novelraw Chapter 73 : Unrealistic Fantasies
Chapter 73 : Unrealistic Fantasies
Chapter 73: Unrealistic Fantasies
“Have you found the altar?” Director Aaron Dias confirmed with Bishop Beckett.
“Yes. It has been fully confirmed—an altar, tools for extracting Mana, and Magical Potions. At the labyrinth site, potions of the same color and smell were also discovered,” Bishop Beckett said.
Aaron recalled that at the labyrinth site they had once found several Laboratory Mice used for experiments.
Some had developed Saltification Disease, and there were also some Magical Potions with a mint-like scent.
The investigators had already formed a hypothesis that those medicines were used to treat Saltification Disease.
For someone producing Mana for profit, a special medicine for a rare illness like Saltification Disease held little value.
But if someone closely connected to them suffered from Saltification Disease, it would be a completely different matter—and Sally Hesh seemed to be that crucial person.
“Additionally, I obtained records from the treasury. The Hesh family’s debt to the Church has already been settled—two days ago. The funds came from a charitable organization subordinate to a merchant consortium connected to Potter. This organization had appeared before when we investigated Potter’s asset flows,” Bishop Beckett said.
In other words, Sally’s debt had been resolved after Potter’s death through Potter’s money-laundering channels.
This also indirectly confirmed the transactional relationship between Sally and Potter.
It was most likely handled by whoever took care of Potter’s aftermath.
Potter’s money-laundering routes were extremely sophisticated.
It would be very difficult to seize and verify those fund flows as illicit gains.
“So that means she really was the Witch supplying Potter? Then what about Rena Lothark?” Aaron asked in confusion.
All the collected evidence seemed to point to Sally as the Witch, yet the entire matter still felt clouded, making it hard to see the full picture.
Bishop Beckett thought for a moment, then turned to Sally and asked, “You already paid off your debt through your work. Why did you suddenly turn yourself in?”
“Potter’s people left me an Anonymous Letter in the workshop, telling me that Potter was dead. After Potter died, I had no way to obtain the materials and Mana needed for the medicine anymore, so it ended there,” Sally replied.
“When your life is at stake, did you not think of trying other ways? Besides, didn’t you still have some medicine left? Why not at least wait until it was used up and spend the final days with your daughter?” Bishop Beckett said with a faint smile.
At that moment, both Leon Set and Sally became tense.
Bishop Beckett clearly seemed to have grown suspicious of Sally’s motive for surrendering.
“I once heard Mr. Leon mention in passing that the Church had arrested a Witch… I don’t know the details, but I felt that if innocent people were to be dragged into this because of what I did, then I should bring it to an end myself,” Sally continued.
Bishop Beckett glanced at Leon and nodded to Sally with a smile that did not reach his eyes.
“Very well. A noble thought. But with all the evidence pointing to you, the Church would not wrong an innocent person.”
Aaron looked at Bishop Beckett in surprise.
He could also sense that Bishop Beckett harbored doubts.
Although Aaron held a higher position, when it came to investigative experience, Bishop Beckett was clearly more seasoned.
Yet Bishop Beckett did not continue to apply pressure or press for answers.
Instead, he said to Sally, “Then regarding the case, is there anything else you wish to add?”
Sally thought for a moment.
Instead of turning to Bishop Beckett, she looked at Aaron and asked, “Sir, does your previous promise still stand?”
Before giving her confession, Sally had first brought up Melissa’s situation, claiming that Melissa knew nothing.
She asked Aaron to promise that Melissa would not be implicated because of her actions, and Aaron had agreed.
“Before your conviction, she will be placed in the Church’s welfare institution and will be taken care of. After your conviction, she will only need to spend some time studying at a Reform Institution. There will be no implication,” Aaron replied.
“Alright. Thank you,” Sally nodded.
“Aren’t you concerned about your own fate? Don’t you want to know what kind of judgment the Church will pass on you?” Bishop Beckett asked.
“I am close to dying from illness. My end has long been decided. Fate has already judged me. The gods have never shown me mercy,” Sally said with a mournful smile.
Hearing this, Aaron suddenly felt a tightness in his chest.
“The gods are indeed merciful. It’s just that the form of that mercy is not something mortals can easily comprehend,” Bishop Beckett said.
He then turned to Aaron.
“Sir, since she has nothing further to add for now, let us end the interrogation here and go verify the evidence first.”
“Alright,” Aaron nodded.
“Inquisitor Set, could I trouble you to transfer the suspect to Cell Four of the detention area?” Bishop Beckett handed a ring of keys to Leon.
Leon was somewhat surprised, but he still reached out to take the keys and responded, “Yes.”
Leon went over, removed Sally’s shackles from the chair and cuffed her wrists, then led her out of the interrogation room.
Only Aaron and Bishop Beckett remained in the room.
“Bishop Beckett, what do you think?” Aaron asked for his opinion.
“I was thinking…” Bishop Beckett replied thoughtfully.
“We could close the case here.”
“What?” Aaron was taken aback.
“I thought… you still had doubts about this matter.”
The suspicious attitude Bishop Beckett had shown during questioning had made Aaron believe there must still be something left to investigate.
He hadn’t expected the conclusion to be closing the case outright.
“There are indeed some details that remain unclear. But compared to that mysterious killer who murdered Potter—that matter might warrant a separate investigation. I’m inclined to believe it may have been directed at you. However, regarding Henry Potter’s trafficking of contraband and the death of Caron Eso, with the evidence we have, we can already piece together a truth sufficient to close the case. That is enough, Your Highness!” Bishop Beckett said.
