Chapter 15: Surveillance Officer Adelle

Adelle looked at the slightly shorter girl before her.

A cascade of silver hair flowed down like a waterfall, shimmering with a soft luster like moonlight, yet on that delicate little face, sheer panic was now written.

Her eyes were wide, like two round red pearls, filled with alarm and fear.

Her small mouth was slightly ajar, and her tender pink lips trembled gently, as if she wanted to say something.

Dounia pointed at herself with her index finger, an expression of utter disbelief on her face.

“Me?”

Her head shook like a rattle-drum, her small hands waving continuously, and her body swayed along with them.
She was like a startled little rabbit, her flustered movements giving her a somewhat comical air.

“That can’t be right, because I’m just a little loli,” Dounia’s voice was clear and sweet, her expression a mix of childishness and helplessness.
Her brows were tightly furrowed, forming a cute frown line.

The corners of Adelle’s mouth involuntarily lifted.
Dounia’s terrified yet adorable appearance made her instinctively want to reach out and pat her head.

But she forcefully resisted, Adelle striving to control her expression, making herself appear as cold as possible.

“I’ve never seen a little loli call herself a little loli. You should know what your identity is now.”

Dounia’s cheeks visibly puffed out, her face turning crimson from nervousness, like two ripe apples.

A girl’s blush is more captivating than any love words.

‘Pervert! Loli-con! She can even gain favorability like this!’

Dounia, steaming with anger, stomped her little leather shoes hatefully.

‘I want to hit her, but I can’t win!’

‘I’m so mad!’

Fwooosh—! Several puffs of steam rose from Dounia’s head.

“Shall I pull you along, or will you walk yourself?” Adelle urged, making a gesture as if to grab Dounia’s wrist.

Dounia quickly dodged, glaring angrily at Adelle.

“Fine, fine, go! Let the poor, helpless little loli scout ahead for you! Then get knocked out by some enemy from nowhere and get your whole Anomaly Bureau wiped out!” Dounia, bristling with indignation, stomped off deeper into the alley.

Watching Dounia’s retreating back, the corners of Adelle’s mouth began to curve upward again, uncontrollably.

‘This little thing is quite cute when she gets angry.’

Dounia proceeded cautiously, turning her head every few steps to see if Adelle was keeping up.

‘She didn’t want to die here for no reason!’

Perhaps because the alley was quite secluded, there were no other people besides her and Adelle.
Most of the houses’ doors did not open onto this side; there were only mottled stone walls.

Clang— Clang— Clang—

A rhythmic hammering sound caught Dounia’s attention.
The warm and fiery orange-yellow light gave her a strong sense of security.

‘You want me to scout, huh? Then I’ll search for the safest place!’

Dounia looked up at the rusty signboard and pattered into the blacksmith’s shop.

A wave of heat washed over her, immediately dispelling the cool sensation, making it even slightly scorching.

Dounia curiously surveyed the shop’s interior.
The blacksmith’s shop was small but very neat and orderly.

The walls were covered with various tools and ironware.
The fire in the forge burned fiercely, crackling.
The old but sturdy blacksmith swung his hammer with concentration, sweat trickling down his flushed forehead.

“What do you want to forge?”

The blacksmith instinctively turned his head, his hammer still not pausing.

‘Why is it a little girl?’

His gaze slowly moved to Dounia’s gray and white uniform.

‘Anomaly Bureau uniform!’

‘Which young lady has come out? Haven’t heard anything about it?’

The blacksmith frowned, glancing out the door.
Adelle was standing outside the shop, watching Dounia inside, a helpless expression on her face.

“Ah, Miss Adelle,” the blacksmith said, revealing a kind smile. “Please, come in.”

“Excuse the intrusion.”

Adelle also walked inside the shop.

“You must be here to pick up Violet’s custom-made two-handed knight’s sword, right?” The blacksmith wiped the sweat from his forehead with the towel draped around his neck. “But Violet said there’s no rush for this job… it might still take a few more days.”

Adelle nodded slightly, neither denying nor confirming.

“Miss Violet visited you last month, didn’t she?”

“That’s right,” the blacksmith replied, pouring them both a cup of hot tea and sitting down on a wooden stool, his eyes rolling upward in recollection. “To be precise, it was three weeks ago on a Wednesday, twenty-four days ago in the morning, around ten o’clock.”

“She said she wanted to order an extended knight’s sword, two meters long, with dark gold mixed in to make it heavier. She paid the deposit and left quickly.”

Adelle nodded again, symbolically raising her cup and letting the steaming heat brush against her cheeks.

“Do you remember if she left the shop heading north or south?”

North was deeper into the alley, while south was out of the alley.

The blacksmith blinked, instinctively touching his nose.

“Hmm… to be honest, I don’t remember too clearly. It was probably south.”

“That’s all I wanted to know. Thank you for the tea.” Adelle said politely, grabbing Dounia’s arm and forcibly pulling her out of the shop.

“Hey!” Dounia said unhappily. “I haven’t even finished my tea.”

“We’re not here for tea,” Adelle said. “Let’s continue exploring north.”

Dounia blinked and followed beside Adelle.

Perhaps Adelle hadn’t noticed, but Dounia had picked up on a tiny detail.

After walking a few dozen meters away from the blacksmith’s shop, she slowly moved closer to Adelle, rising onto her tiptoes.

“I advise you not to think about ambushing me…”

“That blacksmith, he’s lying, you know.”

Adelle’s steps halted, her shoe sole scraping against the stone bricks with a soft hiss.

“Evidence?”

“I guessed,” Dounia admitted boldly, putting her hands on her hips.

Adelle gave her a sidelong glance, as if rebuking her for wasting time, and continued walking deeper into the alley without pausing.

“Did you notice that the first time, he could clearly correct your description of the time, which means his memory is very good.”

Adelle redirected her gaze back to Dounia.

“When he was recalling, his eyes clearly rolled upward. That’s a very common movement.”

“And then?”

“When I first entered the shop, he looked at me a second time, and his work didn’t stop because of it. This means he very likely had a chance to observe which direction Violet left in at that moment.”

Adelle’s expression seemed to become somewhat convinced.

“Continue.”

“But when answering about the direction of departure, his blinking frequency increased. This means there was something he was concerned about, something worth thinking about. When people lie, their blinking frequency also noticeably increases.”

Adelle narrowed her eyes slightly, seeming a little skeptical.

‘She didn’t understand how this silly loli knew these things, but recalling it, it was indeed true…’

‘Ah, my eyes also instinctively rolled upward when I was recalling!’

Adelle looked at Dounia with a dawning realization, putting a finger to her lips in surprise.

“Additionally, touching one’s nose is usually a way to hide embarrassment, which is also a common gesture when lying. His suspiciousness of lying has greatly increased,” Dounia said, wagging her index finger.

“Although these are indeed my guesses, do you choose to believe them, Surveillance Officer?”

Dounia revealed a smug smile.

“Let’s go back to the blacksmith’s shop.” Adelle turned around.