The Bizarre Detective Agency

Chapter 1024: The Second Exorcist

The low, simple, dilapidated hut looked like something pulled from the slums, though it lacked their characteristic crowding and filth.

Miner-folk, the denizens of the underground, milled about everywhere, followed by humans who had arrived for the Tournament, and even a few anomalies taking a rest.

"Whatever he says, you mustn't believe him..."

On the way back, Ida made no attempt to hide her wariness of the believer.

"But we really are trapped here."

Lu Li's gaze fell on the group of migrants, who were watching them.

This was a problem they would have to face. Unless the exit was located in the mining district, or if the Academy of Giant Trees or the Knightly Order already held this place.

Lu Li handed the group of migrants the tickets he had bought for the Central Station of Midnight and for entry into Midnicht, as well as a handful of shillings. It was enough to get them into the outer city and help them settle in before starting a new life.

"Please, tell us your name..."

The grateful group of migrants pleaded with Lu Li."You'll find out."

At that moment, the believer whispered slowly:

"Cherish this moment. It will be the only true memory you have for the rest of your lives..."

"What are you talking about?"

The survivors were stunned, and Ida's forelimbs arched, signaling her clear intent to attack.

"It's the truth..."

A sigh escaped from the shadows of the believer's cloak:

"Even in Midnicht, it's hard for citizens to live to forty. These people are already deeply contaminated..."

"We'll be gone from Midnicht by then."

The man whispered.

The joyful atmosphere turned somber. Finally, the man bid farewell to Lu Li and Ida before leading the migrant group into the spiral cave.

"I suddenly understand what you did, that joy they felt after being rescued..." Ida murmured, watching their retreating backs.

Fortunately, the believer didn't say anything more to spoil the mood.

Averting their gazes, Lu Li and Ida followed the believer to their hideout—the second floor of a general store they had rented.

One advantage of dealing with the underground dwellers was that you could trade anything for money. And they generally wouldn't betray you, unless tempted by a greater profit.

A clatter of footsteps on the stairs announced their arrival. When the believer stepped inside, he was met by three wary figures.

"You brought someone else? Didn't we say—"

A young nobleman with golden curls, dressed in a gray waistcoat, rose angrily.

The sight of Lu Li, and especially Ida, with Nunes made him uneasy. Inhuman participants typically only appeared on the Old Sewer Front or in the Lower Academy of Giant Trees. Nunes wouldn't have brought anyone from the former, and the latter meant that the Knightly Order and the Academy of Giant Trees—already allies—would see their influence grow even stronger—

"This is the one who can lead us out of our predicament." The believer gave a mysterious smirk, then turned to Lu Li.

"May I?"

Lu Li nodded slightly and lowered his hood, revealing black hair and a pair of black eyes.

Amidst the three stunned gazes, the believer's voice continued:

"No one objects to this alliance now, I trust? And no one is feeling pessimistic about our chances?"

"Then allow me to make the formal introductions."

The believer turned to Lu Li and removed his own hood, revealing a pale, ordinary face, then introduced the members of their loose alliance:

"I'm Nunes, from the Union of Divine Cities. This is Pasha Rivas, from the Five Knightly Orders. And Tovani, he's from the same place you are."

Tovani was a young man with freckles, one of the many faces Lu Li had seen before entering the fog.

Pasha Rivas, a firm believer in the chivalric code, stood ramrod straight with his head slightly bowed.

"Heinz Ellis, of the Council of Nobles, greets you."

The young nobleman with golden curls interjected, refusing to let Nunes introduce him.

He placed a hand on his chest himself, performing a nobleman's bow.

"Lu Li and Ida, from the Academy of Giant Trees. They'll be joining our breakout alliance."

Nunes introduced them to his surprised allies.

Lu Li's arrival made the breakout alliance incredibly cohesive—even Heinz Ellis cast aside all his doubts.

Though rumor had it that the exorcist didn't get along with the nobility, no one thought he would target Heinz Ellis for it.

"Lu Li."

Nunes nodded to Lu Li, leading him temporarily out of the room.

"The clue to the Cursed Title of the Swamps isn't on me... Or rather, it wasn't mine to begin with."

Descending the stairs to the first floor, Nunes slowly recounted his adventure.

"It was a parchment. I don't know what to call it—a contamination, an analog, or neither..."

At first, I thought it was a contamination or something similar, but I quickly realized there was a problem: the parchment had no aura of contamination. I couldn't sense anything from it, as if it were just an ordinary scroll.

Obviously, the absence of a problem was a problem in itself.

Passing the general store's counter, where the underground dwellers were sitting, Nunes fell silent for a moment. Once they were back outside on the street, he continued:

"I found it in a tattered rucksack beside a swamp that had just appeared. Time and the elements corrode everything, yet this parchment remained completely untouched. It introduced itself as Will Ken, a former legendary exorcist."

"Will Ken..."

Lu Li pondered the name.

Driven by a vague sense of unease, Nunes hid the parchment in an abandoned hut. And perhaps driven by its own unease, the parchment revealed that it knew about a Cursed Title, offering the information in exchange for not being destroyed.

After ducking into a deserted, dark alley, Nunes pushed open a low wooden door, sized for the underground dwellers, and slipped inside the abandoned hut.

The low, cramped space felt like a prison cell; one had to tilt their head just to keep their hair from brushing the ceiling. The entire hut was coated in a thick layer of dust, with one exception: a parchment scroll resting on a wooden crate.

"You kept your promise, Nunes... Who is this person?"

A hoarse, ancient whisper echoed in the hut.

Just as Nunes had said, Lu Li couldn't sense any contamination, any malice.

"Someone who is genuinely interested in the Cursed Title."

Nunes looked at it intently:

"And also, an exorcist."

What better way to verify its claims than with a real exorcist.

"Not everyone is called an exorcist, child. It is a legacy, a faith, a power we cannot see or touch, but which truly exists."

The old, emotional whisper evoked a power called honor.

"He really is an exorcist, an exorcist who has existed since the Ancient Era."

Nunes turned his head toward Lu Li.

Lu Li took out the wooden box with the eyeball, summoning the Merchant.

"The Merchant's recognition can confirm my identity."

Lu Li looked at the silent parchment.

"Now it's your turn."

"Is he an exorcist?"

"Yes." The Merchant's reply was, as always, indifferent, even though the parchment was possibly the only other exorcist in this era.

"Before, or now?"

"Always."

Lu Li already had his answer, and Nunes completely dropped his guard toward the parchment.

Will Ken spoke slowly, his voice like that of an old man:

"Thank you, young exorcist. I'm glad to be acknowledged after twenty years... And Merchant, I'm glad to see you still walk the earth, as companions to the exorcists."

"My name is Will Ken. I was an investigator. And you? Young exorcist."

"I am Lu Li."