“Why are you telling me not to go outside?!”
“We need to investigate the murder case, so wait until Ho Pil arrives.”
The constable said, blocking the door of the mansion where the murder happened.
“Why are you telling us to wait when the Shadowless Thief killed someone?!”
“We’re just following orders from above. If you have complaints, speak up. Even if you get dragged to the government office, it’s still outside.”
The constable answered with a grumpy expression, as if annoyed by the hassle of his job.
“That’s not the point. I, I want to go in.”
“It’s infuriating since morning.”
The constable, wearing a face exhausted from lack of sleep and irritation, said to another constable standing next to him.
“Yeah. They can’t catch a thief who’s notoriously skilled, and now it’s turned into a robbery case, making things even more troublesome.”
“If Ho Pil gets assigned to this case, he’s definitely going to be in deep trouble. Everyone’s reluctant…”
Who would want to take responsibility for a case that no one can solve? Just then, a carriage came to a halt in front of the mansion door.
“Sir, we have arrived!”
“What? What kind of carriage is that?!”
Could it be a high official? The constables at the door tensed up at the sight of the luxurious carriage.
“Oh no, she’s getting married!”
“I don’t think that’s something to worry about.”
“What, what are you saying?”
“W-what if the news gets back home?!”
“Everyone’s been told to keep quiet, so there shouldn’t be any problems.”
The young voices of a man and woman could be heard from the carriage. So it’s not a high official? The constables looked on with puzzled expressions at the people stepping out of the open carriage.
“A Black-haired Barbarian?”
“Could a barbarian even get a carriage that looks like a high official’s?”
Aren’t those barbarians just doing menial tasks? How could a Black-haired Barbarian step out of a carriage they could never dream of riding?
As the constables struggled to figure out who the man was, two women, dressed modestly, with a long veil and a wide-brimmed hat, got out side by side.
Is it possible that this Black-haired Barbarian has lured a wealthy woman with advantages not found among Central Plains folks? The thought passed through the minds of both constables.
“Is this the mansion where the incident happened last night?”
“Get lost. We’re not admitting outsiders right now.”
Someone’s been suffering all night guarding the door while they were probably rolling around in bed. The constable scowled and warned Kang Yoon-ho.
“As for me… Ah! Constable Jung! So you’re here.”
Does the barbarian think they’re just going to waltz in and talk down to the constables? As the barbarian approached despite their warnings, one constable gripped his baton.
“You barbarian, have your ears clogged? Get out of here quickly… Urk!”
“You fool!”
Before the constable could swing his baton at Kang Yoon-ho, Constable Jung’s fist struck the constable down.
“Constable Jung? What’s going on?!”
“You idiot! The waistband!”
Constable Jung glared as he pointed to Kang Yoon-ho’s waistband.
“A barbarian’s waistband? Huh?!”
The eyes of the two constables went wide.
The badge of authority, the symbol of a constable, was hanging from his waistband.
“You, you’re the constable?!”
“I’m the new constable, Kang Yoon-ho, granted full authority over the Shadowless Thief case by Head of the Right Guards.”
Kang Yoon-ho introduced himself while showing the badge to the constables.
“A Black-haired Barbarian is a constable…?”
It was only natural for the constables to be bewildered. Kang Yoon-ho had been appointed as a constable just a day after he crossed the river to Wuhan.
“Huh? Kang Yoon-ho? The famed constable from the Ghost Ship case?!”
Black-haired, constable. One of the constables connected the two phrases and recalled a story he had heard somewhere.
“Oh! Lush Green Post Office!”
It had been a big deal in the government office. The constables then remembered the rumors that someone would be appointed to investigate the Shadowless Thief case.
“May I enter?”
“Y-yes! You may go in!”
Please just go in quietly. Don’t turn around and ask for our names. The constables bowed their heads repeatedly as they opened the mansion door for Kang Yoon-ho.
Contrary to the constables’ worry, Kang Yoon-ho entered the mansion alongside the two women. The constables exhaled in relief, only to see an incredibly angry Constable Jung in front of them.
“You guys, follow me in a bit.”
As the reprimanding was about to commence, the constables squeezed their eyes shut.
