Prologue

"Welcome, Master~!"

"Oh, back early?"

In a well-preserved, expensive black suit with silver detailing, a man entered an empty bar to get away from the dark city surroundings. He wore a large wooden case on his back like a bag. His brown eyes slanted towards the Hostess, who approached him wearing a blue bunny outfit with fishnet leggings. As she ran towards the man, her blonde hair, fashioned into pigtails and adorned with blue ribbons, swayed energetically. Standing behind her was a tall, muscular man in a blue bartender's outfit, his intense blue eyes locked onto the man. He absentmindedly pushed his short blonde bangs out of his eyes before heading back to the bar counter. 

Upon arrival, he took out a tiny remote and winked at the man who walked into the bar. "So, Ansel, what will it be today? Soft Jazz or some Blues?" His deep and soothing voice created a calming atmosphere when he welcomed his first customer of the night.

"Soft Jazz, Saber." Ansel, the man who walked into the bar, spoke casually.

Upon hearing that, the Hostess grabbed Ansel's arm and hugged it with her large breasts. "Booooo…" She gave Ansel a cute-looking pout as he simply shrugged his free shoulder. "Why is she coming here? I really thought you came back early to see me."

"As cute as you are, you are a demon. We both know that," Ansel said as the woman led him to the bar. "Also, I'll take my usual, and my guest will take hers."

"Marai, show some restraint." Saber glared at Marai as she removed herself from Ansel's arm. 

"Chill, man. I ain't hating the treatment I'm receiving," Ansel said jokingly as he took off the large case he had brought along on his back. 

He sat down at the bar and placed the case on the bar counter. The case was about the size of his torso and was about a foot thick. It was a wooden case made from silver wood with silver metal that lined the edges as reinforcement. Marai sat next to him and stared at the case with curious eyes. Ansel reached into his pockets, pulled out a small cigarette, and lit it. The front end glowed with blue embers as a relaxing lavender aroma filled the small bar. 

Ansel flashed a twisted smile as Saber sighed. He pushed the case over to Marai, whose eyes sparkled as she took the liberty of opening it immediately. An old-school camera that took up half of the case's space sat comfortably within. It was made from the same material as the case and had a large lens that shined gently as the bar's overhead lights shined down.

"So, this is your Artificial Artifact?" Marai inquired while examining the object without making physical contact.

The item appeared to let out a faint humming noise that grabbed Marai's attention. Saber, finishing up the drinks he was making, looked at Ansel with a distinct concern. Ansel's smile only grew as he hid his mouth. His eyes looked at the woman's soft hands as she began to attempt to touch the camera.

When her hand made contact with the camera, a soft silver glow illuminated the room.

"OWWW!!!" Maria lept back dramatically as she pulled out a small palm-sized pistol from her breasts. Her eyes were fierce for a second, and she was ready for a fight. But as the sound of Ansel's laughter filled the room, she relaxed and placed the pistol back between her breasts. She glared at Ansel before walking up to him to playfully punch him in the back. "Asshole." She muttered as she made her way back to her seat.

"You are a twisted man, Ansel. Don't use my daughter for your entertainment. I could care less if she puts up with your shenanigans simply because she likes you." There was a slight hint of anger in his voice, but he spoke and moved relatively professionally as he handed him his drink.

"Says the barkeep, who not only lets his babe of a daughter dress up in a skimpy, alluring suit but also works alongside her while she wears it. Sounds to me like somebody is using her for his own entertainment. But I won't judge. She's hot, so I can totally understand." Ansel scoffed as she turned towards Marai and gave her a soft smile.

Marai pouted and said, "If you want my forgiveness for that stunt, you have to spend time with me." "Is that an Original Artifact or a twisted prank you wanted to trick me with?"

"It's an OA that I found on my first job. I brought it along since there is a good chance I won't return to the city for a few days. 'Gifted' people, such as yourself, cannot even touch an OA unless you can endure its reactive feedback."

"Considering the weapon design," Saber chimed in. "It is a psychological weapon, right?"

Ansel nodded, confirming Saber's assessment. He closed the case of the OA and placed it on the floor. He took a sip of his drink and looked at Saber. "I have been meaning to ask, why do you keep your daughter hidden? I know she could make you much more money since she is a Gifted than I can give you with these odd jobs. A 'Cursed' like myself is limited on how I can make my money because of the hate I received."

