Chapter 188: Love Is A Form Of Death"Because no matter the answer you give me, I hope you will be happy."


    The moment I heard those words, I was left speechless, my mind went nk, and all I could do was just stare at her.


    As I stared at her, the woman cared more about me than herself, I felt something inside me being fulfilled.


    The warmth that spread within me was simr to what I felt when I spoke with Ste.


    It felt foreign to me, but once more, I realized that I longed for it.


    In a situation where we couldn''t give any specific answer, all we did was simply lean against each other.


    "Oh my, how shameful."


    "They’re like a fairy tale couple."


    "They must be newlyweds. They''re certainly in their honeymoon phase."


    For a moment, we forgot that we were in the middle of downtown. Hearing the people whispering around us, Erica was unable to stand it any longer and eventually turned around."Let''s go, we''re almost there."


    "Alright."


    I followed Erica, and indeed, we reached the dessert shop in almost no time.


    I mean, considering the location of the dessert shop and the route we had taken, it was easy to notice that she had deliberately wandered around.


    "..."


    Realizing that I was staring intently at her, Erica seemed to deliberately avoid my gaze as she stood in line in front of the dessert shop.


    "I will just think of it as a cute prank."


    We just wasted some time, but it was not that important.


    I tried to lightly dismiss it as just a prank, but Erica subtly nced back at me while turning her body.


    "Was it cute?"


    "It was just a figure of speech."


    "..."


    As I watched her return to her original posture, I couldn''t help but let a slight smile creep up, but I suppressed it immediately so that she wouldn''t notice it.


    "The line here is pretty long."


    Indeed, perhaps because it was just past lunch, there was a pretty long line of people waiting for dessert in front of the shop.


    I thought I''d have to wait for a while. However…


    "B-by any chance, a-are you the Soul Whisperer?"


    A man wearing armor approached me cautiously. It was the captain of the Loberne guards, a familiar face I had seen in the passing several times.


    His thick mustache made him especially memorable.


    "Yes."


    "Ah! S-Soul Whisperer! I am Paul, the captain of the Loberne guards."


    Trying to prevent him from showing excessive courtesy to the extent of kneeling on one knee, I grabbed his shoulders and helped him up.


    I didn''t want to attract unnecessary attention.


    "State your business."


    Thinking there must be a reason he came to see me, I got straight to the point. Paul''s expression darkened immediately, and he asionally sent wary nces at Erica beside me.


    "Well, you see, someone died in an apartment¹ on ss Avenue yesterday."


    "..."


    "But you see... There are many strange aspects concerning the suspect. Actually, I was considering requesting for the Academy’s cooperation and bringing you, Soul Whisperer."


    "Strange aspects?"


    If he had nned on calling me over, it must have been because he suspected that an evil spirit was involved in that case.


    "Yes, it might be a bit difficult to provide an exnation here, but if it''s fine with you, would you like to apany me...?"


    If we had to go to ss Avenue, even though it was still a part of Loberne, it was located near the outskirts, so it would take a while to get there.


    When I nced at Erica, she already had her arms crossed and red at the captain with the same icy expression she used when dealing with students.


    "We were just having such a good time now."


    Erica muttered while chewing on her lips.


    She whispered softly, so the captain wouldn’t hear it, but standing right beside her, I was able to.


    "Well, it can''t be helped then. It seems like there’s something you need to do. I''ll get the dessert myself."


    "Thank you for your help."


    After leaving Erica behind, I followed the captain to ss Avenue.


    ss Avenue.


    The dark side of Loberne, known otherwise for its good security; yet some called it a ce that contained the necessary evil.


    Some aggressive parentsbeled it a dumpster and called for the abolition of ss Avenue.


    It was the ce that was persistently the subject of debates about how abolishing it would only cause the trash to spill out onto the other side of the street.


    It was a restricted area where students were not allowed to enter, and professors patrolled it constantly.


    Upon hearing the name ''ss,'' one might think of ceramics or works of art, but it actually simply referred to a street full of ss mugs of beer.


    Although this ce was rtively smallerpared to the other cities, it was still the most bustling area in Loberne, with bars, gambling dens, and brothels operating all over.


    And in an apartment located there, was the scene of a death.


    It might have seemed obvious, but if that were the case, the captain of the guard wouldn''t have called for me.


    Guards were already stationed at the worn-out entrance of a small apartment building, holding spears and maintaining control.


