The Psychopathic Beast Emperor

The northern district of Aurora was the complete opposite of the southern marketplace. It was a place of silence, order, and discipline. Those three words described the district perfectly. Just like how, in general, the entire kingdom of Solaria had cities each specializing in something, the royal capital possessed that too, though in smaller quantities.

Wide stone roads stretched between elegant buildings made from polished white marble. Decorative gardens lined the streets, while fountains infused with water-element formations flowed endlessly without losing a single drop. Government offices, military headquarters, noble guest residences, academies, libraries, and temples occupied most of the district.

Even the people walked differently. Nobody shouted or bargained. Everyone seemed to have somewhere important to be. If the southern district represented Aurora’s heart, the north represented its mind.

...

Two figures walked side by side. One was a handsome silver-haired elf whose sharp emerald eyes constantly wandered over his surroundings. Sel Siegfried.

Beside him walked a tall woman dressed in black and silver robes, long crimson hair reached her waist, while her golden eyes remained calm and analytical. Apollonia. Her wings were nowhere to be found. Unlike the others, they made no effort to disguise themselves; well, Apollonia did. Her race wasn’t exactly part of the "common" ones that could walk around without anyone looking at her, so she used an artifact to change her hair color and hide her wings.

They posed as researchers from the royal archives investigating unusual incidents. Victor himself had prepared the documents; after all, few people questioned scholars, even fewer questioned scholars backed by the royal family.

They didn’t speak much, not because they disliked each other, but because they preferred thinking over talking, and of course, despite their relationship progressing smoothly, they were still... kind of shy with each other.

Eventually, Sel sighed.

"This is awkward."

"You think so?" Apollonia glanced sideways.

"A little. You’ve been staring at every building we’ve passed."

"I’ve also been counting," She answered calmly.

"Counting?"

"The guards."

Sel blinked. "You count guards?"

"There are fifty-three."

"..."

"Now fifty-four."

Sel looked around in surprise. "You counted all of them?"

"I memorized their patrol routes too."

"You’re scary."

"I’ve been called worse."

Sel chuckled. "I believe it."

Unlike Bahamut’s instinct-driven investigation, or Sylvia’s conversational approach, Sel preferred logic, while Apollonia preferred observation. It was an unexpectedly efficient combination.

They stopped before Aurora’s Administrative Hall, one of the largest governmental buildings in the kingdom. Rows upon rows of records filled its archive, from missing persons, to property ownership, to merchant registrations, travel permits... Everything.

A middle-aged clerk greeted them.

"May I help you?"

Sel presented Victor’s authorization.

"We’ve been assigned to investigate recent disappearances."

The clerk immediately straightened.

"I understand."

He led them deeper inside.

...

Hours passed, and the stacks of documents piled higher and higher. Sel read at an astonishing speed. Being an elf already granted him exceptional eyesight. Years of studying only improved it further.

Apollonia, meanwhile, didn’t read, but organized. Every report was sorted according to location, date, occupation, age, social status, time of disappearance, weather, moon phase, and even seemingly meaningless details.

Sel eventually leaned back.

"You’re making a pattern."

"I am."

"What have you found?"

She didn’t answer immediately. Instead, she spread dozens of reports across the large table.

"Look."

Sel followed her finger.

"There. These disappearances aren’t random."

He frowned.

"They’re spreading."

"Exactly."

The oldest reports originated near Aurora’s eastern districts. Months later, cases appeared in the south. Then, the west, and recently, the north. They were like ripples expanding through water. Someone or something was widening its hunting grounds.

Sel continued reading, when he suddenly froze.

"Wait."

Apollonia looked over. "What?"

He held up two reports.

"These people. They disappeared four months apart."

"So?"

"They have the same birthday."

Apollonia took the files and her eyes narrowed.

"Coincidence?"

"Maybe."

They searched further and found another report. Same birth month, same birth constellation, and same recorded mana affinity.

Sel slowly looked up.

"They’re selecting people."

Apollonia finally nodded.

"Not randomly. They’re choosing victims."

They immediately requested additional records. Mana registrations, temple blessing ceremonies, awakening records, and school enrollments.

Hours later, the table had become buried beneath paper. Sel rubbed his temples.

"This is insane."

Apollonia remained expressionless.

"No. It is deliberate." She pointed toward several names. "Look carefully."

Sel did and his pupils shrank.

"All awakened before sixteen."

"Yes."

"They also possess..." He paused. "Above-average mana."

"And unusually compatible constitutions."

Someone wasn’t kidnapping people for slavery, ransom, or sacrifice. They were choosing and selecting, like picking livestock. Sel felt his stomach tighten.

"This reminds me of..." He stopped himself.

"Derek."

Apollonia finished quietly. Both remembered the elder’s experiments. The similarities were impossible to ignore. Only that, this organization appeared far more organized, more patient, and more dangerous. For a split second, she almost thought... what if Derek was still involved, but she shook her head. He was possibly dead by now. It wasn’t possible.

The clerk returned carrying another ledger.

"Here are the old restricted reports."

Sel looked surprised. "Restricted?"

"Only senior investigators normally access them."

He placed the dusty book down.

"This one predates even my employment."

Sel carefully opened it, causing dust to rise into the air. Inside were disappearance cases dating back to early twenty years.

His expression slowly darkened.

"This has been happening for decades."

Apollonia immediately began comparing locations.

"It is not continuous. It comes in waves."

Each wave lasted only several months, before completely stopping, only to return years later.

Sel whispered,

"They’re rebuilding something."

"Or recovering."

Apollonia replied.

Just then, a young soldier hurried inside.

"Sir!"

The clerk frowned. "What is it?"

"The Royal Guard requests every disappearance file involving..." He checked the paper. "...people with rare bloodlines."

The room fell silent. Sel and Apollonia exchanged a glance. Rare bloodlines. That phrase alone changed everything.

The clerk looked confused.

"Why?"

"I wasn’t informed."

The soldier shrugged.

"Prince Victor personally ordered it."

Sel’s instincts screamed. Something had happened. Someone else had discovered something, or someone wanted those records.

Apollonia calmly closed the ledger.

"We’ll accompany you."

The soldier nodded.

"Please."

As they followed him out, neither noticed the elderly janitor quietly sweeping the corridor nearby. He wore plain clothing, and his posture was slightly hunched. He looked perfectly ordinary. The moment Sel disappeared around the corner, the old man’s cloudy eyes became frighteningly clear.

He quietly reached beneath his sleeve. A tiny communication talisman rested in his wrinkled palm. It flickered once, and he gave only a single sentence, which was transmitted.

"The northern investigators have discovered the selection pattern."

The talisman turned to ash, and the old man resumed sweeping, as though nothing had happened. Far away, someone smiled.