Ten days later — inside Duke's workshop.
Knock, knock, knock!
The heavy thuds echoed through the vast workshop, but there was no reply. Instead, the surveillance camera above the reinforced door swiveled, fixing its lens on the visitor outside.
"Duke!!"
Standing before the sealed workshop door, Dakel shouted his name with growing frustration.
"Hurry up and open the door! I know you're in there!"
"Don't you dare pretend you're not home—you've been holed up inside for half a month already! The workshop you ordered is done! Come out and inspect it!"
The doorbell had long been switched to silent mode, so Dakel could only keep pounding her fists against the door. No matter how long she knocked, Duke didn't give so much as a grunt in response.
Inside, Duke was hunched over his desk, finalizing the color spray design for a suit of armor.
"Boss, Miss Dakel is knocking outside."
"Ignore her. Now that I've got the physique of a near-Ascendant and the soul of a thousand-year tempered flame, I don't have to worry about dying suddenly anymore. I can stay in the lab as long as I damn well please."
He dismissed the noise outside with complete indifference. When the design blueprint was done, he said, "Alright, begin the paint application. After that, we'll move on to the next project."
"Yes, boss."
As Edith transferred the armor into the painting chamber, Duke picked up Tanya's Life Equation Formula.
"Hmm. Ten days of work, and the Pym Particle studies are complete. Time to move on to Tanya's genetic serum."
"But this one will take time. Run the genetic serum research alongside the 'Third Original Sin' project. I'll be developing both in parallel."
"Understood, boss."
Outside the workshop, Dakel's patience snapped. Her forehead vein pulsed as she barked to the butler beside her:
"Bring me the wall-breaker hammer."
The butler hesitated. "Madam, isn't that… a bit excessive?"
Dakel snorted. "Then we'll just reinstall the door later. He's been shut in there for half a month—if he doesn't come out now, I'm afraid he'll grow mold in there."
"Yes, ma'am!"
The butler hurried off to fetch the wall-breaker, a massive alchemical tool used for breaching reinforced vaults. It was only ever deployed for the toughest doors—and this time, Duke's lab had earned the honor.
At that same moment, two figures arrived at the gates of Blue Lavender Manor.
"Are you sure Duke's back, Cupcake?"
"Positive. I heard from my coworkers he returned half a month ago. You know his temperament—he probably buried himself in his workshop the moment he got home."
Caitlyn pressed the doorbell. The pleasant chime drifted through the garden, drawing the attention of the butler stationed at the gate.
"The murder that happened earlier was far too bizarre and brutal," Caitlyn said grimly to Vi as they waited. "We have to figure out what kind of weapon and technique the killer used."
"Yeah," Vi nodded, her expression darkening at the memory. The scene had been so horrific it still made her stomach turn.
"By the way, what's Jinx up to lately?" Caitlyn asked, sighing as she remembered Vi's troublemaking sister.
"No clue. She's been completely off the radar—probably off scheming with Ziggs again. You know the Prelude to Progress Day's coming up, and then it's Mischief Night right after."
"Mischief Night, huh…"
Caitlyn sighed. "The most nerve-racking day of the year."
Mischief Night was an old Piltover tradition held on the eve of Progress Day. On this night, citizens stayed on edge, praying for the chaos to pass quickly—because it was the one day young Piltovans could play pranks and mischief without fear of scolding or punishment.
For the city's youth, it was the highlight of the year.
"You're telling me," Vi grumbled. "Last year, my favorite jacket got dyed pink by Mylo."
"That's nothing!" Caitlyn groaned as the butler arrived. "Last Mischief Night, Jayce gave me a cake that exploded!"
"Oh, gods—your mom must've loved that!"
"You can imagine her face!"
The butler chuckled, bowing politely. "Good morning, ladies. How may I assist you?"
"We're here to see Duke," Caitlyn said with a smile. "I heard he's back and wanted to ask for his help on a case."
"Lord Duke is in his workshop," the butler replied. "The mistress is currently trying to get him to come out."
Vi sighed. "Guess he's buried himself in another experiment again."
