''The corpses of the two victims of the first incident, which are stored in the King's Capital Ten Thousand Temple by magical means. I want you to [restore] them. If I can at least know their faces, I'll be able to examine them as much as I can.

　--The corpse stored in the King's City of 10,000 Temple.

　I've heard that story before.
　Yesterday, on the way back from viewing the Iris Crystal that is enshrined in the Wan-Tang Temple, the young chief priest and the old head of the temple were having such a conversation.

　Garnett said, 'The identity is unknown, so we'll keep it until the case is settled,' but he didn't expect that he would be the one to bite the bullet in solving the problem.

'The storage area is in the basement of the north building. The security wards have been activated, so follow me with caution.

　While accurately completing our lead and explaining the situation to the knights in charge of security - apparently they have a different affiliation from the Silver Wing - Carmine stepped into the north wing of the Ten Thousand Temple without hesitation.

　As he was running down the corridor towards the stairs leading to the basement floor, a priest chief who wore a humble robe joined him.

　I'm not sure if it's the same as the last time we met, but the outfit is different from the last time we met, and it has the appearance of being dressed to relax after work.

''What in the world is going on here, Lord Carmine!
There's been a development in the Night Ripper case. We'll get that body back to you as soon as we can.
'What?　So, but it can't be tomorrow: ......
I won't go. If we don't track him down tonight, there's a good chance he'll escape.

　Pressed by Carmine's intimidation, the Priestess Chief followed in a great hurry.

　If the Night Ripper (Night Ripper) was manipulating that 'doll' to commit a series of crimes, it's no wonder that he chose to flee the royal capital quickly after the weapon was destroyed and seized by the Silver Wing Knights.

　In that case, it's natural to want to get a clue as soon as possible.

　Nevertheless, Carmine gave me the choice of whether or not to cooperate with him.
　Probably as a courtesy to me.

''I don't know if I can ...... properly [restore] it, but I'll do my best.''
Don't get overwhelmed. Just take it easy.

　Down the stairs, in the basement, a pedestal that was neither a sleeping platform nor an altar sat on a pedestal, and a dazzling glow of magical power filled the top of the pedestal.

　Looking around the interior of the basement, a number of magical devices of unknown use were set up, and they were connected to the pedestal via patterns etched into the floor surface.

　I had no idea how exactly they worked, but it was easy to imagine that the bodies were stored by this massive contraption.

...... We have been storing the bodies at the altar over there. However, the ...... is too horrific to be worthy of your full attention, would you say that it is ......

　The chief priestess is holding her hand over her mouth and watching our reactions.
　I'm sure he's especially concerned about Garnett, who is dressed as a girl.

　It's a good thing that they're in pieces, because it's a horrible situation.
　If you can't stand it, you wouldn't have agreed to it in the first place.

So, you'll find it here: ......

　The chief priestess, who was completely pale, touched the magic crests on the altar, lowering the glare of light that covered the corpse.

　The corpse that was lying on the altar like a bed - no, this expression is inappropriate.

　There are not enough parts to carry out the action of lying down.

　An inexperienced person might feel sick just reading a sentence describing this devastation, and if you look directly at it, you'll feel compelled to spit out the entire contents of your stomach.

　Yes, like the Chief Priestess escaping to a corner of the room and desperately trying to hold back the vomit.

''Luke-kun. Do you think you'll be able to [repair] it?
I don't think it'll ever be completely restored. These are the remains of two people, aren't they? Even if you put them all together, it wouldn't be enough for one person.
They probably got it from a stray dog or a crow, right? Let's get it over with. We just need to fix his face.

　We were conversing in front of a slaughtered corpse without a care in the world, but the chief priest looked at us with eyes that were unbelievable.

It's a good thing that you're ...... all of them seem to be fine. ......
If I continued to be an adventurer, I would hate to see the rotting and dismembered corpses of fallen adventurers. As expected, it's rare to see such a deft hand.
''If we're going to make it in the Silverwing Knights, it's an absolute requirement that we get used to corpses. It's an inherent part of investigating crimes, and there are times when we build up a pile of corpses ourselves.

　We were all familiar with slaughtered corpses for professional reasons.

　Any adventurer will come across the end of the life of a fellow trader who was killed by a demonic beast and left for dead at least once before he or she reaches the C rank.

　Rather, it's a sort of rite of passage within the industry, and if it breaks your heart, you're not cut out to be an adventurer, and it's even recommended that you take the opportunity to change jobs.

　In the case of the Knights, Carmine would be just as he said.

　In the first place, the Night Ripper case is being investigated by the Silverwing Knights, so if they can't face the victims' devastation without a care in the world, it's out of the question.

''Then, I'll try [Restoration].

　I hold my hand over the altar and activate the skill.

　A complete [restoration] is impossible given the amount stored.
　As requested, I make an effort to restore just the head and face.

　-- Suddenly, a memory that is not my own passes through my mind.

　A phenomenon that has occurred several times before in the process of [restoration].
　An uncontrollable effect that gives you a glimpse of the target's memories.

　However, unlike the previous one, the images that come to mind are severely damaged and the noise (noise) is tremendous.

　The only thing I managed to decipher from the content was that the two girls were trying to buy two life-sized puppets at a discount from a shady merchant.

　Although mixed in with the deafening noise, I also heard that they were going to use them as dummies for escape, human dismemberment and other bizarre tricks.

　I can't even identify the girls' faces.
　However, I have a premonition that all the questions will be cleared up if we can only find out that.

　Eventually, the 【Restoration】 to the best of my ability is completed, and on top of the altar covered by the light of magical power, the corpse of the girl, only from the shoulder to the top, is--!

It's not possible.

　-- I recognized the girl's face.

　The vibrancy was gone to the roots and there was no distinctive makeup on it, but I can still assure you that it was definitely there.

　It's impossible. It's unbelievable. But it's a reality that cannot be denied.

'It's Azure ...... of the August troupe, Azure. ......!