LOTM: Seekers

40. Tuning

At the promised location, Xio met with her employer—the one who had first approached her to become an informant. The man in the golden mask stood tall and silent, his presence as unsettling as ever.

"…And that's everything," Xio finished, recounting all the details she had learned about the serial killer.

The golden-masked figure tilted his head slightly, his eyes gleaming with a dangerous glint.

"With this information, you've earned enough to trade for one of two things—either the Sheriff's main ingredient, or the key component of the Interrogator's formula. Which will it be?"

Xio didn't hesitate. "The Sheriff's main ingredient."

She had already anticipated this moment. Her choice was made long before she arrived.

Because of the commotion they had stirred up, a few hunters and poachers managed to get their hands on the main ingredients for both the Sheriff and Arbiter pathways. It was only a matter of time before those precious materials started circulating on the black market.

Just thinking about it gave him a splitting headache.

"Just try slacking off again… I'll kill them myself."

The gold-masked man cursed under his breath, fury simmering beneath his composed exterior. The incompetence that had allowed this situation to unfold was unforgivable.

Xio's name had also been included on the list of suspected perpetrators—though not as a main suspect. The golden-masked man had subtly tried to probe her during their conversation, but she hadn't aroused much suspicion.

After handing her the Terror Demon Worm's eyes, he turned away with a sigh, already dreading the mountain of work awaiting him in the days to come.

***

I was grinding herbs in the mortar, the rhythmic motion offering a brief sense of calm.

After the short trip with Xio, I had come to understand the nature of Detection more clearly. I'd spent time training, trying to grasp the ability better—but it was futile. This wasn't a matter of practice or effort. It was a matter of capacity.

No matter how hard I pushed myself, the power wouldn't grow.

It wasn't about how much I tried—it was about my current limits. My sequence.

Unless I advanced to Sequence 7, Detection would remain exactly as it was: a tool I couldn't fully master.

"So, what do you think?" I asked the person beside me, who was carefully conducting what looked like a chemistry experiment.

He was none other than the proud, doll-loving Sanguine—Emlyn White.

While learning medicine from him, I would occasionally lend a hand like this.

"It's fine, if it's just an apothecary's formula," Emlyn replied, his tone casual. "It's not like we Sanguine have much use for that sort of thing anyway."

He continued working as he spoke, expertly mixing the potion and pouring it into small containers one by one.

"But," he added, "it'll come with a high price. At the very least, 300 pounds."

"Well, I don't think money's going to be a problem for him," I said, recalling the sheer amount of wealth stored in Viscount Glaint's mansion.

"Very well," Emlyn nodded. He stepped away for a moment, retrieved a sheet of paper, and scribbled something on it. Then, without much ceremony, he handed it to me.

"This is the formula," he said casually. "If that person buys it, make sure I get my 300 pounds. How much you sell it for beyond that is your business."

"Alright then," I replied, tucking the formula away.

"You don't think I'm going to just run off with it?" I added with a smirk.

"It's nothing much, as I told you before. That formula is useless to us Sanguine," he said with a casual scoff. "If you tricked me, it just means I made a poor decision… and you'd be cutting ties with me—and with the Sanguine."

"Spoken like a true Sanguine, huh."

"Of course," he replied, puffing out his chest with pride.

Sadly, that conversation would be the last time we ever spoke—before Emlyn disappeared without a trace.

***

"Is this the one!?" Glaint exclaimed, eyes gleaming as he snatched the paper from my hand. He unfolded it eagerly and scanned the contents.

"AHAHAHA!" His laughter echoed through the room. "We already have all the ingredients in our treasury!"

As expected of a noble, I thought, silently impressed.

"It's 300 pounds, right? I'll give you 350 as a commission," he said with a wave of his hand, tossing money around like it meant nothing.

As expected of a noble! I repeated in my head.

"You don't have to… but I won't refuse it, Mr. Apothecary," I replied with a perfect hypocritical smile.

"HAHAHAHA!" Glaint burst into laughter again.

"Good for you, Viscount Glaint," Audrey said warmly from beside him. "Congratulations."

Xio and Fors echoed her sentiment with smiles of their own.

We were all gathered once more in Viscount Glaint's drawing room, the atmosphere lighter than usual.

"When are you planning to advance?" I asked, turning to Xio.

"Maybe in a day or two," she replied. "I'm keeping an eye on the black market. Once the ingredients start circulating, I'll make my move—less chance of drawing suspicion that way."

"Got it. Don't forget to call me when the time comes."

"I will," she nodded, her expression bright and full of anticipation. She was getting closer and closer to her goal.

Fors, too, looked happy for her—though in the back of her mind, she was likely hoping to find her own formula soon.

"Actually," Audrey called out after making sure Glaint had left the room. He couldn't stay still, clutching the formula in his hands.

"I have a mission," she announced.

" mission? What kind of mission?" Xio and Fors exchanged eager glances. After all, Audrey's missions always came with generous rewards.

Meanwhile, she fixed her gaze on me with an intensity that suggested she was silently weighing my trustworthiness.

"Should I leave the room?" I suggested as I prepared to step away.

"No, it's fine. I'm sorry if I offended you," she quickly apologized.

I simply shook my head and told her not to worry about such trivial matters. Then, without warning, she dropped a bombshell.

"Assassinate the Intis ambassador, Bakerland Jean Madan," she said, her usual sweet voice and pretty smile belying the gravity of her words.

"What?" Fors exclaimed, unable to believe his ears.

"W-we don't have the capabilities to pull that off," Xio stammered, shuddering at the thought of what such a mission would entail—and the terrifying consequences that might follow.

"I'm sorry if I offended you, Ms. Hall," I added with a wry smile. "I never expected you'd want us dead so badly."

"N-no, that's not it!" Audrey replied reflexively. Then, seeing I was just teasing, she pouted briefly before explaining her real intention. She didn't expect us to carry out the assassination ourselves, but wanted to use our names to commission others—like Mr. A—for the task. If the mission succeeded, we'd receive 500 pounds; if it failed, we'd still get 200. It was a very lucrative offer.

After a moment of consideration, Fors and Xio saw no reason to decline the mission and quickly agreed. As for me, I explained that I didn't really need the reward—if I joined, the payout would simply be split three ways instead of two.

Thanks to that, they were more than happy to let me sit out of the "fun."

At that moment, my mind was consumed by the turmoil brewing in Backlund. I recalled that a major figure's death would likely trigger a chain reaction of incidents across the city.

Meanwhile, Audrey saw through me—she could tell I wasn't truly surprised by her mission proposal. However, I was too distracted to notice her keen insight.

After that, Xio and Fors went to find Mr. A to discuss the mission, while I returned to the boutique, Chris.

I just wanted to reorganize what I knew and figure out my next steps.

*Chi Ring

The doorbell chimed softly, and one of the staff greeted the visitor with graceful elegance.

"Excuse me, I was introduced to this place by Madam Mary," a gentleman announced as he stepped inside.

I glanced up briefly, then returned to my thoughts—until something about the visitor made me pause. I looked again.

The staff checked the appointment list and confirmed, "Mr. Moriarty?"

"That's right. My name is Sherlock Moriarty," he said, bowing like the epitome of a refined gentleman.

+1500 points

A green notification appeared before my eyes.

"We have confirmed your reservation, Mr. Moriarty," the staff continued. Meanwhile, I stood frozen for a moment, unable to fully process what was happening.