The man who had just entered had long blond hair reaching down to his back. He wore a white three-piece suit with a black shirt and a black tie. His eyes appeared reddish like rubies. He looked like a respectable nobleman.
He observed his surroundings with a gentle smile. When his gaze met Ciel's, he smiled and casually walked toward Jonathan. With a firm swing, he threw his suitcase toward Jonathan.
With a loud thud, the suitcase landed on Jonathan's desk and sent the piled-up documents scattering everywhere.
Jonathan rubbed his face in frustration. "Hah... I've told you to change that attitude of yours, Nichole. No wonder you can't even date a single girl."
Jonathan could only stand up, pull out his magic wand, and with a small motion cause the documents to slowly float back onto his desk. Then he picked up the suitcase and opened it.
"Can we not talk about this? Even your ex-wife left you last time," Nichole said.
"That's exactly my point. You've been away for too long. I got back together with her last month. So she's still my 'wife'," Jonathan replied mockingly. He wore an expression that seemed to say, "You can't make fun of me, damn it," as he looked inside the suitcase.
"Mr. Jonathan has been divorced?" Ciel wondered as he walked toward the two of them.
When he looked inside the suitcase, he saw a crystal ball. The ball appeared transparent with waves of red and blue swirling within it. It looked like a fortune teller's crystal ball. The difference was that this one emitted powerful magical energy. Ciel frowned. He hadn't sensed anything at all before the suitcase was opened!
"Is that suitcase an artifact too?" he thought.
"Ah, before I forget. Ciel, let me introduce him. He's Jeremy Nichole. Just call him Nichole. He doesn't really like his first name. And Nichole, this is our new detective assistant, Ciel Grand," Jonathan introduced them.
"Grand? Do you have any relation to Michelle Grand?"
"Yes, he's my grandfather. Have you met him before?" Ciel answered Nichole with a pounding heart.
"Hmm, I think around seventeen years ago. I met him when I was fourteen. He was a good man. He used to play with me and taught me magic after I awakened."
"He always said he had a very adorable grandson. He said he never taught his grandson magic, so why are you here?" Nichole's tone rose, and the mana around him seemed to boil. Clearly, he had a serious relationship with Michelle, which made Ciel nervous.
Before a confrontation could occur, Jonathan's hand slammed heavily onto Nichole's shoulder. The boiling mana surrounding them immediately returned to normal. Jonathan spoke casually. "Alright, alright, that's enough, Nichole. Mr. Michelle passed away a few days ago due to a terrorist attack, and Ciel only awakened afterward during his interview with me. I'm the one who taught him magic."
"Well, if that's the case, then fine," Nichole replied briefly. He returned to smiling gently as if nothing had happened.
Ciel shuddered as the boiling mana had almost made it impossible for him to breathe. He trembled slightly and felt as though he might wet himself at any moment. He coughed lightly and looked toward the crystal ball before asking, "So... what exactly is that thing?"
Jonathan and Nichole turned toward the suitcase simultaneously and answered, "It's an artifact believed to have been used to worship and communicate with an evil god. We received information that it was being auctioned in the Kingdom of Sulivah, so we sent Nichole to retrieve it."
"He only told me to retrieve it and didn't even give me money to win the auction."
"Hey, aren't you richer than I am? Mr. Director of 'Falheim News and Report'?" Jonathan replied irritably.
Ciel was so shocked that his mouth nearly fell open. 'Falheim News and Report is one of the most famous newspapers in Falheim! Then why is he still working with Mr. Jonathan?' Nichole's background was extremely unclear. However, the possibility that he was a nobleman was very high.
"I understand your feelings, Mr. Nichole. He said he would teach me magic, but all he did was give me books and tell me to study on my own." Ciel spoke with remarkable sincerity while mocking Jonathan, which made Nichole quite fond of the young man.
"Well done, Nichole. I'll remember that for now."
Although he looked annoyed, Jonathan merely pouted slightly before raising his magic wand. A blackish-purple flame appeared in the air with glowing specks of light. He moved his wand to the side. Cracks began to appear in the space through which the wand passed. Without wasting words, he immediately placed the suitcase into the gap and quickly closed it.
"Wow, is that some kind of storage magic? I wonder at what Circle I'll be able to learn such useful magic." Ciel could not help but be amazed whenever Jonathan used his magic.
"Now get away from my desk and go do whatever it is you can do over there!" Jonathan looked annoyed as he chased them away.
Ciel and Nichole shook their heads before leaving and heading toward the sofa. They sat opposite each other. On the table was a stack of cards marked with numbers and symbols.
"Poker?" Ciel was slightly surprised. It was a game that had become quite popular and widely played in London. He glanced at Nichole and invited him to play poker.
Nichole's ruby eyes gleamed. He still maintained his smile. "Sure. This game reminds me of your grandfather's friend."
