The Bizarre Detective Agency

Chapter 363: Aftertaste

Baroness Joseph's estate, the observation deck.

From this vantage point, the view swept across the whole of Belfast to the sea beyond Moon Bay.

The crisp scent of damp earth and a cool breeze cut through the oppressive humidity. The rain had paused, a temporary reprieve before its inevitable return.

In the distance, a curtain of dark clouds veiled the sea, their depths periodically illuminated by flashes of deep violet lightning.

Soon, the storm would reach Belfast.

Wrapped in a blanket, the Baroness sat in a lounge chair, gazing at the landscape while her butler changed her bandages.

"She's a truly wretched creature," the Baroness remarked abruptly, speaking of Sara.

Lu Li looked at her, his gaze lingering on her legs.

The Baroness caught his meaning and, with a flash of anger, flung a piece of blood-soaked gauze at him.

The flimsy gauze had no real force, but Lu Li was close, just across the small round table. Just as it was about to reach him, the wad of fabric halted in mid-air. It then shot back even faster, snagging in the Baroness's hair."That doesn't justify what she did," Lu Li stated, feeling a profound calm now that the ordeal was over.

The Baroness plucked the gauze from her hair, crumpled it, and was about to throw it again, but the butler intercepted her hand. In his usual impassive tone, he said:

"Please, remember your dignity, my lady."

"Dignity? That disappeared along with my legs," the Baroness retorted, raising the stumps of her legs. The cuts where her limbs had been cleanly severed were starkly visible.

The Baroness was glad she couldn't see it.

"Do you have a wheelchair?" Lu Li asked, addressing the butler.

The butler inclined his head slightly. "A craftsman is already being commissioned to make one. Thank you for your concern for Her Ladyship."

"Lulu!" the Baroness chided her butler for his formality. Propping her chin on her hand, she leaned toward Lu Li. "So, how are you finding it here? The view, the food..."

The Baroness gave him a sly wink. "And the beautiful women."

True to her eccentric nature, the Baroness was likely less interested in seducing Lu Li and more interested in testing the limits of Anna's patience.

The Baroness's words sparked a thought. "Do you know anything about the shelter construction project?" he asked.

"What's this... Wait, are you trying to change the subject?"

"Are you referring to the shelter construction plan announced by the United Exorcist Organization?" the butler, Lulu, asked.

"Yes. And what is this United Exorcist Organization?" Lu Li inquired. He'd been cut off from the outside world for the ten days it took to resolve the issue with the Shadow Puppeteer.

The butler briefly explained that the United Exorcist Organization was a loose coalition of the Investigators, the Night's Watch, the Spirit Hunters Association, and the Alliance, created to share information and resources.

This joining of forces indirectly confirmed Lu Li's pessimistic outlook.

The Baroness let out an exaggerated huff, but she was ignored.

The butler continued, "They did indeed extend an invitation to the Baroness a week ago, but we were occupied with the Shadow Puppeteer at the time, so I postponed the matter."

"Why don't I know about this?" the Baroness interjected.

"I did report it to you. Your response at the time was," the butler began, before perfectly mimicking the Baroness's voice, "'What in the hell is that organization? I'm on death's door, what do I care about some shelter? Ignore it.'"

"Er..." The Baroness clamped her mouth shut and blinked.

The butler turned to Lu Li. "What would you recommend?"

Lu Li replied, "Contact them and get to a shelter as soon as possible."

"Is the situation that dire?" the butler pressed. He was a shrewd man, capable of reading between the lines.

Lu Li didn't force the issue. "Think of it as a precaution. As nobility, you should understand that better than anyone."

For the aristocracy, continuing the bloodline always took precedence over individual ambition.

The butler bowed. "Thank you for the warning. I will contact them on the Baroness's behalf."

With the matter settled, the butler returned to dressing the Baroness's wounds.

Thanks to the black shovel from the ritual's story, her wounds were free of infection. However, the rain and splattering mud still posed a risk, necessitating regular disinfection and medication.

The same applied to Lu Li, though his own injuries were minor. Doctor Midri had examined him and confirmed that none of his internal organs were damaged. With no sign of infection, a daily change of bandages was all that was required.

Anna, still invisible, helped Lu Li stand. He walked to the far side of the observation deck, which overlooked Agate Lake and a shed in the garden below.

The earth above the cellar had been torn open, revealing a gaping hole, but the space within was empty. Once the story concluded, everything that had no place in reality simply vanished. All that remained were the ripples on the lake's surface where stones had fallen.

A police cordon had been established. Officers stood guard behind it while the head maid and several members of the Night's Watch, clad in their black uniforms, worked to clear the scene.

They were cleaning up the aftermath, or rather, carrying four bodies out of the cellar and off the grounds.

David, Rola, Vincent, and Petra. They were here to stay.

Petra and Vincent may have possessed far more knowledge than Lu Li, but in the face of the Shadow Puppeteer, they were as helpless as any ordinary person.

Watching the scene in silence, Lu Li turned his head slightly and asked Anna, "Still can't control it?"

"No," Anna answered quietly, her voice seeming to come from nowhere.

Anna had absolutely no control over the leaking energy. It felt as if it wasn't hers at all, but was merely seeping through her soul from the In-Between.

In a sense, Anna had become a walking source of contamination. Any living being that drew too close would be exposed to the aura of the In-Between and feel their Mind Level drop.

But that wasn't the only danger. Her inability to contain this aura meant that other exorcists—or even ordinary people with heightened sensitivity—could now sense her presence. And as Tesla had warned, most exorcists harbored an intense hostility toward anomalies.

"Maybe... I should keep my distance from you," Anna whispered after a moment of silence.

'I can't get close to the very person I want to protect...'

Grief swelled in Anna's heart.

"What's the radius of the effect?" Lu Li asked, seemingly ignoring her turmoil and continuing to lean on her.

"A few meters, maybe..."

"And the intensity? How quickly does it lower a person's Mind Level?"

"I don't know..."

"Business as usual, then," Lu Li nodded.

Besides, it wasn't as if Anna was physically next to him all the time.

"So... should I keep holding you up?" Anna asked timidly, her voice seeming to come from nowhere.

"Yes."

Lu Li looked away and returned to his lounge chair.

The butler finished dressing the wounds and began wrapping the Baroness's legs in fresh bandages. She popped a grape into her mouth and gazed out at the clouds over the sea. "Looks like that storm isn't heading for Belfast," she remarked.

The butler glanced up, his eyes following her gaze to the horizon.

"It is merely approaching slowly."

Lu Li sat down in his lounge chair. The invisible hand that had been supporting him began to withdraw, but Lu Li reached out his own and took hold of it.

Lu Li knew Anna was feeling down. He had never been good at comforting others, so this was the only way he knew how to offer his support.

Anna didn't pull away, and she slowly grew calm. The chill that always seemed to surround her faded slightly.

By the time the sea wind reached the hilltop, it had lost its fishy smell. The damp, cool breeze was invigorating, clearing one's thoughts.

The Baroness continued her casual conversation with Lu Li. Before long, the topic returned to the Shadow Puppeteer. "What was the meaning of 'three' at the end of the story?"