The Bizarre Detective Agency

Chapter 330: Minor Characters

The light in the bedroom instantly dimmed. A black fog filled the room, reaching nearly to the ceiling. Black threads, wavering between reality and illusion, descended from it and connected to the heads of the four exorcists.

At that moment, they were all drawn into the evil spirit's ritual.

Before their eyes, a dark female silhouette appeared on the bed.

The exorcist David shifted nervously from foot to foot.

[Sara, as she did every morning, awoke with the first rays of sunlight. She saw her maid, Aileen...] — The ancient, indistinct voice in their heads fell silent for a moment.

[...Ah yes, and four new servants. They had replaced Lily and would now be attending to the young Miss Sara. It was autumn, the time of the harvest, and Sara had graciously allowed the former servants to return home to help their families.]

The Baroness, dressed in a maid's uniform, clenched her fists.

Lily had been her maid since childhood.

[Sara had not yet learned the names of all the new servants, and, being shy, asked Aileen to help her dress.]

The Baroness unclenched her fists and silently approached the bed. She slipped the dress onto the outstretched arm of the dark silhouette.Her movements were practiced. She quickly finished with the dress and smoothed the creases on the hem.

"The letter from that man has already been delivered to your study," the Baroness said with a faint smile, following the script.

The dark silhouette rose from the bed and headed for the door.

[Sara smiled slightly, as if feigning indifference, but her steps toward the door quickened.]

[— Where are you going, Miss?] — came Aileen's teasing voice from behind her.

"Where are you going, Miss?" the Baroness repeated, but her voice sounded strained.

The four new "servants" hastily stepped aside.

The dark silhouette disappeared behind the closing door. A few moments later, the Baroness sat down on the edge of the bed, as if with a sigh of relief.

"It's calm for now."

The plot revolved around the main character, and whenever Sara left them, the ancient voice would fall silent.

The butler had told them Sara's schedule the day before. After reading the letter in the morning, she usually spent fifteen to thirty minutes in her study replying to it. Then she would go to the music room to play the piano and practice dancing. After lunch, Sara had etiquette lessons with a tutor, and in the evening, after dinner, she would go to bed.

A very orderly life.

Throughout the day, the Baroness and the others, in their roles as servants, might be called upon at any moment or could simply remain off-stage. They were merely minor characters, the backdrop for Sara, the story's protagonist.

Today, however, they were not so lucky.

A few minutes later, the ancient voice echoed in their minds once more.

[Wonderful! — A sudden exclamation from the study startled the servants. Thinking something was wrong, they rushed to the study.]

"Something unexpected," the Baroness said, slipping on her shoes and heading for the study with the four "servants."

[— What happened?! — Aileen burst into the study, anxiety in her voice.]

[— He's coming to see me! — Sara rushed to Aileen, forgetting all the rules of etiquette her tutor had taught her. Aileen froze for a moment, then embraced Sara, rejoicing for her mistress and for the fact that the lovers would finally be together.]

Following the script, the Baroness awkwardly embraced the dark silhouette that approached her.

It radiated no warmth and inspired no joy.

[Aileen remembered when Sara had first met the man. After that brief encounter, they had begun to correspond. Three years had passed, and now, at last, the man had gathered the courage to meet Sara.]

[— I must help them! — Aileen resolved firmly.]

[Happy for her mistress, Aileen remembered the four new servants in the study. Fearing the master of the house would find out, she hastily ushered them out.]

"You, leave," the Baroness said to Lu Li and the others.

[The servants left the study. Once they were gone, Aileen took Sara by the hand and began to ask about the letter's contents...] — The ancient voice faded as soon as Lu Li and the others moved away from the study.

Compared to Aileen, who at least had a role to play, they were like phantoms—"servants" who were only mentioned in passing in the story.

Perhaps that was for the best. Or perhaps not.

They stopped in the corridor, some distance from the study. From time to time, busy maids passed by, casting curious glances at them but not engaging in conversation—the butler had warned them in advance.

It was as if they were in another world, separated by an invisible wall.

Plis looked down the long, red-carpeted corridor. The butler stood by the study, waiting. Not a sound came from within.

After a few minutes, the study door opened, and the Baroness and the dark silhouette appeared on the threshold.

The ancient voice spoke once more.

[— Go and clean the miss's bedroom, — Aileen told the servants, dismissing them, while she secretly led Sara into the garden.]

The exorcists obeyed. They took the prepared brooms and rags and began to clean.

"Are we just going to keep cleaning in here?" David whispered after a while.

"What's wrong with that?" Laura shrugged. "It's better than coming face-to-face with the terror of an evil spirit."

He hoped it would continue like this until the very end. This would be the easiest job of his life.

The three exorcists, indeed, no longer looked as tense as they had at the start. Only Lu Li's face remained impassive.

He was thinking about something deeper.

For instance, was this story really as simple as it seemed?

The title, "The Book of Sarah's Death," unsettled him.

Lu Li still understood little about this world. It demanded a great deal of effort from him, but it also made him more cautious.

Weakness and ignorance were not obstacles to survival; arrogance was.

Thomas's funeral had been only a few days ago, and the cause of his death was still fresh in his mind.

The quiet morning passed uneventfully. After they served Sara her lunch, the Baroness returned with them to the bedroom. She told Lu Li and the others that the letter mentioned the man's arrival in Sara's town and that tomorrow, she planned to secretly leave the estate to meet him.

If there was going to be a twist in this story, it would happen tomorrow.

In the afternoon, Sara left the music room, and the Baroness and the others went there to "clean." At five in the evening, Sara had dinner and returned to her bedroom to sleep.

[In anticipation of the coming day, Sara slowly drifted off to sleep...] — The ancient voice gradually faded and disappeared from their minds.

The fourth chapter had concluded.

It meant they were one step closer to the conclusion.