The Bizarre Detective Agency

Chapter 631: Silence

Whoosh~

The howling wind found its way into the chimney, and the narrow flue leading to the fireplace moaned with a drawn-out sound, like boiling water. A puff of ash swirled into the air and settled back into the hearth, making the flames flare brighter.

Amper preferred warmth to the damp and cold. He was curled up in a ball in the dry cave.

Outside the cave, the wind was picking up. Remi herded the children inside, afraid the storm would sweep them away or that they would get lost.

The storm was closing in. She needed to invite the solitary Adamfiya over and check on the huts—though they had already been inspected several times since being reinforced.

The children climbed onto Amper, who blended in almost perfectly with the rock, and began to play, scrambling over him as if he were a small hill.

One child stood apart from the rest. He walked over to the bookshelves near the entrance of the shelter, lifted his head, and his melted, burned face beneath broken glasses seemed to be studying the rows of books.

A hand reached out, took down a single book, and offered it.

It was a book of bedtime stories.

The child looked up, his charred hand trembling, but without touching the book, he turned and ran back to the other children.Lu Li silently returned the book to its place.

"That's..." Anna began, searching the depths of her memory, trying to recall the details about the children.

"Vir," Lu Li supplied, watching him blend in with the other playing children.

He walked past Amper and the children toward the edge of the cave.

An icy wind swept over the clifftop, carrying with it the rustle of the Elm Forest. Suddenly, the wind died down, and Lu Li extended his hand out from the cave.

Splat.

A large drop of rain fell onto his palm.

The rain had begun. Drops hammered against the earth and stones, shattering into spray.

The wind returned, bringing with it an even heavier downpour.

The cold moisture struck his face. Lu Li stepped back deeper into the cave, his boots already spattered with muddy water.

At Lu Li's suggestion, protective shelters had been built for the plants, just as they had for Enni. He wondered if his power could influence more fundamental laws—like temperature, for example.

But the weeds that had just broken through the soil were not so lucky—they would have to endure the coming storm on their own.

The wind drove the rain in slanted sheets. Lu Li stood at the entrance with an oil lamp, watching the tempest for a moment before turning back into the shelter.

As he moved away from the entrance, the sound of the rain faded, leaving only the howl of the wind over the cliff and in the chimney.

"I remember a storm..." Anna said, following Lu Li as she spoke slowly. "Lightning lit up the night like day, and the thunder shook the ground like an earthquake. I hid in the councilor's bedroom, thinking the gods were punishing me for my sins, and all night..."

Her voice broke off abruptly. A look of confusion and fear flashed across Anna's face.

Those weren't her memories.

They were Sara's.

The light from the lamp and the fireplace flickered, and the shadows in the shelter deepened, as if taking on substance.

"I must be tired... I need to rest..." Anna avoided Lu Li's gaze and started toward the exit. "I'll go get Remi and the others to protect you."

"I'll tell them myself," Lu Li replied.

"...Alright."

Anna stopped resisting and lay down on the bed. Lu Li waited for her to fall asleep. The unfamiliar feeling of being watched over brought a brief moment of clarity back to Anna's mind.

"Wait for me."

Her whisper drifted through the room. Anna closed her eyes, sinking into the depths of her consciousness.

Lu Li placed the lamp on the bedside table and sat down in the wooden armchair. His eyes, as dark as the night itself, were fixed on Anna's sleeping face.

A rustle at the entrance drew Lu Li's attention.

"Can we wait out the rain in here?" Remi looked embarrassed. "The wood doesn't keep the water out at all. It's seeping right through the boards and into the hut."

"Yes, come in," Lu Li nodded.

Remi was about to leave, but then she noticed Anna asleep on the bed.

"What's wrong with Miss Anna?"

"Sara's memories are seeping into Anna's consciousness," Lu Li answered succinctly.

"But... wasn't Miss Anna keeping it under control...?" Remi asked, bewildered.

"This is different. It's a gradual change."

For example, habits, personality, thoughts.

Sara had two hundred years of memories behind her, while Anna would forever be eighteen. To the former, the latter was as fragile as a hut in the path of a flood.

"That's horrible..." Remi sighed softly.

Although she knew that Anna's recent kindness was prompted by Sara's memories, Remi didn't want Anna to turn into another Sara.

She had to remain herself.

"Do you know any way to suppress memories?" Lu Li asked Remi, who had lingered.

"Something like sealing them away?" Remi wracked her brain. "The books said that *He* is truly capable of such things... an Evil God possesses powers beyond our comprehension."

"Other Evil Gods, too?"

"The powers of Evil Gods all come from the same source, with only minor differences... Yes, sealing memories isn't a unique ability."

"The Mother of the Swamp..." Lu Li whispered, looking at Anna on the bed.

If Anna didn't get better, perhaps he should try reaching out to the Mother of the Swamp after the storm.

With Anna "ill," the duty of protecting Lu Li fell to Jimmy and Remi, who needed to take shelter from the rain in the cave anyway.

By morning, Anna had not woken up. An unexpected guest entered the cave.

Drip...

Drip...

A tall figure blocked the dim light at the entrance to the shelter. Water dripped from its soaked clothes.

The Trader opened the enormous pack on its back, taking out a dry copy of the "Investigator Weekly" and a device that looked like a radio receiver.

"An Anomaly Detector from the United Exorcist Organization," the Trader said in a muffled voice, explaining to Lu Li how to use it. It didn't ask about a trade, as it usually did, and hastily left the cave under the curious gazes of the Elm Forest's residents.

Lu Li looked at the newspaper first. Only five days had passed since the last issue; it wasn't time for a new one yet...

Rustle~

Unfolding the newspaper, he saw a stark black headline on pages that smelled of fresh ink. Remi, holding a lamp, moved closer.

[The Third Calamity is Born. Exorcist Squad Annihilated. No Survivors]

"This is..." Remi frowned.

Lu Li didn't answer, silently reading on.

[We have failed]

[We were unable to destroy the Third Calamity in its infancy]

[Let us honor the memory of the exorcists who contributed to the fight]

[But we did not leave empty-handed. While it was exterminating us, we gathered information about its ritual... and frequency]

[The Third Calamity has been named "Silence." Soon, like the other Calamities, it will envelop the entire world. It appears at random times, and any sound we make may draw its attention]

[We will do everything possible to bring this news to everyone. Whether you are in a city, a settlement, or a shelter in the wilderness]

[When it arrives, bells will ring around you and over the airwaves]

[Therefore, when the bells begin to toll]

[Remain silent]