The Bizarre Detective Agency

Chapter 467: Everything Remained the Same

Perhaps Lu Li should have acted like a true "god," remaining in the shadows and keeping silent. Let all guidance come from the believers, and let them face all trials on their own.

The morning sunbeams pierced through the church windows, and just as before, the soothing melody of an organ filled the air.

Lu Li, sitting in the wooden confessional, did not have to wait long. Suddenly, a frightened cry for help echoed from outside.

Hurried footsteps shattered the church's tranquility, and a young woman's scream reverberated through the empty space:

— Help! Anyone! Save me!

Lu Li watched the blurry silhouette through the carved screen.

The girl stumbled between the pews, crying out for help. Her only answer was her own voice, echoing off the walls of the vacant church.

But then the girl noticed the confessionals along the wall. Sensing a presence inside, she lunged for the door as if grasping at a final straw and began to pull desperately at the handle.

— Is anyone in there?!

Not a sound came from within, but the girl was certain someone was hiding in the confessional. She wept and pleaded:— Please, help me... I'm being chased by bandits! They won't dare come into the church, but they're waiting outside! I'm begging you...

But no matter how much the girl cried out and begged for help, not a sound emerged from the confessional.

Her voice began to grow hoarse. Losing all hope, she concluded that whoever was inside would not help her—or that no one was there at all.

As coarse shouts and curses sounded from outside, the girl released the handle, bracing for the worst. At that very moment, two rolled-up pieces of paper fell at her feet.

The girl bent down and picked them up. One sheet was covered in text, the other held only a few lines.

"Do not hide in the church. These sinners have no fear of God. They may burst in here soon. Hide somewhere else, and run when they enter. Read the second note when you are safe."

— Thank you, Holy Father! — the girl exclaimed, her hope renewed, and vanished around a corner.

Time outside did not accelerate after she left. A mere few dozen seconds later, several men burst into the church.

— This is a church! How dare you—

The voice was cut short as a figure standing in the intruders' path was thrown aside. The bandits began to scour the church.

— What are you doing here? — an elderly voice demanded. A priest had appeared in the church.

— We're looking for someone. A girl didn't run in here, did she?

— There is no girl here. You are the first visitors today.

Those who dared to storm a church, of course, had no fear of a priest. They didn't believe his words and continued their search.

— Lord... forgive these wicked men, — the priest whispered.

There was nowhere to hide in the church. Soon, having found nothing, the bandits turned their attention to the confessionals—the only place someone could be concealed.

The priest did not interfere. He watched in silence as they approached the confessional and forcefully flung the door open.

Lu Li looked up, his eyes meeting one of the bandit's.

Their gazes locked, yet the bandit seemed to see right through him. With a look of confusion and irritation, he slammed the door shut, making the confessional shudder.

— The girl's not here. Let's go, — a voice called from outside, and the bandits left the church.

"This seems like the perfect moment for a miracle," Lu Li thought.

A few seconds later, a piece of paper fluttered out from the opening in the screen and landed on the floor.

Unfortunately, he had acted too late. The bandits were already several meters away and could neither see the fallen note nor hear its faint rustle.

Silence once again settled over the church, and the organ music resumed.

Suddenly, Lu Li's gaze shifted from the door through which the bandits had departed. A figure approached the confessional and picked up the fallen note from the floor.

— Do you know of your sins... — the priest whispered, his eyes fixed on the confessional.

Even the wooden screen could not hide his searching gaze.

The result wasn't quite what Lu Li had expected, but it was better than nothing.

Lu Li picked up his pen and wrote a new note: "The people need your help."

— ...Who are you? — the priest asked, a faint tremor in his voice.

Lu Li did not answer. There was no need. He didn't know who this priest was, or even where he was, so it was best to preserve the air of mystery.

After passing the note through, he began to write a new, more detailed one.

Clergymen were typically patient, and this priest was no exception.

Two minutes later, after waiting with bated breath, the priest finally received a second "divine revelation":

[Olivia Kiken. Her child has asthma and needs a large sum of money. In her desperation, Olivia is going to stop Viscount Levais's carriage, but only death awaits her. Find her in the name of the church and help her.]

[Green Pierce, church name Arthur. You must remember him. When his daughter was attacked by ruffians, he killed them in a fit of rage and was soon murdered himself by a vengeful gang. Prevent this and save the unfortunate Green.]

[These events may happen soon, or they may have already occurred. In any case, help these people.]

[And... I may appear again. Watch the confessional and heed my words.]

Lu Li had not given up on changing the course of events and decided to create a contingency plan by securing the church's support.

If the priest was a true believer, he was bound to do something.

After reading the note, the priest glanced at the confessional in disbelief, then bowed silently and left the church.

Not a sound came from the confessional, as if no one had ever been there.

After the priest left, the light inside the church began to change.

The organ music faded. In the silence of the approaching evening, a figure entered the church, casting a long shadow.

It was Green's daughter, the one Lu Li had seen on the previous floor.

She had come to the church... This meant things had not gone as he'd hoped...

After a short while, faint whispers and sobs could be heard. A few minutes later, the girl left the church.

The priest did not emerge to comfort her.

Lu Li knew something had gone wrong.

Swish... swish...

Two nuns entered the church to sweep the floor. They brought with them the sad news that Olivia had died under the wheels of a carriage.

— And what got into Father Thomas? Why did he go and pick a fight with the Viscount? — one nun asked.

— Everyone in Typhoon knows that Viscount Levais despises the church. I wonder if Father Thomas will face the Viscount's own justice?

— Don't worry, he wouldn't dare...

Finishing their sweeping, the nuns left, their voices trailing off as they went.