"No," he replied.

Will was almost too glad that Dlanor had called him by phone, allowing him to avoid the stares she was probably making right now; stares that could make guilty suspects confess. Will held Diana closer to him for moral support and prepared himself for the dreadful events that may soon happen. He hope his stress from last night's party, which involved him and Diana over television and canned fish, wouldn't cloud his mind's alertness in this sudden conversation, especially when it is coming from Eiserne Jungfrau's chief inquisitor.

"And why is THAT?" she asked,shaking Will out from his deep thoughts.

"I'm busy," he said, caressing Diana's head.

"I believe you are RETIRED."

"Well, that doesn't mean I cannot be busy," he said.

Ever since he finished that job with Bernkastel, he had been doing nothing except celebrate late night celebrations with Diana whenever she finds a dead rat somewhere in his house, which happens most of the time, or when Lion comes to bring light and terror while playing badminton. Those had been his routines. Parties and pains, and he was satisfied with it. Living as a hermit isn't so bad.

"And what seems to be keeping your time these DAYS?" Will could almost see her grinning.

"A novel," he said. Isn't that what most retired men occupy themselves these days?

The only problem now is that he wasn't writing one. He prepared himself for Dlanor's possible questions
to prove his supposedly novel's substance, which she did ask.

"It is about," plot plot. Think of a plot, "Goats. Three little goat brothers aiming to find true love," he said, thinking it was a brilliant answer. He could create any story about goats.

"Do you mind telling me about IT?"

"Sure. You see, the three goat brothers had their own little defects in them that prevent them from entering in a serious relationship with other goats. The first one was an arrogant guy, the second one was a shy one, and the third one was too unsure with his feelings. But they're very intelligent and wealthy men. Goatmen, rather.

"It's a very heartwarming story, really," he added. And did he just heard an indifferent laugh right now? Or was it his imagination?

"What do you mean by THAT?" she asked.

Screw it, he messed up. "What do you mean?"

"That it is a very heartwarming STORY," said Dlanor with her monotonous voice, which was the reason of the unpredictability of her impressions to others. No wonder people are unnerved when she begins speaking.

"You know. The three goats' weaknesses that they later surpass because of experience. Experiences that challenges their bodies and minds, affecting their beloved ones and possibly their sanity. A goat's innocence in terms of love that is slowly eaten by the harsh realities of the world, yet the goat manages to reach his goals in the end because of-"

"EXPERIENCE," Dlanor finished for him.

"Exactly."

"Then, does this mean the three goat brothers obtain a pleasing ENDING?" she said, her voice slightly anxious.

Will grinned. She was believing it.

"Of course, of course. Everyone gets their own goat wives."

"That is good for tragedies are too SAD. I will certainly read your novel once you publish IT."

"Thanks. I'll do my bes-"

"My god Dlanor! I do not want to hear anything more about goats or drama!"

"Hello Erika. Didn't know you were there," Will said, observing Diana plodding her rubber mouse doll.

"And hello Mister Willard H-"

'Will."

"Wright. It is a pleasure to speak with you. To make this conversation short, as it should be, do accept our-"

"'My.' It is your request."

A quick silence.

"Our request, Mister Willard. This case has created little problems, but still problems nonetheless, in Eiserne Jungfrau's current situation. If you had heard about the public court trial to be handle-"

"Yes, I heard about it."

Another quick silence.

"Handled by Dlanor's patch, which will involve high-ranked voyagers and witches, then surely you could imagine the chaos occurring around here, adding up the criminal count that remains unsol-"

"In other words, you're dogged right now and you desperately need help."

"We do not desperately need your help," she said, her pitch increasing.

"I didn't said you needed mine," said Will, fascinated by Diana, who was apparently trying to bite off the rubber mouse's head.

"Oh come on, will you do it or not?" Snap, the mouse's head fell off.

"No. I told you I'm bus-"

"I'll burn your stupid little goats in hell."

