Guild Boss's Ambition

After Bishop Barsalom left, Mr. Lvliu relaxed a lot. He walked towards us with a lazy smile, shook hands with each of us and said, "Formally introduce myself. My name is Lvliu. I am a useless detective. I am currently carrying out Bishop Barsalom's commission to find the missing former Saint Agatha."

After a pause, Mr. Lvliu said with a leisurely smile, "In principle, the bishop does not mind me seeking external assistance, and based on the recent progress, I do need more manpower to collect clues. However, since the matter is of great importance, if you want to investigate with me, you must sign this Confidentiality Agreement."

While speaking, Lvliu also showed us a document.

I took the agreement and looked at it. Although the terms and conditions were a bit harsh, there was basically nothing suspicious. The most eye-catching point was that if we failed to complete the confidentiality agreement, the cost would include not only a huge amount of compensation, but also fifteen years in prison - the Church of Light and the Alliance must have some shady deal behind the scenes.

Faced with the daunting agreement, Lvliu also offered an attractive reward.

He showed us a heavy bag of money and said proudly, "Five hundred gold coins! As long as you can help me find Agatha's whereabouts, these five hundred gold coins will be yours! Remember, I don't want you to be involved in unnecessary danger, so apart from looking for Agatha, you don't have to and are not allowed to do anything else."

Seeing Mr. Lvliu's confident look, I couldn't help but secretly take a photo of him doing his identification technique.

[The target is too mysterious to be identified. Intermediate identification experience +10]

Just as I expected, this plain-looking man is also a platinum-level figure. But after all, he is the only person appointed by the bishop to find the missing saint. It would be strange if he did not have outstanding combat ability.

After discussing with Sora and the others for a while, we readily signed the agreement. Although this reconnaissance mission was accompanied by certain risks, the reward behind it was so generous that it was hard to refuse. According to the agreement between us and Mr. Lvliu, if we think the content of the mission is too dangerous, we can terminate the mission at any time.

"Haha, then we are in the same boat now!"

Mr. Lvliu happily put the three agreements into his space ring, then moved his feet. While talking some irrelevant words, he took us to an empty room in a church.

He checked the empty rooms and confirmed that there were no other idle people in the room. Then he officially talked about the disappearance of the saint. The first sentence he said was a shocking secret: "Do you know how the previous saint became the previous one? It was because she changed from a human to a demon, so we had to let her step down."

The saint is a devil?

The news was shocking, but I seemed to be the only one in the room who was surprised.

There was still a smile on Heloise's face, the kind of smile that seemed to have nothing to do with her.

Miss Fila frowned slightly, as if she was trying to understand what Mr. Green Willow said.

Looking at the performance of the two girls, I could only smile bitterly in my heart and communicate with Mr. Green Willow: "Oh! Yes, the former saint turned from a human into a demon? How could this be possible?"

"Why do I always feel that your attitude seems a little perfunctory, Miss Lan Nong?"

“When everyone around you is weird, you’ll realize how stupid you are to make a fuss about nothing.”

After hearing my hopeless confession, Mr. Green Willow looked at Heloise and the others with a playful expression, raised his eyebrows and smiled, "Oh! Got it! I understand! Since even this kind of church scandal can't scare you, I'll just be more straightforward about what's next. The one who disappeared this time was not Saint Agatha, but one of the forty-nine demon kings."

"Oh! So it's the Forty-Nine Demon Kings. I thought it was - what! Wait! The Forty-Nine Demon Kings?!"

I wasn't very surprised at first, but immediately my heart started beating wildly.

There are many kinds of so-called demons, some are as weak as slimes, and some are strong enough to keep dragons as pets. The demons generally referred to as the Forty-nine Demon Kings are those very **, very ** big demons. Basically, any one of them who comes to the world of the living will be regarded as a heroic disaster and an existence of immeasurable strength.

however……

Even after hearing about the Forty-Nine Demon Kings, Heloise still looked unconcerned.

