A Stay-at-home Dad’s Restaurant In An Alternate World

The dark and foreboding Bastie Prison was like a massive beast that was lying dormant underground, extending a weirdly shaped horn in the darkness. It was guarding the southwestern corner of Chaos City, and maintaining order in its lawless night.

“Lord Brandli, we’ve already clarified the details of Gabriel’s Black Iron Cross serial murders. The first crime took place three years ago, when an assistant knight test examiner’s family of four was brutally murdered. Two years ago, a body was discovered in the sewers in the Southern region of the city, and there was a cross carved onto the arm of the body with a knife. Three months ago, three murders took place in Chaos City in quick succession, and the victims included two children under ten years of age. A black iron cross was left behind at all of the crime scenes.”

In a dimly lit room, there was a man in a black jumpsuit, with a black cloth obscuring his face, revealing only his eyes. Facing Brandli, he had his head slightly bowed in a respectful manner, and reported, “After extensive comparisons, we discovered that the black iron cross that Gabriel was carrying has the same appearance as the ones left on the crime scenes, and is made of an identical material. After raiding Gabriel’s residence, we discovered many more of those black iron crosses, as well as a victim’s severed limb. We can determine from the aforementioned evidence that he is the serial murderer we are looking for.”

Brandli nodded, and asked, “Do Devoe and Goodenia have anything to do with this? Why did they attack the Mamy Restaurant? What were their intentions?”

“The two of them most likely do not know anything about the string of murders, so at this stage we’re almost certain that they have nothing to do with those crimes. However, Boss Devoe of the Devoe Tavern has many underlings that have been involved in shady dealings. Two years ago, the boss of a winery owed him some money, so he hired Gabriel to give his debtor a brutal beating, resulting in a permanent disability. After that, Devoe took over his winery. There have been many other instances of him hiring thugs to plunder riches from others; on one of those occasions, the victim succumbed to their injuries and died.

“Goodenia’s situation is a little better. He only got into an altercation with the Mamy Restaurant over a bowl of tofu pudding. He felt like he had been humiliated in the restaurant, and went back with Devoe to start some trouble, only for the subsequent events to occur,” the man in black hurriedly replied.

“If the Devoe Tavern has committed such atrocious crimes in the past, then why hasn’t our Gray Temple done anything about them? They’ve committed murder!” Brandli asked with furrowed brows.

“About that…” The man in black was a little hesitant.

“Tell me,” Brandli commanded with a sharp look.

“Prior to our investigation, the Devoe Tavern has already been reported to our Gray Temple on many occasions. However, due to some indeterminate reasons, none of those reports were followed up on. The earliest of those reports could be traced back to three years ago,” the man in black replied in a low voice.

“Do we have a spy among our ranks?” Brandli mused.

The man in black shook his head, and replied, “We do not have the jurisdictive power to investigate such matters.”

“Alright, I’ll report this to the higher-ups,” Brandli concluded with a nod. The hierarchy within the Gray Temple was very clear-cut, and without special permission, one couldn’t investigate cases that were beyond their jurisdictive powers. That regulation effectively restricted the power of the workers on all levels, but made investigations very difficult at times.

After a brief silence, the man in black continued, “Furthermore, during this period of time, someone has attempted to bail out Devoe and Goodenia. There have also been many attempts made by outsiders to gather information on the case, so even the contents of the confidential 4th-tier incident have most likely already been exposed.”

“Who’s trying to bail them out?” Brandli’s brows knitted even more tightly together.

“People from the Chamber of Commerce,” the man in black replied in a faint voice.

“They’ve been becoming more and more invasive of late. They’ve probably even forgotten their identities!” Brandli slowly clenched his fists, and strode toward the door as he said, “Tell Deputy Warden Jonathan that Lord Rolan has always kept an eye on Bastie.”

“Yes.” The man in black bowed his head deeply to express his utmost respect and admiration.

…

Upon a black palace that was close to twenty meters tall, there were specks of bright light that acted as embellishments, making it appear as if there were stars hanging from its walls.

At the very center of the temple was a circular platform that was over two meters tall. An elf in a deep blue magician robe stood on the platform, and gently twirled the wand in her hand. Specks of blue light emerged from the tip of the wand before falling upon those stars, making them even more dazzling.

She was an elf of indeterminate age, with a plain set of features. Despite that, she gave off an incomparably regal air. Her face was expressionless as she looked up at the countless stars overhead as if she were surveying the seeds that she had sown.

At the very center was the largest and brightest star. None of the other stars dared to approach it, let alone compete with its radiance and glory.

However, there was a large star slightly further away that seemed to be on the rise. It wasn’t as bright as the largest star, but it was more dazzling than the stars around it.

There was a hunched old hag with a hooked nose standing at the foot of the platform, and she was absolutely furious. She sharply screeched, “Mistress Helena, that filthy Irina is jeopardizing the future that you picked for us elves! Her heinous crimes are punishable by death! She is a fallen one renounced by the gods, and has had her body soiled by a mortal, a b*tch who has birthed a half-breed! How dare she show such arrogance and insolence?!”

“Silence! The princess is not someone that you can insult,” the elf on the platform responded in an indifferent voice. A black leather whip flew through the air before striking the old hag’s face, issuing a crisp sound which reverberated throughout the palace.

The hunched old woman was sent flying, and only managed to arrest her momentum after crashing into a stone pillar. She got up unsteadily, using the pillar for support; only half of her face was swollen, but it had completely swelled up. She looked up at Helena with horror and befuddlement as she said in a trembling voice, “Mistress Helena, did I say something wrong? If our brethren were to hear about what she has done, then how would she be able to live with herself? How would she be able to continue to occupy the seed of life and be hailed as our princess?”

“You’re right. Irina has indeed done something that brings shame on us elves. She has allowed herself to be soiled by a human, and has been abandoned by the gods.” Helena turned to Hetty, and the black whip instantly wound itself around her neck before lifting her off her feet. She was brought level with Helena, upon which the latter shook her head, and said, “But if word of this were to spread, it would tarnish the reputation of us elves, making us the laughingstock of the entire Norland Continent. Only a handful of people know about this, and we must keep it that way. You must never reveal this secret, or I might just kill you right now to make sure that you don’t get to tell anyone.”

Hetty looked at Helena with horror and reverence in her eyes. She could sense an aura of death coming from the whip that was tightening around her neck, and that pain was being inflicted upon her by the very same Mistress Helena whom she had served for several hundred years and frenetically worshipped. She hurriedly nodded before the whip could snap her neck.

“Remember this, prior to the emergence of a new princess, Irina will remain the only princess of the elves. You should watch yourself.” Helena lifted a finger, and the whip around Hetty’s neck was withdrawn, upon which she fell to the ground with a thump.

She lay sprawled on the ground with a face pressed tightly against the ground, and gasped, “Yes… I will…”

“Abide by her wishes, and allow Snarr to return safely.” Helena looked up at the brightest star in the sky. A smile appeared on her face as she mused in a faint voice, “If they’re really still alive, then I’m very curious to see what that little guy has become… Find them.”