"No you won't. You can't burn fictionalized goat brothers in hell."

Silence.

"Of course I won't," she said. Will couldn't assure the tone of her voice.

"Because they are not real."

Somehow, the statement deemed mysterious, and Will resisted the temptation to ask.

Something clicked, Dlanor putting her phone down. Erika was now the only one listening to him. This will probably be more unsettling than Dlanor's phone call.

"Hello Erika," he said, pulling Diana closer to him.

"Hello Will. Now where were we?" she must be smiling.

"About my goats burning in hell."

"Oh yes. Now, now, we both know better that those goats are not real, not because they are fictionalized characters in a work-in-process novel, but fictionalized characters in someone's imagination. Yours, apparently, which was merely created in a span of 5 seconds.

"I will now destroy the illusion you made."

Will sighed and scratched his head. He was just listening to Erika within 3 minutes and he was already
stressed out. "To make it short, you know I'm not busy."

Unfortunately, the girl didn't want to make things short.

"You are lying, Will-san, and you are capable of bringing out the task Dlanor requests. And how did I just reached that conclusion?" she giggled. "The statements you created led to the obvious, Will-san. You had supplied too many descriptive words without any tone of excitement. A story is not to be told such colourfully when one does not have the enthusiasm, which your voice had lacked, sounding rather sarcastic if you hear it through my perspective. It is either you are bored with your own story or you are just conjuring up information to supply a story. Another one is that you told Dlanor about the story's ending, which was a happy one. You were assuring her, not telling her, that you have a happy ending for the tale, after hearing the change of her voice.

"Just by the existence of your adjectives and poor acting skills, this level of reasoning is possible for Furudo Erika. What do you think everyone?"

Silence.

One could have thought Will was speechless and amazed by this girl's reasoning. Her deductions were astonishingly amazing. It was abnormal, one could say.

Unfortunately, he was sleeping; only to be awakened by Erika's blasted voice.

"My god, is my kitchen burning?" he exclaimed, his head instantly up, searching the room for any signs of fire. There was none, thank goodness. Diana was under his chair, shocked by the sudden noise from the phone, which she was playing with while Will dozed off.

"You scared my cat," he said, yawning.

"I don't care about your damned cat."

"My cat is not damned, Furudo Erika," he was serious. This phone call was making him annoyed than ever. His peace had been interrupted more than two times and he was retired too. He did not want another case. He wanted to steal his rest from all the cases he had been solving in his term.

"Erika, why don't you hand the case to another district? They'll do something about it," Will held his forehead. He knew he was into another argument.

"We can't do that!"

"And why not?"

"You know the reason, so don't be stupid. This undercover plan is the only way to prove our current evidences, and we all know the plan is illegal."

"I've never heard Dlanor do something illegal. This is your plan."

"It's the only way. The information given to us are too weak to be taken special attention at. Dlanor cannot issue an official warrant because her own comrades will question her. I don't want anyone connected to officers to know this case. It will be too risky. I cannot do the undercover myself because I have been busying myself with other cases as well," said Erika, speaking like a chief inquisitor herself.

"You have Gertrude and Cornelia as loyal companions," Will suggested.

"They know about the case but they are quite important people in the incoming court trial. They also have their hands full."

"How about another person? The one who does this thing."

"YOU."

Will sighed. "I'm retired."

"Which makes it better. No one will suspect you."

"The people in that mansion might even know me. I'm a well know policeman back then."

"You're retired, as you said. Tell that on their faces," she spoke of it as a matter of fact.

"Why do you want me in this case? And what is its special aspect that makes it worthy to break the rules. And it is under Dlanor too, who by the way, is the type who could never break rules."

"Hmph. I might as well tell you. Dlanor was bribed."

"What."

"Our informant was an old lady who brought her goodies all the time. She relied this story about her job in this mansion where in her master was to be murdered by someone around the household. Dlanor felt compelled to help the woman so she told her she'll investigate."

