Liam sat on the sofa in the office and looked at the owner of Sirieu Ironworks.
The factory owner spoke to an old man, then sat down on the sofa across from Liam.
"Sorry to have kept you waiting."
"Not at all... If you don't mind, I'd like you to answer a few questions."
"If I know anything, certainly."
"The man who went missing, the husband of one of the female workers here... What did he do at this factory?"
The manager lowered his head.
"He was a guard. He'd been working for me for about four years."
Liam thought for a moment, then asked,
"Did you speak to the police?"
"Yes..."
"What was the result?"
"They told us to go away and come back next month."
"What?"
"They told us to leave and come back next month."
Liam looked through the window at the factory yard.
He turned around to say something, but someone knocked on the door.
The manager immediately said,
"Come in..."
An old man entered carrying a tray of tea.
He placed a cup of tea in front of Liam and another in front of the manager, then turned around and left.
Liam stared at his tea for a moment before asking,
"Did anything unusual happen before or after that woman's husband disappeared?"
The manager took a sip of his tea.
"No, Mr. Rochefort."
Liam closed his eyes and held his head.
Damn it... This really looks like a completely separate case. What if Julien was wrong?
The manager suddenly spoke.
"Is something wrong, Detective?"
Liam gave a nervous smile.
"No, no... I was just thinking about what could have caused only that woman's husband to be kidnapped!"
"He wasn't the only one."
Liam suddenly stared at the factory manager, his eyes widening.
"W-What?"
"This street is full of factories. A little closer to the city, it becomes a district where ordinary people live. Poor people, thieves, and—"
Liam cut him off, slamming his hand onto the table as he stood.
"What did you mean when you said that woman's husband isn't the only person who went missing, Mr. Manager?"
The manager looked at Liam in surprise.
"Th-Thirty more people have gone missing."
"Since when!?"
"Last month..."
Liam stood and began pacing around the room.
If it were only that woman's husband, I could say maybe he was connected to the cursed portrait. But thirty more people? That's far too many... Is this case even really connected to the portrait? I doubt it.
The factory manager suddenly asked,
"Are you thinking about something, Mr. Rochefort?"
Liam turned toward him.
"There's something I need to tell you..."
The manager stood.
"Did something happen?"
Liam let out a shaky breath.
"I'm actually working on the Earl's case... The reason I came here was because I thought that woman's husband might be connected to the case I'm investigating. But now..."
The manager finished his sentence.
"You can't continue with the case that woman brought to you..."
"Yes."
"I understand."
Liam picked up his hat from the table and headed toward the door.
"If you think anything might be connected to the Earl's portrait... let me know!"
The manager lowered his head.
"I understand..."
Liam walked through the door and headed toward the factory yard.
After a few steps, he reached the guard, placed a hand on his shoulder, and entered the cobblestone side street.
He muttered under his breath,
"My hopes just turned to ashes..."
He had walked several steps away from the factory when he suddenly heard the manager's voice.
Liam turned around and saw the manager hurrying toward him.
He looked at the manager, then took a few steps toward him.
The manager stopped in front of Liam.
"Detective... The painter who painted the Earl's portraits is also one of the missing people!!"
Liam froze.
The manager continued,
"Seven days ago, I heard rumors that the city's painter had gone missing... But yesterday, I found out they were true!"
Liam remained silent.
The manager shook him slightly.
"Detective?"
Liam snapped back to reality and immediately replied,
"The painter was one of the common people too?"
"No... He was from the middle class. That's why I initially thought it was just a rumor."
"What?"
"Disappearances among the common people have become so common that the police don't even care anymore. But for someone from the middle class..."
"I understand, sir... I'll continue investigating that woman's case."
"W-What!?"
"Someone probably kidnapped that woman's husband... The same person who kidnapped the painter."
"Probably?"
"I'm only guessing that they're the same person. If I find out they aren't, I'll let you know so you won't have to wait for the results of the case!!"
The manager smiled.
"Thank you... Detective!"
Liam smiled as well, then suddenly asked,
"By the way, is it normal to see this many crows around here? When I came here, I noticed that as soon as I entered this part of the street, the one filled with factories, the number of crows increased too!"
The manager looked at the trees and the factory rooftops.
"No... The number of crows in this area became abnormally high about a month ago... Extremely high!"
Liam kept his smile.
"Thank you for your answers, Manager. I hope I can make it up to you by solving this case!"
The manager nodded and returned toward his factory.
Liam stood there for a moment.
I expected him to at least say goodbye... A nod? Seriously?
He exhaled and headed toward the carriage station.
He was only a few steps away from the station when the crows suddenly began cawing.
The collective cry of the black birds filled the street.
