The Bizarre Detective Agency

Chapter 473: Unwavering Through Thorns

"Where is she?" the young woman asked calmly.

The gang leader, drenched in a cold sweat, didn't dare to meet her clear eyes. He lowered his head and stammered, "Please, follow me..."

Viscount Levais shot his guards a cold glance, and the clang of drawn swords filled the air.

The gang leader, his back to them, trembled. He led them to the bedroom door and pushed it open.

"Phew..." he breathed a sigh of relief, leaning against the doorframe.

Inside the bedroom, a young woman lay on the rug before the fireplace, bound and gagged. She was unharmed.

"Uncle Chris, please take her to the carriage," the young woman said to her father's captain of the guard, then turned and left the tavern.

"As you wish, miss," the captain replied.

Viscount Levais turned to the gang leader. "You will answer for the stolen goods and the harm done to my men at my estate."

"Seeing as she's your daughter, how could I dare..." the leader began obsequiously, but Viscount Levais had already followed his daughter out of the tavern.The kidnapped girl had only bruises and rope burns. When she learned she had been rescued at the church's request, she was struck speechless with surprise.

Learning that the girl had stolen the jewelry to save Olivia's child, the young woman in the wheelchair asked the guards to take her to Olivia.

"You've done everything that man from the church asked. You can go to him now," Viscount Levais said, finally ceasing to call Lu Li a charlatan.

The young woman quietly shook her head. "There's one more thing."

The plan to lure John Peters out and arrest him was a success. Despite having betrayed his brother, John still appeared at the execution site and was apprehended by the waiting police.

The young woman first visited Ol Peters. Thanks to Viscount Levais's intervention and the capture of the true culprit, all charges against him had been dropped. He remained at the police station only for a final chance to see his brother.

Just as Lu Li had told John Peters, the young woman told Ol that he had made a mistake, and one must answer for their misdeeds. In trying to protect his brother, he had only endangered other innocent people, and his so-called brotherly love had brought nothing but harm.

Leaving the silent Ol Peters behind, the young woman, under the approving gaze of Viscount Levais, descended into a cold, damp cell.

John Peters, bound in heavy chains, faced the wall, swaying gently.

A police officer rapped impatiently on the bars, but the young woman stopped him and called out softly, "John."

The swaying figure behind the bars froze. An expression of disbelief crossed John's face, pale from the cold. "Mary... how did you get here?"

"I was the one who told the police you were the killer."

"How did you... why?!" John's face contorted with fury, as if he had been betrayed by his closest friend.

"Because you committed a heinous crime."

"For those disgusting little people?!" John laughed as if he'd heard the most absurd joke. A hint of madness laced his laughter. "You know I did all this for you, to restore your beauty! You, with your beautiful soul, don't deserve that hideous face. You should be..."

"You never cared whether I wanted it or not," the young woman interrupted. Her scarred face remained calm, her one eye clear and pure. "You did all of this to satisfy your own desires, only for yourself."

John opened his mouth, but couldn't find a single word in his defense. The crazed look on his face gave way to confusion.

The young woman lowered her gaze, bidding farewell to one of her few friends. "I hope you will repent for your sins, John."

She wheeled herself out of the dark and gloomy cell. The faint light from outside seemed to emanate from her, enveloping the fragile figure in the wheelchair.

When everything was settled, the young woman, accompanied by her father, made her way to the church.

Lu Li was waiting for her arrival.

Or rather, he was waiting for the trial to reveal its true meaning.

Though it was a fine story of redemption, it had its flaws.

As contrived as the failures of the first five believers had been, the young woman's path had been remarkably smooth.

If the young woman's fate had followed the same pattern as the previous five, she would have been killed the moment she left the church by an enraged John, who would have believed she had betrayed him. And nothing would have changed.

But Lu Li had witnessed a different outcome: the innocent were saved, and the wicked were punished. It was all as perfect as a fairy tale.

Regardless, Lu Li could finally relax a little. He no longer needed to worry about the future or wait for the end of this bizarre trial.

A luxurious carriage stopped at the gates of the cemetery beside the church. Viscount Levais helped his daughter out in her wheelchair and headed toward the sanctuary.

The image on the carved screen vanished, replaced by a blur of light. The silhouettes of the viscount and his daughter appeared at the church entrance, shrouded in a soft glow.

"I have fulfilled your request. Can you answer my questions now?" the young woman asked softly, gazing at the figure in the confessional.

At that very moment, an inscription appeared on the carved screen inside the confessional: [The choice is not always what matters].

It was as if it were answering Lu Li's unspoken question.

The young woman received no reply from the confessional.

The priest, who knew nothing of what had transpired, approached and asked the viscount and his daughter what had happened.

"Is there another priest in this church?" Viscount Levais asked.

"I am the only one who serves here," the priest replied, bewildered.

A new inscription appeared on the screen: [What matters is following through with your choice].

The colors faded, and a soft, gentle white light once again filled everything. Lu Li found himself back in the same white space as at the beginning of the trial.

A lone confessional stood in the middle of the void.

Viscount Levais walked up to the confessional and flung the door open.

There was no one inside.

"It's empty," he said.

Had he already left? Or...

Another inscription appeared on the screen: [Doubt will only allow the darkness to consume you].

The colors of the confessional began to fade, leaving only Lu Li in the white space, sitting on the wooden chair.

"Do you recognize this handwriting?" The young woman took out the folded sheets of paper, but then she froze.

The pages were blank, as if nothing had ever been written on them.

"The words... they've vanished..." the young woman whispered.

"But you couldn't have just appeared here and vanished without a trace... Perhaps someday, you'll appear again..." she murmured.

A new message appeared on the screen: [Do not let failure break you. It is not pride that will destroy you, but fear].

Viscount Levais took the papers to examine them.

An exhaustion washed over Lu Li, seeping deep into his soul. He felt an overwhelming urge to rest.

Having experienced this once before, Lu Li didn't resist. He leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes.

A final inscription appeared on the screen: [With an unwavering heart, your path through the thorns remains firm].

The moment Lu Li closed his eyes, the white world around him plunged into darkness.

Only a single phrase echoed in his mind: [Rest for a while. An eternal and immortal being awaits you in your dreams].