Detective Guide to the Steam World

Chapter 7 reveals another clue.

As a detective, one must naturally possess one or two abilities that ordinary people do not have.

Rean's ability is to sense whether someone is a superhuman within a certain range.

Hmm... the word "perception" isn't quite accurate.

To be more precise—he could smell the ominous aura emanating from the extraordinary individual after the awakening of their holy marks.

The smell was like a wolf in sheep's clothing mixed in with a flock of sheep; although they looked the same, their unique odor was particularly pungent.

Now comes the problem.

Does Baron Jesper know about this?

On this matter, Rean leans towards the fact that even the deceased Cyril was unaware of the truth; both of them were kept in the dark.

After all, a noble family that is not short of money or connections has no reason to marry a superhuman with all sorts of drawbacks.

A stable succession is what a family values ​​most.

Even for safety reasons, one could hire a servant or even seek help from the church.

Provided the money is right, the church in Fog Harbor is happy to provide sanctuary for devout believers like the Fletcher family.

such as……

Does Miss Willow's stigma have a bewitching effect, which is why she was able to marry into the Fletcher family as a commoner?

If we delve deeper and consider the Fletcher family's shady business dealings, could Willow be after this?

Was Cyril's death also related to this...?

"Things seem to be much more interesting than I imagined..."

Rean grinned, looked away, and continued walking down the corridor.

……

The Fletcher family mansion was very large, with dozens of rooms.

However, most of the rooms were vacant, making the place seem rather deserted.

Rean remained patient and inspected each room one by one.

Aside from some traces of long-ago habitation, no other valuable clues were found.

Of course, Rean can't travel freely everywhere.

When he tried to enter Baron Jesper's private collection room, he was politely stopped by a dark-skinned male servant.

"I'm sorry, sir, you cannot enter here without Mr. Jesper's permission."

"Alright."

Rean turned his gaze away from the iron gate, looked at the servant before him, and said with interest:

"Judging by your skin color, you're from the Western Continent?"

"Yes, sir," the servant replied respectfully. "However, I was born in the Kingdom of Bernard and have never been to the Western Continent."

"No wonder……"

Rean suddenly realized.

Although discrimination is not a good thing, the natives of the Western Continent are almost synonymous with talking chimpanzees in the minds of the people of the Bernard Kingdom, and this stereotype has long been formed.

However, these indigenous people are highly sought after by factory owners and farmers in various places, as they are an extremely high-quality labor force.

For this very reason, human trafficking has become the most glaring specialty of the Western Continent.

It was extremely rare for an indigenous person to be able to become a male servant in a nobleman's mansion, since nobles valued dignity above all else.

However, if one grows up in the Bernard Kingdom from a young age, undergoes local training, and sheds their wildness, then it makes sense.

"Are you Baron Jesper's personal bodyguard?"

"Yes, sir."

"Your name?"

Daryl.

"Only a name?"

Rean looked him up and down. "How many years have you been with the Fletcher family?"

"This is my tenth year working here."

"After working for ten years, I still haven't been given a surname?"

Due to traditional customs and other reasons, the natives of the Western Continent only have given names, but no surnames.

However, if someone performs well within a family and is highly trusted, they will be granted the family's surname.

Daryl's ten years of service without being dismissed, and his becoming a personal servant, at least proves that he has earned Baron Jesper's trust, and he should at least be granted a surname.

"Mr. Jesper has his reasons, and I am quite satisfied with my life now."

Daryl showed no sign of resentment and remained respectful, without a single fault to be found.

"Since you've said that, I'll take it as you being truly satisfied."

Rean smiled, then suddenly asked, "Where were you the day Cyril died?"

“I wasn’t at the mansion that day,” Daryl said. “I went to the factory district with Mr. Jesper in the morning.”

"Where is Miss Willow? Was she at the mansion that day?"

"Miss Willow?"

Daryl paused, then thought carefully, "Miss Willow was in the mansion when Mr. Jesper and I returned."

What was her expression at the time?

"Miss Willow cried very hard after seeing young Cyril's body."

I cried so hard...

Rean hesitated for a moment, then looked at the somewhat nervous Daryl and said gently, "Don't be nervous, this is the last question."

"Did the police arrive when Miss Willow was crying?"

"No," Daryl shook his head. "When Lord Jesper and I returned, there were no outsiders in the mansion."

"The patrol officers arrived about ten minutes later, and I accompanied Mr. Jesper to the police station."

"Okay, I understand."

Rean smiled and extended his hand. "Thank you for your answer, Mr. Daryl. Have a pleasant life."

Perhaps because he wasn't used to being treated this way, Daryl hesitated for a moment before awkwardly extending his hand to shake hands with Rean.

"It's my pleasure to be of help to you, and I wish you a happy life."

"Okay, goodbye."

Rean withdrew his hand, took one last deep look at the iron gate behind Daryl, smiled, and turned to leave.

He walked until he reached the garden outside the mansion, then stopped, looked down at his right hand, and a smile appeared on his lips.

"Another clue..."

Just now, when they shook hands, Rean could clearly feel the rough texture of the calluses on Daryl's right hand.

It is especially noticeable in the web between the thumb and index finger and on the side of the index finger.

To develop such thick calluses in both locations simultaneously, ordinary physical labor is definitely not enough; it requires years of repeatedly performing certain specific movements.

such as--

Grip your gun!

Those who have been handling guns for a long time know that when you grip a gun, the web of your hand presses tightly against the handle, and the repeated friction easily creates thick calluses, which are the most typical gun grip calluses.

Because the index finger is in close contact with the trigger guard, repeated triggering over a long period of time will cause calluses to form on the side.

The calluses on his hands alone are enough to prove that Daryl is a skilled gunman.

He is far more than just a male servant from the Western Continent on the surface.

So, is this male servant's true identity a bodyguard trained by Jesper? An assassin? Or something else entirely?

Rean buried his chin in his raised collar, his eyes deep in thought.

After all, in this world today, guns are not a rare thing, but due to technological limitations, they are not yet at the point where they can be produced by any roadside workshop.

Even most of the guns on the black market are inextricably linked to the military.

Although the salary of a personal male servant is not low, it is far from enough to allow him to freely consume ammunition or hone his shooting skills.

So, barring any unforeseen circumstances, it is Baron Jesper who supplies Daryl with firearms and ammunition.

Only this nobleman has the financial resources and connections to do so.

"Rean!"

Just then, an excited shout suddenly rang out, interrupting Rean's thoughts.

Following the sound, he saw Kent holding a stack of papers and walking towards him excitedly.

"You'd never guess what I found out!"