    Receiving salutes from the guards as we passed through, we entered the first floor, which seemed to only consist of a door and stairs, with no corridor.


    It seemed like it was structured to have a single unit on each floor.


    "The scene of the ident is on the second floor."


    We climbed the stairs littered with cigarette butts and spit. Upon entering the apartment, the stench was quite strong, and it seemed like it was managed poorly.


    At the wide open front door to the second floor.


    We passed the guard standing watch and entered the room.


    The interior was much dirtier than any ordinary home. It reeked really bad, and empty liquor bottles were strewn about.


    When we opened the door on the right, among the two facing each other, therey a corpse covered with a white cloth.


    "There are no other external injuries. Cause of death is acute heart failure due to alcohol poisoning."


    "The victim''s name?"


    "His name was Hansen. He worked as a staff member at a nearby pub, but he was fired a few months ago after he fell in love with a hostess. Now he was currently unemployed."


    "..."


    "The cause was alcohol poisoning, but he didn''t take any drugs or such. And... he had a roommate."


    As the captain of the guard mentioned the roommate, his voice grew somber.


    "This roommate, Ophelia, is the issue. As I mentioned earlier, she is the hostess Hansen fell in love with, and the scene of the incident is her room."


    Based on what I heard so far, it sounded like Hansen was the man who lost his job and lived in a drunken stupor until his body eventually gave out; as for now, no external injuries were present on the body.


    However, the words whispered by the guard captain as he leaned in were rather intriguing.


    "This woman, Ophelia, is actually a widow. She lost her daughter and husband a year ago. I was the one incharge of the investigation back then, but unfortunately, it was an ident."


    "..."


    "However… in this one-year period, three men around her have died."


    "Hmm."


    "A young man living nearby, the host, and a veteran—These men were close to Ophelia. They either died in idents or due to sudden illnesses. However, this is the first time her partner died in this manner."


    "From your words, it seems that you suspect this Ophelia woman to be the culprit behind all these serial incidents."


    "....Correct. That''s why we''ve dispatched the guards to search inside of the residence this time."


    No wonder. It seemed a bit excessive to invest so much manpower into a simple case of heart failure.


    "I might be suspecting a pitiable woman, but I still want to be certain this time."


    While listening to his words, I slowly approached Hansen''s corpse.


    Without needing to lift the white cloth, I just nodded slightly after staring at it quietly.


    "It seems like you made the right call."


    "R-really?!"


    Paul looked dramatically surprised as he didn''t expect to receive such a definitive answer. He then clenched his fist.


    "Where is Ophelia?"


    "S-she''s currently staying with a resident on another floor!"


    Even without me saying anything further, Paul urgently gestured for Ophelia to be called over.


    I was not a detective.


    I didn’t have the ability to nce at a corpse and crime scene and immediately point out the culprit or deduce the motive and murder weapon.


    Perhaps the guards who had been handling such cases professionally would be much better at it.


    Also, they didn''t call me because they expected that kind of skill from me either.


    It was about things that only I, the Soul Whisperer, could see.


    <em>Hansen''s soul is gone.</em>


    Even if he had entered into eternal rest after death, he was still just a man who died the previous day.


    At least a faint energy could still be felt from his body, however, the soul itself had vanishedpletely.


    If he had be an evil spirit, it would have left a more recognizable malevolent energy.


    <em>The soul itself has vanishedpletely.</em>


    This wouldn’t have been the case if he had simply died from heart failure.


    Sensing there must be a story behind this man''s death, I waited for a moment. Then, I heard quiet footsteps approaching.


    "I''ve brought her."


    Greasy ck and skin that could be called pale rather than fair; despite looking quite thin as if she hadn''t eaten properly, a rxed smile hung on her lips,


    However, perhaps because of that, the woman exuded a decadent beauty.


    Along with Paul, who had brought her, the other guards also gazed at Ophelia with interest.


    <em>Thump</em>.


    Even I realized something stirring within my chest as I gazed upon her.


    Along with these fuzzy emotions, the desire to protect her surged within me.


    The moment I recognized that the emotion I now embraced was affection, an intense wave of killing intent was unconsciously directed toward her.


    "Soul Whisperer, Ms. Ophelia..."


    Perhaps because my reaction was too intense, Paul was unable to speak properly. And even Ophelia, who walked in stiffly, had her mouth tightened at the corners.


    "Let us talk separately."


