“What do you mean?”
The Duchess’s slender index finger tapped on the armrest of the single-seater sofa, which probably showed her inner anxiety:
“A great prophecy, I cannot speak of it, not a single word. It concerns the future of this world. You can think of it as some kind of ritual, or an epic from a knight’s novel, about to begin. That is why I returned to Tobesk. The Orthodox Church, the Academy, the Council, and many ancient organizations are all working tirelessly for this, but ordinary Ring術士 know nothing...”
Xia De looked at her, not saying a word. He would not reveal anything about Miss Bei Ya Si to others. Miss Jialinna, however, interpreted Xia De’s expression as confusion:
“News has come from the Council; a new direction has been found in the interpretation of the prophecy. The first one... is about to appear... Do you understand?”
She asked hesitantly.
“Not at all.”
Miss Jialinna covered her forehead:
“Oh, I knew saying it like that wouldn’t be understood, but I can’t easily involve you in this kind of matter. It’s fine if you don’t understand. In short, if you discover any Sorceress with strange powers from the Orthodox Church recently, remember to let me know.”
She looked at Xia De with some annoyance:
“Actually, I don’t fully understand what that prophecy truly means. Perhaps it’s the end of the world, perhaps the beginning of a new era, perhaps the return of the gods. No one understands, but it will surely happen... The Council hopes to find them. If they are female, they can be drawn into the Council. I imagine other organizations aware of the prophecy think the same, so everyone is searching.”
“What will surely happen?”
Xia De asked, feigning ignorance. Miss Jialinna hesitated for a moment:
“Sorry, Detective, I truly cannot say. But... it will surely happen. A grand epic is about to begin, but no one understands what it truly means. Everyone wants to find them, no one is an exception.”
A knock sounded; it was the maid returning with the jewelry box. Miss Jialinna shook her head at Xia De, signaling him not to discuss the matter further, before letting the maid Tifa enter.
Next, Miss Jialinna explained the arrangements for Thursday evening to Xia De. Her plan was indeed more detailed than the three of them’s, but the more complex a plan, the more prone it is to problems.
Comparatively, Xia De actually thought that the operation to break into the relic on the night after tomorrow had a lower chance of going wrong.
By the time the carriage brought him back home, it was already eight in the evening. Miss Jialinna had hosted Xia De for dinner at the manor, and if he hadn't been thinking of Mia, she even intended for him to stay the night.
Thus, Tuesday passed peacefully. The Document-level relic, 【Bodol Candle】, and the precious sage-level relic, 【Witch's Golden Necklace】, once again added to the success of Thursday's operation.
The planned date was drawing closer, so Xia De, upon waking on Wednesday, prepared to stay home all day to review the entire plan for Thursday night, and then wait for Miss Annette and Miss Bei Ya Si to arrive.
However, to his surprise, the downstairs bell rang at seven in the morning while he was having breakfast with the well-behaved Mia.
At that time, Mia was obediently licking the goat milk soaked cat food, while Xia De was holding bread and reading the newspaper. The Steam Bird Daily published many good articles, and ever since last week's academic report, Xia De had been thinking about whether he could make a fortune by investing in steam machinery, so he paid particular attention to the Steam Bird Daily.
Mia drank goat milk in the morning, while Xia De drank water. A few weeks ago, he did indeed have two bottles of milk every morning, but ever since he felt the milk had a strange taste and happened to need to pay his monthly fee, Xia De stopped this morning expense.
After all, this body had passed the growing stage, and there was no need to bother with calcium supplements.
When the bell rang, both Mia and Xia De looked downstairs in surprise. And as Xia De got up to check the situation downstairs, Mia lowered her head and quickly licked up the last of the goat milk, then followed Xia De downstairs.
First, he asked who the person outside the door was looking for, and after confirming it was for Hamilton Detective, Xia De opened the door.
Two people stood outside. An elderly woman, slightly hunched and leaning on a walking stick, stood at the front. Xia De noticed the gold ring on her hand that held the walking stick.
The man behind her was slightly younger, and his stance reminded Xia De somewhat of Captain Lades.
“Is the man a guard?”
Xia De guessed, then greeted the visiting guests:
“Hello, I am Hamilton Detective. May I ask who you two are?”
“Lavende sent me.”
The old woman said in a somewhat hoarse voice, with a very strong Tobesk accent. Xia De almost didn't catch Baron Lavende's name clearly.
But seeing her hand him his own business card and Baron Lavende’s business card, he knew it was an introduction from an acquaintance, so he let the two of them in. As they passed by, he confirmed that both were ordinary people.
