A Random in Re:Zero

Loop 3 - Part 17

Emilia stood beside me, looking distressed by the suffering of Anastasia's group.

"They're all very sad... Who was capable of doing something so cruel?"

I bit my lip, but didn't say anything. The half-elf seemed to want to comfort Julius and the others; she really was a good girl, with a big heart.

Suddenly, I spotted a single head of red hair among the crowd. I made my way to it and wasn't surprised to discover that its owner was Reinhard.

"Hey! Here!"

"Leandro?"

He approached without the slightest difficulty, as people seemed to automatically move aside to let him pass (even if they hadn't noticed him). I grimaced when I thought that might be one of his blessings.

"I know it's a bad time, but I think I have a lead on the killer."

"Really?" He was genuinely surprised to hear that. "But how?"

I had to pause for a few seconds to gather the courage I needed before saying my next words.

"Because I'm partly responsible for this. Or rather, I made it possible."

Fuck it. I didn't have to hide it if I was already determined to use the RBD to fix this. However, I first needed to find the killer or uncover more information about him so I could stop him without fail.

Reinhard's face completely transformed when I said that.

"You what?"

"I can't explain everything here. There are too many people."

He had a conflicted expression, but he nodded. Depending on what I said next, things could get better or even worse.

But I no longer cared about the consequences.

***

Now in a more private place, I told Reinhard everything about Nadir, the revolver, and the brothel, including the reason for the connection between Russell's and Anastasia's murders.

"So we have a supposed merchant armed with this 'revolver' that you say can kill even a knight if caught off guard..."

"Yeah, it's a shitty situation. But we already know he's a guy in his twenties, with short brown hair and red eyes. Just use that criterion to find him among the citizens, right?"

"Unless he left the royal capital." Reinhard pointed out.

"I don't think so. He's very confident, and he definitely won't want to leave the game now that a power vacuum has formed, as it's the best time to take the lead. We might even be able to identify him based solely on which merchant prospers the most from Russell and Anastasia's deaths."

"I'd rather catch him as quickly as possible. A person like that doesn't deserve to remain free for even a second longer." For the first time since I 'met' him, Reinhard was showing an intense emotion, which was anger. It made sense, as this hit close to home due to his friendship with Julius and his heroic morality.

"You're right... Try to be discreet, it wouldn't be good if he realized we were after him."

Reinhard nodded, but his leg was moving frantically. His anxiety was evident.

"I really appreciate you compiling this information."

Despite his words, his face didn't reflect gratitude: quite the opposite. I had literally made Russell and Anastasia's murder possible, as well as the capture of their killer.

I also made mass reproduction of the revolver possible, since if my calculations were correct, more experienced blacksmiths might be able to replicate it by reverse engineering.