Charlotte knocked on the door of the Cat Detective Agency and was greeted by a girl around the same age as Sylvie, who smiled warmly from a small room to the side. 'How may I assist you, sir?' she asked.
Charlotte glanced at the nameplate on her desk: 'Trainee Detective Miss Mimi, graduated from Yingge National Academy.'
He smiled slightly and said, 'I have something I'd like to discuss with Miss Arsenault. I don't have an appointment, but we know each other. My name is Charlotte Mecklen.'
Mimi tugged at a cord inside the room—a simple communication system in the absence of telephones or telegraphs in the Falce Empire, where different signals could be conveyed through different tugs.
After a moment, a small bell inside the room rang, and Miss Mimi smiled again. 'I'll take you upstairs.'
A clear voice then chimed in, 'Miss Mimi, I'll take him up.'
Sylvie Martin trotted down the stairs, nodding slightly at Mimi, before adding, 'Charlotte is my cousin.'
Mimi looked slightly surprised and then curtsied gracefully, offering a lady's greeting.
Charlotte placed one hand on his chest and returned the gesture with a standard imperial bow, following Sylvie upstairs.
Sylvie chattered away, 'Miss Mimi is a nice person. She graduated a year before me and is already a very capable trainee detective. She might become an assistant detective next year. But don't get any ideas about her.'
Charlotte, feeling slightly embarrassed, said, 'Can we not bring up the past?'
Sylvie glanced back and said, 'Alright, dear cousin, you really have changed.'
Charlotte thought to himself, 'Cutting ties with my past social connections was indeed a wise decision. Fortunately, my former fiancée is not too perceptive; otherwise, my cover would have been blown.'
Sylvie led Charlotte to the president's office, bowed, and then quietly left.
Charlotte noticed that there was another person in the room.
It was a man who appeared exceptionally young but was definitely not as young as he looked. His eyes were far too sharp, filled with a world-weariness and wisdom that came from many years.
These eyes were so striking that they overshadowed the rest of his features.
It took Charlotte a few minutes to realize, 'How can someone look so similar, yet have such a different aura? He's not the man who tried to kill me at Swallow Street No. 1!'
Vinie Arsenault, with her lake-blue eyes showing a strange look of surprise, said, 'No fighting in my office.'
Charlotte raised an eyebrow slightly and asked, 'I consider myself a rather cautious person. Why would Miss Arsenault feel the need to remind me of that?'
The man smiled slightly and said, 'Vinie was referring to me. Mr. Mecklen! This is our first meeting, but I have heard much about you.'
'I am Aubrey Charlton Atwood, the president of the Red Horse Detective Agency.'
'Mr. Mecklen, you killed eight of my men—an impressive feat.'
Charlotte suddenly had a feeling: 'Should I just go for it? Summon the dark god again?'
Aubrey Charlton didn't seem to have any intention of making a move, and it was clear that Vinie Arsenault's comment, 'No fighting in my office,' had the desired effect.
Charlotte sighed, sat down on a sofa in the office, and said, 'I didn't want to do it either, but the price offered by that former warden was too high, which made your detectives overly brave!'
'Please allow me to formally introduce myself: Charlotte Mecklen, District Commander of the City Guards in Lukavaro District, Rank 35, Grade 3 Clerk! A loyal lapdog of Senior Scholar Menielman Sume!'
Vinie Arsenault couldn't help but laugh, her soft voice pleasant to the ears.
Even Aubrey Charlton Atwood smiled faintly and said, 'Yes, if it weren't for that position, I should be killing you right now rather than hiring another assassin.'
'Now that you're here at 22 Matille Street, did the assassin I hired fail?'
'Did you kill him?'
Charlotte shrugged and said, 'No, he took one look at me from a distance and then turned around and left.'
Vinie Arsenault looked slightly surprised and said, 'But Aubrey Charlton hired a mid-level superhuman. How could you possibly have driven him off?'
Charlotte responded calmly, 'He went to No. 1 Swallow Street but unfortunately encountered the Lukavaro District City Guards during their drills. Two hundred people seemed a bit excessive.'
'After all, Mr. Atwood only paid for one.'
Charlotte's reply was humorous and subtle, not overtly aggressive.
Aubrey Charlton Atwood pondered for a moment and then said, 'I see, Mr. Mecklen, although your displayed power seems ordinary, your true capabilities far exceed what you show.'
'When we first investigated you, you were just a first-level superhuman, so I sent Wells and Addison. But you were no longer at the first level.'
'When I sent Winterburn, you showed power beyond the fourth level!'
'Miss Arsenault invited me here to resolve our grudge, but the lives of my eight men cannot be so easily forgotten.'
'I have a proposal. How about we settle this with a duel?'
Charlotte asked, 'Will you personally take action?'
He had already decided to choose the duel venue at Machupic. Although Aubrey Charlton Atwood was a high-level superhuman, he might not be able to escape the maze. And if he could be led to fight Lord Leo, this trouble might actually be resolved.
Aubrey Charlton Atwood shook his head and said, 'I promised Miss Arsenault not to take personal action.'
'However, at the time, I thought you had already been taken care of by the assassin.'
'Now that I think about it, I did underestimate Mr. Mecklen and agreed too hastily, but I don't intend to go back on my word.'
'The person who will take action will be Wells, Addison, Winterburn, or perhaps a relative of one of the detectives you killed.'
'Blood revenge, in an open duel—no one can say it's unfair, right?'
Charlotte nodded. He roughly understood that this Aubrey Charlton Atwood still had some fear of Senior Scholar Menielman. Otherwise, he wouldn't be beating around the bush like this.
Moreover, publicly killing an Imperial Rank 35 official isn't something that can be easily brushed off.
After all, according to Imperial law, Charlotte didn't do anything wrong.
Aubrey Charlton Atwood smiled slightly and said, 'Then please, Mr. Mecklen, wait patiently for the duel challenge letter.'
The famous detective took his hat, nodded slightly at Vinie Arsenault, and then calmly left the office