* * *

When Limon learned about the witch murders, what surprised him most was not the fact that as many as five witches had died. It was how few people knew about it.

The witches of the twenty-seven magical lineages had emerged as heroes of the British Empire after the Demon God War. However shrouded in mystery their lives might be, the deaths of not one or two, but five witches should have made headlines long ago.

If the news had still not gotten out, there were two possible explanations: either the crimes had been that flawlessly executed, or someone had deliberately covered them up.

Whichever it was, given that this was the British Empire—and London, at that—the Blue Dragon Clan had to be the prime suspect.

“There are only so many powers capable of committing a perfect crime in London or covering one up.”

[“Hmm, isn’t suspecting the Blue Dragon Clan for that reason alone a bit much, though?”]

“It would be, if the victims weren’t witches of the twenty-seven magical lineages.”

Magic might be an antiquated mystery now, treated as little more than a traditional craft compared with psionics or skills, but it had once dominated an age. Ordinary magicians were one thing. Each witch who inherited one of the twenty-seven magical lineages surpassed most high-level players.

Killing them was no easy task to begin with. Doing so repeatedly in secret, or covering up those murders, made it several times more difficult.

“Most importantly, even that old hag Cir couldn’t find a way to solve this herself and came to me for help.”

[“Is that such a big deal?”]

“Would it help if I told you she just sat sipping tea and watching even when the Demon God invaded London?”

[“... I guess it really is a big deal.”]

Yu Na-gyeong looked appalled. She had known Cir was no ordinary witch, but she had never imagined she was on that level.

“Taking all that into account, there are at most two or three powers that could be suspects in the witch murders.”

[“Who would... No, I think I have a pretty good idea.”]

Cutting off her own question, Yu Na-gyeong shook her head. Setting motives and intentions aside, simply listing the powers with that kind of strength made the answer obvious.

[“So that’s why you suspect the Blue Dragon Clan? The police handling an investigation are in the best position to be the perfect culprits.”]

“Right. Even if they aren’t the killers, the Blue Dragon Clan should at least know the witches have disappeared.”

[“... If they really know about the witch murders, not making that public is suspicious all by itself.”]

“Though keeping it quiet could be part of their investigation.”

Limon spoke dispassionately. As a former PAB agent, he knew full well that investigations were sometimes conducted in secret to catch the culprit.

[“Either way, that means we should look into the Blue Dragon Clan first.”]

“Whether they’re guilty or not, they’ll have the most clues about what’s going on.”

[“... But how are you going to investigate them?”]

“That’s what I’m trying to figure out.”

Until now, Limon had answered her questions without hesitation, but this time he shrugged.

He had concealed his true identity and entered the British Empire illegally precisely to avoid the Blue Dragon Clan’s notice. He could hardly approach them openly now. Nor could he resort to force, when their guilt was still uncertain and he had to consider their future relations. That left only sneaking in somehow and digging up information...

‘I’d sooner break into Buckingham Palace.’

Limon shook his head. The Seaserpent estate was a fortress on par with Leviathan. Sneaking into a place guarded by the Blue Dragon Princess and the Blue Dragon Clan’s combat units would be difficult even for him. Storming in with the intention of killing everyone would be another matter, of course.

‘If I had someone on the inside, it would be easier to find a way.’

He found himself regretting the Black Dragon Clan’s decline anew. In its heyday, the clan could have planted a spy where none existed and unearthed any secret. But now, with its hands full putting its own affairs in order, he could hardly ask that much of it.

How could he get information on the Blue Dragon Clan? As Limon pondered that question over coffee in a café, with the Seaserpent estate just visible atop a distant hill, a familiar voice reached him.

“... Lee? Is that you, Lee?”

“Hmm?”

[“Huh?”]

Limon and Yu Na-gyeong turned around in puzzlement. Hearing his alias, “Lee,” here was quite unexpected. Outside the Black Dragon and White Dragon Clans, only a handful of people knew it.

“Lee, why are you here?”

“... That’s what I’d like to ask you.”

Once he saw who had called him, his confusion cleared. This woman not only knew him as Lee, but was personally acquainted with him. That, however, raised a new question, which he asked with an uneasy look.

“Julia, what are you doing here?”

An elite musician who stood among the world’s greatest violinists without using skills, earning the nickname Witch of the Violin—and the very woman who had taught him to play. Looking at Julia Franke, Limon could only wear a dumbfounded expression.

* * *

After tapping his fingers on the table for a while, Limon calmly sorted through what he had heard, then spoke bluntly.

“You got fired from your professorship at the Frankfurt University of Music?”