Upon entering the second floor, only Xia De and the old woman entered the living room. The serious-faced middle-aged man stood with his hands behind his back at the doorway of room number one on the second floor, directly facing the stairs.
The old woman slowly sat down, and Xia De went to prepare tea.
After setting down the teapot and filling the teacups, he sat down to speak, but before the client could open her mouth, Xia De stated first:
“I apologize, I am currently busy with another commission and cannot undertake new investigations until at least Sunday. So, if you wish to commission me for a Detective case, please consider carefully before explaining the matter.”
He would be busy with the Silver-Eyed One's matter until Thursday, had to accompany Mrs. Lemeier to receive her inheritance on Friday, had a meeting on Saturday afternoon, and Miss Louisa's class in the evening, so he indeed only had free time on Sunday.
“It’s alright, it’s alright. My commission is very simple.”
The old woman held the teacup with her trembling, visibly age-spotted hands, making Xia De momentarily think the teacup would fall to the ground midway.
She drank a sip of tea as if in slow motion, then tremblingly placed the teacup on the coffee table. Only then did she take out her business card and hand it to Xia De.
While the old woman performed these actions, both Xia De and Mia, who was standing on the sofa backrest behind his head, kept a close eye on the old woman’s movements. The former was concerned about the safety of his guest teacup, while the latter was curious about what the stranger who had entered the house was doing.
The old woman’s name was Greta Watson, a widowed owner of a large factory in the Tobesk South District. She and Baron Lavende had been good friends for many years. Mrs. Watson didn't elaborate on how they met, but it was probably related to Baron Lavende's side business of reselling antiques and perfumes.
In any case, the elderly and frail Mrs. Watson recently needed someone to do some things, so she talked to her friend Mr. Lavende during a chance encounter. After hearing the full story, he introduced her to the Detective of Saint Delan Square.
“Specifically, about half a month ago, when a servant was cleaning the basement, they accidentally broke a wall and discovered a large hole behind the basement wall.”
Xia De’s expression remained unchanged:
“Treasure? A cave? Or bones?”
The old woman gave him a surprised look:
“You, Detective, indeed have some skill. It was a skeleton.”
There was no expression on her face, and her speaking pace was extremely slow, as if speaking faster would harm her health.
“Then, did you call the police? Even if it’s someone who died centuries ago, shouldn’t Leedweich Field take a look?”
Xia De suggested. He had actually never taken on a commission related to a murder case.
“No need to call the police.”
Mrs. Watson said.
“Why?”
“The police have already been here. They and I both know who this skeleton is, and why he died.”
The old woman’s mouth was wrinkled with age, and her mouth barely moved when she spoke.
“Then, may I ask, who is this?”
Xia De felt a slight vigilance in his heart, his eyes glancing at the middle-aged man standing at the door.
“From the clothes, and some miscellaneous items found at the same time, it should be my husband, who went missing thirty-two years ago.”
Her face still showed no sorrow or joy. Xia De thought he had gotten involved in a troublesome matter, but Baron Lavende had no reason to involve him in such a thing.
“I see...”
“As for the murderer, it should be my good-for-nothing younger brother. When he was young, he had conflicts with my husband, and both of them happened to like drinking, and after drinking they both... After my husband disappeared, he was the first person I suspected. He also admitted it and even voluntarily surrendered to Leedweich Field. After serving a few years in prison, he became much more docile, but he just wouldn’t say where he hid the body. Because of this, we barely saw each other for almost our entire lives... Counting the time, he has been dead for almost ten years.”
She slowly sighed, her eyelids drooping as she looked at the teacup on the table, then added:
“Leedweich Field can find all these things, so you don’t have to worry about me lying to you.”
“Someone like you certainly wouldn’t lie to me.”
Xia De said words he didn’t even believe himself, then asked:
“Then, you’re commissioning me because you want to...”
“When I was young, I still hoped that one day I could find him, bury him properly, and be buried beside him after I died. So, the grave was bought decades ago, and I have kept it all these years. Now that the body has been found, I also notified Leedweich Field, and the case is closed. I notified my husband’s family that I want to hold a funeral. Although he had no noble title during his lifetime, he did come from an Earl’s family. I want to bury him, but the Wosente Family insists that a noble must be present to read the eulogy, otherwise they will not attend.”
“Why are the Wosente Family making such a demand?”
“His death caused great dissatisfaction among the Wosente Family, who believed that my brother and I conspired to kill him for the factory shares.”
Judging from the outcome thirty years after the incident, this view was actually not wrong. Because, inferring from the information on the business card, the controller of the factory was indeed the old woman in front of him. After Mr. Wotsent’s death, everything went to this poor widow.