Chapter 16: The Greedy Ones
Ardian stepped into the yard of a small house in the middle of the city. After closing the case of the cursed building—a place that almost swallowed him alive—this house felt like the only place that was truly safe.
A house gifted by his adoptive parents.
Though not related by blood, their love for Ardian had never been half-hearted. And Ardian loved them just as much as if they were his real parents.
With tired but relieved steps, he entered, dropped his bag on the sofa, then headed to the bathroom. Cold water washed over his body, sweeping away the lingering traces of anxiety.
"Ahhh~ That's refreshing, man! Time for some coffee to really wake up, right?" he exclaimed, talking to himself.
After changing clothes, he walked to the kitchen. The kettle started to whistle. Moments later, a cup of black coffee—no sugar—was in his hand. He returned to his room and stared at the three masks mounted on the wall.
His hand reached for the nose of the center mask.
Click!
The right mask rotated 45 degrees.
Ardian turned it once more to the right and...
Clack!
The left mask lifted slightly. He pushed the section of the wall where the masks were mounted, revealing a secret passage. Behind it, a dark room measuring three by three meters opened up. The air inside was colder and heavier, as if it stored secrets from another world.
A desk lamp flickered on.
An old wooden desk with writing tools, bookshelves packed with occult literature and crime articles were neatly arranged. But the most striking thing: a large provincial map covered in red Xs and circles. The walls were plastered with newspaper clippings of mysterious deaths—accidents, suicides, murders.
On the floor, a large sigil was drawn in ancient symbols and characters—the Aramaic language from 1100 BC, preventing any spirits to peek in and entering the room.
Ardian sat down, sipping his coffee. He grabbed a red marker and drew a new circle on the map—the location of the cursed building.
"Hmm... this is no coincidence anymore."
He muttered. The red lines started to reveal a pattern. Not just supernatural events—but the movements of an organization.
"The effort they put into covering their tracks is insane... even burned the building down."
Ardian realized that if his suspicion was correct, the building had been one of the organization's hidden bases. And if that was true, then Suitomo's family...
"Sorry, Suitomo, Sutri... looks like you didn't make it out."
His eyes returned to the summoning sigil. There was an inverted number "8."
"A symbol of infinity. The symbol of the wolf."
Then a memory flashed in his mind—the figure that dominated the fire last night. A hunched old man with a half-wolf face and a red crown, holding a golden orb and a living serpent staff.
There was only one name that matched that description.
Mammon. The Greedy Wolf.
A premium-rank demon, one of the top tiers of the satanic triangle hierarchy. Not your average entity. Not even a local restless spirit. But straight up Demon.
One that represents the Sin of Greed. The Demon of Wealth and Greed.
"Damn... we've stumbled into a much bigger game. And I'm gonna need some serious backup if I want to stay alive."
He took another sip of his coffee. This time, slower.
"Time to build some alliances."
That evening, 4 PM. The Ghost Detective Agency office.
Putriani sat in front of her laptop. Her mind drifted to the goofy duo that usually filled the office with chaos: Ardian and Rendy. But now it was quiet. Even Nur, the youngest member still in high school, wasn't much of a talker when it was just the two of them.
"Huff... way too quiet."
"Good afternoon, three-dimensional creature!"
"Jesus!"
Putriani nearly fell off her chair. Rendy stood in the doorway, arms forming a "T" pose and a triumphant grin on his face.
"You scared the crap outta me, Ren! My heart almost jumped out!"
"If it did, just pop it back in. Easy peasy!"
"You think I'm made of Lego?!"
"Hehe... well, no, but you're being dramatic."
Putriani raised her hands to the sky.
"Oh Lord, grant me patience to deal with this dumbass human."
"Oof, now you're just mocking me. Want some cash or not?"
"Of course!"
"Apologize first, for calling me a dumbass."
"Sorry…"
"That was half-hearted. Make it poetic or something."
Putriani sighed and stood up.
"Oh dearest friend, so handsome, wise, and humble. Forgive all my sins toward you, whether intentional or not, for I am but a mere mortal…"
"Bravo! I'm moved to tears!" Rendy fake-cried while holding up a paper that said "100." and showing it like a jury from typical game show in television.
"My head hurts." Putriani facepalmed. "By the way, where's my money?"
"Here—six million. As promised. The client's happy, and turns out they were planning to demolish the building anyway."
"What!? Flattened to the ground?"
"Yup. Long story short, the building case is closed. Ardian made the call."
Putriani squinted at him suspiciously.
"You guys are hiding something. But if the boss says it's closed, then so be it."
"Yup. Half goes to the agency fund, the rest is yours."
Putriani went straight to the back room, where the office safe was. Only she and Ardian knew the code. She had made a vow to herself: never to touch the agency funds, no matter what.
Moments later, the office phone rang.
Rendy picked it up.
"Ghost Detective Agency, how can we haunt—uh, help you today?"
After listening to the caller's explanation, he jotted down an address and hung up.
"Put, from now on, you go home before sunset. Boss's orders."
"Why?"
"Don't ask. Just do it. I'm heading to Ardian's place—we've got work."
"Alright, I'm leaving now too. Let Nur know while you're at it."
"Will do. Stay safe."
"You too. 'Cause in your fortune, lies mine as well."
"Damn, you're getting clever."
They went their separate ways as the sky turned orange. And the night didn't seem like it would leave much time for rest.