Chapter 565: Assassin Deduction

Chapter 565: Assassin Deduction

Karen stood at the doorway, listening to the laughter of the grandfather and grandson inside, feeling a wave of poignant emotion in his heart.

The family had suddenly suffered such a terrible catastrophe. As the head of the household, Wolfrun had undoubtedly taken the heaviest blow; yet at this moment, he still chose to set aside all anger and grief to comfort his only remaining grandson as much as possible.

The dead were already dead, and he hoped that the living would not be weighed down by guilt.

Without such comfort from Wolfrun, Leon would spend the rest of his life mired in the slough of self-reproach and shame, knowing that on the night his family was slaughtered, he had been lying in a pastry shop.

Not everyone possessed a terrifying psychological resilience like Neo; in fact, even Neo was constantly searching for a reason to go on living.

Changing perspectives, if he were Wolfrun, would he have done the same?

Karen felt that he wouldn't. He would fall into madness, hatred would shatter his sanity, and it would be utterly impossible for him to lower his head and use a soothing tone to smooth over the massive knot forming in his grandson's heart—he wouldn't have the peace of mind for it.

This was probably the gap; he was still a long way from becoming someone like Wolfrun.

Spells could be learned quickly, formations could be understood rapidly, and realms could be raised swiftly, but in life, there were always things that had to rely on time to thicken, or rather... to settle.

"Captain Karen..."

Karen heard Wolfrun calling his name from inside.

"I am here, My Lord Chief."

Karen first offered his respects at the doorway and then walked inside. Looking at Leon, who was kneeling by the bedside holding Wolfrun's hand, he hesitated for a moment but ultimately chose not to adopt a kneeling posture, which would have made communication easier.

It wasn't that he minded kneeling at this moment, but rather because the Chief had called him by his official title, meaning the old man wished to speak to him in an official capacity.

"I know... it was for my sake... that you accepted Leon into your squad."

Karen tacitly admitted it; offering polite platitudes at a time like this would be meaningless.

"This grandson of mine... I see him very clearly... he is decent enough... his only flaw is that his character is a bit soft... but that isn't his fault... it's because the family conditions were too good... it couldn't be helped.

But his character is trustworthy, isn't it?"

Karen responded, "Yes, you are entirely right."

"Help me... look after him a little."

"I will."

"Thank you..."

"This is my duty as captain."

Wolfrun lowered his head again, looking at his grandson, and exhorted him:

"Be obedient..."

"I will be obedient, Grandfather."

"Listen to your captain..."

"I will, I absolutely will."

Wolfrun nodded.

In truth, he did not need to make special arrangements for Leon's future; although the Delgar family was nearly wiped out, it was different from the previously ruined Donton family, who had been crushed underfoot in a political struggle. Vick's situation was much the same—dragged down by his "Conservative" mentor, he had become an object of suppression, a sacrificial offering to the shifting political winds.

The Delgar family, however, had suffered massive losses due to an unexpected attack targeting the Church of Order. At least for now, there was no evidence that the assassination stemmed from a vendetta. Therefore, the Church would certainly compensate Leon and treat him with favor.

Yet Wolfrun knew very well that without the backing of a family, Leon's future development would be smooth, but it would be hard for him to truly shine. No amount of preferential treatment and care could compare to the support of a complete family behind him.

If he wanted to expand the upper limit of his grandson's future development, he could only rely on Karen's small group. The Lord Chief had always been very optimistic about the future of this small group, otherwise he would never have let his grandson join.

Of course, this arrangement of his was not for the sake of family revival, because he knew that if his grandson had nothing to do next, deprived of any opportunity to climb upward—even the kind fraught with immense risk—and was instead left to rot in some leisurely, lucrative position, the boy would surely suffer agonizing torment, perhaps even losing his mind.

Just then, Director Bernie's figure appeared at the doorway again, obviously summoned by the priest-official who had left earlier.

"Director Bernie... I am ready."

Bernie advised, "Soon, the task force from the Dingle Region will arrive, accompanied by top-tier priests from the Dingle Region. I think you can wait a little longer. After all, there is hope for you to be cured now."

"Cured... means lying in bed for a few more years... it's meaningless... I am willing to burn my life... to exchange for a month... *cough cough*... a month's time... come on... Director Bernie."

"Very well, I shall defer to your will." Bernie looked at Leon and Karen, "You two go out first."

Leon was still reluctant to leave. Karen walked over, patted his shoulder, and Leon stood up, following Karen out of the room.

Standing outside, Leon took a deep breath, wiped his face with his sleeve, forced out a smile, and then laughed dryly to himself twice:

"Heh... hehe..."

Beside him, Philomena felt that Leon's laughter sounded even worse than her grandmother's laughter back then.

