Cornflower Witch

Chapter 370 The Real Culprit
"Did you get it?"

Upon her return, Hilti was immediately asked about the outcome of the mission.

“Got it.” She took out her handbag and then had the officer carefully remove the tin box with tweezers, spraying it with a special spray to reveal the marks left on it.

The police then retrieved the previously saved records for comparison and found that they basically matched.

"It should be him." The group breathed a sigh of relief. Although there were seven suspects, based on a comprehensive assessment of various factors, only one or two people were actually the most likely. If this waiter wasn't the one, then they might have been on the wrong track.

In the early hours of the morning, after the waiter finished his shift and left the 'Night Fragrance' bar, a police car suddenly stopped on his way home, several officers rushed out, surrounded him, and then arrested him.

The next day, the police officer, looking exhausted, informed Hiltia of the preliminary results.

"We may still not have found the real killer."

"Why?" the girl asked, puzzled.

“The other party did not have strong combat capabilities, nor did he remember committing murder. During the time of the incident, he recalled that he was doing other things. Although he was alone, some of the traces he left behind still matched up.”

"More importantly, another death occurred last night."

"This……"

"It seems the other party is also a skilled investigator. He deliberately chose this waiter as a scapegoat and even used some means to imitate his fingerprints. If the investigation goes on, he will deliberately make this waiter take the blame. Once the waiter is caught, the other party will know and thus be wary of him."

"Is it too late for us to send the waiter back now?"

"It's probably too late. This waiter is mentally unstable, and besides, 'Night Fragrance' probably fired him the day he left," someone replied.

"Wouldn't all the work we did before be wasted?" someone said, feeling resentful.

Inside the police station, everyone was discussing the results. After Hilti walked in, she stood and waited for a while, listening to everyone's discussion while constantly thinking and analyzing.

No, no, there must be a flaw in this. The other party must have left a flaw in their identity, she thought to herself.

It's not that she thinks the other party is incapable, but rather that when using this kind of 'strange news' to condense the secret essence, one must leave behind a channel or some kind of information to 'guide' the power of the essence to oneself; otherwise, it would be doing the work for someone else. He will definitely leave some kind of clue so that people will discuss the 'strange news' and, when they believe in the 'strange news,' they will identify him as the target; otherwise, it wouldn't be him condensing the essence stage.

So what exactly are the clues left behind by the other party?

Fingerprints, height, weight, footprints—these are things only investigators would pay attention to. But what is the first impression ordinary people have when discussing this series of events? What image do they have of the person behind it all? What makes this series of events different from other ordinary murder cases?
Hating orcs, manipulating silk threads.

The image of the Hate Orcs is vague. Has anyone in the Asura district publicly issued a declaration of hatred?

The image of manipulating threads is clearer on the other side, so who in the Asura region is skilled at manipulating threads?

Hilti is indeed skilled at this, but she has not shown this ability to her classmates or the general public, and it is only known to police officers.

So, when it comes to people who are 'skilled in silk threads', who comes to mind first?
Within the Mage Alliance, there are very few factions that manipulate threads independently, and the 'thread' runes and related abilities that Hilti currently possess all come from the 'Sobis Thread Manipulation' course, a special course offered by School No. 89.

'Sobis Magic Thread Manipulation' is one of the techniques of the 'Phantom School'. This technique is only taught to new students at School No. 89; outsiders who wish to learn it can only do so by joining a guild.

Only those who join the Phantom School or its affiliated academies have a chance.

Those who can join the Puppet School and enter the academy are all extraordinary individuals of the third rank or above. The person behind the scenes who uses "strange rumors" to condense their spiritual essence is definitely not above the third rank. This is because such "minor tricks" can at most allow a second rank to step into the third rank. If one wants to condense a secret spiritual essence of the fourth rank or above, it is definitely not something that can be easily achieved through such rumors and secrets.

In other words, the other party can only be a second-tier apprentice who has also studied the 'Sobis Magic Thread Manipulation' course at School No. 89 and is well-known in the area...