“I told you, I quit.”

“Right, but why?”

Limon knew little about music universities, but he knew a professorship was not something to throw away lightly. The fact that a musician of Julia’s caliber had held the position was proof enough. When he asked, unable to understand why she had given it up voluntarily, she answered with a bitter smile.

“To be honest, Lee, it was because of you.”

“... That’s why I said you should’ve taken payment for the lessons. Instead of stretching yourself to pay the entire hotel bill, too.”

“That’s not what I mean.”

True, she had been forced to sell her house to pay Leviathan’s staggering hotel bill, but that had nothing to do with her resignation. After explaining that calmly, Julia lifted her teacup and continued in a quiet voice.

“After teaching you, Lee, I found it difficult to teach other students.”

“Should I apologize for that?”

“There’s no need. You may be responsible for raising my standards, but my inability to treat my students fairly was my own failing.”

Julia shook her head, then looked at him with a slight smile.

“More importantly, you proved my teaching wasn’t in vain. That alone is enough.”

“Proved it?”

“Your performance with The Singing Whiteness.”

“You saw that, too?”

“Of course. How could I miss a broadcast featuring ‘Whiteness’? Though I never imagined I’d see you there.”

It really was something to envy, Julia thought. Because Ainsha sang without relying on skills, many elite musicians hoped to perform with her, yet she was the hardest singer to secure for a collaboration. As the Holy Alliance’s priestess and the White Dragon Princess, she rarely sang for money or contractual terms.

And Limon had performed with that very Ainsha for his debut. Had it not been for the extraordinary playing he had displayed, Julia would have felt jealous, even of her own student. That was why she spoke with a hint of playfulness.

“Oh, right. Did you know that performance earned you an interesting nickname?”

“What nickname?”

“The musician about whom everything is a mystery: ‘the Violinist of Blackness.’”

“... What’s with that childish nickname?”

“You should have been more active in public, then. Putting on an air of mystery can earn you some strange nicknames.”

“It’s not an act... No, forget it.”

Julia chuckled as Limon clicked his tongue, evidently unwilling to discuss it any further.

In truth, it was also proof of how much impact the performance had made. If his playing had not been acknowledged as comparable to “Whiteness,” he would never have received a nickname as grand as “Blackness.” For Julia, who had taught him the violin, that alone was gratifying.

“Anyway, leaving aside why you quit teaching, why are you in London?”

“Oh, that’s for my own ambitions. I wanted to study the violin some more.”

“Is that so?”

“... Doesn’t that surprise you, Lee? Most people are surprised when I say that.”

“There’s no end to learning.”

“What a wonderful thing to say.”

Julia smiled faintly. When she, already an elite violinist, had said she was even giving up her professorship to study further, everyone else had looked at her as though she were mad. Compared with that, Limon’s calm response was genuinely reassuring.

Whether he understood her feelings or not, Limon nodded calmly. He finally understood why she had come to London. The British Empire was the center of European culture. London, in particular, had become Europe’s most developed city after the Demon God War, offering plenty to see and experience.

“Well, it looks like you really don’t need any consoling. You seem to be doing all right.”

“Doing all right...”

Seeing Julia’s neat attire, Limon had spoken casually, deciding there was no need to press payment for his lessons on her for now. Julia, however, responded with a bitter smile.

“Yes, I found a generous employer, so I am doing well. Though there is a bit of a problem.”

“A problem?”

“My employer asked me to arrange an important performance, but I haven’t found the musician I need yet.”

“London should have more than enough first-rate musicians.”

“I need someone exceptional, not merely first-rate. But even in London, finding a musician of that caliber at short notice...”

At that moment, Julia abruptly fell silent. She looked with an odd expression at the monster before her—a complete newcomer whose ability was already world-class... or beyond.

“... Lee, would you consider performing where I work?”

“I’ll politely decline.”

“I can at least guarantee you’ll be paid generously.”

“I’m not exactly short on money.”

“I thought as much.”

Julia sighed. Knowing how Limon had treated Leviathan as his own home, she had never held much hope of hiring him with money in the first place. Still unable to shake her disappointment, she murmured quietly to herself.

“What a shame. Money aside, a chance to perform at the Seaserpent estate is precious.”

“... Wait. Where did you say?”

“Oh, didn’t I mention it? I’m staying at the Seaserpent estate now.”

Having sold even her house before coming here, money had honestly been tight. Fortunately, she had lucked into a generous employer who offered a handsome salary along with room and board. As Julia explained this with a smile, Limon watched her with a strange look. After a brief silence, he asked, his expression serious:

“Could you tell me more about what you just said?”