Chapter Sixty-One: The Manifesto of the Cruel Angel

After finishing the task of eradicating the "Giant Thorn Demon Trees," the Phantom Brigade boarded a boat to cross the lake. When passing through the city gates, they conveniently took the "human queue," which spared them the rigorous inspections required of the "non-human queue."

"Mikul, thanks for your hard work." As he presented their pass, Viktor discreetly slipped two Orens into the city guard's palm.

The cold coins drew a smile to the guard Mikul's lips. Rubbing his stubbled chin with a finger, he said, "So it's the esteemed Viktor! Welcome back!" He cast a glance at the bulging cloth sack. "Congratulations, looks like you had quite a fruitful day."

With a wave, he let them through, also nodding and smiling at Angoulême behind Viktor. The girl, however, ignored him and silently followed the boy’s steps.

"Captain, why do you always bribe him every time we come in? We probably don’t need to—our pass is issued by the city watch, he wouldn’t dare give us trouble."

"But isn’t he a decent fellow? Two Orens and he doesn’t so much as glance at what we’re carrying, and his words are always pleasant. Every morning before we leave, he calls out, ‘Have a wonderful day, sir!’ And when we return, ‘Hard work today, and such a fine haul!’ Isn’t that nice? What’s the problem?"

The girl glanced around, edging closer to the captain, her expression blank as she muttered, "I want to kill that man."

Viktor’s pupils widened slightly in surprise. Angoulême was not joking in the slightest—she was quite serious about wanting to remove that guard, in a permanent, irreversible way.

"What’s the reason?"

"Intuition. An intense feeling of disgust."

Viktor didn’t dismiss this seemingly absurd reason outright. Angoulême’s instincts had saved them countless times. If she said so, she must have her reasons. Studying her impassive face, he noticed a shadow in her eyes.

"The way he looks at me isn’t right. He wouldn’t dare now, but give him the chance, and he’d do it. And I’m certain he’s done it many times before. I can smell the rot on him—he reeks of scum."

The stench of scum? Viktor blinked. For a girl like Angoulême, whose sense of morality could use some work, to show such overt disgust, the crime couldn’t be something as simple as theft or murder. Remembering her troubled past, Viktor let the matter drop.

After a moment’s thought, recalling rumors he’d heard, he considered this might be a good learning opportunity for his companion. He said, "I’ll give you two weeks. Find out what he’s done, but don’t let anyone realize you’re investigating him. Then, plan how to deal with him and ensure nothing comes back to the Phantom Brigade. Submit your report to me. I’ll decide if the plan is feasible. Show me what you’ve learned these past weeks!"

Angoulême stood frozen, startled by how easygoing Viktor was this time. She’d only intended to share her honest thoughts, expecting him to object, with all sorts of reasons about no senseless killing and following the rules.

"And if I find nothing on him in two weeks?" she asked.

"Don’t overthink it. We’re rangers, not judges—we don’t need absolute proof. If you’re sure he’s guilty, that’s enough. Judging by how slick he is at taking bribes, I doubt your instincts are wrong. And here’s an incentive: if your investigation and plan are flawless, your morning reading time will be halved. But if you find nothing, or make a mess of it, don’t complain about long reading hours again."

Laying out the terms, Viktor watched with satisfaction as the wild girl rolled up her sleeves, brimming with confidence. He himself had only needed an afternoon and a bit of arcane persuasion to hear plenty of rumors about the guards’ various misdeeds near the city gates. If Angoulême couldn’t find evidence in two weeks, it would mean he needed to reflect on his own training methods.

"So, Captain, what will you be doing these days?"

"I’ll see what commissions the Rose Knights have. They helped us last time, and now that we have time, we should repay the favor. That’s how things work."

"If I’m busy investigating this guy, will it be a problem not having me around?"

"Don’t worry. As you said, acting alone is a chance to grow too. Besides, with a bounty out, that wandering mage won’t linger near Vizima. Outside the city, we have the Squirrels; inside, the Knights. The Ram Gang ignores us, the Salamandra don’t know us. Once we finish the demon tree job, we’ll have a good rapport with the city watch. In the temple district, we’re practically ‘invincible.’ I won’t take on anything beyond our means, so just focus on your trial."

As they spoke, they entered the city watch headquarters. Viktor, reminded of something, pointed to a guard in the corner. "And as for Jessoro, he’s hooked on powdered grass—his finances must be dire. Use him if you need to."

Angoulême nodded, memorizing this. "Captain, could you use alchemy to make me a few masks tonight? Just ordinary, easy-to-buy ones."

"Naughty girl, my confidence in your success keeps growing!"

Their conversation broke off as Captain Vincent arrived.

He was the same man whom Lancelot of the Ram Gang had described as "handsome," an ironic choice for a balding, deeply lined, prematurely aged captain. Viktor, a civilian, took some comfort in the fact that relations between the city guard and the gangs weren’t friendly.

"So good to see you again, Ph…Phantom Brigade." Although it hadn’t been long since their last meeting, the captain’s ability to recall the company’s name impressed Viktor.

Bowing slightly, Viktor said, "Good evening, Captain Vincent. It’s a pleasure to see you again and report that the ‘bloodthirsty plants’ have been dealt with. In the records, they’re known as ‘Giant Thorn Demon Trees.’"

He placed the cloth bag on the table and opened it. "With the lumber district administrator’s confirmation, Angoulême and I removed eight demon trees from both sides of the main road. These are the shattered demon cores, brought as proof for our reward."

Vincent picked up one of the cracked, charred cores, laughing heartily. His round belly made the lily badge on his chest bounce. "Well done! The famed monster slayer, recognized by Knight Siegfried himself—your performance lives up to your reputation. Even Old Bear’s ‘Iron Fist’ last week didn’t compare."

A few casual words showed he knew plenty about Viktor. This captain clearly had some skill, and who knew how much secret information about the temple district was stashed in that belly.

After praising the boy, he turned to Angoulême. "You did well, too. I’ve remembered the Phantom Brigade’s name now, so you don’t need to remind me again."

Pleased at being singled out for praise, Angoulême awkwardly imitated Viktor’s bow in thanks.

Not making them wait, Vincent quickly wrote out the withdrawal slip, stamped it, and handed it to Viktor. "Four hundred and fifty Orens. Fifty is your ‘opportunity’ refund. You can cash this at any bank in the city. Good work. Vizima appreciates you, and the city guard welcomes you."

…

Leaving headquarters, Angoulême asked, "Vik, does the two-week investigation period start today?"

He hesitated. "Let’s start tomorrow. Shani will be stopping by tonight to read. You go ahead home and wait for her. I’ll head to the night market in the trade district for some shopping. For dessert tonight, I’ll make honey brick cake."