Elyon gave up the debate. If 'k' were indeed carrying out the crimes as he suspected, the investigation would be simplified since the vast majority of ships in the Kingdom of Brugge were registered. It might be faster to trace the killer through the ship registry than to scrutinize nobility and transcendent abilities.
The victim's family declined an autopsy in the afternoon, wishing to expedite the funeral arrangements. Elyon took a look at the body and, sure enough, there was the same crimson mark, ruling out the possibility of copycat crimes.
As the workday drew to a close, Elyon, out of uniform, took a public coach to the southeast port. Although he had doubts about Emma's prophecy, he decided to take a stroll around the busy port—a hub for maritime trade, as vital in this world teetering on the brink of the industrial revolution as it was on 21st-century Earth. Steamships billowed black smoke beside old-fashioned sailboats crowded at the dock.
"Good afternoon, Mr. Elyon."
"Good afternoon, how's business these days?"
"It's good. Since Mr. Garrick retired, we're counting on you to keep us safe."
Compliments were always pleasant to hear, no matter the world. Despite a citizen's death every day, it didn't seem to affect the lives of the common folk. Most were just striving to live.
Elyon browsed around the harbor, particularly looking for any suspicious vessels. Beyond the single-masted coastal fishing boats and the steamships bound for distant waters, he saw no private yachts or the like that he had theorized might be used by nobles.
"Could I be wrong?" He checked his watch—it was six in the evening. Deciding to head back, he flagged down a public coach.
"To Valen Street, please." Handing over the fare, Elyon found a rear seat by a window and rested his eyes, succumbing to the fatigue that had built up over the days in the rocking motion of the coach.
A sudden chill woke him, his mind flooded with visions of a crimson wave rushing toward him, like at the scene of the bank heist where three had died. Opening his eyes wide, he scanned his surroundings. Everything seemed normal, the coach filled with people returning from work. The uneasy feeling dissipated, and Elyon peered out to see a black, high-end coach disappear around the corner, just catching a glimpse of a shield emblem with a base of wisteria flowers—a unicorn on the left and what seemed to be a bird on the right. This was a standard insignia for Kerlonge nobility; the unicorn and wisteria were constants. The right side symbolized something unique to the family.
Elyon thought about chasing after the coach but decided against it due to the distance. A nagging unease lingered, and he hoped nothing would happen that day.
The morning of August 6th found children, not yet in school, playing on the beach, catching small crabs and other creatures. An old single-masted sailboat drifted towards the shore with the tide, its sails lowered, seemingly unmanned.
It was an ancient vessel, its wooden hull's white waterproof paint peeling in places. The registration number, klg-199208, indicated it belonged to the Kerlonge region.
Brave kids ran up to the boat, which had a dragging fishing net behind it, filled with common shallow-water fish and squid. Suddenly, a leading child let out a piercing scream.
In the late morning, on the beached sailboat, Elyon faced a headless male corpse with an 'H' underneath it.
"Dr. Kraisinger, how long has this body been here?"
The middle-aged, slightly balding man, after examining the body while donning gloves and a mask, offered a slow response.
"According to the stage of decomposition, he died in the early hours of last night. As for the cause of death, use your Eye of Magic to see. It feels like he was killed first, then beheaded."
For the third time, Elyon adeptly used his ability. Upon examining the body, he again saw a crimson mark from the left shoulder to the right thigh. This time, he wisely ceased using his power immediately after observing.
"It's the same as the last body. There's a mark on him, likely from a transcendent who follows the Underworld God, capable of stripping away life force, followed by the beheading."
Officer Bell approached with several deeply tanned fishermen wearing rubber boots suitable for the hot weather.
"Mr. Elyon, these are old fishermen from the dock who had a day off from fishing. They've come to identify the victim."
The fishermen bowed hurriedly upon seeing Elyon's police uniform, then climbed aboard the ship and closely examined the body's arms and legs. After a quiet discussion, the eldest among them spoke.
"Gentlemen officers, we confirm this body is Hare Ban. We're familiar with his boat and registration number – it's this one."
"How did you confirm it? The body has no head."
"The calluses on the palms from fishing, a thigh wound Hare complained about last week, plus the height and build. We're confident this is Hare Ban."
Elyon fell silent for a moment, concluding it wasn't a case of body assembly disguises. Then he asked, "Does the victim have any family?"
"He has a son studying at the university in Rumang. Hare always boasted to us about having a son in school. Most of his earnings went to fund his son's education. He was supposed to graduate this year. What a tragedy."
Elyon's heart sank at the thought that if this was the final case, the 'k' organization was nothing more than a group of petty villains preying on the weak. He had no desire to continue investigating; he just wanted to find the mastermind and give them a thrashing.
"Bell, go to the victim's house and look for any contact details for his son. There should be correspondence. We'll head back first. Catch up with us in the carriage later."
After helping Dr. Kraisinger load the body into the carriage with an enclosed compartment, Elyon and the doctor drove back.
At the precinct, the duo awaited. Rita, absent the day before, stared solemnly at a piece of paper.
"What's the matter? You look so serious," Elyon asked after hanging up his coat.
"'k' has left a message saying if we don't publish their motive for the widespread crimes by noon on the 8th in our newspaper, they will carry out a large-scale terrorist attack."
Elyon felt a headache coming on. "We just found another body this morning. Let's compile what we know so far."
"Where was the body discovered?" Emma inquired while sorting files.
"Unfortunately, your prediction was correct. It was in the southeast, at the port. The crime scene was likely at sea. A fisherman was murdered on his fishing boat, and this was left at the scene." Elyon brandished the paper marked with an 'H'.
Hare Ban. Elyon tacked the note with the victim's name onto the map of Gonia district, marking the southeast seaside. His task was complete.