Caitlyn gave a helpless smile. "Could you take us to his workshop?"
"Of course. Please, follow me."
As the butler led them across the manor, the two women passed through a sea of flowers—and noticed two hulking figures lounging lazily nearby.
"Did Duke just… let those two beasts roam free now?" Vi muttered.
"Apparently."
Within minutes, they reached Duke's workshop. The wall-breaker hammer was already positioned, its alchemical pumps warming up.
Dakel turned to see Caitlyn and Vi approach, her expression poised—neither too cold nor overly warm.
"Good morning, ladies."
"Good morning, Miss Dakel," Caitlyn greeted politely. Vi, however, glanced at the sealed metal door and rubbed her chin. "He's still not coming out?"
"As you can see, I'm about to make him come out."
Dakel sighed, exasperated. Everyone knew Duke's habit—disappearing into his lab for days, sometimes weeks, losing all sense of time.
But this time, even she thought he'd gone too far.
"No response to knocking?"
"None. So we're breaking down the door."
She waved her hand, signaling the crew to activate the hammer.
Inside
"Boss, Miss Dakel is preparing to use the wall-breaker."
"The wall-breaker?"
Duke's eyelid twitched. He rubbed his forehead and groaned. "Seriously? Is that necessary?"
"It's only been ten days!"
He sighed again. "Fine, fine. She wins. Open the door."
"Right away, boss."
Outside, the alchemical fuel inside the hammer began to ignite—but before it could strike, the reinforced door hissed open on its own. Duke stepped out, stretching lazily.
"Was that really necessary? I've only been in there for ten days."
Dakel crossed her arms, glaring. "You went in and didn't come out for half a month!"
"Hmph."
She waved for the crew to power down the hammer. "You're out now. Good. But you're taking at least three days off before you set foot in that lab again."
"Fine, fine…"
Duke rolled his eyes. Of course, the moment Dakel left, he planned to reseal the lab and project a holographic maze around the entire area.
"Duke!"
The familiar voice drew his attention. Caitlyn and Vi approached, and Duke leaned against the doorframe, raising an eyebrow.
"Well, look who it is. Shouldn't you two be out patrolling the streets?"
Caitlyn got straight to the point. "There's been a murder in Piltover—this morning, actually. We can't identify the weapon or the technique used. We came to ask for your help."
"I see."
Duke rubbed his chin, glancing at the armor cases Vi and Caitlyn were carrying. "Alright, come in. I'll tune up your armor while we talk."
"Thanks."
The two followed him into the lab, setting their cases down as Duke turned to Vi, activating his analytical vision.
"So, how've you been feeling lately? Any issues since the augmentation surgery?"
"Not really," Vi replied, scratching her neck. "Just… sleeping less. I barely need rest anymore."
"Hmm. Likely a side effect of the enhanced physiology. I'll adjust your neural patterns later."
He gestured toward Edith. "Take their armor for maintenance."
Then he turned back to Caitlyn. "You brought the crime scene photos?"
"Yes, right here."
Caitlyn handed him the pictures. Duke took one glance—and his expression darkened.
In the photo was a gruesome sight: a fully-bloomed lotus made of steel embedded in the ground, each petal honed to a blade's edge. At its center was the mangled corpse of the victim, blood splattered across the teal walls.
It was carnage.
"When did this happen?"
"This morning, in a Piltover hotel. The victim was a staff worker."
Caitlyn shuddered as she recalled the scene.
"This mechanism—clearly a custom killing device. Look at the metal," Duke said, leaning closer. "It's Ionian—rare alloy, etched with runes."
He studied the photo carefully, then exhaled. He already knew who the killer was.
"So you're saying this was made with magic?"
"Exactly. And judging by the body's posture, the victim didn't even realize the trap was there—stepped right into it unknowingly. My guess? The trap was cloaked with invisibility."
"Meaning the killer is proficient in magic."
"In Ionia, that's not rare. Magic there is as common as technology here in Piltover." Duke set the photo down. "Follow the trail. Your killer came from Ionia."
He looked up, eyes narrowing.
"And he's extremely dangerous."
End of chapter....
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