On the contrary, Miss Sora finally showed a look of sudden enlightenment, and seemed to be a little happy?

In the end, the two of them still didn't show the normal expressions they should have...

Green Willow, who had frightened me so much that I screamed, smiled with satisfaction and told me the history: "Twenty years ago, in the city of Mopolis, a wizard who was thirsty for power summoned a powerful demon. He made a contract with the demon and wanted to hire it as his subordinate. But he didn't know at the time that the demon he summoned was a calamity called Deception."

Shala!

Mr. Green Willow closed the curtains, blocking the sunlight at the turn of spring and summer, and slowly said in the dark room: "The devil's earthly name is Leia. He used fraudulent means to bite back his master, and then gained freedom in the world of the living. Then there is a dark history that is unknown to the public. The devil killed many innocent people."

"What Leia did twenty years ago is not important. The point is that the one who sealed the devil in the end was none other than the former Saint Agatha who has suddenly disappeared. As for the specific sealing method used—"

Lvliu took out a brown stuffed bear from the space ring. The stuffed bear looked very cute and well-behaved, the type that most girls would like. There was a long zipper on the back of the stuffed bear. Mr. Lvliu pulled it open, then reached into the inside of the stuffed bear and performed a magic trick in front of us.

He slowly pulled out another puppet character hidden in the zipper, and as if being swallowed, the cute brown bear was gradually dragged into the zipper from the back. Finally, when the swallowing stopped completely, what appeared in front of us was a red-eyed bear with almost the same appearance, but with a black body and an evil smile.

"This is the relationship between Saint Agatha and Demon Leia." Mr. Green Willow concluded solemnly.

"Then we really need to find the Saint Lady as soon as possible──"

I was shocked and worried when I learned that the missing saint turned out to be a human-shaped nuclear bomb. Another question popped up in my mind: "Huh? Wait? You said twenty years ago? But wasn't Agatha a child of about ten years old? Uh - well, even if you didn't say it, I would have guessed it. Maybe it's because of the sealing technique that she has maintained her body shape back then?"

"That's right. Look, this is the face of the Saint Lady."

Mr. Green Willow nodded and handed us a photo of the crystal.

The photo shows a little girl with a gentle smile, about ten to twelve years old, with long golden hair, blue eyes, and wearing a pure white nun's uniform. Even though the image taken by Crystal cannot be post-produced, this saint still has an aura of holiness, purity and beauty, like an angel who seems to be detached from the world.

After looking at the photo, I smiled bitterly and said, "No matter from which angle you look at it, it is quite dangerous to let this Saint wander around Mopolis alone. By the way, haven't you received any news about the Saint? She is so beautiful that she will be spotted by the stupid uncles in Mopolis if she just walks around the street!"

In response to my question, Mr. Green Willow said with an embarrassed look on his face, "In fact, our Saint Lady is the type who looks better on camera than in real life. In addition, she usually uses some facial correction techniques when she goes out, so she is usually just ordinary pretty. She is really not more eye-catching than Miss Lan Nong."

"Does Mr. Green Willow know me?" I asked suspiciously.

"My residence is right near Qingyun Road." Luliu said with a smile.

"so?"

"Miss Lannon, you are a celebrity!"

Looking at Mr. Lvliu's self-righteous expression, I immediately remembered the bunch of professional skills I randomly assigned to the poster girl. In order to select the active skill "Just give me a favor", I selected a lot of passive skills along the branches of the skill tree that could greatly increase my popularity. But now it seems that my popularity has increased too much!

"Please! I don't want to have to bring a large group of bodyguards with me every day when I go out in the future!"

……

……

15. Saint's Dormitory (Xiao Lan)

(Ulu-Lannon)

After briefly explaining the relationship between the saint and the devil, Mr. Green Willow slowly put on a serious expression.

"So, now that you all know the truth about the Saint, do you want to quit?"