After telling the police officer this suspicion, the chief took Siltiah back to the school and went to the office to investigate and question her.

"Are you looking to know if anyone has previously studied and mastered the course 'Sobis Magic Thread Manipulation'?" the mage who taught the course asked thoughtfully.

After thinking for a moment, he said a name.

"Abby Jellivin, he graduated ten years ago. He did very well in this course and even performed a puppet opera using strings when he graduated, which caused a stir among the students. This was very popular at the time, and many people discussed him, believing that he would become an elite of the 'Puppet School'."

"And then what happened to him?" Hilti asked curiously.

“I don’t know. I started teaching here six years ago. I only heard the name Ibis Jellivin from my colleagues when they were chatting.”

"Later, he seemed to encounter some setbacks and things didn't go very smoothly," another older teacher who came over replied.

"I met him when I was young, and he left a deep impression on me."

"Could you share your impressions from that time?"

"Back then... Ibis Jellivin was about 19 years old. He came from a small town on the North Sea coast. When he first arrived at the school, his foundation was not good, but he had good talent. In the three years at the school, he quickly built a good foundation and learned the course 'Sobis Magic Thread Manipulation' very well. Because of this, many female students were infatuated with him at the time."

"However, he didn't date anyone because he wanted to get into a higher education institution first, where he would have a wider range of choices and could meet better girls."

"This statement is not something I made up or guessed; it was something he said himself at the party. He said that the reason he was able to achieve good results was because he avoided a lot of time-wasting things."

"You just said that he encountered setbacks and things didn't go smoothly. What do you mean by that?"

"After graduating from school, he had already entered the second tier. At that time, he needed to prepare for the third tier advancement. He hoped to condense better core abilities, so he chose a more difficult secret technique, which required very expensive resources." These words reminded Hiltiya of how she had also spent a lot of rare gems when she advanced to the third tier of gardener.

“He was very anxious at the time, but he lacked funds, so he went to the black market to buy resources. As a result, the resources were actually flawed, which caused the advancement ceremony to fail and also polluted his destiny.” He sighed.

"After his failure, his greed for cheap deals led to his crushing defeat, which was ridiculed by many of his former jealous classmates. He was greatly affected at that time and then disappeared from the public eye," the teacher replied.

"Does nobody know where he went now?"

"I don't know, maybe other acquaintances do."

After receiving this information, although there were still many questions, the police chief became extremely excited. Upon returning to the police station, he immediately ordered people to start reviewing various case files and records.

"Get the rental contract records for nearly three years." The chief waved his arm. "He definitely can't afford a house in the Asura district. If he rents, the contract must be renewed every three years, and a copy of the contract will be on file at the police station. We can definitely find his current address."

Then, Hilti saw a dozen or so police officers busily searching through a thick stack of forms and papers on a table.

Time ticked by, and they still hadn't found it by nightfall. At that moment, the police station was brightly lit, and an officer, at the chief's behest, went out to order dinner.

An hour later, the food arrived, and each officer was given a steaming bowl of bran bread, two scallion sausages, and a cup of hot water.

"Miss Hedra, please have one too." The director handed her a box of rosemary bread.

"Thank you." Hilti took it and ate it in small bites, her eyes continuing to flip through the case records from this period.

"Why are they specifically targeting orcs?" she wondered.

"Perhaps it's because the orc victims were able to keep these 'strange occurrences' under control," the director replied after a moment's thought.

"If the deceased were human students, there would likely be descendants of important figures among them, which would lead to a very strict investigation. Since the other party is only at the second level, the risks they can bear are limited, and they dare not take too much danger."

"Aren't there any big shots among the orcs in the Mage Alliance?" Sylvia felt that there were quite a few orc classmates in her class.

"Of course there are, but they account for a very small percentage, and the probability of encountering one is extremely low," the director replied simply.

"Beast blood gives them an advantage in movement and flesh and blood abilities, but the price is that they are hard to calm down. For most orcs, calmness means weakness, preventing them from exerting the intuition and instinct hidden in their bloodline."

"The mage profession requires a high degree of rationality and control, which makes it unsuitable for orcs."

