When the plot-skips players into the game world

Compared to Old James's study, Captain Camus's was quite small, probably only about six square meters. An office desk of about two meters, an armchair, and two bookshelves occupied most of the space. The lighting, however, was quite good, with the transparent glass windows shut tight. Explore more stories at My Virtual Library Empire

In the two bookshelves, one contained various documents and files. The other looked empty, with less than half of its space occupied by books. The remaining space was filled with all sorts of miscellaneous items.

Aiwass even saw a plate of snacks. The pastries on the plate, uneaten, had completely dried out without being discarded—it was lucky that it was winter, or they might have attracted insects.

It was obvious that Captain Camus had noticed this detail.

He explained somewhat awkwardly, "That's the snack I was carrying three days ago when I entered the study... I had just placed the letters and such on the desk, then went out to pour some tea and grab the snack. After all, Mrs. Hari wasn't around, and there was no one else at home, so I had to do it myself.

"What happened was, in just that short half-hour—probably even less—just the time it took to brew tea and find a snack, by the time I returned to the study, everything on the desk had been cleared out. I was shocked, so I just put the snack here with the rest."

Captain Camus gave a wry smile, "After that, I've been anxiously trying to find the items. I haven't had the appetite for snacks. And when my wife returned, I wanted to preserve the scene, so I didn't let her clean up. I've just kept the study door shut since then."

"You didn't leave the house, did you?" Aiwass confirmed.

"No, I was in the kitchen on the first floor preparing the tea and refreshments. From there, I could see the staircase, and as a 'Hunter' of the third energy level, my perception is very keen. I can be certain that no one came upstairs during that time, and no one opened the front door... unless they were an assassin of the fourth energy level or above," said the captain.

"Wait, the desk was cleared out?"

Aiwass noted a detail, "Wasn't it only that letter that was lost? What else was there?"

"Yes, everything on the desk disappeared."

The captain affirmed, "The letters were in my briefcase, a leather case containing many secret files. Also in the case were my ID and service pistol, while my wallet and accessories were on the desk. But compared with 'that item,' these are insignificant."

"... You take secret files home with you?"

Aiwass raised an eyebrow, "If I remember correctly, those items shouldn't be taken out of the office, should they?"

"Yes..."

Camus admitted quietly, knowing he had made a serious mistake, "That's the regulation. But we usually get into the habit of bringing files home to work on them, so we can get off a few hours early.

"According to the rules, when working on files at the naval office, we must also be dressed in light armor, armed with a gun and a sword, and sit upright. Then, after each day's work is done, all the files should be sealed in the designated safe. If we do so, we'd have to work until six in the evening, which would interfere with dinner...

"So we usually take the files home to work on them in our own studies. That way, we can get off work early at three in the afternoon, handle some of it before dinner, and the rest after. The next morning, we bring the files back and seal them in the safe."

"Since everyone does this, it has become a habit."

"What about that letter? Why didn't you put it in the safe too, but brought it back here instead?"

Aiwass asked coldly, "You didn't need to approve anything, did you?"

Captain Camus opened his mouth, but ultimately sighed and admitted, "Because I needed to make a copy of a document... That's how I know the contents of the letter, Minister."

"Who asked you to make the copy?" Aiwass caught the crucial point.

"The Deputy Adjutant of the Navy, the Chief Secretary to the Minister of the Navy, Lord Sheldon."

The captain answered, "His request was reasonable—because the original letter was to be handed over to the Arbitration Hall, and to prevent the loss of the letter, as well as to verify the intelligence to prevent someone from secretly replacing the content. So, making a copy to keep on file was necessary."

"Did you make the copy?"

"I hadn't had the chance yet."

The captain said with a pained expression, "I had just arrived home at that time, and hadn't even opened the case..."

"I see..."

Aiwass thought for a moment, then asked, "Have you used any rituals? The kind for finding lost items?"

"No," Captain Camus answered confidently, "Because it's of great importance, I haven't told anyone yet—and any failed divination or ritual might destroy the clues, so I decided to leave the original scene for Mr. Sherlock."

Aiwass laughed softly at this comment.

The captain meant to say, if you checked and then Sherlock couldn't find anything, it wouldn't be my fault.

But...

"No worries."

Aiwass's lips curved slightly upward, "Let me give it a try."