Potter and Caron had colluded to raise Magical Beasts in the labyrinth and forced Sally to become a Witch, attempting to produce Mana locally.
They may even have used silenced corpses to feed the Magical Beasts.
Later, the two fell out, and Caron was assassinated by Potter.
His corpse was then used as feed, which led to the increasingly high purity of the locally produced Mana.
Such a truth was already complete enough for a case-closure report submitted to the Central Authority, and sufficient to count as an achievement for His Highness the Prince.
As for the killer, it could be explained as an assassin targeting His Highness.
The Church might open a separate case—or it might not.
Either way, it would not be a negative mark on Aaron’s record.
On the contrary, it might even improve his evaluation.
With Sally’s surrender and the provision of key evidence, their objective of closing the case had already been achieved.
“Then what about Rena Lothark?” Aaron suddenly asked.
“Release her… no, put her under Investigation Pending Trial first,” Bishop Beckett said.
Investigation pending trial meant imposing no coercive measures on a suspect or key witness, only requiring them to report periodically to ensure cooperation with the investigation until the case was closed.
In other words, this was effectively releasing Rena.
Aaron froze.
“Are you sure she’s not a problem? She was caught during your mountain-sealing search. Do you really think she was just gathering herbs?”
Earlier, Bishop Beckett had been extremely suspicious of Rena, to the point of wanting to apply for a Supreme Investigation Warrant.
Yet now, he suddenly seemed to have dismissed all doubts, overturning his previous conclusions with ease.
“Perhaps she has issues. Perhaps she was a compound pharmacist hired by Potter. But we can no longer obtain evidence, and there is no need to continue expending effort on her. The longer she is detained, if we ultimately fail to convict her, it will look bad in the case file and reflect poorly on your evaluation.”
Bishop Beckett said solemnly, “Your Highness, after what has happened, we must report and supplement the records in accordance with procedure. The Supreme Investigation Warrant is now impossible to obtain. Having Cardinal Stuart spend effort on such an unnecessary matter would turn it into a farce. That risk is one we cannot afford—and do not need to take. It is best that I proactively contact them now to withdraw it, and then release Rena Lothark.”
“Bishop Beckett, do you only care about the evaluation I’ll receive, and not about the truth?” Aaron vaguely felt that Bishop Beckett’s way of handling cases was somewhat off.
“We do not possess the Miracle of Omniscience. We can only pursue the truth in the legal sense, Your Highness. The truth obtained through legal procedure is the truth we need,” Bishop Beckett said slowly.
“If you approve, I will go handle it.”
……
Cell Four.
Leon brought Sally inside, closed the door, then stood by the small window and looked back to confirm that there was no one nearby.
“When?” Sally stood by the small window and asked Leon.
She was asking when Leon would let her die within the Inquisition.
She neither wanted to be burned at the stake nor to endure the pain of her worsening illness.
It would be best to die quickly.
Moreover, the fact that she herself was a Witch could not withstand close scrutiny.
It had to be resolved before anyone grew suspicious and launched another investigation.
“Don’t rush it yet. We still don’t know what decision they’ll make,” Leon said softly.
Before Rena was released, there was no guarantee that things wouldn’t change midway.
They had to wait until the necessary moment to act.
“Alright.” Sally gripped the bars of the small window, her knuckles trembling.
She suddenly laughed at herself.
“I clearly prepared myself mentally, waiting for my death, yet I still can’t help being afraid… I already said my goodbyes, but now I want to see Melissa again.”
Leon lowered his gaze.
That morning, during their farewell, Melissa had cried in his arms until she was soaked with tears.
Ever since the night Sally persuaded Melissa, Melissa had remained depressed and had not spoken a single word to Leon again.
The look in her eyes when she first learned of their deal was something Leon felt he would never forget in his lifetime.
“I could ask Director Aaron…” Leon began.
“No, don’t.” Sally shook her head repeatedly.
“Don’t let that child suffer any more unnecessary pain.”
“Alright,” Leon replied.
“Mr. Leon, if Miss Rena is released and still intends to continue researching medicine for Saltification Disease, please tell her that I wish for her to save all the others who suffer from this illness,” Sally said softly.
“I understand.”
As Leon answered, a sudden thought inexplicably surfaced in his mind.
In Sally’s confession, she claimed she had been coerced by Potter.
If that testimony were accepted, she might not necessarily be sentenced to death.
If Rena could continue researching the special medicine for Saltification Disease outside, and if there were some way to secretly deliver the medicine to Sally in prison, perhaps…
No. What was he thinking?
Leon immediately cut off his unrealistic fantasy.
How could medicine possibly be delivered to Sally in prison? And Sally herself could not withstand close scrutiny.
Once it was exposed that she was not actually a Witch, all their efforts would be for nothing.
Unless he sat in Aaron’s position, this would be utterly impossible.
He and Sally had long since prepared themselves for this outcome.
“Wait for my word,” Leon said.
Sally nodded and returned to sit inside the detention cell.
Leon let out a long breath, stood guard for a while, and then, after the shift change, left the detention area beneath the Inquisition.
When he emerged from underground, he unexpectedly saw Bishop Beckett standing right at the stairway entrance, seemingly about to head down.
Before Leon could react and salute, Bishop Beckett suddenly smiled at him and said, “Inquisitor Set, your timing is perfect. Come help me handle some paperwork—we need to process an investigation pending trial for the previous suspect.”
“Investigation pending trial? Who?” Leon didn’t react immediately.
“Rena Lothark,” Bishop Beckett replied calmly.
“After the procedures are complete, can I leave it to you to escort her back?”