Chapter 23
Chapter 23
The identity of the middle-aged gentleman was Alphonse Crowley, Minister of Land and Development, and—under another name—the Director of the Royal Paranormal Investigation Bureau.
“Well, I’m sure you’re already acquainted, but this here is my niece, Rose Stellania Taylor.”
“…I’m Rose Stellania Taylor. Thank you for saving me.”
Rose gave an awkward introduction. She couldn’t even remember the last time she’d spoken her real name aloud instead of a pseudonym; it felt strangely embarrassing, and she couldn’t keep her fingers still.
“Have a seat. I’m sure you’ve got a mountain of questions. You there, bring in some tea.”
The high-ceilinged parlor was filled with antique furniture and luxurious paintings, exuding an oppressive sense of authority. Yet James, unfazed by the pressure, casually lifted the teacup served to him and took a leisurely sip.
“To think the Minister of Land and Development was also the director of His Majesty’s secret special task force… I would never have guessed.”
“Nor did I imagine I’d be meeting Mr. Dautryche in my capacity as Director.”
Crowley smiled amiably, alternating his gaze between Rose and James.
“So then… what’s going to happen to me now? Am I to disappear without a trace, now that I’ve learned the kingdom’s secret? Or maybe be turned into a mindless husk through some mysterious experiment?”
“Hahaha! You’ve clearly read too many novels, Mr. Dautryche. At the very least, I have no intention of shaking this country’s economy to its core.”
Crowley laughed heartily as he answered.
“Besides, you played a crucial role in apprehending Robert Burns—the serial killer we’ve been tracking for ages—and in rescuing our Rose. If anything, you deserve a medal.”
“So his name was Robert Burns.”
“Yes. A real thorn in our side. Left traces all over the place, yet we couldn’t catch him. And now you’ve brought him down. Feels like pulling out a rotten tooth.”
“I was just lucky.”
James recalled the events of the day in silence.
The moment he’d taken down the criminal and gathered the unconscious Rose into his arms, people in unfamiliar uniforms had suddenly appeared, surrounding him.
“Mr. James Dautryche. Please come with us. Miss Rose Taylor as well.”
“Who are you? Don’t try anything foolish. I already called the police—they’ll be here soon.”
“If you resist, we’ll be forced to use harsher means. Please cooperate.”
The last thing he remembered was the leader lifting a hand shimmering with light.
When he next opened his eyes, he was in the top-floor suite of the Linden Caldea Premium Hotel. A man in a doctor’s coat and another in a more formal uniform had been waiting for him.
And those two began to tell him an unbelievable truth: that this world was inhabited by two types of humans.
Stories so irrational and far-fetched, he would’ve laughed them off—if not for what he had witnessed that day.
“To be honest, it was surreal. Talk of ‘Mythos’ and ‘Logos,’ magic and mana—I thought I was dreaming.”
“It was surreal for us, too. Sharing Mythos affairs with a Logos is taboo unless it’s absolutely necessary. But listen closely.”
Crowley gestured, and one of the uniformed officers standing at attention brought a file and handed it to James.
“Take a look.”
James opened it. Inside was a medical report—clearly a diagnosis—bearing his name: James R. Dautryche.
“What is this…?”
“We ran a basic check when you arrived. As expected, there were several anomalies.”
“Anomalies? What are you talking about?”
“No need to lie. You can see this, can’t you?”
Crowley began gathering mana at the tip of his index finger.
“Tell me what you see happening on this fingertip.”
“There’s a pale, yellowish glow gathering there.”
At James’s calm reply, Rose’s jaw dropped in astonishment.
“So you can see mana after all.”
James narrowed his eyes at the unfamiliar word mana.
“Turn to the next page.”
He flipped the document. It was filled with handwritten notes using terms he’d never encountered before.
“…I can barely understand a word of this.”
“I thought as much. Allow me to explain.”
The Minister leaned forward across from James and Rose, lowering his voice as if divulging a national secret.
“Mr. Dautryche, you are neither Mythos nor Logos. You are a Revis—a being in between.”
“What?”
Rose asked, clearly shocked.
“Hold on—Uncle Crowley. Are you saying Mr. Dautryche is really a Revis?”
“Yes. And surprisingly, he seems to be an artificially created Revis.”
Just as the world wasn’t purely black and white, there were rare individuals who didn’t fit into either myth or logic. Too weak to be called Mythos, yet possessing mana unlike any Logos.
Belonging to neither side—such people existed.
Artificially, though? It was possible to create a Revis?
“Excuse me for interrupting, but… this is a lot to take in.”
James leaned back, exhaling heavily. Logos, Mythos, and now Revis?
And artificial Revis, no less?
His head throbbed. So much new information had been dumped on him all at once, it made his brain spin.
Worse still was the fact that none of it seemed like a lie.
He couldn’t deny what he had witnessed while following Miss Blavatsky—no, Miss Rose Taylor.
That strange, foul stench. The faint, unnatural traces left floating in the air at the crime scenes.
They had reminded him of the twisting smoke trails from hookah pipes in the far East—half-formed, serpent-like wisps. Wounds in the air, hovering in the space around them.
“Maybe I really am going insane.”
That was his first thought when he saw those signs. No one else in Linden seemed to notice that heavy, vile energy—not the police, not the citizens.
And the closer to the final crime scene, the thicker that energy had become.
At Mr. Smith’s estate, it had been thick enough to sting the skin from outside the house.
When the fake Detective Facili had emerged and James saw that same energy leaking from his hand—saw the same corrupted water being manipulated—he knew.
Rose had already been dragged into the alley by then.
And then…
James had seen it with his own eyes.
That thick smoke-like energy had begun converging around the barrel of his revolver.
“Mr. Dautryche! Drop the gun!”
At that moment, he’d understood. He wasn’t hallucinating. He wasn’t imagining things.
Rose had seen it too. She could see this strange, supernatural phenomenon—he was sure of it.
That’s why he had quickly shifted his revolver and struck the man’s head with the grip.
“So… ordinary people can’t see this thing called mana. But because I’m something in between a wizard and a human, I can see it.”
“Exactly.”
“Then the mark on my chest must operate under the same principle.”
At his words, Rose’s face flushed with a mix of embarrassment and surprise.
“I was just about to bring that up.”
Crowley gestured for the remaining agents in the suite to leave.
“…This may be a sensitive topic. I’ll need privacy.”
He looked back at them, and after a long pause, spoke gravely.
“I have a lot to say about the abnormal ‘soulmate bond’ the two of you now share.”
After the Director finished explaining—
“You mean… physical contact?”
“Mr. Dautryche. You understand the concept of Revis now, yes?”
“A being with mana but no attribute. And so little of it, it’s practically nonexistent. That’s how I understood it.”
“Correct. But you’re an exception. Look at the bottom line of that diagnosis.”
At Crowley’s urging, Rose stole a glance at the document in James’s hand.