A Random in Re:Zero

Loop 3 - Part 15

"I understand. I wish you luck solving this case, assuming you can." I added the last part caustically.

I left the guild with a sour feeling. Emilia was outside, chatting with Kadomon and glancing back at the building every few seconds to see if I'd appeared.

She came to me as soon as she saw me.

"Is everything okay? I was worried when you barged in without explaining anything to me."

"Sorry about that. Something just came up, we'd better split up here."

"Eh?"

"I'll explain it to you later."

I ran off, leaving Emilia with an uneasy expression. Kadomon yelled something at me about staying out of trouble, which greatly increased my chances of getting into trouble. It was like being in a war and showing your squadmate a picture of a loved one while telling them everything you plan to do when you get back.

After a few minutes, I arrived at a familiar building with an emblem of two crossed weapons. The door was locked this time, but that didn't stop me.

BLAAM!

I burst through the door. There was no one in the shop, so I went to the next room: this one was set up for blacksmithing, as it had an anvil, some molds, a hammer and a forge oven, among other elements. There I found Nadir, sleeping on an old, rotten mattress.

The air reeked of alcohol and dampness. Nadir's clothes were stained with blood, and his face showed a few wounds. I searched everywhere for the revolver, but I couldn't find it, even when I checked on Nadir himself, who was fast asleep.

"No matter how suspicious this looks. He can't be the killer, right?"

There was no scent of gunpowder on his body, and I doubted he'd have been able to enter the merchant guild in that state, much less reach its leader, kill him, and escape unnoticed. But just in case, I had to make sure.

"Wake up, idiot!"

I grabbed his braid and tugged on it to wake him up, which worked really well because he started screaming and babbling incoherently as he tried to process the situation.

"What!? What's going on!?"

"It turns out Russell Fellow is dead! Do you have something to tell me?!"

Nadir's eyes were red-rimmed and his gaze was lost. His head hung from my hand, which was still holding his braided hair.

"Rousseau Fella? What's that?"

"Damn drunk shit!"

I slapped him a few times to force him to focus.

"The gun! What did you do with the damn gun!?"

"Ugh... I..."

The man tried to get his sleep- and alcohol-addled brain working. Miraculously, his neurons bridged the gap, and his mind began to function, albeit very slowly.

Nadir's hands searched for something on his waist, but there was nothing there. A few seconds passed, then he slowly raised his head and looked at me with the expression of a bewildered child.

"I don't have it..."

"... What do you mean you don't have it?"

"I think I lost it."

"..."

I punched his face repeatedly, until his nose bled. At this point, the physical torture was more about me letting off steam than getting information out of him.