The small blackboard in the records room displayed the simple information Elyon had written about the five victims:
Dockworker Earl Ford (West Birchwood Street)
Coachman Nick Ed (East Starlight Street)
Construction worker Ruby Daan (North Station Street)
Grocery store owner Oden Case (Southwest Garden Road)
Fisherman Hare Ben (Southeast, at sea on a fishing boat)
He then sketched a rough diagram on the board, indicating the general direction of the five victims.
"Do you think 'k' is a powerful secret organization?" Elyon asked.
"Of course, they have some strength. But why do you ask?" Emma responded.
"From the information we have so far, in addition to the five deaths forming a pentagram, we've also identified common traits among the victims. But what does the information 'enroh' they provided mean?" Elyon pondered aloud.
"These five individuals did not know each other. Their strongest link is probably that 'k' collected their information through an agency. What information might we be forgetting?" Rita chimed in.
"That's all. Let's summarize the common threads in 'k's operations: first, they kill one person each day; second, the time of the crimes is around eight in the evening; third, the victims are usually alone with no witnesses; fourth, all victims are adult males; and fifth, there are no signs of resistance or struggle at the scenes." Elyon listed these points on the blackboard.
"Next, the information I gathered based on the third case from Ruby's co-workers and my own abilities," Elyon continued, writing on the board:
Number of people in 'k' organization: At least three
Number of transcendents: At least one
Organizer: Unmarried female noble (no concrete evidence, presumed of low nobility)
Belief: Underworld God (at least the executor of the killing missions)
Operating area: Gonia district
'k's clue: Letters 'enroh'
Organization's location: Within a day's travel from the Gonia district
After finishing, Elyon put down his chalk. "That's what we know so far. Do you think 'k' is a powerful secret organization? These cases have led me to believe they are actually cowards."
"Why would you say that?" Rita asked, preparing to take notes.
"Their targets, while seemingly chosen with purpose by 'k,' are all ordinary people killed alone. Don't say 'k' has a conscience and won't hurt the innocent. These victims were innocent. Given there was no resistance at the scenes, victims were likely taken by surprise or ambushed. 'k's' targets also lacked fighting ability, suggesting 'k' doesn't have many members; otherwise, they wouldn't choose solitary targets. The transcendents' level isn't high; ordinary weapons should be able to harm them, or else there would be no need for sneaking attacks. They likely have one or more transcendental items, one of which can take an ordinary person's life force in a single blow."
"Sounds reasonable. Anything else?" Rita quickly noted Elyon's words.
"Next, we need to solve the challenge 'k' gave us. Emma, what is the pentagram used for in mysticism?"
"It's used in two aspects: on the mystical side, it symbolizes death and the underworld. On the other, if you draw a man inside a pentagram, with his head and limbs at the five points, it symbolizes rebirth."
Elyon felt struck by lightning. "I understand what these people want to do with the body parts they took from each victim. Look, the missing parts from the five victims correspond to a head and four limbs. They're using this to declare the birth of the 'k' organization. The only question now is the meaning of the letters they left behind."
"Mr. Elyon, don't you think we can't completely trust what 'k' says? We've been starting with the names, but the surnames might also be a clue," said Bell, who had been silent until now.
Elyon looked at the victims' surnames: Ford, Ed, Daan, Case, Ban. The letters FEDCB were certainly no coincidence.
"You've noticed it too, haven't you, sir? The victims' surnames are arranged from F to B. Could that be hinting at something?"
Elyon circled the initial letters of the five victims' names and then pointed at the blackboard.
"The letters 'enroh' don't mean anything by themselves, but if combined with their surnames and reversed according to the order of their surnames, the letters become 'horne.' I get it now; the meaning of the letters 'k' left us."
"Horne? You're saying the initiator of 'k' organization is a noble with that surname? But I haven't heard of such a person near Aegisburg," Emma said, puzzled.
"We're missing an 'A' from FEDCB, so there must be another letter before 'horne.' Adding 'k,' we get 'khorne.' Now do you understand?"
Khorne, the name of the chief of the four great dark gods in the famous tabletop game series on Earth, dawned on Elyon, but he realized that the reason others didn't react was that they were on Tager, not Earth, and the concept of Khorne did not exist here.
"Khorne? What does that mean?" Rita asked.
Elyon scratched his head and had to improvise, "I read in a book about the Eastern Celestis Empire, the word symbolizes slaughter and fear."
"I see, I need to write this down quickly. Do you remember where you read that?"
"I forgot, but the main point is 'k' has gone to great lengths to announce: We, the 'k' organization, will be born from orchestrating a massacre and a terror event, declaring our establishment. That's their intent and the message they wish to convey."
