The Bizarre Detective Agency

Chapter 364: Hell

"Taken literally, it might just mean it's the third story," the butler said.

"Let me think... The third installment of a work titled 'Nightmare'?"

"Hmm."

"A series of stories? It feels like there's a deeper meaning..." The Baroness, ever the aristocrat, was more attuned to such riddles. "Are we safe now? The story is over."

Suddenly, a wave of unease washed over the Baroness, as if unseen things were watching them.

"Perhaps," Lu Li replied.

The oddities of this world defied logic and common sense. Who could have possibly imagined that they would be saved by a chance cough from an ailing Lu Li?

Had Sara chosen to kill Lu Li first, Petra might have survived. But then again, without Petra's dying words—without the realization that the three of them were "sent by Mother to take care of her"—Sara might have simply killed them all.

"That's it! The stories have to be connected, otherwise there's no explaining why the romance between Adam and Sara never appeared!" the Baroness exclaimed, sensing she was on the verge of a breakthrough. "That part of the plot must be in another story, like the second installment!"

"Perhaps Adam was just a devil in disguise," Lu Li suggested.Silence descended upon the terrace, broken only by the howling wind.

"It can't be..." The Baroness felt the air leave her lungs.

If that was true, then the entire story, from start to finish, was a diabolical plot against Sara, designed to drag her down to hell.

"The devil was able to assume the guise of Uncle Andrew and make Sara forget he was dead. It stands to reason he could also pretend to be Adam, make her fall in love with him, and then use death to twist her nature," Lu Li reasoned. "Seducing a mortal, forcing them into a mistake that damns them to hell... that has the devil's handiwork written all over it."

Speaking of the devil...

"Does hell actually exist?" Lu Li asked, turning to the butler. He knew the Baroness would have no answers.

While this world was filled with all manner of anomalies and ghosts, Lu Li had never connected them to the concept of hell, with its distinctly religious overtones.

If hell exists, does that mean heaven exists too?

The world was on the brink of ruin, so where were the gods?

"Do you mean the religious hell, or the real one?" the butler clarified.

"The real one."

"Rumor has it that it's a place people go after death, filled with lava, sulfur, and ruined structures. In that regard, the real hell and the religious one are quite similar. The only difference is that the real one lacks the devils so prominent in religious lore."

"Then how can you tell it's the real hell?"

The butler glanced at Lu Li. "That's the specialty of you exorcists, isn't it?"

"Specialty?" Lu Li had never known what an exorcist was actually supposed to do; no one had ever taught him. He had simply started calling himself one the moment he acquired the Spirit Gun.

The butler gave Lu Li an odd look. "Many exorcists claim they can communicate with the dead in hell and deliver messages to their families and friends."

"Is that true?"

The butler paused for a moment before replying, "You could ask your colleagues."

"I will," Lu Li said, his thoughts turning to Gades. He would have to ask him about this. "And what about heaven?"

This time, the butler's reply was firm. "That exists only in religion."

It was only natural for those trapped in an abyss to dream of the light, but this was truly dreadful news.

In the face of an onslaught of anomalies, humanity had not a single ally.

After a moment's thought, the butler told Lu Li, "You might learn more from the Investigators. They know far more than we do."

Lu Li nodded.

The butler, Lulu, turned back to the Baroness, who was still absorbed in her thoughts about the diabolical plot. "Do not trouble yourself, Baroness. It is only a work of fiction."

"I'm not worried. I just feel for Sara," the Baroness said dismissively. Then her gaze fell to her own missing legs. "Alright, perhaps I'm in a similar predicament myself."

Sara might be pitiable, but her innocent victims were even more so.

The wind on the terrace picked up. The clouds over the sea drew closer to Belfast.

Lu Li prepared to leave.

Although the Baroness's estate was an ideal place to recover, with ample food and comfort, Lu Li couldn't afford to waste any more time.

A carriage pulled up to the manor. From her new wooden wheelchair, the Baroness and her butler watched Lu Li climb aboard. The curtain dropped, obscuring the view.

With a clatter of hooves on the drive, the carriage circled the fountain and made its way toward the gates.

"He saved my life," the Baroness grumbled, her eyes following the departing carriage. "And you didn't give him a single thing."

"We've already paid him," the butler replied impassively.

"Is the life of the renowned Baroness Joseph worth a mere fifty thousand shillings?" she fumed. Then, a brilliant idea struck her. "What if we gave him an entire street?!"

"...Please, Your Ladyship, refrain from selling off your assets. I have already placed a gift for Mr. Lu Li in the carriage, though I doubt he will accept it."

...

"Thank you, I'll accept it." Lu Li took the gift box from the coachman and gave a grateful nod.

The estate gates swung open, and the carriage rolled slowly out of Baroness Joseph's domain.