Mystery: The Last Shepherd

Chapter 49 Appointment of Senior Deacons

The business trip was commissioned from the port of Enmat.

While human trafficking was being discovered in Tingen, a similar situation occurred in Enmat, East Chestershire. The local night watchmen intercepted an unmarked cargo ship, its hold also filled with slaves from the Southern Continent. However, the slaves in Enmat were not as fortunate as those in Tingen. Having just been rescued, before the night watchmen could even question them, these poor souls all spontaneously combusted.

It was truly a self-destruction; the flesh and blood of these slaves seemed to inflate like balloons, exploding into dust with a bang. The sailors on the ship were also killed in the same way, and even several night watchmen were caught in the blast wave, suffering heavy casualties.

When the news reached the Holy Church, the high-ranking officials determined that this matter was related to the case in Tingen City and requested that the Tingen City Night Watchers provide assistance.

—In the captain's office, Dunn Smith shared the information he had obtained from the church with everyone.

That sounds dangerous.
"Excuse me, may I not go?"

Lu Ze asked Dunn seriously.

"Sorry, can not."

Dunn answered seriously.

"Captain, I'm just a Sequence 9 support character. You don't expect me to go and die, do you?"

Lu Ze smiled wryly.

Another business trip, another neighboring county, and now he's involved in something so dangerous. He was already traumatized by the stabbing he suffered once, and this time the enemy is the type who directly manufactures bombs, making it far more dangerous than the last time. Although he's not one to back down in the face of trouble, he's also unwilling to actively seek out unpleasantness.

"This was not my arrangement."

Dunn rubbed his temples, a rare look of helplessness on his face. "It was High Deacon Cecima who specifically requested you."

Kreste Sesima?
Lu Ze quickly recalled that cold, stern face, as well as the terrifying image of the evil spirit wriggling between his teeth.

Why did that senior deacon specifically choose me?

Lu Ze was puzzled. He hadn't provoked him. Or was it that he had a special fondness for him?
“In the incident at Port Enmat, the dead were all turned into flesh bombs. This is a very distinctive characteristic of the Mystic pathway ability, the kind of flesh magic that Sequence Beyonders in the Mystic pathway would use,” Dunn explained. “Therefore, Lord Cecima specifically sent me a telegram requesting that I send you there to assist with the investigation at Port Enmat.”

Oh, is that so? The Aurora Society again. Why are they always involved in all sorts of bad things? Looks like it's because of my own connections; after all, you're the only cryptic person in the Goddess Church.
"Okay. I understand."

Lu Ze cursed the Aurora Society a thousand times in his heart, but had no choice but to nod in agreement. "Then when will I go?"

"Don't rush, you're not the only one going."

Dunn smiled and said, "After all, Enmat Port belongs to another Night Watch team, so we still need our own people to go outside. Therefore, to protect your safety, I'm sending Leonard and Klein with you. Leonard is quite capable, and Klein can provide support such as divination."

Thank you, Captain. You may have less hair, but you're a really nice person.

Luze felt a surge of emotion. Looking at his two colleagues standing beside him, he finally understood why Dunn had also called them into his office. Leonard maintained his nonchalant and relaxed attitude, and Klein didn't seem to mind going out either. They both agreed. They arranged to take the steam train to Enmat Port the next morning.

After that, Dunn gave them some instructions on what to do when traveling on business. Seeing that they understood, he let them go.

"I have a feeling the aurora is going to ensnare me."

After leaving the captain's office, Lu Ze shook his head and complained to the two of them.

"Who told you that the Church of All Goddesses only has you as its cleric?" Leonard laughed. "To put it bluntly, you might end up being called upon for every case involving the Aurora Society in various parts of Rune in the future."

"Goddess, please don't let that happen."

The thought of Lu Ze traveling all over the country on business, especially such dangerous business trips, gave him a headache, and he even started making wishes to his goddess.

It was already past closing time, and when the three of them went outside, they found that everyone except those who stayed behind or were on duty had already left. "Then let's meet at the station tomorrow morning."

Leonard, whose route wasn't on the same as the other two, waved to them as he exited the security company and leisurely walked away alone. Luzer and Klein remained, walking together to the street corner to wait for the public carriage on Narcissus Street.

As dusk fell, the setting sun bathed everything on Zotland Street in gold, making the people and things walking there appear as if they were gilded.

"I really don't want to go on a business trip."

Looking at the scenery before him, Lu Ze said sincerely.

"Just treat it as a vacation."

Klein chuckled and offered words of comfort, then suddenly remembered something and reminded him, "By the way, Luze. Didn't you make plans with Cecilia to go to a show this weekend? Does that mean you can't go again?"

Oh, there's that too.

Lu Ze was taken aback, and then a greater sense of displeasure welled up in his heart.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Luze had already broken his promise once before because of the Lanius case. Now, breaking the agreement for the second time made him feel somewhat embarrassed. After returning home, he told his sister, with a sense of helplessness and embarrassment, that he couldn't go to the performance again.

"Oh, I see. I'll go pack your luggage."

Surprisingly, Cecilia wasn't angry. Instead, she immediately thought of Luze's plans for tomorrow. "We don't have any suitcases at home. Should we go buy one before the shops close?"

"Little sister, aren't you angry at all?"

He couldn't help but ask.

"Why am I angry?"

Cecilia gave him a strange look. "This isn't something you can decide. Instead of wasting time on something meaningless, you should do something more productive. Besides, it's just a few more days. We can watch it together when we get back."

At this point, she stood up and looked directly at Lu Ze with her clear, azure eyes, saying, "Lu Ze, I've waited for you to recover for so many years. Now it's just a few days' delay, how could I not wait?"

My dear sister, you have such a broad mind.
Lu Ze sighed inwardly and said, "What you said makes a lot of sense. Okay, I'll go buy a suitcase now."

After leaving the gate of No. 6 Narcissus Street, he did not rush to take a carriage, but went to No. 2 in the same row, which was Klein's house.

After ringing the doorbell, a reserved little maid opened the door.

"who are you?"

She leaned against the door and asked cautiously.

Klein had told him before that they had recently hired a maid who was also learning cooking from him in her spare time. The young maid had only been at Moretti's house for a few days and didn't know Luze.

"Should we hire a maid for my household?" Lu Ze wondered to himself. He then said to the young maid, "Please tell Mr. Moretti that his colleague is visiting."

"what happened?"

A grown man's voice came from behind the door. Looking past the maid, one could see a man with thinning hair, whose features seemed somewhat similar to Klein's. This man was none other than Klein's older brother, Benson Moretti.

(End of this chapter)