CH 89.1

Chapter 89 – Suspects With Too Much Personality

While Erika was singing enthusiastically and struggling to get Glass out of the salon, Alto went to personally meet with the first suspect.

“–I came back to this mansion immediately after I left the party. The butler, servants and the carriage driver also gave their testimonies… It all fits in, doesn’t it?”

Even if you included the small crown on Alto’s head, his height was far lesser than that of the Madame’s.

She sunk into her luxurious sofa and enjoyed the aroma of her tea as she talked with Alto.

“Oh, Yes. But, testimonies are meaningless. You are too feared. The people around you would never testify against you.”

“Oh, no. Me? Feared? Don’t you think they love me? Don’t you?”

The Madame’s eyes wandered to the butler next to her, whom she asked for confirmation.

“You’re right, Madame.”

“Thank you, Sidge… Why was I even suspected in the first place?”

Alto answers the Madame’s question, whose soft face was covered with a heavy layer of make-up.

“Because of your physique and the fact that you’ve been buying all sorts of magical equipment in preparation for becoming the president of the Scarlet Chamber Of Commerce.”

“……”

Madame’s hand stopped tipping her cup.

He clearly mentioned ‘physique’, and even deliberately went to the trouble of hinting at the confrontation happening between Hildegard and the Madame.

Sidge, the butler, and the knights behind Alto could not hide the fear that had been born in their hearts at Madame’s sudden change.

“….It’s true that sometimes spells are found mingled with magical tools.“

“I’ll be checking the mansion and you.”

In no time at all, the parlor of Madame’s house had a tense atmosphere dawn at it.

Alto, however, was unconcerned with his surroundings and tried to provoke Madame to find any inconsistencies in her words, actions, and testimonies.

But Madame was unconcerned.

“Oh, you should have told me earlier if that was the case.“

“….you agree to it?”

Not expecting her to nod immediately, Alto also expressed his confusion.

“Yes, you can proceed immediately. Because I’m not the culprit. It’s best to clear your suspicions as soon as possible.“

“Begin…”

Madame smiled smugly, as if there was no problem. Alto felt a little uneasy, but he ordered his subordinates to begin the investigation.

“We are willing to cooperate with you. For a start, let’s see… there hasn’t been a hex on the market for several months now. The culprit must have cast the spell themselves. I have a catalog of the magical tools and spells I have investigated so far in my archives, so you can look at it as much as you like if you need to.“

“…thank you for your cooperation.”

Alto did not quite understand, but the catalog was fascinating.

“No, no. I’m not at all at peace about their desertion and…. I have my own goals, so I’d like to focus and achieve them as soon as possible.”

She had no religious affiliation with the Angel Cult.

She had lived her life with only profit in mind, the Madame.

Alto’s suspicions were not yet dispelled, and his vigilance was on the rise.

♢♢♢♢

After leaving the Madame’s mansion, Alto next headed for the church that stood just… away from Glass and his friends, who, at that moment of time, were walking along the river while Glass reminisced about the bitter memories he had at the casino.

There were two figures in front of the church that everyone had refused to be assigned to, because it was right in front of the bridge that led to the entertainment district.

“Father, thank you so much….”

Even as disturbing rumors begin to emerge about the Angel Cult, the deep-seated faith was hard to shake.

Emphasizing this truth was the sight of a man kneeling down to worship and express his gratitude with tears in his eyes.

He had been suffering from a curse that had been placed on him for many years.

After more than a dozen treatments, the curse was successfully lifted, and today he had returned to good health.

“Oh! What are you saying? It is my mission to help the believers! I would rather thank you for allowing me to have the happiness of being able to pray with you in the future!“

The priest was humongous.

Muscles that were large enough to push his vestments.

A huge Bible in his right hand.

A square, thick face and a pair of threadbare eyes.

A Priest of the Angel Cult, “Shock Nandial”.

He was considered to be a man of character who dealt with the illnesses and curses of those who lived near the entertainment district, and even took care of their children during the day.

“How merciful…. You will soon be an archbishop. I am sure of it.”

“Ha-ha-ha-ha. I am already happy enough to be able to serve you in this way, and to keep serving you every day. What more can I ask for? Right?”

“…you are a truly devout believer.”

The man who had just been released from the curse bowed his head in shock, tears cascading down his face.

The same conversation continued several times, and after the man finally left, Shock returned to the church, his huge body swaying.

As soon as Shock opened the door to enter the church, small children crowded around him.

“Father, let’s play!”

“Let’s wrestle!”

“I want to hear the story of the Scarlet Earth!“

“I don’t like that one, it’s scary….”

Surrounded by children, he laughed cheerfully while being jabbed by them.

“Nuh-ha-ha! Then, after playing as much as we can, we will take a nap and listen to the scary story of ‘The Scarlet Earth’! That’s what we’re going to do today.“

“Yes!”

“Ehh~…”

Smilingly accepting both agreement and disagreement, he let out a throaty shout, “Let’s play!“

“….sorry about that. I think we have a visitor.”

“Oh, no!”

“Come on, come on, please stay inside and have a chat for just a little longer.”

Pushing the complaining children off his back, he pushed them back into the church and turned to Alto, who had just arrived to… the church.

“…What’s going on here?”

Shock widened his eyes slightly, revealing his vigilance.

“The Angel Cult, as usual, still hates you. I hear that you are not only practicing curses but also acting as a doctor. That’s admirable, but I hear you don’t even have the right tools. Are you able to heal people properly?”

Since Yang, a bishop of the Angel Cult, had been arrested, Alto felt that Shock was also a likely suspect due to his physique and his connection to curses.

Alto first tried to get a glimpse of the second suspect, Shock’s personality and inner self, by drawing out his anger, just as he did with Madame.

“You are absolutely right!“

“…..”

Without pausing, he raged.

“The higher ups don’t even have enough clean cloths! They will not even provide us with tools! What is the doctrine for? Who is the church for? What is the Angel religion without salvation!?“

He was furious with his superiors.

He squinted his eyes and began stamping his feet.

Each time he did this, the ground shook slightly.

“Ha-ha-ha-ha, I’m sorry…. Your Highness’s words made me accidentally leak out my daily pent up anger…”

“No… I’ll cut to the chase.”

Alto was tired as well.

………

……

…

He saw off Alto and his knights.

And then he saw the usual girl coming from the opposite direction.

“….Hey, Father. What happened? He looked very serious.“

“Well, I’ve been suspected of being the culprit in some kind of a case…”

Shock explains in a puzzled manner to the girl wearing the dealer’s outfit.

“Really? What about Tom and Anna’s cold?“

“Are you really that uninterested in my life…?”

He replied with a disappointed slump of his shoulders as he walked back to the church.

“They are already cured. He was feeling much better this morning, but I told him to take it easy and rest today just in case.“

“I see, I was worried because it had lasted for days. I can go to work tonight without worry.”

“Lana, you’re such a good person.“

“The kids in the red light district become twisted by the time they grow up! It’s just that there’s a guy who will raise them properly now!“

They returned to the church, chatting about various other trivial things.

♢♢♢