Liam stopped and looked at them.
Why have they been here for a month?
He headed toward a carriage and was about to get in when he suddenly stopped.
"One... month?"
He turned his head toward the crows.
He quickly stepped away from the carriage and looked at the crows perched on the trees and factory rooftops.
He looked down the sidewalk, then suddenly ran into the street.
The sound of a horse filled his ears.
A carriage was passing right beside him.
Liam pressed himself against a stationary carriage as the moving one passed.
Its driver shouted,
"What the hell is wrong with you? Are you blind, you fancy-suited idiot!?"
Then he drove away.
Liam remained silent.
He looked down the length of the street.
There was nothing.
The crows had gone silent.
There wasn't a single crow anywhere.
His heart was pounding.
He muttered,
"The crows came a month ago... The kidnappings started a month ago... That woman's husband disappeared eleven days ago... The painter, seven days ago..."
He clenched his fist and slammed it against the stationary carriage.
"One month, one month, one month... Are the crows and the kidnappings connected!?"
Suddenly, someone gently tapped Liam on the shoulder.
"Why did you punch my carriage?"
Liam turned toward the man.
"I'm getting in."
"I know, but why did you punch it?"
"I'll pay extra..."
The man looked at Liam for a moment.
"Get in."
Then he walked toward the front of the carriage.
Liam looked at the trees and factory rooftops once more.
Nothing.
He opened the carriage door and got inside.
The stationary carriage began moving toward the city.
A crow quietly watched Liam's carriage from atop a roof.
It hopped once, then took flight.
Night.
Liam lay quietly on his bed, staring at the ceiling.
He spoke to himself.
"The police archives only gave me that woman's husband's case file too... Thanks to the Earl's letter of introduction, at least I was able to get it. But there wasn't anything special in her husband's file either. His parents were villagers, his wife was a factory worker, and he was a guard. Why would someone like that be kidnapped? Were the other thirty people just as ordinary? Why would anyone kidnap poor people, ordinary people, and workers? What would they gain from it... And what about the painter? What use would he be? And what's with this one-month pattern? The number of crows in East Goldfield has been increasing for a month. The kidnappings have been increasing for a month. That woman's husband and the painter are part of the same pattern... Is there really only one person behind all these disappearances?"
He exhaled and turned his head toward his bedroom window.
Fear suddenly seized his entire body.
He hurriedly stood and faced the window.
Dozens of crows were staring at him.
They didn't move even an inch.
They simply stared at Liam.
Liam stepped closer to the window, but the crows didn't move.
He turned around and sat back on the bed.
With a nervous smile and wide, frightened eyes, he stared at the crows.
He muttered,
"What? Am I the next target...?"
He gave a broken little laugh and stared into the eyes of one of the crows.
"Good thing I'm... bitter!"
──────────────────────────
Elias stood amid the fog, staring at Dark Hand.
The London he had created inside the Misty World had dissolved back into fog.
Dark Hand spoke.
"Why did you suddenly go quiet?"
Elias still had a smile on his face.
"I'm thinking about where to start... This world, or reality!"
Dark Hand showed no reaction.
Its dark blue eye scanned the surroundings.
Elias immediately said,
"Why are you looking around? Do you see something new?"
Dark Hand stared directly at Elias but gave no answer.
Elias asked,
"What's the name of this world? I've asked you so many times, but you always changed the subject. That's why I started calling it the Misty World."
Dark Hand remained silent for a moment.
"...I remember. You didn't need to tell me all of that again. As long as I can remember, I've called this place the Gray Expanse. From the very first time I saw it, that name was already in my mind."
"What is it?"
"I don't know... All I've ever seen is this fog. No matter how far I walked in a straight line... I never saw anything except fog. This place is an endless sea of mist."
"Are you sure about that?"
"No... It's just my guess."
Elias fell silent.
After a while, he asked,
"Well... Who owns this place? I mean... whoever created it like this, or uses it, or—"
Suddenly, Dark Hand's eye closed.
A tremendous force struck Elias from behind.
Something was holding his heart in its hand.
Elias hurriedly turned around.
The endless sea of fog remained unchanged.
He turned back toward Dark Hand.
Its eye slowly opened.
What... happened?
Elias remained silent for a moment, his smile gone.
He answered nervously,
"I don't know... No, no, what I mean is... Who owns this place?"
"I don't know..."
"You don't know?"
"As I said, ever since I found myself here, the only thing I could remember was the name of this place, or perhaps its title... I don't know anything else about it!"
Elias lowered his head.
"I expected you to know everything..."
"Unfortunately, I am not the concept of knowledge."
"I know..."
A gray, unblinking eye vanished deep within the fog.