"Yeah... me too," Ciel replied. He was still saddened by Michelle's death. As he shuffled and dealt the cards to Nichole, his hands moved quite skillfully. After all, before coming to this world, Joseph August had often played poker in his university dormitory. It was one of the cheap forms of entertainment that poor students could use to pass the time. "That old man really loved gambling through poker. I hope he can still see heaven."
The sound of cards sliding against one another filled the quiet room. Jonathan had already immersed himself in his work once again. The man sat behind his desk reviewing report after report. Occasionally, he would scribble something down with his pen before tossing the document onto another pile.
Meanwhile, Nichole sat comfortably on the sofa. His back rested casually against it while his legs remained crossed. The same gentle smile still hung on his face.
Seeing that expression, Ciel could not help but feel a little curious. Ever since they first met, this man seemed to be constantly smiling. His expression barely changed. It was difficult to know what Jeremy Nichole was truly thinking.
In the first round, Ciel lost.
In the second round, he lost again.
And by the third round, he began to feel that something was wrong. He stared at the cards that had just been revealed on the table. His combination was actually quite good. Yet Nichole had a slightly better combination.
Again.
"What good luck," Ciel thought.
He did not pay much attention to it. After all, poker was a game heavily influenced by luck. However, when the fourth round ended with the same result, he began observing his opponent more seriously.
Nichole still appeared relaxed. He held his cards loosely. There was not the slightest tension in his body. Even his gaze remained calm. The strangest thing was that he almost never looked at his cards for very long.
Ciel began recalling various tricks he had read about in the past. In poker, experienced players could often read their opponents through small habits. Eye movements, hand positions, breathing patterns, or unconscious changes in expression. The problem was that Nichole displayed none of those things.
The man was like a living statue.
Whether his cards were good or bad, his smile remained exactly the same.
After several more rounds, the number of coins in front of Ciel gradually decreased. Meanwhile, Nichole's pile continued to grow higher. Ciel began to feel slightly annoyed. Not because he was losing money. Rather, because he could not understand how he kept losing.
In the next round, he received far better cards than before. His eyes brightened slightly. For the first time that day, he felt that his chances of winning were quite high. He tried to keep his expression calm.
Even so, his heart still beat a little faster. This feeling was somewhat unfamiliar. It had been a long time since he had played cards seriously. In his previous life, he often saw his friends experience the same tension when gambling. Back then, he never truly understood it. But now, he was beginning to understand. There was a strange sensation when someone felt only one step away from victory. That feeling made people continue hoping.
Ciel stared at the final card that had been dealt.
His smile widened.
Good.
Very good.
He felt quite confident in the combination he possessed.
Across the table, Nichole still looked relaxed. The man casually spun a coin across his fingers while occasionally glancing at the cards in his hand. Seeing that attitude, Ciel suddenly had a strong urge to shatter that calm smile. He wanted to see a surprised expression appear on Nichole's face.
At least once.
The game continued for several more minutes.
The pile of coins in the center of the table continued growing. Even Jonathan, who was busy working, occasionally glanced toward them. Eventually, when all the cards were revealed, Ciel slightly raised his chin. This time, he was truly certain. The combination he held was almost impossible to defeat. A feeling of satisfaction began to emerge within his heart.
However, the next second, Nichole casually placed his final card onto the table.
The room suddenly became silent.
Ciel stared at the arrangement of cards.
Then looked at his own cards.
Then looked back at Nichole's cards.
Once again.
Nichole won.
For several moments, Ciel could only remain silent. He was beginning to doubt whether this man was actually human. Behind the desk, Jonathan finally laughed quietly after holding it in for quite some time. The sound of his laughter only made Ciel feel more irritated. Meanwhile, Nichole simply gathered the pile of winning coins with a relaxed motion before neatly arranging them in front of himself.
Ciel let out a long sigh before dropping his body against the sofa's backrest. He was beginning to understand why Jonathan often looked annoyed whenever he spoke with this man. Some people simply possessed a natural talent for irritating others without even trying.
At that moment, Nichole's hand suddenly stopped moving. The coin that had been spinning between his fingers became still. The man slowly shifted his gaze toward the office entrance. His gentle smile remained.
However, for some reason, Ciel felt that something had changed. Those ruby eyes seemed slightly more focused than before. As though he was observing something that others could not see. Ciel followed his gaze. The corridor outside the office appeared empty. There was no one there.
However, a few seconds later, the sound of footsteps began echoing from the distance.
Tok.
Tok.
Tok.
The footsteps slowly approached their office.
Nichole remained silent while playing with a card in his hand.
Meanwhile, Jonathan raised his head from the pile of documents and glanced toward the door. Not long afterward, the footsteps stopped right in front of the office. The doorknob slowly began to turn.
Then the door opened.
A middle-aged man wearing a brown coat entered the room. His face looked tired and worn, as though he had not slept properly for several days.
He stood in the doorway for a few moments before finally asking hesitantly.
"Excuse me... is this Jonathan Detective Agency?"
With a smile, Jonathan replied, "That's right, welcome to Hory Detective."