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Solomon and Rudy reached the local park and walked through the iron gates. There were a few people around now. Parents pushing strollers and elderly couples enjoying the morning sun, finally venturing out of their homes now that the impending dungeon threat had been officially neutralized.

Solomon and Rudy walked side-by-side along the paved path.

"What do you want, detective?" Solomon asked, keeping his hands stuffed in his hoodie pockets.

Rudy rubbed the back of his neck, looking incredibly nervous. "I honestly do not know how to say this, and it might sound insincere after everything I put you through in the interrogation room... but I did not know the full truth at that time. I would have definitely acted and treated you very differently if I had realized it sooner."

Solomon offered a blank stare. "I have no idea what you are talking about."

Rudy let out a heavy sigh. He stopped walking, looked directly at the teenager, and said, "I just want to thank you for what you have done."

Solomon played dumb flawlessly. "What exactly did I do?"

"You know what I am referring to," Rudy hinted vaguely, gesturing toward the city skyline. "I am referring to how you took care of the corrupt guild last night."

Solomon furrowed his brow, acting completely confused. "I was not the one who did that, though. I was legally proven innocent by the forensics team. Is that not the reason why I am currently walking out here instead of sitting in a cell?"

Rudy sighed again. "You do not need to worry, Solomon. I am not standing here as a police interrogator trying to secure a confession. I am here purely as a civilian, and as a grieving father who simply wants to thank you."

Solomon stayed entirely firm. "I am telling you, I am not the one who did it. And as a police officer, you really should not be condoning such acts instead of praising and glorifying an active terrorist."

’I have no idea what this guy is planning,’ Solomon thought to himself, maintaining his defensive posture. ’But since I am officially declared innocent, I am not going to take any credit or leave any verbal hints for them to use against me. This is obviously just a cheap psychological trap where he is trying to coax the truth out of me to secure a confession.’

Rudy stared at Solomon for a long moment, recognizing the boy’s impenetrable defensive wall. "If that is how you want to play it, then I will not press the issue any further. But I still want to thank you."

Solomon didn’t say a single word.

"My daughter was also an adventurer," Rudy continued, his voice dropping to a somber whisper. "She died in that dungeon tragedy three years ago. Ever since that day, I have been desperately trying to gather proof and concrete evidence to prove that the disaster was entirely schemed and planned by The BlueYorker’s Shield. But I could never make any real progress."

𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

He clenched his jaw as he continued, "Even though the truth was painfully obvious and sitting right in front of us, there was simply no legal way to prove it in court. I completely lost hope that she would ever get justice after the jury declared the guild innocent in that rigged trial."

Solomon listened attentively, his expression softening slightly.

Rudy let out a dry, bitter chuckle. "It is actually incredibly ironic. The people who killed her and destroyed our lives were declared innocent. And now, the person who finally killed them and destroyed their guild is also declared innocent."

"I am going to correct you one last time, officer" Solomon stated firmly. "I was not the one who did it. If you try to imply that I am the terrorist one more time, I will walk away."

Rudy looked at Solomon and nodded slowly. ’It is no wonder he does not trust me,’ Rudy thought to himself. ’I completely understand that. If he does not want to admit that he was the one who did it, then that is perfectly fine. Nothing will change. He is right to be cautious.’

Solomon waited for a few seconds of silence before quietly asking, "What was your daughter’s name? And which guild was she in?"

Rudy was slightly surprised by the sudden personal question, but he answered honestly. "She was in that small, unnamed guild in District Seven. Her name was Rachel."

Solomon gritted his teeth, his grip tightening into fists inside his pockets.

He waited for a few seconds, forcing his emotions down, before opening his mouth. "Is your full name Rudy Redwood?"

Rudy was genuinely shocked. "Yes. How did you know my last name? Only my first name is printed on my precinct badge." Rudy paused, his eyes widening. "Did you know my daughter?"

Solomon looked down at the pavement, a distant, heavy sadness clouding his silver eyes. "She was a very good friend of my girlfriend, Serah."

Rudy’s jaw dropped in absolute shock. "You were dating Serah?!" he exclaimed loudly.

Solomon looked at him, completely confused by the sudden outburst. "Yes. Why are you suddenly getting so hyper about that?"

Rudy quickly coughed into his hand, forcing himself to calm down. He cleared his throat and explained. "Like you just said, Serah was a very good friend of my daughter. Rachel always talked about Serah at home. She constantly talked about Serah’s boyfriend, too. She told us how he acted, the stupid things he did, and how stubborn he was. But I honestly never expected that boyfriend was actually you."

Rudy thought back to his initial reaction in the containment cell. ’No wonder I felt the sudden, irrational urge to punch him in the face the moment I first saw him in that interrogation room. That was actually my Intuition talent warning me about his personality based on the stories Rachel told me. I still remember the hour Rachel told me she liked Serah’s boyfriend also.’

"So you really were in the same guild as them," Rudy murmured softly.

Solomon stood up straight, his expression hardening. "Just so we are completely clear, I only knew your daughter and nothing else. The incident with the corporate guilds last night was not my doing. But I am happy that you finally feel like your daughter got the justice she deserved."

Solomon turned on his heel. "I am going home now. I cannot leave my parents alone with that crazy professor for too long."