In response to Mr. Green Willow's question, Miss Sora, who had been closing one eye, suddenly woke up. Before Heloise and I could express our opinions, she took the lead in answering Green Willow: "We are only responsible for the non-combat part."

"The other two?" Green Willow looked at Heloise and asked.

"Lord Lannon's position is my position," said Heloise.

"Sora is the leader this time. Heloise and I are just small gifts accompanying the group." I said with a smile.

Mr. Green Willow raised his eyebrows noncommittally in response to what Heloise and I said. I'm afraid that in his eyes, Heloise and I are the only ones who can really get things done in our team. Even if there was only Sora, and neither Heloise nor I, Green Willow might not want to hire us as his assistants.

"Okay. If you want to continue, then just follow me!"

Mr. Luliu led us out of the room while explaining, "I can assure you that unless something unforeseen happens, I will not deliberately let you face dangers beyond your capabilities. But on the other hand, you must prove your abilities as soon as possible, otherwise there is no need for me to take the risk of letting you assist in the investigation."

Following Mr. Green Willow all the way, we walked out of the chapel of the Temple of Light, then crossed the flower garden on the south side and went to another building that was more simple than the chapel. Because we walked in a hurry, I was unable to find the building's house number in a hurry, and finally had to use intermediate identification skills on this building.

[Northern Monastery: Details unknown (needs more advanced identification skills). ]

Although the identification technique was not completely successful, at least a name was found.

According to the old nun's explanation, the former Saint Lady lived in the monastery. If I'm not mistaken, Mr. Green Willow brought us here to further explain the case to us. Finally, he took us to the top floor of the monastery. At the entrance of this floor, there were seven paladins guarding it, and the atmosphere was quite serious.

Seeing us strangers, one of the seven paladins immediately came over to stop us.

Mr. Green Willow knew them. He first took out a token to prove his identity, and then explained to the Paladin that we were temporarily affiliated with him as helpers. After talking for a long time, we were officially allowed to pass and walked deeper into the top floor of the monastery until we came to a huge door.

"Next is the Saint Lady's intercalary room. Before you go in, I need to use some magic on you."

"What magic?" Heloise, who was responsible for protecting me, asked immediately.

"This magic will prevent you from destroying the evidence. It's harmless, please rest assured."

Mr. Green Willow rolled his eyes in annoyance, then he produced a short staff from his space ring and began to chant a spell. As if to deliberately dispel Heloise's doubts, he amplified the sound of his chanting a little bit so that we could all hear the content of the spell clearly, and then he put us in a special state.

[Stealth preparation: Auxiliary skill. During the skill's effectiveness, the target's body will not come into direct contact with the outside world.]

Looking at the magic annotation that took effect on my status bar, I immediately understood the meaning behind this magic.

Just as he introduced himself when we first met, Mr. Lvliu is really a detective, and the kind of detective who has common sense in scientific evidence collection. The reason why he doesn't let our bodies come into direct contact with the outside world is to prevent our fingerprints and hair from destroying the environment of the crime scene. In other words, something special must have happened behind the door.

"Okay, we can go in."

After casting the magic, Mr. Green Willow led us inside.

When I saw the scene inside the door, I immediately understood the nature of this case.

Saint Agatha's room is as simple as the residences of other practitioners. There are not too many fancy things in the room. It is just filled with simple living utensils that prioritize practicality. The only thing that can highlight her special status is the relatively spacious living space and the saint's robe hanging in a corner of the room.

This reclusive saintly lady doesn't even have a dressing table.

She had only a mercury mirror which she had wiped clean.

Perhaps only truly devout believers can live in this boring room for a long time.

At this moment, the room was filled with an astonishing amount of blood.

There is blood on the ground...

There are bloodstains on the wall...

There was dried blood on the bed, ceiling, closet, etc.

I stood at the door and complained, "Whose blood is this? This amount of bleeding is too unscientific, isn't it?"

Mr. Green Willow explained, "These are not the Saint's blood, nor are they anyone else's blood. They are produced by blood magic. Even if we use blood source tracking magic, we won't find any target. However, what is puzzling is why they appeared in this room. When we found that the Saint was missing, they were already there."

