Chapter 54: Special quest
Of course, I never doubted for a moment the impeccable competence of Serpens and the entire organization behind the Order of the Shadow. These people had a reputation for being flawlessly precise, cold, and meticulous masters of their craft.
Therefore, trusting them, I could be sure that sooner or later they would get to the bottom of the truth.
And yet... even considering their impeccable efficiency, I couldn’t believe that the investigation into my assassination attempt would be completed so quickly — in just two days! It seemed impossible.
When I received an invitation to come to a place I was already familiar with to get more detailed information about the case, I reacted immediately.
I didn’t hesitate for a second.
My answer was decided even before I had finished reading the letter.
There was no doubt in my mind that I couldn’t put off the visit for a minute.
My curiosity and strong desire to find out who dared to threaten my life overcame any hesitation or doubts.
So, on the same day, without a second thought, I went there.
And so I found myself back in the very place I already knew so well. It was the same gun shop — at first glance, an unremarkable establishment, which in reality served only as a cover.
The facade hid an illegal, shady organization located in the same building.
Outside, there was a normal display window with guns, daggers, and other trinkets that attracted the attention of random passersby and did not arouse suspicion.
But inside... Inside, there was a secret that ordinary people were better off not knowing about.
Since I was already familiar with this place, I entered with the same confidence as if I were returning home after a short absence.
Serpens and I sat down on the familiar red sofa, and I began to slowly sip fruit tea, which I now associated exclusively with this place and its atmosphere.
With each sip, I felt a gentle warmth spread through my body, and my mind gradually tuned into a productive mood.
"Ma’am, this is all the data we’ve been able to gather so far," Serpens said, placing a huge folder of documents on the table in front of me.
The folder was so massive that just looking at it made me feel slightly anxious. It slammed onto the table with a dull thud, and I saw a thick stack of papers — reports, photographs, diagrams, even maps.
It all looked like real chaos of information that I had to study.
My stomach tightened slightly: would I really have to dig through all this?
I glanced through the folder and immediately realized that the amount of data was incredibly large — it would take days, if not weeks, to study. Even a quick glance at the pages made my brain work overtime, trying to remember even a small part of what was collected there.
Finally, I just sighed and gave up.
"Just give me a brief report on the investigation," I said decisively, pushing the folder aside.
"Brief?" Serpens asked, clearly surprised by my request. His eyes narrowed for a moment, as if he were trying to assess how reasonable it was. "But will that be enough? Madam, there is a lot of important information here that must be taken into account in order to get a complete picture of what happened..."
I interrupted him, not wanting to listen to long explanations that would only confuse me even more.
"Ahem," I said with a slight note of irritation in my voice, "you see, I’m very busy and I don’t have that much time to deal with all this."
Besides, if the criminal has already been found, why should I delve into all the details?
Serpens froze for a moment, blinking several times, his face expressing slight confusion. He clearly did not expect such forcefulness and directness from me. Then, as if gathering his thoughts, he said quietly:
"Oh... I’m sorry, I didn’t think of that at all!" His voice sounded excited, but at the same time respectful. "All right, in that case, I’ll tell you everything briefly and highlight the main points."
"Yes, go ahead," I confirmed, ready to listen to a brief but concise report.
Serpens straightened up, took on an important and focused look, as if preparing to speak to an audience, and began:
"During the investigation, we managed to find out that two key figures were involved in the case of your assassination attempt. The first is one of the employees of the Malcolm confectionery."
"Wait... The pastry shop?" I couldn’t help but interrupt him in surprise. My eyes widened, and I almost spilled the tea I had just taken a sip of. Serpens nodded, his face remaining serious and focused.
"Yes," he continued solemnly, "after a thorough examination, we determined that the poison was in the cake."
My heart skipped a beat. I hadn’t even considered that the poison could be in the cake. Ruby instantly flashed through my mind — she was the one who wanted to try that cake. A chill ran down my spine — what if Ruby had been the first to try it? It was too scary to even think about.
I clenched my fists, feeling anger rising inside me.
Serpens noticed my reaction and paused, giving me time to compose myself."But why..." My voice trembled, and I took a deep breath, trying to stay calm. "How could this have happened?"
"The cake was apparently poisoned during the preparation stage. The main suspect is Alice Rothberg, an employee and one of the pastry chefs."
I racked my brain but couldn’t remember anyone with that name. She was clearly a stranger to me. Why would she want me dead?
"But why... why did she do it?" I asked quietly, trying to understand her motive.
"The thing is, we checked her background and found out that a few years ago, you were in a relationship with her husband. After that, her marriage fell apart, and that’s probably why she wanted revenge," he replied, trying to speak calmly, but with obvious anxiety in his voice.
"Relationship...?" I asked, my eyes widening slightly.
"Lady Weinstein, don’t make me say it out loud," Serpens said, embarrassed. His cheeks flushed slightly, and he adjusted the collar of his shirt as if that could hide his awkwardness. "You know what I’m talking about."
I sighed heavily, leaning back on the sofa. It was somewhat difficult for me to accept the fact that because of past connections, the life of the real owner of this body, a woman I didn’t even know, had been destroyed.
Alice Rothberg — probably a betrayed wife whose marriage had fallen apart because of Grace’s interference. And how many other lives had perhaps also been ruined because of "me"?
I imagined this woman and for a moment even felt guilty. But on the other hand, I myself was just a victim of this stupid game.
"Okay..." I sighed again and asked, "Who’s the second one?"
"This is a man you should know," Serpens said seriously. "Walter Creek."
For a moment, I thought I had misheard. Was it really Count Creek? The man who looked and acted exactly like a pig, and whose actions were repulsive.
I remembered that the last time I saw him was shortly after I moved into this game. And now, after all this time, he suddenly showed up and tried to kill me.
"So you’re saying they were working together?" I asked, trying to make sense of all the information. My fingers squeezed the cup so tightly that the tea almost spilled out.
"That’s right," Serpens confirmed, nodding his head. "The woman added poison to the cake, but she only did so on the orders of Count Creek, who promised to protect her. On the same day after committing the crime, she changed her name and left town. But, of course, we still managed to find her."
The more I thought about it, the more my head hurt. Everything that was happening seemed too complicated.
"Okay," I said slowly, trying to remain calm. "In that case, we should find and question both of them."
Serpens suddenly objected, smiling slightly, although the smile was dark and tense.
"Lady Weinstein, you don’t have to wait. You can do it right now."
"What?" I frowned, feeling my heart beat faster.
My eyebrows knitted together, and I set my cup down on the table with a light thud. "Right now? Are you kidding?" I thought, but there was no hint of humor in Serpens’ voice.
"The people who harmed you are already here, waiting for their punishment."
Here? Were they really here, right now? I froze in surprise.
And at that very moment, a system interface window suddenly appeared in front of me, flickering in the air. I blinked to make sure it wasn’t a hallucination, but it remained in place.
System: A special story mission is available to you!
Reward: 100 reputation points in the Order of Shadows organization.
Mission: Eliminate targets (0/2)