Knog on the door of the Cat Detective Agency, Charlot immediately entered a young girl about the same age as Sylvie. Sitting in a small room off to the side of the entrance, she offered a bright smile and greeted him politely. “Sir, how may I assist you today?”

  Charlot g the e on her desk: Miss Meimi, Traiective, Graduate of Yiional Institute.

  With a faint smile, he replied, “I have a matter to sult with Miss Venie Arsenault. I don’t have an appoi, but we’re acquainted. My name is Charlot Meburg.”

  Meimi tugged at a rope ihe room. In the Fars Empire, where telephones and telegraphs had yet to be ied, there were still peculiar methods for indoor unication, such as this rope-and-bell signaling system. Different patterns of pulls could rey various messages.

  Of course, in powerful Old ti nations, magical alchemical unication devices existed. While less ve for short distances pared to telegraphs or telephoheir raended far greater.

  After a moment, a small bell rang, and Meimi smiled again. “I’ll take you upstairs.”

  A clear and lively voice chimed in, “Meimi, I’ll take him up instead!”

  Sylvie Martin trotted dowairs, nodded politely to Meimi, and added with a grin, “Charlot is my cousin.”

  Meimi’s face lit up with uanding. Lifting her long skirt slightly, she gave a modest curtsy befitting a dy’s daily manners.

  Charlot pced one hand over his chest aurned a formal Imperial Salute before following Sylvie upstairs.

  As they asded, Sylvie chattered cheerfully, “Meimi is a good person. She graduated a year ahead of me and is already an outstanding traiective. She’ll likely bee an assistaive year. But you’d better not take any i in her.”

  Charlot looked slightly awkward and replied, “ we n up the past?”

  Sylvie gnced back with a teasing smile. “Alright, my dear cousin. You’ve really ged.”

  Charlot thought to himself, Breaking ties with my old social retionships is a smart move. Fortunately, my ex-fiancée isn’t sharp enough to see through my act—otherwise, I’d already be exposed.

  Sylvie led him to the office of the director. After bowing respectfully, she exited the room.

  Charlot immediately noticed another person in the room.

  It was a man eared unusually young, though it was clear he was anything but. His sharp gaze held an ageless wisdom, as if he could see through the plexities of life and time itself. Those pierg eyes were so striking that Charlot momentarily fot to study his features.

  It took him a few mio recover his senses, ahought to himself, He looks exactly the same, yet his demeanor is so different. He’s not the one who tried to kill me at No. 1 Fal Street!

  Venie Arsenault’s ke-blue eyes fshed with a peculiar surprise. “No fighting in my office,” she warned.

  Charlot raised his brows slightly and asked, “I wouldn’t sider myself reckless. Why the warning, Miss Arsenault?”

  The man smiled faintly. “Venie was referring to me. Mr. Meburg, this is our first meeting, but I’ve long heard of you.”

  “I am Aubrey Tildon Atwood, Director of the Fierce Horse Detective Agency.”

  “Mr. Meburg, you’ve killed eight of my subordinates. Quite impressive.”

  Charlot suddenly had the feeling, Should I fight to the death again? Summon that Evil God one more time?

  Aubrey Tildon Atwood, however, showed no iion of making a move. Clearly, Venie Arsenault’s earlier warning had been effective.

  With a sigh, Charlot sat on one of the sofas in the offid said, “I didn’t want to either, but the price offered by the former warden was far too tempting. Your detectives were simply too brave for their own good.”

  “Allow me to formally introduce myself: Charlot Meburg, ander of the Lukavaro District City Patrol Guards, Chief Clerk of the Thirty-Fifth Rank, and a loyal ckey of Senior Menielman Soumet.”

  Venie Arsenault couldn’t suppress her ughter, her voice soft and melodious, pleasant to the ear.

  Even Aubrey Tildon Atwood’s lips curled into a faint smile. “Indeed, if not for that title, I would have killed you here myself rather than hiring an assassin.”

  “Since you’ve e to No. 22 Madile Street, I assume the assassin I sent failed?”

  “You killed him?”

  Charlot shrugged. “No. He took one look at me from afar a.”

  Venie Arsenault appeared mildly surprised. “Aubrey hired a mid-tier Transdent. How did you possibly force him to retreat?”

  Charlot replied calmly, “He ended up at No. 1 Fal Street, where he happeo enter the Lukavaro City Patrol Guards in training—over two hundred men. That might have been a bit excessive.”

  “After all, Mr. Atwood only paid him for one job.”

  Charlot’s response was humorous yet subtle, devoid of any sharpness.

  Aubrey Tildon Atwood pondered deeply for a moment before speaking. “I uand now. Mr. Meburg appears to possess modest abilities on the surface, yet the power you truly wield far surpasses that impression.”

  “During our first iigation, you were still cssified as a Tier-1 Transdent. I sent Wells and Addison, and suddenly, you were no longer just Tier-1.”

  “When I dispatched Winterburn, you exceeded even Tier-4!”

  “Miss Arsenault invited me here today to settle rudge, but the deaths of my eight subordinates ot simply be brushed aside.”

  “I have a proposal: let’s settle this through a duel.”

  Charlot asked, “Will you be fighting personally?”

  He had already decided to hold the duel in Machubi. Although Aubrey Tildon Atwood was a high-tier Transdent, esg the byrinth there would not be easy. If he could somehow lead him into a frontation with Lord Leo, it might rid him of this nuisand for all.

  Aubrey shook his head. “I promised Miss Arsenault I wouldn’t take a personally.”

  “Though, back then, I assumed you’d already been taken care of by an assassin.”

  “In hindsight, I uimated you, Mr. Meburg. I agreed too hastily, but I’m not oo break my word.”

  “The duelists will be Wells, Addison, Winterburn, or perhaps a retive of one of the detectives you killed.”

  “Blood for blood—an open, public duel. Who could call that unfair?”

  Charlot nodded slightly. He uood now that Aubrey Tildon Atwood still harbored some fear toward Senior Menielman Soumet. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have taken such a roundabout approach.

  After all, openly killing a Thirty-Fifth Rank Imperial Civil Servant was not easy to justify.

  Acc to Imperial w, Charlot hadn’t done anything wrong.

  Aubrey Tildon Atwood smiled faintly. “Then please await the formal duel challenge, Mr. Meburg.”

  With that, the renowned detective rose, took his hat, and nodded slightly to Venie Arsenault before leaving the office with posed steps.