From Another World (DISCONTINUED)

Chapter 11: Life and Death

With the death of Theodore, the serial murder case came to a close. The Familiaran withdrew their declaration of war which was a relief for the knight order. All was well. Too well actually.

I just killed a man and I wasn't punished. They said that it couldn't be helped since it was either him or us. I was even praised for stopping the murderer and was given a bonus. Back in my old world, if a police officer killed someone, there would be investigations and that officer would receive backlash... But in this world, I was even praised.

However, that was not the thing that was bothering me the most.

Despite killing someone, I felt nothing. Shouldn't I have some sort of guilt or even a nightmare from that? However, there was nothing. I was more bothered by my shadow which killed him.

The feeling that overcame me when my shadow attacked was eerie. There were magic that involved controlling shadows and darkness but I didn't learn that type of magic. I don't even know how to use my mana to produce light so there was no way I could have controlled my shadow.

Also, that eerie feeling was really disturbing. It was like staring at a deep dark abyss. I once asked the magicians in my unit what they felt when using magic and I don't think they said they would feel that way.

So what in the world was that? Are there forces aside from magic in this world? What could possibly make my shadow act on its own?

I looked at my shadow. It mimicked my movements like a regular shadow... What am I doing? Am I going to doubt my own shadow?

It was currently late in the afternoon and I was sorting out the reports. I also had to write about the serial murder case. Writing Theodore's name didn't make me feel anything. Not even anger or guilt. Was this normal?

"Ah, Mikage. Keep up the good work", Captain Noel entered the office.

"How are things with the Familiaran and the Kageyama Clan?" I asked.

"Things are fine now. The Familiaran sent an apology to the Kageyama Clan for suspecting them. It's a good thing that the Kageyama Clan didn't make a fuss about it."

"That's great", I said as I sorted out the papers.

Captain Noel was silent for a while.

"Mikage. Take a day off tomorrow."

That caught me off guard.

"Wait... Why?" I asked.

"You've been through many cases even if you were just recently summoned in this world. You need to rest for a while. Especially since you... well... did something you're not used to."

She must be talking about how I killed Theodore. Although I wasn't that bothered by it, she must have noticed something off in me. I guess I do need a vacation.

"Also, you're sword is broken right? You could buy a new one using the unit's funds. Just keep the expenses reasonable", she said.

###

I was walking down the streets of Westa's western district. The commercial area of the western district had many well-known weapon shops. However, I don't know what makes a good weapon.

Temma said to try out the sword with a few swings and check how it feels with my hand. My previous sword was a bit on the heavy side and felt rather unbalanced on my hand. It was a miracle that I managed to hold on against Theodore.

An uneasy feeling washed over me. It was the same feeling I felt when Theodore powered-up and when my shadow acted on its own. I looked at the distance and I somehow knew that something bad was going on there.