“The murder site is the room where the owner kept the safe. It’s a room with a solid iron door and window, and it seems well soundproofed since no one heard the commotion from inside.”
Constable Jung recounted the investigative details gathered by the constables throughout the night as he guided them to the crime scene.
“Isn’t it strange that not a single person heard the screams?”
“The owner was a bit eccentric at night, so he may have mistaken it for something else.”
Seems like the husband had quite the fiery hobby.
“From what I hear, it sounds like a typical robbery case, so why did it involve the Shadowless Thief?”
“A black paper crane was found at the scene. Here we are. I’ll open the door to the safe room.”
Is it a copycat crime? As Constable Jung opened the safe room, a body lying near the entrance became briefly visible.
“Ugh.”
“Ugh!”
Could it be because they’re from the Martial Arts World? Both Im Ha-yeon and Miss Zhuge grimaced for a moment upon seeing the corpse but soon regained their composure and looked around.
“Where is the evidence?”
“I have it here. Take a look.”
Constable Jung handed over an object he claimed was the Shadowless Thief’s paper crane from a small box.
‘W-What?’
Wait a minute?
“Is that you, Master Kang?”
“What? You mean this?”
“…It’s the Shadowless Thief’s paper crane.”
It was definitely a paper crane I folded myself.
———
Why is my paper crane at the murder scene?
No way I went out in my sleep to become an artist and release my inner violence on the streets.
“What on earth is going on?”
“Don’t panic; let’s check the scene first. Usually, safes are stored in the owners’ rooms, so this is unusual.”
I said, pretending to be calm so as not to stir the two women.
“The owner is someone who possesses many things. They’ve probably constructed a sturdy iron door with a lock, thinking that if they do, no one will be able to steal their wealth.”
Im Ha-yeon fiddled with the lock on the door, looking cynically at it.
“Let’s examine it…”
Why is my paper crane in a room stained with blood? Just as I was about to move, suddenly, ruckus sounds came from behind.
“Madam, you can’t go in!”
“Get out of the way! We need to perform the rites and hold the funeral! How long are you planning to leave the cold body on the floor?!”
Is she the victim’s wife? I prepared my badge with an irritated expression as the angry woman approached.
“Greetings, I am Kang Yoon-ho, the constable granted full authority over this case by the Head of the Right Guards.”
“Because you bastards couldn’t catch the Shadowless Thief, this mess happened! Now a barbarian is trampling through my home!”
“What did you just say?!”
“Shut up.”
Im Ha-yeon. I appreciate you getting mad for me, but we should have just looked around a bit before preparing for the funeral.
We’re in a time without modern forensic techniques! This certainly isn’t paying respect to the deceased.
“Madam, I’m truly sorry for your husband’s passing. While I understand you want to honor his memory, I am asking that you trust me once. Please allow me some time to examine the scene.”
This is about respecting the victim’s family before the power of law. I asked the woman in a somewhat softened tone.
“….”
What will you do if you keep glaring at me? You want to stand against authority but are feeling angry and wronged about the situation?
Well, there’s a way to handle that.
“Madam. Your husband likely enjoyed vigorous activities during the night.”
Let’s gain her trust.
“Did you hear that from the constables?”
How did he know?
The woman peered at me with dissatisfaction. I quietly shook my head, pretending I had never heard anything.
“I noticed a mark on the neck of your concubine who passed by on the way here, and it resembled yours.”
First, start with emphasizing my observational skills.
“What does that even mean?!”
The woman tried to remain calm, but she covered her neck, clearly embarrassed.
“Even though there was a ruckus near your husband’s room at night, no one in the household moved. Considering the mark on your neck, this likely means the family was used to such occurrences.”
I’m making myself out to be someone with exceptional investigative skills with my observations.
“You can tell that much from one mark?”
“Let’s take a look at the room.”
I connect my foreknowledge with my observational prowess, piecing together the scenario at the crime scene.
“What do you mean, the room?”
“The blood trail near the entrance doesn’t appear near the safe. This means the owner sensed something suspicious and hurried to the safe room, but that’s when the incident occurred.”
I pointed to the blood at the entrance.
“….”
“A struggle took place. He was hit first but wasn’t critically injured. He might have had a chance to escape but didn’t have enough time. When he tried to forcefully open the sturdy iron door, he probably gave the thief another chance.”
