Mystery Detective of the Steam World

Chapter 32: Not Speaking of Martial Virtue

Betty’s speed was extremely fast.

Levi only felt a blur before his eyes, and the pitch-black figure had already covered his vision.

If it had been anyone else, at this moment they would likely only have been able to close their eyes and wait for death.

Fortunately, Levi had long been prepared for this.

He fixed his gaze on the shadow, and a glint of cold light flashed across his eyes.

Eye of the Reaper!

In that instant, the passage of time became incomparably slow.

Levi raised the muzzle of his gun, aimed at the girl before him, and pulled the trigger.

“Bang bang!!”

The gunshots rang out.

Betty and Maggie’s heads jerked backward as if they had been punched squarely in the face.

Taking advantage of the gap, Levi’s figure flickered as he dashed into a nearby alley.

The pitch-black alley was almost devoid of light.

On both sides of the brick walls were various kinds of metal pipes.

Even in the silence of this deep night, they still emitted wailing sounds from time to time, spewing bursts of scorching steam.

The surroundings were damp everywhere.

With his head lowered, one hand pressing down the brim of his hat, Levi sprinted through the alley at full speed.

He could hear from behind him beastlike roars, the sound of wind being torn apart, and pounding footsteps.

But Levi did not turn back to fire; instead, he pressed onward, darting through one alley after another, weaving between thick steam pipes.

Finally, he came to a stop.

Because ahead of him was a dead end.

“Really now, Mr. Levi, this won’t do.”

Betty’s voice rang out once more.

Levi turned his head and saw the girl, as if a ghost, stepping lightly upon the steam pipes, descending swiftly from above, landing gracefully before him.

Immediately after, a shadowy figure crawled out from a gap in the alley on all fours like a beast, crouching by Betty’s side.

Without even looking clearly, Levi already knew who that shadow was.

“To be honest, I really don’t understand.”

Levi sighed.

“What exactly is it that you want? Miss Betty? Whether it’s you, or Madam Clattie, what is it that you are truly trying to do?”

“What we want to do?”

Betty chuckled softly.

“I think you have misunderstood, detective. You may believe all of this is our doing, that we are playing tricks, dabbling in bizarre and evil rituals… like those cultists, isn’t that so?”

“Isn’t it?”

“Of course not.”

Betty shook her head.

“Detective, this is not about what we want to do. History itself is like this. The world itself is like this. It is you all who have turned the world into what it is today. And we are merely going along with the tide. Like seagulls that ride the waves to fly, yet they themselves did not create the waves… so your accusations against us are wrong. We merely realized the existence of the waves earlier than you did, and spread our wings to welcome their arrival.”

“An interesting way to put it.”

Levi stared at Betty, who stood unmoving, blocking his only retreat.

“Could you give me a more detailed explanation then? You see, I’m about to die anyway—at least let me die understanding, don’t you think?”

“……… I would be happy to grant your request, detective.”

Betty let out another soft laugh.

“But unfortunately, even for me, these words are nothing more than parroted phrases. That lord did not tell me much more. We only know that the tide which once receded is about to return. And we shall once again witness past glory, becoming beings transcendent and extraordinary!”

Though Betty’s answer was peculiar, Levi—who had read countless web novels, films, and animations, and played innumerable games—needed only this much to lock onto the true intention behind it.

“You mean……… you all want to become gods?”

“………………………”

Faced with Levi’s question, Betty fell silent.

But in the next moment, her voice became cheerful and gleeful.

“That’s right, detective! As expected of a famous detective! I never imagined you could guess it so quickly!”

As she spoke, Betty extended her hand.

“Indeed, you are exactly as I thought—clever, handsome, and gentlemanly. Now, killing you would truly be a waste. I shall instead transform you into my retainer… ah, not like Maggie, such worthless trash. You will be like me, a ruler of the night. Together, we can rule this dark and beautiful world. We shall drive those mortals, and they shall willingly devote their lives to us…”

“………………”

Levi said nothing to Betty’s words.

His eyes glanced ahead briefly before pulling back.

For at this moment, a mission completion prompt had appeared before his eyes.

As expected, just like a detective, the culprit had to personally admit the truth for the mission to count as complete.

Simply guessing by himself was not enough—hmm, that was reasonable.

Otherwise, if another case arose, he could just brute-force guess until one stuck, right?