"Hmmm…" Marai leaned over and rested her head on Ansel's shoulder. "That may be the case, but I'd rather not be an experiment for the city. But I'd the sound of being yours to experiment with sounds exciting. So, I'll keep being your pawn while working with Daddy ~,"

"Ansel…"

"Yeah…I think I awoken something inside her."

Saber and Ansel exchanged looks of concern as they watched Marai. Then suddenly, the bar's doors opened. An older woman, wearing clothes identical to Ansel's, walked in. Her short black hair fell gently on her shoulders, framing her expressionless face. Her silver glasses added an air of authority to her serious glare directed at Ansel.

Marai gave the woman a scornful look as she lifted her head off Ansel's shoulder and stepped away. She greeted the woman with a professional greeting devoid of charm and led her to the seat next to Ansel. Once she ensured the guest was seated comfortably, Marai casually strolled to the front door and propped herself against it, one leg nonchalantly raised. She looked down with her eyes closed, reached into her breasts, and pulled out a small silver bracelet. The moment she placed it on her right wrist, a subtle silver hue began to illuminate the object.

"Silver Detective." The woman spoke with her brown eyes locked onto his. Behind the few words, there was a harsh tone.

Saber handed her a freshly made drink and stepped to the side. He began cleaning his empty glasses while monitoring both his daughter and Ansel. Behind the woman, Marai looked up with an intense glare.

"Operator..." Ansel's voice was filled with bitterness as he paused to inhale deeply. He extinguished his cigarette, releasing a trail of smoke that lingered in the air. "So, Operator, what brings you here tonight? Finally, falling for my charms, are you?"

Taking a sip of her drink, the woman fixed Ansel with a sharp, penetrating stare. "Cut it out with the sweet talk, Cursed, or rather, that feeble effort you're making. We both know that sluttish girl behind me is more so your type, but you can't even see her as more than anything than a daughter. What a letdown. Despite the dedication of two girls trying their best for you, you belittle them by treating them like children."

Ansel clicked his tongue in irritation. With a nonchalant tone, he dismissed the comment and pointed out two small corrections: "I don't see Marai as a child, and Silver Mantra is literally my daughter."

"How original. A broken man taken in by someone else who gave them life is doing the same to others. Or maybe you have devious thoughts about Silver Mantra." The woman snickered as strange crimson veins stretched from under Ansel's clothing. "Oooo, scary man gonna hurt me?" With a mocking tone, she raised the glass to her pink lips and took a sip.

"I hate you."

"The feeling is mutual, Cursed." The woman snicked at Ansel's frustration. Her victory in the argument left a bitter taste in Ansel's mouth. But he could not react to it, as he knew it was hopeless.

"So, why did you call me here? I assume it is job-related and needs to be kept off the records."

"It relates to your next case, Lustful Vixen. You will have an official debriefing with me in about an hour, but there are some things I need to detail before debriefing." The woman took another sip of her drink and took a small breath. "The city officials are behaving rather erratically when calling for this mission. Due to this, we are subject to believe that the target you are hunting is a scapegoat who holds information that the city heads don't want out there."

Ansel raised his brow towards her statement. "Needless to say, you want me to investigate why while completing the hunt?"

"Negative, you are to not make contact with the assigned target at all, if possible. We want you to fail this mission unless you can find the real target within the mission zone. Of course. Knowing you, should you go berserk and kill the target, we will punish you accordingly."

"Geeez gotta play the fool this time." Ansel scratched his head. "I assume this might have something to do with our goal, so I'll play along."

"However." The woman spoke up, interrupting Ansel. "Because of the high importance of this mission, you will need to be careful. In the town you will be tasked to visit, there will be a spy watching your every move. They will try to ensure that you don't learn anything while you complete your mission."

"So I can't deliberately fail the mission?" Ansel took a sip.

"I will try to find a way to force you to fail. You might not like the method, but it will make it believable."

As she finished her sentence. Maria clapped her hands four times as she removed the bracelet from her arm. Ansel and the woman continued drinking their drinks in silence as a small group of customers entered the bar.

Once the woman finished, she stood up and glanced at Ansel. No words were exchanged, but he knew what she was thinking. He sighed, defeated, and grabbed the case he dropped on the ground.

"Hey, Saber," Ansel said in a low tone, giving Maria a wink in the process. With a nod and a cheerful tone, she engaged the customers, radiating friendly and inviting energy. "I got a job for the both of you. The deadline is when I return." Ansel slid a small note under his empty glass and made his way out of the bar.