“However, not everyone in the Alliance is a mage. Many positions are better suited for melee combat and athletic orcs.” He looked out the window at the night view and lit a cigarette to refresh himself.

"What are your impressions of orcs?" Hilti asked.

"I can't bring myself to like them because these guys are impulsive. They're responsible for many of the cases in the area, but they're also easy to deal with because they're straightforward and easy to figure out what happened."

“If the mastermind behind the case is a mage or a mage apprentice, it is often very troublesome to investigate. Clever people, especially those who have mastered all kinds of knowledge, have always been a headache, even though they account for less than one-tenth of the crimes, they consume the most energy.” He exhaled a puff of smoke.

"Has Hedra ever considered earning some extra money in the future?" the director suddenly asked.

"Hey?"

"That's right. After graduating in three years, many students will enter the stage of independent study to prepare for entering higher education institutions. At this time, they need to accumulate resources and improve their expertise in a certain field. Therefore, they need to learn more expensive courses, which all cost money. Many students will find a job or do something to earn subsidies."

"You have a sharp mind and excellent observation skills, making you very suitable to be a detective."

“You flatter me.” Hiltiya thought for a moment.

"I may not have that much time, but if you encounter any trouble, I can offer some limited assistance."

"That's enough." The other person nodded.

Not long after, a shout came from the room.

"Found him! He lives at 341 Lupin Street."

"There?" The director listened, then turned and led Siltiya into the room.

Inside the room, a group of police officers were gathered around a dull, ordinary form, and on one of the lines, the name Abby Jellivin was clearly written.

"The buildings there are older, so the rent is cheaper. It seems he's saving money." The director glanced at the form.

"Let's not delay, let's set off now. It's late at night, he's probably home sleeping and resting."

The group boarded three police cars, which roared out of the police station and headed towards their destination.

Several tens of minutes later, not far from the destination, three police cars stopped, and officers got out and quickly approached again.

After surrounding the apartment building, an undercover officer knocked on the door and entered, then, guided by the apartment manager, proceeded to the room recorded in the file.

Upon opening the door, the room was a mess, with clothes strewn about and many items overturned on the floor. The bedroom window was wide open, and the curtains were fluttering emptily.
"He ran away!" the officer shouted immediately, alerting people downstairs and outside.

At this point, the chief ordered a small number of officers to stay behind to maintain control, while he led the majority of the officers to search the various alleyways surrounding the apartment.

Staying downstairs at the apartment building, Hilti looked up and gazed at the window for a long time. She then circled the outside of the apartment before entering. She first went to the third floor where her target was located, and then continued upwards, heading towards the corridor in the dead of night.

There weren't many residents in the apartment building. Perhaps due to its age, the corridors were damp and cold, and some parts leaked. As Hiltiya walked up the stairs, she didn't see a single resident come out.

After reaching the top sixth floor, she walked around and then headed to the row of unoccupied rooms at the end. The doors were loose, and the cold night wind blew through the abandoned rooms, echoing in the corridor.

Suddenly, when she reached a certain place, Hilti stopped.

Her eyes blinked, and several extremely thin, transparent threads appeared in the seemingly empty passage ahead. They were almost invisible in the darkness, and if she rushed through them with brute force, her entire body would probably be easily cut open by the threads and turned into pieces of flesh and blood.

Seeing that the ambush had failed, footsteps sounded from the room at the end of the corridor, and then a figure wearing a top hat and dressed like a magician appeared. Half of his profile was illuminated by the moonlight shining through the abandoned window, making him look pale and cold. His eyes seemed to be filled with resentment as he stared at the girl who stood motionless.

How did you know I was here?

“I don’t know. I just feel that the apartment needs to be thoroughly checked because I didn’t see anyone jump out of that window.” Hilti bowed, lifting her skirt in a gesture of respect. Her black hair accentuated her slender waist, and the black and gold griffin emblem on her collar stood out slightly in the darkness.

"Right, Senior Ibis Jerry?"

"Humph."

(End of this chapter)