"When did the Saint disappear?"

"Ten days ago in the morning, the maid in charge of taking care of the saint in the monastery discovered this room."

"Did the maid move anything at the scene?"

"After discovering the blood-stained room, she immediately informed the bishop."

I suppressed my discomfort, observed the various details of the room, and asked, "Was the door locked at that time?"

Mr. Green Willow answered affirmatively: "Before the maid came to the room, the door of the Saint's room was always locked, and there were three keys to the room. One was with the maid Mary, one was with Bishop Bartholomew, and the last key - the one belonging to the Saint - was in this place."

At the end of his words, Mr. Lvliu slowly opened the drawer of the desk in the room, and a key was neatly placed in the drawer.

I pointed to the only window in the room and asked, "And this window is always locked?"

Green Willow said calmly, "It's cold here at night, so the Saint is used to locking it before going to bed."

At this moment, someone keenly grasped my idea.

Sora suddenly said in an uncertain tone: "So, if Bishop Bartholomew and Maid Mary are both trustworthy irrelevant persons, then this room has been kept secret during the period when the Saint was missing?"

Secret room...

I always feel that this word is very middle school...

I was complaining in my heart, and Mr. Lvliu re-analyzed the definition of a secret room in the other world for me the next moment: "No, despite this, this is still not a completely secret room. Through means such as teleportation magic, you can still enter and exit this room when the doors and windows are locked. However, when using teleportation magic, the bishop should be able to sense the fluctuations of the magic."

"So, this is still a secret room?" I asked.

Mr. Lvliu shook his head, pointed at the bloodstains around him, and said, "What's strange is that someone clearly used large-scale blood magic on the scene that night, but the bishop in the monastery didn't sense any magical fluctuations at all. Based on this abnormal phenomenon, we have reason to believe that someone used a magic barrier technique or prop here."

It seems like being a detective in another world is pretty miserable...

Because of the existence of magic, there are countless factors to consider.

I feel like this missing person case can't be solved as smoothly as those famous detective series──

I was secretly worried about the future of this case. While I was walking around the saint's intercalary room, I tried to use intermediate identification techniques to examine every piece of evidence at the scene to see if there was anything that could be used.

[Blood from Blood Magic]: Blood left behind after using blood magic.

Just as Lvliu said, all the bloodstains at the scene were caused by blood magic.

The first question at the moment is, what kind of blood magic is this? And who is using this magic?

I asked, "Mr. Green Willow, can you tell me more about the demon Leia? For example, what kind of magic he is good at?"

Mr. Yuan Liu closed his eyes, thinking, and said casually: "Lea is a demon known for his deception. He is the weakest and most unstable among the forty-nine demon kings, but at the same time, he is also the smartest and most cunning. He is good at space and time magic, and also has the ability to use various other low-level and medium-level magics."

At this moment, Heloise's clear voice rang out.

The high elf with lavender hair picked up a necklace and asked Green Willow, "What kind of gem was originally placed in the hollow space above? According to the leader's design, there must be a gem in this place."

Upon hearing this, everyone gathered around the necklace and watched it together.

The necklace was inlaid with many gems, and the place Heloise pointed to was an extremely tiny hidden spot. At first glance, it did not look like a defect where a gem was missing. It made people intuitively think that this place had always been like this, because once the gems were inlaid on it, the delicate carvings underneath would not be seen.

"I remember this is a necklace made by the high elves. I'll go ask the bishop if he has the original design."

Upon learning of this groundbreaking discovery, Mr. Green Willow immediately took the necklace and went out alone to find the bishop.

However, although there were no obvious signs, I always felt that Mr. Green Willow had begun to doubt Heloise's background. As a detective, he was undoubtedly a meticulous person. Even if Heloise looked like a mixed-race, her words and deeds were too pure and refined, not at all like those rough and cunning goblins.