Secrets: Priestess

Chapter 59 Meeting
The view turned gloomy.

Claire heard sobs and groans of someone struggling to survive.

Claire then looked at Sharon, whose mood did not change significantly.

Claire then closed her Eye of Secrets, and everything faded away quietly.

In the bright sunshine, the energetic Jazz was chatting with Jessica. Sharon sat beside Jessica, surrounded by butlers and servants.

Perhaps because of his poor mental state, Deville's attitude was direct and straightforward. He promised Jessica very favorable conditions in terms of investment and charity, and invited Jessica to join as a member as a representative of the Tingen Chamber of Commerce.

Both sides tacitly avoided discussing the topic of Senate members.

Sharon sat quietly aside, and from the look of her face, it seemed that she was unable to see the resentment entangled behind Deville.

Jessica, who had a tacit understanding and completed the exchange of interests in a short time, asked with concern: "Sir, are you feeling unwell?"

"Yes," Deville said with a headache, holding his cane in both hands. "For more than a month, I could hear crying and groaning. And, gradually, not only me, but also the housekeeper, bodyguards, and servants who lived with me could hear it when they gathered around me."

Strange events...

Jessica didn't say it.

Even if aristocratic descendants like Jessica are not allowed to come into contact with the extraordinary, they are vaguely aware of the extraordinary hidden in the world.

Knowing this situation, one must seek help from the Orthodox Church or the special department of the kingdom.

And emerging wealthy people like Deville, after being involved in evil incidents, can only endure the pain in confusion, not knowing how to get relief.

Jessica glanced at Claire, who remained motionless, and suggested cryptically, "Sir, you're probably a follower of the Goddess of Night, right? Perhaps you could go to the church and pray to her."

Deville was stunned for a moment, then he smiled bitterly and said:
"I've consulted many doctors, including psychologists, but unfortunately none of them could solve my problem..."

"I even suspect someone is harassing me in a very secretive way. The police have come several times, but haven't been able to uncover any clues. They said that the National Police Agency will send experts to deal with my problem tomorrow morning..."

"Perhaps I should take the advice of the beautiful lady and go to church and say a prayer."

expert?

As Claire listened to Deville's words, Klein's image emerged in her mind.

Klein, who has so many secrets, should have no problem resolving a grudge, right?

Claire looked at Sharon again, and the woman was still sitting upright.

It seems that we can't simply judge whether Sharon has a problem based on resentment...

Claire felt a little disappointed.

At the same time, Claire also wondered why Deville, a great philanthropist, was entangled with so much resentment.

Could it be that Deville is actually a scumbag who abandons his women after having fun with them, causing one tragedy after another and thus being haunted by the resentment of the girls?

She extended her spirit and made a tentative move toward the layers of female shadows behind Deville.

Spiritual contact, memories of different women before their deaths pour in.

That was a tragedy in another direction that Claire had never imagined.

The girls in my memory died one after another in pain.

There was a girl named Charlotte, young and strong, whose head throbbed in a dusty factory and blue threads appeared on her gums.

There was a young and lively girl named Mary who collapsed in a lead factory, convulsing as if she were having an epileptic seizure.

There was a girl named Lafferty. No one knew what she looked like in the past. All we saw was that in her last memory, she gradually became speechless and collapsed in front of the doctor in convulsions.

……

There was a quiet and stubborn girl named Hayley. She had a headache and, according to Sir Deville's rules, she had to stay away from the factory and could no longer be exposed to lead.

But Hailie concealed her illness.

She needs a job. No.

She needed the small salary the job offered.

They all need this weekly salary of 10 soli.

They all eventually died of lead poisoning.

But looking at the despair-numbing memories of these female workers, it would be more accurate to say that they died of... poverty.

This was the team-joining mission the captain had already assigned to Klein. It was a simple matter that didn't require my intervention... This thought couldn't stop Claire from wanting to say something.

She tried to remain expressionless and asked Deville, "Sir, do you know about the women workers in your factory who died of lead poisoning?"

Deville, leaning on a cane, felt increasingly dispirited. The headache made him tilt his head unconsciously, stretching his neck. The blue veins on his neck were visible. He muttered softly, "I didn't understand it before, but then I got it..."

Housekeeper Karen suggested that Deville should take a break.

Deville waved his hand slightly, his deep voice suppressing confusion:

"So I increased their weekly wages from less than 8 soli to 10 soli or even more."

"I stipulated that female workers with symptoms must be persuaded to leave the factory."

"I asked a charity fund to set up special assistance for female workers suffering from lead poisoning."

"I wanted to install more dust control equipment, but the high cost has led many people to 'dissuade' me from doing so."

"I want to push for the improvement of relevant laws, but more people say I am destroying an industry and undermining the kingdom's manufacturing industry."

"Many, many people are saying that our kingdom's army suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of the Feysac Empire on the east coast of Balam. We cannot afford to lose to other countries in industry competition again... To win, we need to lower our costs, and we have to pay a certain price."

"I...I can't do any more."

Deville fell into a deep sleep, mumbling deeply.

Housekeeper Karen apologized as he escorted Claire and the others out of the house and onto the carriage.

"Please take me to the public bus stop. I have some work to do today." Claire suddenly said in the carriage.

Because Sharon was there, Jessica didn't ask or stop him, and let Haner drive to the nearest bus stop.

After waving goodbye to Jessica and Sharon and watching the Meazza family crest disappear from view, Claire waited for the public carriage heading to Zouteland Street.

While waiting, sitting not far from her, a young girl wearing a lotus leaf hat snuggled lovingly next to a black-haired man wearing round glasses.

The man, with his hair combed like a successful man, promised his girlfriend, "Megose, when our investment pays off, we will have a happy and prosperous life."

The public carriage gradually approached, and Claire got on it, while the couple seemed to be waiting for a carriage heading in the other direction.

Different lives intersect.

Back at Blackthorn Security Company, Dunn was guarding the office.

"Are there any results in the investigation into Madam Sharon?" Dunn asked when he saw Claire, who had not shown up in the team for two days, citing the investigation into Sharon as an excuse.

Claire sighed, "No, I can't confirm whether Sharon is a Beyonder or not. I just happened to meet Klein's mission target today, the knight who was being tormented by unknown harassment."

Claire briefly recounted the situation: "...It hasn't shown any dangerous resentment yet, so it's very suitable for Klein's first solo action."

After hearing this, Dunn frowned. "To be on the safe side, you should directly deal with that nascent resentment. We can then assign Klein other solo missions."

Claire opened her mouth and offered a somewhat self-serving excuse: "I was a little tired and didn't really want to do anything. Besides, Sharon was there..."

You can always find a reasonable excuse if you want to.

Dunn sighed and said, "Go get Leonard. I'll have him run a trip... Well, do you want to take a leave and rest?"

"No, since Leonard is going on a mission, I'll stay here to guard the place."

(End of this chapter)