After he finished laughing, Leon said, "It's a good thing Richard took me to the pastry shop tonight, otherwise I would probably be a pinned corpse right now, and I wouldn't have the chance to track down the killer and avenge my family."

Karen patted Leon's shoulder and said nothing.

In truth, from Leon's perspective, or rather from the perspective of normal human nature, deflecting responsibility and finding a target for his hatred—such as blaming Richard—would be considered normal.

But Leon didn't do that. His mind remained perfectly clear. Though he had lost emotional control in this devastating blow, he did not sink into despair because of it.

Just as Bishop Wolfrun had said, this grandson of his had a character that was truly trustworthy. Back when he learned that Karen was the subject of rumors regarding his fiancée, he hadn't gotten angry at Karen, but instead continued to invite him to secretly eat and drink during meeting breaks.

It was just that right now, Karen couldn't comfort him too much. The killer had entered the Chief Bishop's home, slaughtering nearly everyone inside. Though the Chief Bishop had successfully survived, he had sustained irreversible, severe injuries...

This was no longer a simple matter of you being wronged or having an enemy, where you could just drag the whole squad along to help you clear the field and seek vengeance.

"Captain, I want to go out and get some fresh air first," Leon said. "I feel a bit suffocated in here."

"Philomena."

Karen pointed at Philomena and then pointed at his own mouth, signaling her to just accompany him and keep her mouth shut.

Just like that, Philomena supported Leon's arm with one hand and led him down the stairs. It wasn't that Leon couldn't walk, but rather that he kept his eyes closed the entire time.

He had walked up once, and precisely because he had walked up once, he didn't have the courage to walk down with his eyes open again.

Karen sighed. It seemed that after this matter passed, he would have to pay more attention to Leon's psychological state.

Next, Karen began to walk slowly, stopping to make careful observations as he passed each crime scene.

The two servants' corpses pinned to the wall by the study door, the corpse of Leon's uncle sitting in a chair inside the study, the corpse of Leon's grandmother by the French window, the corpse of Leon's mother at the turn of the stairs—Karen lingered for a good while before each of these bodies.

When he finally went to observe the corpse of Leon's father in the living room on the first floor, Bishop Bourne walked up behind Karen and asked, "Did you find anything?"

Karen hesitated slightly.

"Say whatever you've found, there's no need for misgivings. The task force coming from the Dingle Region won't necessarily be any more professional than we are."

Karen said hesitantly, "I don't know the specific details yet."

"The specific details are exactly what you see. What we know is identical to what you are looking at."

"Regarding the Chief Bishop..."

"The Chief Bishop didn't see the assassin. The assassin launched a sneak attack directly on him. The bedroom was instantly filled with yellow sand, and then the assassin failed. Of course, the Chief's injuries are very severe."

"What about the assassin?"

"The assassin should be injured as well, so the Chief said. Because when the assassin struck, he used a life-risking spell. The Chief broke through that spell, so the assassin must have suffered a severe backlash."

"Can we set up a dragnet?" Karen asked. "I mean, we could lock down the teleportation arrays at key junctures, and also..."

"Aside from sand, the assassin left nothing behind. An assassin of this caliber cannot be caught by a simple lockdown and tracking. I didn't order a lockdown on all teleportation arrays in the York City area because it would be meaningless."

"He either chose to leave by a pre-planned route at maximum speed, or he might still be hiding inside York City right now; in any case, he remains entirely composed."

Hearing this, Karen nodded.

Bishop Byrne asked with some curiosity, "Why don't you say that we are just standing here doing nothing?"

"Because I understand your choice, and I agree with your experience."

"Is that so."

In fact, looking at it from another perspective, both Karen and Neo had numerous precedents of successfully hiding after "committing an offense," and Karen felt the assassin could do the same, so a city-wide manhunt would hardly yield any results at this moment.

"Tell me what you observed, because I noticed your method of observation is different from the others. They are more obsessed with the sand, but you are not looking at the sand."

"I have a hypothesis. I feel that for the assassin to kill so many people in this house so cleanly, besides the assassin's own great strength, there was another factor..."

"Speak."

"The assassin used an identity."

"An identity?" A faint smile appeared at the corner of Bishop Byrne's mouth, but then he seemed to realize such an expression was inappropriate at this time, so he pulled back his smile, leaned his body forward toward Karen's side, and lowered his voice, "You noticed?"

This movement by Bishop Byrne involuntarily brought a great deal of pressure upon Karen. If he hadn't known clearly that this matter could not possibly be a self-directed performance by the Church of Order, right now he might truly feel that Bishop Byrne's expression looked exactly as if his own secret had been exposed.

It could only be said that for someone accustomed to hiding in the dark to hatch conspiracies, his whole being was like a sponge soaked through with ink; it didn't show on the outside, but the color of his shadow was much darker.

"Tell me, how did you notice it?"

"I deduced it from the locations of death and the layout of the furnishings."