"I don't think it is right to accuse people of bribery. Anyway, I already told you I won't be doing—"

"You'll do it, " said Erika and hanged up.

If Dlanor had hanged up the phone after telling him about the case, he could have accepted it without further ado. He wouldn't have the time to complain.

What baffled him most was Furudo Erika's attentiveness in Dlanor's line of work. Instead of sounding prideful, which she usually is when solving mysteries, it looks like she's taking the work seriously. It wasn't a game for her, it was business. Either she had fully realized the significance of life or she's doing all of this for Dlanor. The two possibilities seem so impossible, looking at her character. The blue-haired detective was a fickle girl, and who knows what she plans next. But Will couldn't see the direction of this sudden change.

Her eagerness at the phone sounded just like him some years ago.

And Dlanor. The inquisitor who sticks to rules like glue. It was also unlikely of her to break rules, no matter what the reason is.

It was a dubious situation indeed.

The case intrigued him. Erika wanted it. Dlanor wanted it. And now, he's wanting it.

But.

The cries and the tragedies which he did not want to witness again. In this instance, a case where in he was requested to disguise as a secretary to observe the suspects. One of them was to be murdered, as the old lady said, and Will knew too much that there are many unwanted possibilities that could occur in that mansion, the area he would be assigned in as secretary.

Still, he did not want the responsibility.

Like Dlanor, he thought tragedies are too sad.

Diana came from under the the chair and jumped onto his lap. She began purring and Will cuddled her.

"Then, I just need to prevent it from becoming a tragedy, right, Diana?"

"Done," said Erika with a sigh. The man was difficult but she already deduced that he'll do the job, whether he liked it or not. That was him.

Well, that was Dlanor had atleast said.

"I can't believe you just fell for that goat story, Dlanor. You're far too better than that," she said, crossing her legs and looking at Dlanor with a smirk drawn on her lips.

"Miss Erika, you have done WELL. I thank you for your PARTICIPATION," replied Dlanor.

"It was fun teasing the guy. I didn't expect the previous chief inquisitor of SSVD would be as childish as that. I managed to make the conversation more interesting, and I can say the man is tolerable. A bit likeable than that stupid Battler. I can imagine him studying me through the phone, so I had to make my words convincible. Still, in the end, I was able to manipulate him successfully. The wonders of indirect conversation," said Erika, sliding her hand against her hair.

"The man is usually SENSIBLE. But when it comes in doing things he detests, he rather acts REBELLIOUSLY," said Dlanor as she stamped another paper and proceeded reading another one.

"You know they guy, I assume."

"I have known him since I entered the order, Miss Erika. I know him very WELL."

"Why did he quit the force?"

"I do not know the REASON."

"Why do you want him to for this case," said Erika indifferently as she checked her fingers.

Dlanor placed her papers down and glanced at Erika. "What do you THINK?"

"I'd rather hear it from your mouth. But allow me to speak, if you prefer. The case itself isn't the point here, because we both know that your undercover plan is official since you yourself signed it formally, being a chief inquisitor you are. I'm not sure if you can call that cheating," Erika smirked, "but you are intelligible enough to know what is suspicious and what is not. I have something tell you Dlanor. The man is brilliant, I give him that credit for the second time, and he'll deduce this as I had. In later time, I say, being a slow-poke as he is.

"It is shocking of you to create pretensions. You ask me to help you persuade this man in a small case and you know how well I am in exaggerating things, making it seem that the case is very much important. He must be bewildered right now because this unexpected development of our characters.

"The point is him, right? You never wanted him to quit the force, so giving him a case might make him return. Perhaps he would miss his old job or he'll realize something important.

"So, what do you think, Dlanor?" said Erika, standing up, and taking her leave, like an actress finished with her role.

"It was quite unlikely of you, really," she said faintly and was gone.

She was correct as always.

Dlanor continued reading her paper, stamping it afterwards.