By Zephyria 
“Haa, haa.”
By the time he reached his destination after running for a long while, Chrissy was on the verge of fainting. His ankle had swollen more than before, and despite swallowing more painkillers than his daily prescribed limit, the pain continued to plague him.
But this was no time to rest. Nathaniel knew that Chrissy had found a clue. Word might get to them. If he didn’t hurry as fast as possible, everything would be for naught. After pouring out some pills from the bottle and swallowing them with the remaining water, he tossed the empty water bottle carelessly into the backseat and stumbled out of the car. Believing he would be fine once the medication kicked in, he began to scout the perimeter of the mansion.
The villa where the party had been held was excessively quiet. However, he hoped he might find a new clue, just as he had at the previous crime scene. It would be best if he could obtain a search warrant, but he had no grounds. Moreover, at a time when it was unclear who was involved in this matter and how, that was not a viable method.
I can’t trust the Prosecutor General either.
That man was the one who had introduced Chrissy to this party. If everyone who attended the party had gathered for a specific purpose…
It’s only natural that Nathaniel warned me.
What should he do if this truly was part of a case too massive for him to handle? Chrissy fell into a brief moment of anguish. If it was a case so large that Nathaniel told him to wash his hands of it, could he really handle it?
“Haa.”
He let out a frustrated sigh. The answer was already decided. He could worry about that after uncovering the true nature of the case. Right now, saving Detective Simmons was the top priority. Why are you hesitating now that you’ve come this far? Get a grip.
Chrissy took a deep breath and moved his feet as quickly as possible. Limping inevitably, he reached the front door and rang the bell; after a moment, the sound of footsteps echoed from inside.
“Yes, how can I help you?”
The man, who appeared to be the villa’s caretaker, was thin with a pale complexion and an expressionless face—a face Chrissy didn’t remember seeing at the last party. Chrissy put on a casual smile and spoke.
“Hello. I’m Chrissy Jin, a prosecutor. I was invited to the party held here last time. I came to see if I could meet the owner…”
“He is not here. He is mostly at his mansion downtown, so please try looking for him there.”
It was, of course, the expected answer. Chrissy quickly continued before the door could close.
“Actually, I left something important behind back then. I couldn’t get in touch with the owner, so I took the liberty of visiting. Could I just check for a moment?”
The man looked down at Chrissy in silence. Chrissy added with a troubled expression,
“I’m sorry, but it’s something I absolutely need. It won’t take long.”
The man seemed to think for a moment, and fortunately, he stepped aside, gesturing for him to come inside.
“Thank you.”
As he entered without forgetting his manners, the man glanced down at Chrissy’s foot. The way he limped must have looked unusual. Fortunately, the pain had subsided somewhat, as if the medication had begun to work. As he quickly scanned the interior, the man walking ahead of him asked,
“What is the item you left behind?”
“Ah, yes. A notebook about this size. With a black cover.”
“I don’t recall seeing such a thing.”
Tilting his head, the man guided Chrissy to the first-floor drawing room and added briefly,
“I’ll look for it first. Please wait a moment.”
“Thank you.”
When Chrissy thanked him, the man closed the door after seeing him sit down. After confirming that the footsteps were quickly receding, Chrissy stood up abruptly. What he needed to find was clear: a painting or a relief related to the moon.
Opening the door slightly, he saw that the hallway was empty. Chrissy immediately stepped out and began inspecting the house. The man would surely be angry that he had wandered around the mansion without permission once he returned, but he didn’t care. He continued to explore the house with difficulty. At the previous crime scene, there had been paintings hanging at the end of the stairs on every floor, but this house was only two stories and had no paintings. If so, perhaps it was hidden inside one of the rooms.
…Eh?
It was after walking a few steps down the second-floor hallway that he suddenly stopped. He realized he had missed something. Hurrying back the way he came, Chrissy let out an absurd gasp. The pillars supporting the stair railing were sculptures of human figures. On the pillars spaced at intervals, the moon was engraved. It was just as he let out a sigh upon seeing the moon engraved on the goddess’s hand, the god’s chest, or the top of a foot.
Suddenly, someone violently pushed Chrissy’s back from behind. Losing his balance, Chrissy tumbled down the stairs without even being able to scream. And that was the last thing he remembered.
It was about two hours later that Nathaniel Miller received the report. A man who had contacted him via a separate hotline spoke rapidly.
“…So, opinions are divided regarding that prosecutor, but for now, he is confined along with the detective. It seems there were a few members who had their eyes on him at the last party, so there is a possibility he will be used for their service…”
Listening to the continuing words, Nathaniel merely smoked in silence. Eventually, the man’s voice stopped, and silence fell. The man remained quiet, as if waiting for a reaction. Only after exhaling a long cloud of smoke did Nathaniel finally speak.
“I see. Proceed with that matter as planned.”
“Yes, then I shall take my leave.”
The man answered readily and ended the call. Sitting alone in the spacious office, Nathaniel slowly brought the cigarette to his lips and inhaled deeply.
That’s why I warned you, Mr. Prosecutor.
The tip of the cigarette burned red and then slowly flickered. As he slowly exhaled the smoke held in his mouth, a hazy trail was etched into the air before vanishing. It was over now. Chrissy would end up dead after being tossed around miserably. It was his own fault—acting like a moth flying into a flame.
Things like this had happened several times before. Despite that, their ‘gathering’ had never been revealed to the world, and no one bore any dishonor. Those who learned the truth either became one of them or vanished from the world; it was one of the two.
He had plenty of opportunities to withdraw at the right time.
Nathaniel stared blankly into the void for a moment. This was the expected result. Everything ended the moment Chrissy arrogantly ignored Nathaniel’s warning and hung up the phone. Nathaniel had done enough—no, more than enough. Had he ever tried to consider and protect someone to this extent before?
So, it was about time he put the matter of him aside.
Suddenly, his fingers grew hot, and looking down, he saw the cigarette had burned down to that point. Frowning, Nathaniel crushed it out in the ashtray and took out a new cigarette. He skillfully put the new cigarette in his mouth and tried to light it with a lighter, but for some reason, it wasn’t easy.
“Damn it.”
He spat out a curse in irritation and slammed the lighter onto the desk with a loud clack. Even then, the surging irritation and anxiety, far from subsiding, grew uncontrollably. Why am I acting like this? Nathaniel grit his teeth, a deep wrinkle etched between his brows.
It was because of the pheromones.
The answer was set. The accumulated pheromones were finally paralyzing his reason. This was why he should have released the pheromones in advance. Why hadn’t he done it until now? It would be over as long as he put it in any hole and discharged it; why was that such a big deal?
“Dammit…!”
With a curse, Nathaniel stood up, snatched his coat from the rack, and strode away, leaning on his cane.
See, I’ve clearly gone mad because of the pheromones.
There was no other answer. To go save Chrissy Jin—why would anyone do such a thing unless they were insane?
Even though he knew this fact himself, his steps did not stop. Rather, he crossed the hallway even faster, feeling regret and anger at the fact that his legs were not intact and he could not run.