"Be more specific." A strand of blue light appeared beneath Bishop Byrne's feet, which then transformed into countless threads spreading outward.

Karen pointed ahead toward Leon's father, who was fixed at the chandelier position like a hornet's nest, and spoke:

"The assassin should have walked in through the front door. Leon's father should have been sitting on the living room sofa reading a newspaper at first. Now the newspaper is spread open on the coffee table, and tracing downward from the location of death above, it should be right in front of that long sofa..."

"Is that so?" The blue threads beneath Bishop Byrne's feet constructed a blue figure ahead, precisely the human shape of Leon's father. He was originally sitting on the sofa reading the newspaper, then he looked toward the entrance, put down the newspaper, and stood up.

Bishop Byrne continued to ask, "Guess what he would say?"

Karen replied, "It should be that someone familiar arrived. Entering this home wouldn't cause any surprise. It might be 'You've come.' Or it could be 'You're back.'"

Bishop Byrne nodded slightly. The next moment, he raised his hand, and the figure composed of blue light spots seemed to open its mouth to say something, then its form rapidly went upward. The body was filled with sand while the whole person was pulled up and fixed onto the ceiling.

"Let us continue."

Karen suggested, "My Lord, I think it is better not to have you play the role of the killer. It affects my immersion."

"Oh, alright."

A blue figure appeared beside Bishop Byrne.

"Can it change to black?" Karen asked. "A completely black shadow."

"Of course."

Subsequently, the killer transformed into a completely black human shape.

Karen began to walk toward the stairs. Bishop Byrne followed behind him, and the black human shape walked side by side with Karen.

"She, Leon's mother, should have seen the assassin while on the stairs. Then, she stopped at the landing, actively waiting for the killer to come up."

Next, a blue female figure appeared at the landing. As the black figure walked up the stairs, it raised its hand, and the blue female figure was bound, then coincided with the actual corpse whose limbs were pinned down on the portrait in reality.

Following that, Karen continued to walk upward. The black human shape followed Karen upward together, while Bishop Byrne subconsciously rubbed his wrist.

After arriving at the second floor, the first thing that caught the eye was that position in front of the French window.

Before Karen could speak, the blue figure of an elderly lady appeared on the sofa; she was sitting there.

Karen pointed at the half-knitted sweater resting on the coffee table. Recalling this, Bishop Byrne immediately made a sweater appear in the blue elderly lady's hands, performing the action of knitting.

"When the assassin walked up the stairs, the Chief Lady saw the assassin and put down the sweater she was knitting."

Bishop Byrne, however, shook his head and said, "No, when the assassin walked into the courtyard, the Chief Lady should have seen him, and then she kept waiting for him to come up."

"That works as well."

Karen nodded and pointed at the placement of the preserved fruit plate on the coffee table. This contained extremely precious snacks that could only be bought with coupons; Karen had seen it in Purdue's afternoon tea at Allen Manor.

"This plate is clearly not within the elderly lady's arm's reach. This means that after she saw the assassin walk out from the stairs, she actively moved the plate containing the preserved fruit outward, which is toward the assassin's side. It should be to invite the assassin to try some, and she would even point to her own mouth saying it tastes very good..."

Along with Karen's narration, the blue elderly lady's figure began to perform the corresponding movements. Then the black human shape extended its finger forward, a sandy spike pierced through the old lady's mouth, her head tilted back, and her whole body was pinned to the sofa.

Karen said, "When the assassin killed, his technique was very clean, and he made no sound whatsoever, even controlling the fluctuations of spell energy. Therefore, the people who died in this house, each of their reactions when facing the assassin was isolated, with no resonance."

"Yes, this is not only because the assassin's strength is very great, it also means he actually took advantage of a sneak attack. It's just that instead of appearing from the shadows to ambush them, every time he killed someone, he walked right in front of them to conduct an open and honorable 'sneak attack.'"

"Yes, My Lord, you are absolutely right. Otherwise, there is no way to explain the reactions and movements of these dead people right before their deaths."

"Continue."

"Alright."

Karen walked past the corridor corner and arrived at the study door. Two blue figures of a male and a female servant appeared before Karen, standing on both sides of the study door.

"The positions where the sand spikes pierced them and fixed them to the wall are somewhat discordant."

"Then why do you think that is? Make a bold guess."

Karen pursed his lips, took a step back, and pointed at the black human shape.

Under Bishop Byrne's control, the black human shape walked forward, stopping before the two blue servants.

Karen raised his hand and said, "They bowed their waists..."

"In salute."

"Yes, you are right, in salute."

The two blue figures began to salute. The black human shape spread its hands upward, and many sand spikes pierced into the chests of the two blue figures, pinning them to the wall.

Then, under Bishop Byrne's control, the black human shape opened the door to the study.