Elyon felt he had grasped the lunatics' intentions. The next step was to catch them, but the scope of the issue had already exceeded the capabilities of a regular police officer.
"Bell, compile the information and my inferences to give to Miss Emma. Our task here is nearly complete regarding this case. By the way, Miss Emma, which families use a bird on their coat of arms?"
Emma seemed a bit spaced out. "What bird? Be more specific."
"I was at the harbor yesterday and brushed past a carriage with a shield that had a bird on it. I found it suspicious. I couldn't see what kind of bird it was, but it was definitely a flying creature."
"Ah, in the Kerlonge region, the use of a bird in the coat of arms is definitely the Duke of North Island and his vassals. If your conjecture is correct, there shouldn't be more than a dozen or so noble families of viscount rank or lower. Thank you for the information."
"Don't mention it. The sooner you catch the crazies causing trouble here, the sooner we can have some peace. These five days of murders have surpassed the previous month's total," Elyon said, feeling his tense nerves beginning to fray.
"Alright, but I still feel this can't be so simple. Maybe they're causing a stir here to divert our attention while they work on something else in secret."
Elyon shrugged. "Superhumans, nobility, large-scale murder – these are all beyond one precinct's responsibility. This case ends with us. Bell, finish the report and hand it over to Captain Kappa. Now I can rest."
Emma stopped Elyon, who was heading to lunch, "Aren't you a police officer to be a partner of justice, to rid society of injustice?" Elyon glanced at his watch, "It's almost noon; even the most righteous need to eat after a morning's work. Moreover, my biggest motivation as a police officer is the five pounds weekly salary. As for social injustice, Miss Emma, any trinket you wear is worth more than a month's salary for a small officer like me risking his life. That's the biggest injustice." Elyon dashed off toward the canteen.
"I really don't like that kind of person, more despicable than corrupt officials," Emma said, visibly annoyed.
"Alright, I'll grab lunch and then head back to the newsroom. This story is bound to be a hit, hehe, my journalistic dream," Rita said as she packed up her notes.
"Let's go, I'll head back after lunch," Rita invited Emma, oblivious that neither was the host.
"I'm not eating; I've lost my appetite after seeing that dead face. Bell, organize the material, and I'll pick it up this afternoon," Emma said, slamming the door as she left.
Bell scratched his head, wondering if being a clerk was more tiring than a patrol officer. Had his uncle set him up?
In the canteen, Elyon enjoyed his lunch, smearing jam on his bread, when Rita approached.
"Just publish the reply based on your conclusions. Anything else to add?"
Elyon finished his soup and said slowly, "Don't use our real names in the publication, just refer to me as 'Officer X,' and end with a line that justice will never be absent. Members of the 'k' organization should surrender immediately, or we will bring them to justice."
"That doesn't match your current enthusiasm. Really don't want to publish under your real name? There might be a reward," Rita tempted.
"No, thanks. I don't want to risk my life spending money. Although 'k' organization might not be that scary, if they target me, I'm in danger, not to mention the risk to my family. Their weakness is relative to the likes of the Special Actions Division, an enforceable authority on all things transcendent. But if the superhumans specifically go after ordinary people, they're still quite formidable."
Rita said nothing more. The man before her was not one to seek the limelight and was quite low-key.
Elyon continued to ponder as he ate. The emergence of a word unique to Earth this time – could it be that the first transmigrator was a Warhammer fan? Could his knowledge have been passed down to this day?
"Hey, you did a good job this time. I've read the report Bell handed over, and there are no issues. I'll stamp it and hand the case over to the Special Actions Division," Captain Kappa said, joining him with his lunch.
"Also, because this case involves superhumans, I can't apply for a bonus for you, but if you have any reasonable requests for rewards, I'll try to apply for you," Kappa joked.
Elyon pointed to his slung arm. "You dragged me out of home recovery to handle so many cases; can I take a short leave next week?"
"No problem, as long as there's no major case that requires your brain. I do worry the Special Actions Division might poach you. They're not short of muscle, but not many can think."
"Handling cases like this every day? Dealing with these crazies, even if I'm not on the front line, feels like madness. Unless they offer ten pounds weekly, enough to compensate for my mental anguish."
"Ten pounds? Quite the dreamer you are. For other government employees or military officers, ten pounds a week would meet the tax requirements for a 'C' class individual. The only ones exempt from personal tax are them and the navy's transcendent corps – a point of envy for the old folks in parliament. Think about it, ten pounds weekly would be the salary of a Special Actions Division office director or a small team leader."
Elyon pondered. With his secrets and an upcoming Orb Organization meeting, it was safer to stay in the precinct.