Chapter 312

Chapter 280 – Report

In the northern suburbs of Tivyán, outside the East Gate of the King Campus of Royal Sacred Crown University, lies Green Shade Town.

In the morning, the cool breeze blew through Green Shade Town. The weather in Tivyán had already turned cooler as autumn approached, with leaves falling from the trees lining the roads. The earth was shrouded under a gloomy sky, exuding a sense of pressure and desolation.

Inside a well-decorated café in Green Shade Town, several students from Crown University were gathered here. With no classes at the moment, they sat at various tables, some savoring coffee, others buried in their studies, and still others reading newspapers while discussing eagerly with their classmates.

On the second floor of the café, in a private booth by the window, Dorothy and Nephnis were sitting opposite each other. Between them on the table lay piles of paper, pens, books, envelopes, and newspapers.

Nephnis, engrossed in reading several books, would occasionally close her eyes and scratch her head. Across from her, Dorothy was sipping coffee while reading a letter.

“Ugh~” Looking at the book in front of her, Nephnis yawned, blinked her slightly drowsy eyes, and then glanced at Dorothy who was lounging with her legs crossed, reading a letter.

‘Ah… I was planning to take a few days off after the exams to slowly read Miss Dorothy’s secret transmission, but now it looks like I have to start today… And Miss Dorothy is even personally supervising me.’

While stealing glances at Dorothy like a student might at a teacher, Nephnis thought to herself. After leaving Adele’s performance last night, Nephnis had been very enthusiastic about discussing the details of the show with Dorothy.

However, last night, Dorothy’s mind was mostly focused on solving the case, so she didn’t really watch the performances. On the way back, to keep Nephnis quiet, Dorothy instructed her to come to her place this morning to study.

Thus, Nephnis’s plan to procrastinate for a few days before starting the secret transmission was abruptly interrupted by Dorothy. Forced to study diligently in front of Dorothy, Nephnis had no choice but to comply.

In front of Nephnis, Dorothy was reading a letter. This letter was not from anyone else but Gregor, sent from Igewent.

Dorothy looked at the letter in her hand, which mostly contained Gregor’s updates on his well-being and inquiries about Dorothy’s situation. Since leaving Igewent, Gregor wrote such letters to Dorothy every month, and Dorothy responded in kind to ensure each other’s safety.

These monthly letters served two purposes: one, to confirm the condition of family members living away from home; and two, to send living expenses.

After finishing the letter, Dorothy picked up an envelope that had already been opened and poured out the small bills inside. Without counting, she could tell there were three pounds in cash—Gregor’s entire monthly allowance for Dorothy.

‘Ah… Here we go again, my monthly allowance…’

Looking at the cash in the envelope, Dorothy realized that for a normal 13-year-old girl studying abroad, three pounds was a substantial amount. However, for Dorothy, it wasn’t enough to cover her rent for the small villa she rented.

Because Gregor feared that Dorothy might be targeted if she exchanged large bills, he had sent her many smaller denomination bills instead. Thus, these monthly allowances became Dorothy’s pocket money, making it easier for her to get change when needed.

Actually, given Gregor’s income, it wouldn’t be unreasonable for him to give Dorothy more spending money. But he believed that since Dorothy was young and living alone in Tivyán, too much money might lead her to develop bad habits. By giving her less, he wanted to encourage her to be frugal.

In Gregor’s view, children shouldn’t handle “large sums.”

But in Dorothy’s eyes, all of Gregor’s savings were just “small sums.”

‘It’s quite ironic. I, who can casually spend hundreds or thousands of pounds, actually rely on my brother’s three pounds a month for living expenses? Still, it’s better than nothing. At least with this, I don’t have to worry about finding change.’

Thinking this, Dorothy returned her attention to the letter. Unlike previous letters, this one revealed that Gregor was preparing to travel to Tivyán soon. They would meet in person rather than communicate via letters.

‘Gregor is coming… It seems his affairs are almost settled. I wonder if something happened during our last meeting in a dream.’

Dorothy thought, while Nephnis across from her curiously peeked at her, wondering what the contents of the letter might be.

‘Is this… Miss Dorothy communicating with other members of the Rosy Cross? The letter only contains money. Such a small amount doesn’t seem practical to use. Does it have any mystic significance? Or is it some extraordinary item disguised as currency?’

Nephnis pondered internally, and Dorothy, sensing her gaze, lifted her head to look at her and said, “Why are you staring at me? Do I have something written on my face?”

“No, not at all. I just felt a bit tired from reading, so I took a break and looked around,” Nephnis quickly replied. Dorothy checked her pocket watch and nodded.

“Yes, it has been a while. Regardless of whether it’s a secret transmission, reading for long periods isn’t good for the eyes. Let’s take a break.”

“Phew… Thank you, Miss Dorothy.”

Sighing in relief, Nephnis placed the secret transmission on the table and leaned back on the sofa behind her. After a brief rest, she started eating the sweets and drinks prepared earlier, flipping through fashion magazines and newspapers already in the booth. She immediately relaxed from her intense study session, as if the teacher had announced the end of class.