Karen spoke, "Leon's uncle did not stand up. This behavior is different from everyone else in the family."

"He was working," Bishop Byrne added. "In his view, when the assassin came in, he didn't need to stop the work at hand and could continue sitting in his chair."

"Yes, exactly, but he raised his head, because when that sand pillar pierced downward, his action should have been raising his head, looking like... he was smiling."

"He was smiling at the assassin? Then, he was pierced by the sand pillar and pinned to the chair, resulting in such a posture."

The black human shape began to "communicate" with the blue uncle of Leon sitting in the study chair. After a brief "communication," the uncle raised his head and began to smile, then the sand pillar appeared, and his form coincided with the corpse still preserved there in reality.

Karen and Bishop Byrne left the study, and the black human shape left as well, walking ahead of the two men and stopping at the door of Archbishop Wolfrun's bedroom. He raised both hands, beginning to cast a life-risking spell toward Archbishop Wolfrun inside the bedroom.

Subsequently, everything paused.

Bishop Byrne asked, "I am puzzled by one point. Why didn't he go inside like he did with everyone else in this house earlier? Was he worried that the Chief would notice something amiss with him? But regardless, attempting the same deception as before and conducting a 'sneak attack' after entering the bedroom would yield a higher success rate. Even if it failed, wouldn't it be the same to use the life-risking spell then?

Why would he give up this chance for a conventional approach, stand right at the door, avoid meeting face-to-face, and strike directly using a sneak attack? I feel this choice contradicts common sense."

"Actually, it conforms to it, because the assassin is very likely a perfectionist. He walked up all the way openly and honorably, killing person by person. By the time he reached here, he had already killed the other members of this family in that manner.

Therefore, he didn't want to take a risk. If he pushed open the door, the Chief Bishop would very likely notice his anomaly, and he didn't want that feeling to fade away or rather, to be ruined."

"You mean, he weighs the gains and losses."

"Yes, I feel that the assassin might be a perfectionist."

By the time he reached this point, he was already thoroughly enjoying himself, and he wished to prolong that pleasure; that was why he refused to take any risks with the Chief.

"That is my impression as well."

"To go so far as to lower the success rate of assassinating the Chief proves that the killer's objective was never simply to take the Chief's life. Which means this slaughter was not born of a blood feud, but rather a... provocation, directed entirely at our Order of Light."

"Did we not all think so from the very beginning?"

"To suspect is one thing, but to find the evidence is quite another."

"Yes, I understand."

"So, do we have a clue now?" Bishop Berne inquired.

"A faint one, though I cannot say for certain if it is correct."

"When one is utterly devoid of clues, even a false one becomes incomparably precious."

"Indeed..."

"Reflect upon it once more, and give me an answer: in what manner, exactly, did the assassin enter this place to commit the murders?"

Karen closed his eyes, allowing his mind to drift back into the memories.

The assassin stepped out of the foyer, and Leon's father lowered his newspaper to stand up;

The assassin reached the staircase, and Leon's mother paused at the landing, waiting of her own accord for the guest to ascend;

The assassin reached the second floor, and by the French window, Leon's grandmother pushed the plate of candied fruits outward;

The assassin approached the study door, and two servants bowed in greeting;

The assassin opened the study door, and sitting inside, Leon's uncle did not rise, but instead looked up and began to laugh;

Karen interlaced his fingers, plunging deeper into his thoughts.

Leon's father lowered his newspaper and stood: "You're back."

Leon's mother halted her steps: "Come up quickly so I can look at you, are you tired?"

Leon's grandmother pushed the candied fruits forward: "Come, try this, it tastes wonderful."

The two servants: "Welcome back, sir."

In the study, Leon's uncle: "Now you finally know how exhausting it is to work in a real department, isn't it completely different from your old job, hahahaha..."

"Was it him?" Bishop Berne spoke.

Karen opened his eyes and turned his head to look beside him, only to find the black silhouette gradually shifting, finally transforming into... Leon.

"A mask!"

The assassin possessed Leon's mask!

Bishop Berne spoke with profound meaning: "Indeed, a mask... one that allows a person, in both appearance and temperament, to become indistinguishable from the one they mimic."

Bishop Berne continued to stroke his own wrist: "Do you know, Karen, during that trial against Wicole, I actually harbored a conjecture that I never brought to light. Is it possible that Inquisitor Pavaro had died long ago, and the Inquisitor Pavaro who appeared afterward was merely someone else wearing a mask?"

No panic showed on Karen's face; instead, he took the initiative to remind him: "My Lord, I believe now is not the time to reexamine the Wicole case. We ought to take immediate action, for this could be the assassin's flaw and our vital lead."

Bishop Berne gently cracked his neck, speaking with utter composure:

"Before you arrived, I had already ordered the garrison to move, to apprehend every person in York City capable of crafting a mask."