Unfortunately, the situation was too tense now for Levi to check what reward the system had given him.

He quietly pushed it aside, then took a deep breath and looked back at Betty.

“It sounds beautiful, but I refuse.”

“You will not refuse. Very soon, you will become my loyal servant.”

As she spoke, Betty snapped her fingers.

At once, Maggie, crouched by her side like a dog, let out a beastlike roar and lunged at Levi!

“Raaahhhh—————!”

But at the same time Maggie charged forth, from the shadow of the steam pipes nearby, a small figure suddenly leapt out.

Katie clenched her small, silver-gloved fist and punched Maggie, sending her flying.

Immediately after, several dazzling beams of light flared from the rooftops, illuminating the entire alley!

“What is—————!?”

The sudden brightness startled Betty.

She swiftly retreated, trying to vanish into the alley’s darkness.

But just as she turned to flee, a flash of fire burst forth, erupting into blazing flames that filled the alley.

With a scream, Betty retreated ghostlike from the flames, returning to where she had stood moments before.

In the glare of the searchlights, her clothes had been burned to tatters, her whole body blackened and charred.

Were she an ordinary human, she would already be writhing on the ground.

But Betty only turned her head, glaring venomously at Levi.

Meanwhile, Maggie—who had been knocked flying—also scrambled up with a wail.

She looked less and less human now.

Her long face resembled that of a dog, her mouth splitting all the way to her ears, revealing sharp fangs within.

“You……………”

“I’m no fool either, Miss Betty.”

Levi raised his gun and aimed at Betty.

He would never be so foolish as to face trouble alone.

The moment he realized at the theater that he had been ambushed, Levi had contacted Katie and arranged a place for an ambush.

His seemingly panicked flight earlier had actually been a way of luring Betty and Maggie into the predetermined location.

Now, it was perfect.

This was a dead end.

Outside were soldiers with flamethrowers sealing it off.

On the surrounding rooftops, soldiers already had their weapons aimed, enclosing them in a tight net.

Levi was certain—even if Betty could fly, she would not escape.

She had no path but death.

“My personal advice? You’d best surrender quietly.”

“Surrender?”

Betty was clearly furious.

She stared at Levi, her eyes cold and brimming with icy hatred.

“Never! I will not surrender! That lord will come to save me!”

“He won’t save you. On the contrary, he is more likely to kill you.”

Levi let out a soft laugh.

“Do you know how Madam Clattie died? I went to her club to investigate, and she discovered me. She reported everything to your so-called supreme existence through the mirror. And the moment she finished her report—she died. …I saw it with my own eyes. Care to guess who killed her?”

“……… Th-this is impossible………!”

Hearing Levi’s reply, Betty was visibly shaken.

“Detective, it was you—because you wanted to investigate our secrets—that you killed Madam Clattie…”

“Don’t you find your own words contradictory?”

Levi arched an eyebrow.

“I wanted to investigate your secrets, so why would I kill Madam Clattie? I can’t communicate with the dead. Keeping her alive would’ve been far more useful.”

“Because Madam Clattie would rather die than submit, so…”

Hearing Levi’s answer, Betty’s body suddenly trembled.

The girl seemed to awaken from a dream, shaking violently, her wide eyes filled with terror.

“Yes, that’s it… that’s exactly it…”

She rocked back and forth, clutching her head, muttering in a trembling whisper.

“Teacher, he—teacher, he said… ah… ahhhhhhhhhh!!!”

A piercing, eerie scream burst from Betty’s mouth.

Levi felt his heart seize violently, his blood as though pulled by some invisible force, about to leave his body.

At the same time, his mind grew hazy, his body unable to keep its balance.

Not far away, Katie fared no better.

Clutching her ears tightly, she staggered as if drunk.

But the most terrifying change came from Betty herself.

Her body began to dissolve and tear apart, like a wax statue melting under high heat.

Her solid skin, muscles, and bones fused together, transforming into something like a viscous liquid.

At the same time, Maggie—who had been struck away by Katie—was undergoing the same change.

The two masses of slime gradually merged, forming into something bizarre and monstrous.

It looked like an enormous bat, as tall as a man.

But its body bore no fur—under the blinding searchlights one could clearly see its pale muscles and the blood vessels beneath its thin membranes.

Then, with a shriek, the bat monster lunged straight at Levi!