenly had a brainwave.
"Are any of your colleagues from yesterday not here today?"
"Umm, it's complicated... I don't remember it well, you know?"
"Maybe this will jog your memory." I rolled my eyes, but offered her a gold coin.
"I remember now!" She held up the coin with a bright smile. "The missing girl is named Diane. She's one of the most popular."
"Is that her real name or just the one her use for work?"
"Only an idiot would use her real name here. Why are you interested in her?"
"I can't say it." I made an X with my arms.
"Maybe this will help loosen your tongue." The prostitute offered me a gold coin.
"Okay." I took it. "I'm investigating a murder, and I have reason to believe someone involved was here last night. Your friend Diane is a potential witness. Do you know where I can find her?"
"I'm not sure...
"So what about now?" I offered her a gold coin.
"I think she lives near the House of Loot." She said after accepting my bribe.
"Can you give me a description of her appearance?"
She gestured to me with her outstretched palm. I sighed and gave her another coin.
"She's thin and a little shorter than you. Her hair is red and her eyes are green. She has some really ugly scars that she hides with makeup, around here." She pointed to the side of her neck.
"I see. Thanks for the information."
I gestured to Emilia and we left the room.
"We have to pay that girl Diane a visit."
On the way out, we ran into the annoying dwarf thief. I smiled broadly when I saw him; he, on the other hand, froze in fear when he recognized me.
"Hey, bud! You remember me, right?"
"U-Uh, I..."
"Calm down, bro! You don't have to be so tense!" I patted him on the back. "Look, I don't hold any grudges, so I'll leave you alone if you cooperate with me."
"What do you want?"
"I'll ask you this once, and I want you to be honest. Were you here last night?"
"No..."
"Did you hear anything about a new Metia or a new type of weapon that's like a small portable cannon, one that fits in your hand?"
"I have no idea what you're talking about..."
"Tsk." Annoyed at not getting a clue, I glared at the dwarf, considering the idea of hitting him to let off some steam.
"Why are you looking at me like that? I didn't say anything wrong! Please have mercy!"
"... Fine, but only if you give me the money those prostitutes pay you to please them."
The expression of anguish on the dwarf's face was a work of art. His lips trembled with rage, but the fear of what I could do to him overcame any thought of resistance. Very slowly, he removed the bag tied around his waist and handed it to me.
"Thanks! But just so you know, we're not even yet."
Leaving that phrase echoing in his mind, I left with Emilia (who hadn't heard anything I said to the dwarf) and we walked away from the brothel. The next destination was Diane's residence.
"Hello! Is anyone home?"
I knocked on the door of a house as dilapidated as the one I had in my world. In fact, I could fit right in with the slums, both in appearance and lifestyle.
"Are you sure she's here?" Emilia doubted we were in the right place.
"Yes, this is literally the last house in the area. Unless the prostitute's tip was wrong, Diane is definitely here. Which, by the way, means I picked all the wrong houses first. My lousy luck with chance things haunts me even in this world..."
I sighed in dismay as I realized that some things hadn't changed.
By this time, the sun was already setting over the horizon. It was almost time to return to the mansion, a journey I wouldn't be part of because I'd have to prepare for the climax of the third arc.
"Who are you looking for?" An elderly woman peeked out cautiously.
"Do you have a granddaughter with red hair and green eyes?" I instantly went into professional mode.
She grunted softly at the reason for the visit, but slowly nodded her head in confirmation. Her old, wrinkled hands held the half-open door with a visible tremble, as if determined to protect her home from a possible threat.
"... What do you want?"
"We're detectives. We've been tasked with locating and recovering a highly dangerous object that was last seen at Diane's workplace."
"Don't call her that! That's what they call her in that filthy place!"
"I apologize, ma'am. I didn't mean to be rude, but I don't know your granddaughter's real name."
The old woman looked into my eyes searching for something, probably wondering if she could trust me.
"She-"
"Grandma? Who are you talking to?"
A young voice came from inside the house, and the girl I was looking for entered the scene. Her appearance was just as described, with a few minor details that I discovered as I observed her: there was a scar on her cheek, much less noticeable than the one on her neck; her medium-length hair was tied back in a bun.
The girl looked at her grandmother, then at Emilia, and then at me.
"Who are you?"
"I'm Mister Sex, nice to meet you." I extended my hand, using fake names to protect our identities. "This is Miss Orgasm."
Emilia jumped when I suddenly called her a fake name, but since she had no idea what the word 'orgasm' meant, she just nodded along.
"Mr. Sex and Miss Orgasm?" The girl barely contained her laughter. "I see. In that case, you can call me Diane."
Diane smiled and shook my hand, amused by my introduction.
"How can I help you?"
With a little persuasion (money), we got the friendly Diane to invite us in to talk about what she had seen and done.
"Yesterday was a difficult day. I had a problematic client."
"What happened?"
"He was a sadist, or a violent man; it doesn't matter, the point is that he was hitting me. I didn't say anything at first, because it had been tolerable, but when it got more intense, I told him he had to calm down or we wouldn't do anything more, and I would also report him to the guards."
"I guess that didn't help much..."
"No, it didn't. The guy went crazy and tried to strangle me, but then a man showed up and saved me. He stopped the jerk and got him out of my room."
That made me lean anxiously in my seat. Diane took this as a cue to continue the story and went on.
"Right after that, the two of them started fighting. Then, the man who helped me dropped a strange object: it was metal, some kind of tube with strange protrusions and a handle. It looked like a-"
I raised my hand to stop her. My heart had begun to beat faster at the discovery of a new clue.
"No need to go on, I know exactly what you're talking about. That's the lost item." I explained. "Did you see if anyone picked it up?"
"Yeah."
Diane provided me with a physical description that was as complete as her memory allowed. I thanked her and rewarded her valuable input with... that's right, money!
My wallet had been emptying at an alarming rate since I set foot in the royal capital. This kingdom really needed a new government.
Or maybe I needed to take better care of my finances.
"Well, now we know what the guy who took the murder weapon looks like." I said with a mixture of excitement and annoyance, since the hardest part was still to come. "We just need to track him down."
"But... There's no more time, it's time to return to the mansion."
Emilia gave me the bad news with a pained expression, as she was aware of my emotional involvement in this case.
"Ah, that's right..."
We had reached the entrance of the inn. This was the moment to talk to her.
"Sorry for saying it until now, but I'm going to stay-"
"Lady Emilia and Leandro... I was waiting for you."
I became worried when Roswaal appeared in front of us, speaking with an unusually serious tone.
"Did something happen?" I frowned, preparing for anything.
The clown nodded slowly, looking at me with an almost accusatory severity.
"I just heard that Miss Anastasia Hoshin was murdered."