    I led Ophelia to the victim''s room on the left. Despite being wary, she followed behind, albeit being pushed by Paul from behind.


    <em>Thud</em>.


    <em>Click</em>.


    As I locked the door, the confusion in her eyes deepened.


    However, there was no room for consideration, nor did I n on doing so either.


    "How dare you."


    I gritted my teeth and red at Ophelia.


    The reason I was swept up in a whirlpool of intense emotions was none other than because this woman had provided a strong answer to what the affection I had been diligently seeking truly was.


    "Is it fun? ying with the emotions of others."


    "N-no, it''s just..."


    "The moment I saw you, I felt a surge of affection towards you."


    Even though I was unable to precisely understand the emotion called love, the moment I saw her, I feltpelled tobel it as such.


    Someone might say they fell in love at first sight.


    However, due to my shallow emotional range, I was able to immediately recognize it as false and contrived.


    And especially because I had just had a conversation with Erica regarding this beforeing here.


    It was apelling urge that seemed to dismiss all the emotions I held, not only towards Erica but the others as well, as false.


    The anger that red up like a wildfire showed no signs of subsiding.


    "Since you have soured my mood considerably, you should answer me carefully and precisely."


    "Th-there''s no way..."


    Bewildered, Ophelia observed me cautiously. Since her intentions were very clear, I reached out and grabbed her chin, exerting force.


    "<em>Uoghhhh</em>!"


    Ophelia was unable to articte her words properly because my grip on her chin hindered her. Trying to confirm if I was indeed a male, she lowered her gaze towards my lower part, an act that was frankly disgusting and repulsive.


    "Do not try to y silly games with me."


    Even now, the desire to save this woman, who was still suffering in my hands, surged up within me.


    Struggling to restrain the strong urge to release the strength in my hands immediately, I exerted more force, as if to crush Ophelia''s chin, and m her against the wall.


    <em>Thump</em>!


    "Tell me what trickery you are up to and how you killed Hansen. Do not leave anything out."


    When I let go, Ophelia, who hit the back of her head against the wall, looked at me with teary eyes.


    Upon seeing her expression, which clearly indicated that she couldn’t believe I had taken such actions towards her, I was about to warn her again.


    However, seeing me reaching out to her, Ophelia hurriedly kneeled and prostrated herself.


    "I-It''s a tattoo! The tattoo on my chest has an enchanting effect on men!”


    The tattoo she spoke about was not visible now as she threw herself t on the floor. However, when I had grabbed her chin earlier, I definitely saw a heart-shaped tattoo.


    "A-and! I''m not the one who killed Hansen! Really!"


    "Do you really think I will believe that?"


    With killing intent strong enough to stir the mana in my entire body surging with me, I warned Ophelia. However, she shouted back, insisting it was real while lying face down.


    "My-My daughter! It’s my dead daughter! She’s killed all the men I loved!"


    Not only odd, but several parts of her story bothered me to the point where they became annoying.


    First, the fact that she mentioned her deceased daughter was going around and killing people could be considered a sign that her daughter had be an evil spirit.


    However, what I found more annoying than that was…


    "Loved?"


    The fact that she was speaking in the past tense.


    If the deceased daughter was going around killing her mother''s lovers, shouldn''t she have done it when her mother was still in love with those men? Why did she do it after her mother’s emotions had cooled?


    Filled with doubts, I asked such questions, but Ophelia was too flustered to even listen to my questions and continued speaking.


    "She has been killing the people I once loved! And my husband too! My lover too! They were all killed by that child!"


    The woman suddenly raised her head, shouting with a tear-streaked face, as if venting her resentment towards me.


    "ir''s General Store! It all began after I visited that store!"


    "…ir''s General Store?"


    The mere mention of that name made the woman tremble with fear, but I couldn''t help but have some doubts because I was a bit familiar with ir''s General Store.


    It was moremonly known as the secret shop that appeared in [Retry].


    In [Retry], you could only visit that ce if you were lucky enough, and there was a helper in the shop from whom you could obtain rare items.


    That shop was run by ir, who was always lively and cheerful, and loved antiques.


    <em>Something seems off</em>.


    It seemed like, once again, the story of the continent was unfolding differently from the game I knew.<ol>1. Although the term used in the raws means vi, a vi in Korea doesn''t have the same meaning as a vi in America or English. In Korea, vis are apartment buildings with at most five floors. Also, vis are found away from city centers, as this is whererger buildings containing apartments and offices are located.</ol>