Chapter 579: A Cowering Man

A Cowering Man

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“Tch… Tch… Tch…!!”

Detective Munodes, holding a black umbrella, his face flushed red, repeatedly clicked his tongue as he walked through the pouring rain of the Old Imperial City, towards the police station.

“Tch… Damn it… Tch…!!”

Occasionally, curses mixed in with his tongue-clicking.

But the heavy rain—ZAAA, ZAAA—drowned them all out.

That’s why none of the people passing by paid any attention to Detective Munodes, walking and cursing.

People just indifferently passed by him.

Now, why is Detective Munodes so angry?

Because Akashiterika didn’t react the way he expected.

Detective Munodes thought that Akashiterika would despair and give up on Emi’s survival after seeing her tattered clothes.

She was caught in an explosion and fell into the sewer.

The chances of survival are low.

He thought that if he showed her the undeniable proof, even Akashiterika, who cared so much about Emi… would give up.

But Akashiterika, after seeing the tattered clothes, found hope in them.

She became convinced of Emi’s survival!

“Damn, damn it, that monster…!!”

Detective Munodes cursed Emi, who had already been sent to a distant foreign land.

He stepped into a puddle—Splash—and the muddy water splattered his pants, but consumed by anger, he didn’t even notice.

He just kept walking straight ahead.

“With this… With this! I should have been able to remove that foreign object… from Akashiterika-chan’s story!!”

And then, relatively, Detective Munodes’ presence in that story would have increased!

His “place to belong”… would have been secured… but!

“That monster!! She intends to keep shining… in Akashiterika-chan’s heart… as a memory!? DAMN IT!!”

That cold smile of Akashiterika just now!

She was completely rejecting Detective Munodes, who denied Emi’s survival!

This is a serious matter!

If he’s shut out of Akashiterika’s story, he doesn’t have… ‘the “place to belong” he desires’!

In other words, Detective Munodes’ plan has completely backfired.

“AAAAAAGH!! Even after disappearing, you continue to torment me, you disgusting cursed child!!”

Detective Munodes groaned, and ruffled his hair, which he had intentionally left messy from bedtime.

The rain is still heavy.

The pouring rain—ZAAA, ZAAA—again drowned out Detective Munodes’ groans.

The people passing by are desperately trying to avoid the rain.

No one is paying attention to Detective Munodes.

“Wheeze… Wheeze…!!”

Detective Munodes, after walking for a while, groaning “AAAAAH” and “UWAAAAAH”, stopped, and exhaled roughly.

He caught his breath for a while… waiting for his condition to improve.

And while waiting…

“Eh?”

Detective Munodes, noticing a certain fact, his expression vanished.

“I’m… out of breath?”

Well, he was walking briskly, despite the rain, and muttering to himself the whole time.

It’s only natural that he’d be out of breath.

…Normally.

But Detective Munodes isn’t normal.

He’s an apostle of a god.

He was granted power by the Detective God, to help Akashiterika’s story progress smoothly.

He shouldn’t be out of breath just from walking a little faster.

Although he pretended to be incompetent, since he was given his mission as an apostle, he’s never actually felt tired.

And yet.

Right now, he—

…Is tired.

“Hih!?”

Realizing the meaning of that fact, Detective Munodes’ face turned pale.

“Hih, 【Ultimate Person Search】!”

And he hurriedly tried to activate the special ability bestowed upon him by the Detective God!

【Ultimate Person Search】 is a search-type special ability that allows him to instantly find the location of anyone he thinks of!

But…

“N-No reaction!?”

Nothing happened.

“【Retrocognition】! 【Relationship Chart Creation】!”

He tried other special abilities one after another, but there’s still no reaction.

In other words—

Detective Munodes—

Has lost all the powers bestowed upon him as an apostle of the Detective God.

“NOOOO! You’re kidding, right? DETECTIVE GOOOOOD!!!”

Detective Munodes involuntarily let go of his umbrella, and despite the puddles, fell to his knees!

He’s too shocked to move!

He collapsed on all fours, lamenting!

“I’ve been supporting the story as you instructed, Detective God!! You always said… that you would ‘respect my judgment’!!”

And Detective Munodes weakly slapped the puddle.

The muddy water splashed, dirtying his face.

“That’s why I… I… eliminated that monster… for your sake, Detective God, for the sake of the story! That monster is clearly dangerous! A violent creature, deviating from common sense! If you leave something like that near the protagonist… who knows what kind of bad influence it would have! She’s a cursed child, after all!?”

Saying that, Detective Munodes looked up at the sky.

The raindrops hit his face with a painful force.

But Detective Munodes didn’t lower his head.

Staring at the dark rain clouds, he continued to shout.

“Hey, you’re joking, right!? This is a joke, right, Detective God!? You’ve always forgiven me for my mistakes! Why am I being treated like this… just for eliminating a single cursed child!? This is crazy!! It’s unfair!!”

But the revered being, who should be beyond the rain clouds, didn’t answer Detective Munodes’ cries.

The only thing that reached Detective Munodes’ ears is the pouring rain—ZAAA, ZAAA—like a waterfall.

“Give it back! My power… my ‘place to belong’! GIVE IT BAAAAACK!!!”

No matter how much he shouted.

His god didn’t answer.

All his cries were drowned out by the rain, and they didn’t reach anyone… not even the people passing by.

The man, suddenly abandoned by the one he believed in, without any explanation or rebuke—

Continued to rant at the sky for a while, but—

Perhaps tired, his voice gradually grew smaller.

And finally, he lowered his head.

And huddled on the sidewalk, in the spreading muddy water.

The people passing by glanced at him.

Some were frightened by his strange appearance, some frowned, finding him a nuisance.

Either way, people walked around him… tilted their heads, wondering ‘What’s with that guy?’…

But since the rain is really heavy, they immediately forgot about the stranger, and walked towards their destinations.

Some, towards their homes.

Some, towards their workplaces.

Each walking towards their own… “place to belong”.