Seeing this, Dorothy couldn’t help but think:

‘This Nephnis… She’s completely in a school student mindset. Her initiative is somewhat lacking… It feels like I’m her teacher.’

Dorothy mused, thinking that anyone with even a slight connection to the secret world would be very enthusiastic about becoming extraordinary. They would focus all their efforts on research, forgetting everything else. But Nephnis treated it like a regular university course, as if learning the secret transmission was just another elective subject taught by Dorothy.

‘Ignoring poison recognition, she gets spirituality after completing the secret transmission. How many people wish they could learn such things but lack the means? She treats it like a regular university course.’

Dorothy complained inwardly, clearly seeing that Nephnis approached hidden knowledge purely as a student, accumulating spirituality.

Nephnis leisurely rested, enjoying her sweets while flipping through today’s newspaper. Soon, she found a major news story prominently featured.

“Sudden! Adèle Briouze suffered a major accident during last night’s performance! A dancer was murdered in the restroom! The killer is suspected to be the Crimson Star!”

“What? Someone died during the performance last night? When did this happen!?” Nephnis exclaimed, shocked. She hadn’t expected someone to d*e during the performance!

“Ah, it seems so. The person was killed in the restroom. Their information is tightly sealed.”

Similarly picking up a newspaper, Dorothy calmly stated. Nephnis continued to read the article, her expression filled with disbelief.

“The m*rder in the restroom… The method was terrifying… bl**d letters named Adèle… A detective appeared… To clear Adèle’s name… A detective actually showed up at the scene? Unbelievable…”

Nephnis muttered, holding the newspaper. Meanwhile, Dorothy read another newspaper, which also extensively covered the case, written from different angles. There were various headlines:

“Quick Breakthrough! Mysterious Detective Ed appears again, previously solving the train attack case!”

“One and a half hours to solve the case! Chief Douglas recalls the details.”

“Unfalsified Dance, Adèle’s interview.”

“Maria Dokana, a rising star who fell, her final dance with Adèle left a lasting impression.”

…

Dorothy read the various reports, realizing the reporters had found a sensational story. Each article had a different focus, some concerned with the case’s progress, others with its impact on Adèle. Some focused on the victim, Maria, describing her impressive dance with Adèle before her d*ath, lamenting the loss of a rising star.

Among these articles, the mysterious detective Ed received the most coverage. His sudden appearance and quick resolution of the case made him a fascinating figure for readers. Interviews with other characters mentioned Ed, praising his remarkable skills.

“Mr. Ed, with his exceptional observation and deduction abilities, assisted the police in solving the case within a short time. According to Chief Douglas, Ed’s performance during the investigation was satisfactory, despite some apparent lack of experience. However, his natural talent for solving cases is undeniable. Chief Douglas claims that under his guidance, Ed demonstrated significant growth during the investigation…”

“Adèle repeatedly thanked Detective Ed for clearing her suspicions. She claimed his performance was impressive and gave her much inspiration. Perhaps she will create a new dance centered around a detective…”

This was Ed’s second public exposure. Compared to the previous train incident, where the newspaper only had a small section, the current event involving a major star like Adèle led to extensive coverage. Detective Ed’s name appeared everywhere in the newspapers, benefiting from Adèle’s fame, his popularity skyrocketed.

‘Hmph… Now Ed is truly a renowned detective. Detective Ed… Interesting. The Wolf bl**d Association will likely focus their investigations on this case…’

Dorothy thought, knowing that the Wolf bl**d Association could see through the truth. They would recognize that Ed was likely an extraordinary being. If they searched for Ed throughout the city, it would be futile since Dorothy had already retrieved him. Unless they used divination, which would require them to consider the cost, as the price of “Enlightenment” was steep.

‘Unless they use divination, but that would depend on how thick their wallets are. The price of ‘Enlightenment’ is not cheap…’

Dorothy thought, and at that moment, Nephnis, having read several reports, exclaimed in amazement.

“Detective Ed? He’s really amazing, able to solve a m*rder case so quickly and clear Adèle’s name. Is this what genius looks like?”

“Too bad there’s no photo. I have no idea what Ed looks like. But if he appeared at the crime scene so quickly, he must have been a spectator at the performance. Miss Dorothy, do you think we saw this great detective last night?”

Turning to Dorothy, Nephnis asked curiously. Dorothy put down the newspaper and shrugged.

“Who knows… Maybe we did, maybe we didn’t,” Dorothy replied casually. Nephnis continued to ask curiously.

“Miss Dorothy, you don’t seem very interested in this case, even though it happened right next to us. And Detective Ed, so wise and capable, don’t you find him charming?”

“So what if it happened near us? It doesn’t affect us. The detective is the detective, and I am me. What does his success have to do with me~”

Dorothy said, then put down the newspaper and began leisurely enjoying her sweets.