“Indeed! That’s why there was blood on the inner door!”
The constables present gasped in admiration at my deductions.
“Look at the footprints in front of the corpse. A single person was pacing in the same spot, showing their anxiousness. The perpetrator was taken off-guard. They either didn’t plan to kill or at least didn’t expect it to happen.”
“Wow…”
Miss Zhuge stared at me in awe as her mouth gaped open.
“That’s everything I figured out the moment I entered the room.”
“How… How did you…?”
The wife asked, her eyes wide in shock.
“Because I heard the voice of the victim.”
Perfect secrets make a person seem mysterious. With a slight smirk, I insinuated that there was some hidden secret.
“The voice of the victim? Do you mean you have some kind of mystical powers or…?”
“The crime scene has numerous voices lingering.”
The famed constable Kang Yoon-ho knows it all. There’s no need to explain the details of detective skills or methods one by one.
I stared calmly at the wife.
“….”
“The more voices of the dead I hear, the better I can ensure there are no grievances regarding this incident.”
I vowed to honor the dead in my way as a constable. I asked her to be patient for just a moment while doing so.
The wife stared at me for a moment, then bowed her head courteously.
“…Constable Kang. I lost my composure. Please let me know if you need anything.”
“Please prepare a meal for the constables who guarded the mansion all night.”
———
“Y-You’re amazing, Master Kang!”
“W-How did you know? Is it true you were the one who solved the Ghost Ship case?”
Once the wife and the constables left, Im Ha-yeon and Miss Zhuge gushed excitedly around me.
“Haha, I just pieced things together. There’s plenty of evidence lying around to speak for itself.”
What I did wasn’t sleuthing.
Even a makeshift bowl made with poor craftsmanship can be sold as an imperial tea set if presented skillfully by a seasoned merchant.
Having enjoyed detective comics and police dramas, I merely knew how to package the crime scene with credibility.
“I think you did even better than our family’s elders!”
“Yeah! Just like during the Lush Green Post Office case, it seems like being a constable is a good fit for you.”
It’s not like I can pinpoint people’s jobs just by looking at them and say, “Ah, this person has been out of work as a fisherman for quite some time.” I’m not some legendary detective.
“Honestly, right now I feel I’m more suited for rope tying than being a constable.”
First, we need to find out the source of the paper crane. I shrugged and said.
“Why on earth is the black crane here?”
“Let’s find something that could serve as evidence at the crime scene for now. You two, please do your best.”
“Leave it to us.”
“Come on, Ha-yeon, let’s go inside!”
The two women nodded and turned to head inside.
One is the next Shadowless Thief, and the other is a woman known for her martial arts and medicine since childhood from the Zhuge clan. There’s no need for me to follow them in and interfere.
I stood outside the door, watching the two women search inside.
‘As long as the paper crane is genuine, it’s imperative to prove the Shadowless Thief is a fake.’
The Shadowless Thief must not be painted as a highway robber.
Why the paper crane is here can be pondered later. For now, I must first locate decisive evidence to cover the genuine paper crane.
“There are no signs of entry through the window.”
“We see stab wounds on the abdomen, but the fatal wound is to the neck.”
“The footprints are uneven. They weren’t made by a martial artist’s refined steps.”
Fortunately, it seems there’s more to find at the crime scene than I initially feared.
‘Even if the Head of the Right Guards doesn’t believe it, as long as we find evidence, we can spread rumors through the government office that it’s fake.’
“The weapon was a dagger. The stab was in the abdomen multiple times, which suggests panic. This wasn’t the handiwork of someone trained in the martial arts.”
“The thief made too many careless moves while trying to steal from inside the room. They don’t know the basics of being a thief.”
‘If there’s indeed a fake Shadowless Thief, it will be impossible to catch them. Somehow… Huh?’
Wait a minute.
“They don’t know martial arts and are also a novice thief?!”
Did I just misunderstand? A fake Shadowless Thief?
“Ha-yeon!”
“It sounds right.”
Im Ha-yeon and Miss Zhuge nodded at each other.
“What do you mean?”
“The Shadowless Thief is fake. No, the murderer! They are still somewhere in this mansion!”
