Leveling Up by Executing Monsters

Although Lloyd had been quiet on the trip back, not saying hello to anyone on board, it wasn’t a secret operation. His name was on the manifest, and two Knight Commanders had personally seen him onto the airship.

So it wasn’t surprising that they’d found him.

"Yes. That important batch of recovered organs was inexplicably stolen, and you happened to be on that cargo airship on your way back."

Judge Riggs said, his expression grave.

The other Judge’s attitude, however, was the complete opposite. As if performing a magic trick, he produced a coffee pot, a coffee burner, and coffee beans. He then asked a token "Do you mind?" before setting everything on Lloyd’s desk and starting to grind the coffee...

Weiya, who had shown them in, was already standing behind Lloyd. She placed a hand on his shoulder, a silent gesture of comfort and support.

Lloyd hurried to clarify his position.

"Let me be clear, I have absolutely nothing to do with this."

"I know. In fact... you were the first person we looked into. After all, you carry a very convenient... er, no, a very wondrous Holy Artifact. That’s why we investigated you last night."

"But you have records of using the ’Advanced Metro’ system, which serves as your alibi, and you have virtually no motive. We also learned more about the true nature of that Holy Artifact, so we’ve ruled you out as a suspect. We’re bothering you now mainly to learn about the escort team."

"Besides, two Knight Commanders and a Grand Judge are willing to vouch for you. So you’re basically in the clear. Don’t be nervous."

The two Judges spoke in tandem, one of them still grinding away at the coffee beans.

Judging by their words, they had clearly done their homework. They’d even figured out the function of his "little vest," knowing it wasn’t a true Invisibility Cloak and was ineffective against those with high enough inspiration or who knew him personally.

That being the case, Lloyd naturally relaxed and said:

"I didn’t think even my cheap... oh, no, I mean, my *revered* Grand Judge would be involved."

"Of course. That’s a very valuable batch of materials, equivalent to a month of your facility’s output. If it’s not recovered, I’m afraid everyone connected to it will be held responsible..."

"And it needs to be as soon as possible. Before the Saint’s Grace Court steps in."

The two Judges spoke one after another, making Lloyd tense up again as he became acutely aware of the gravity of the situation.

’Everyone connected to it.’ They’d emphasized that phrase. ’It clearly meant more than just the delivery and escort teams. It probably included me, too.’

Since this was now his problem too, Lloyd had no intention of just being an "eyewitness." He took the initiative and asked:

"Can you start by giving me an overview of the case?"

The two Judges exchanged a look and nodded. The one brewing coffee then gave Lloyd a brief rundown.

After all, they were all colleagues in the Holy Judgment Court, and Lloyd was a rising star in the eyes of the higher-ups. Naturally, they didn’t have to be as formal as the Saint’s Grace Court.

According to the Judge’s account, the highly valuable cargo had been unloaded from the airship and loaded onto a freight truck. The incident occurred while it was en route to a processing facility under the jurisdiction of the Saint’s Favor Court.

The bizarre part, however, was that they still couldn’t confirm the specific time or location of the theft. Had it vanished right after leaving the skyport, or somewhere along the route?

The entire team escorting the cargo had also vanished into thin air. Not a single person could be found, and the freight truck was gone along with them.

What was even stranger was that there were apparently no witnesses. Inquiries with shops along the route and drivers who frequently used it revealed that no one had noticed a truck suddenly disappearing. There hadn’t been any bizarre police reports about a "mysteriously vanishing truck" either.

Since everyone remembered the cargo and the team, they had essentially ruled out the involvement of Forgetfulness.

In short, the case was so bizarre that an inside job seemed like the most likely possibility.

The families and friends of the escort team were all currently undergoing the same type of questioning as Lloyd. The investigation was proceeding at a rapid pace.

"In any case, please try to recall the situation in detail. We have to get to the bottom of this, and we have to do it before the Saint’s Grace Court gets involved."

Judge Riggs stressed again.

’He seems really concerned about the Saint’s Grace Court getting involved.’

’Is this about some internal power struggle again?’

Lloyd scoffed at the idea. Not giving it another thought, he began to proactively cooperate with their questions, truthfully recounting what he had seen and heard on the airship.

He made sure to emphasize that the team had been completely silent for the entire journey. There was no idle chatter; they remained on high alert the whole time.

"Hmm... in principle, it’s necessary to maintain a high level of alertness on such an important escort mission, especially without anyone from the Saint’s Grace Court present... But people aren’t machines. To not say a single word during a multi-hour journey... that is indeed strange."

