The Emperor's Daughter

Chapter 17: The Families

The whole room was filled with the smell of paper and parchment which was pleasant to dwell into. The rows of bookshelves were like a forest where you would be lost looking at books. Without the sign indicating the genre nor the first letter of the author's name, searching for the book you want would be like finding a needle at the bottom of the ocean. He approached the section of history and myth and returned with a stack of books that he hoped he would get something useful from it.

The Overseer kept eyes on them, however, as the old families. Like a heritage that needed to be observed and protected. They would send people to check with one of the families from time to time. Each family probably had a communication line that connected directly to the organization. Until now, he was merely thinking the families as assets would help the organization. However, there was something behind that curtain. They might be more than just old families that had wealth and power.

Those families were Johannes, Methyl, Oriephae, Edelweiss, and Mikado.

After getting back home, the first place he went was the library, Vincent wanted to find out more facts that could confirm his skeptical theory. And he found it. The truth that he was seeking was hidden in an old book with a worn cover that looked like it had not been touched in years. It was about an old myth. The book told the story of the old time, where there were five families, which were known as the guardian families. After the mass catastrophe that almost destroyed everything, they decided to work together to protect the world and prevent any threats like that ever happened again. They were the world's protectors.

There was a family that was more powerful than the rest. According to what was written on the record, the family produced one of the best warriors to protect the world. The family did most part to directly involve and stop any catastrophes, either it was natural or was done by a human. There was a myth that the family's blood was so special that the family began to practice of marrying only family member. With this taboo tradition, they believed that it would produce children that would be extraordinary and surpass normal people.

There was only one other family that had as many warriors, but they were not as powerful. At that time, they believed that two of the five families were rivaling each other, which caused the union to break. Some decided to abandon their duty, some decided to keep protecting the world. But as time passed, the peace made people no longer need their services and soon forgetting the old guardian families. The families became a myth that dissolved into oblivion.

Little did the normal people know, the families were real and they were still existing.

The bell rang whenever there was a person enter the humble tavern of the city. The sun was still up in the sky so the place didn't have many people, easy for him to spot the person that he was looking for.

"Well, maybe we could see each other from time to time." Said a man who was the customer to the waitress with a playful smile. But that smile soon changed to a sarcastic smirk when a certain glasses man joined him at the table "Never thought I would see you here."

"I don't want to hear it now, Alain" Vincent quickly turn him down "About the case with the Edelweiss."

"Fine. If you are so determined to be able to find me here, I guess I will visit your home."

Then Alain told the hopeful waitress that he was busy.

The house was empty, Shiki was not in the house. He was actually expecting her to be home so she could be a part of this conversation. Alain made himself at home by sitting on the couch.

"So what is it?"

"It was the same person that encountered us in the hospital."

"How can you be sure?:

"The person that had the ability to possess people, and I don't think it was a high-level wizard. Our casualty would be much higher. Pretty sure the same person."

"Alright, continue on."

"They possessed the daughter to let the thugs got in the party. Then they murdered lady Edelweiss. The thugs were armed with guns and some of them tried to bring cans of petrol. From a look of it, it was an attack with a preparation. They planned to attack the Edelweiss. And they probably killed the Mikado."

"Two of the families. It does seem like a pattern. However, remind you that the killer of Mikado family was still unknown."

"It's true. But do you think we should report it."

"Also, how did you find out about the attack?"

Again with the question that he didn't want to answer. It was because the answer was still fuzzy and unclear, but it would cause troubles for Shiki.

"And where is that Mikado girl?"

Something was bothering her so she decided to not approach him. Maybe she had found out something, maybe she had regained a piece of memories. But avoiding him made she look suspicious.

"What if she was the culprit?"

"What?"

Alain just said it casually. When it came to works, he rarely joked.

"She was like an abandoned child of the family. To get the family fortune, she hired a killer to kill her family. Which would explain why she was the only one alive. But the killer decided to kill her too to get the fortune."

"That ....."

Vincent didn't know what to say. The only proof he had was a day spent with her and his feeling. In the back of his mind, he knew that this girl wouldn't dare to kill a person, let alone killing her own family for money.

"You need to learn to doubt people. Not everyone is nice and a good person. And sometimes, you just have to face it."

There was nothing he could say. He lowered his head, looking at random spots on the ground.

"Technically, since your job is done now, you can do anything with her. So do what you want."

After a few talks, Alain dismissed him. It was late when Vincent got home.

Compared to her last attempt, she did get better at not being traced. There were no hints of where she might want to go and he didn't get a clue from the train station. Why did the ticket seller forget the face this time? But in his mind, he wasn't sure it was right to try to find her this time. Until a sound echoed from the lock like there was someone trying to open the door with a key.