Judge Gold said as he poured the brewed coffee into four cups, handing one to each person present.

Lloyd raised his cup and carefully took a sip.

’So bitter!’

He grimaced.

’Is this coffee or medicine?’

But the two men across from him hadn’t touched their cups. They watched Lloyd’s eyes narrow from the bitterness, then exchanged a look and nodded discreetly.

Only then did Judge Gold speak up:

"I brought eggs, sugar, and almonds. You just drank it too fast."

As he spoke, he produced the items as if from thin air, another magic trick.

’Then why didn’t you take them out sooner!’

Lloyd cursed inwardly, sticking his tongue out from the bitter taste.

Weiya, who stood behind him, hadn’t rushed to drink her coffee. But as she watched Lloyd repeatedly stick out his tongue, she pursed her lips. ’Does she actually want to taste it?’

"So... was my description helpful at all?"

Lloyd asked after taking half a minute to recover.

Judge Riggs spread his hands helplessly.

"This strangeness alone isn’t enough. If anything, it just makes the case more baffling..."

Judge Gold added:

"Exactly. The escort team was at full strength, fifteen people. Could every single one of them be a cold-blooded outlaw who doesn’t care about their family? To just suddenly defect without any prior signs or preparation? Besides... they had already returned to the city. Wouldn’t it have been easier to defect while they were still outside?"

Even Lloyd chimed in with his own analysis:

"Plus, that was a huge shipment. I remember the cargo hold being packed to the brim. The truck carrying it must have been massive. It couldn’t have just slipped down a narrow alley and vanished."

The two Judges both nodded but said nothing more.

Weiya, perhaps sensing Lloyd’s potential embarrassment at the silence, quickly spoke up.

"Maybe some kind of unique Holy Artifact was involved?"

"It would have to be an incredibly powerful Holy Artifact, wouldn’t it?"

"Mmm, I’ve heard that Spatial Holy Artifacts like that are extremely rare. Its value would probably exceed that of the cargo itself, right? Using it for theft... seems a bit overkill, doesn’t it?"

"The Space System?"

Hearing Weiya mention this, something suddenly clicked for Lloyd.

This silent, traceless disappearance reminded him of the Dream Theater.

Coincidentally, that place had a dazzling prize redemption list. Many people, including Lloyd, were curious about the source of those prizes.

Whether it was capable of making an entire truck vanish, Lloyd couldn’t say for sure. It was just a guess.

One of the Judges noticed Lloyd’s expression and quickly asked:

"Did you think of something?"

"Have you heard of a place called the Dream Theater?" Lloyd asked in return.

Seeing the other three—Riggs, Gold, and Weiya—shake their heads, Lloyd briefly explained what the place was.

He limited his description to what he had seen, leaving out the part about him playing games or earning points.

In any case, his invitation had come from the Chief Judge, so there was no need to hide the fact that he’d been there.

After listening to Lloyd’s explanation, Judge Riggs frowned, looking troubled. "If what you’re saying is true, then this Dream Theater is certainly a suspect. While there’s no direct evidence pointing to it, we have no other leads, so we have to investigate. The only problem is... we can’t get in."

Judge Gold also shook his head, looking troubled.

"It’s not just about getting in. Even if we could, given how complex and mysterious that place is, it’d be hard to find any clues quickly, don’t you think?"

With that, the two of them turned in perfect sync to look at Lloyd.

Lloyd instantly felt like he’d been played. He gave a wry smile and said:

"Fine, I’ll go take a look. This case does involve me, after all... But I can’t guarantee I’ll find anything, and I can only promise to be as quick as I can... But really, why do you two keep emphasizing the time limit?"

Judge Riggs gave a wry smile and explained simply:

"That... has to do with some of the rivalries between the Three Great Judgment Courts. If you’re really interested, we can set aside some time to talk about it another day."

With that, they downed their coffees—now containing who knows how much sugar and milk—in one gulp. Then, as if by Magic, they cleaned everything up. They each added a parting word:

"Anyway, it’s a long shot, but we’ll have to ask you to investigate the Dream Theater."

"If you find anything, please notify us immediately."

Having said their piece, the two of them left in a hurry. They were very busy people, with many other places to investigate.

After they were gone, Lloyd shook his head and said to Weiya:

"They don’t really buy my theory. They’re not taking that place seriously, so they just casually dumped it on me."

"Are you still going to go, then?"

Weiya asked. Seeing that they were alone in the office, she took the initiative and reached for Lloyd’s hand, gently stroking the back of it.

"Tomorrow,"

Lloyd replied after a moment’s thought.