Audrey and her companions stood there in a daze for a few seconds, unable to process what they had just seen. Lelouch had vanished right before their eyes!
"He vanished, just like that!" exclaimed one of the young nobles.
Another added, "This is incredible!"
It was only then that the pursuers chasing Lelouch arrived.
They cautiously asked, "Everyone, are you alright? Did Lelouch harm you?"
"No," replied Joels, the eldest son of Count Donnat, "You should go help the others instead."
Once the guards left, the young nobles resumed their discussion, and Audrey could hardly contain her eagerness to read tomorrow's newspapers.
At that very moment, a clap of thunder echoed across the sky. In November, Backlund's snowy season, a torrential downpour began without warning, drenching everyone at the arena but also extinguishing the fires.
But the arena grounds were already in complete devastation. One of the competition halls had been blown apart, and the trees and plants were mostly burned...
…
When the Mandated Punishers arrived on the scene, the Nighthawks had already conducted a preliminary investigation and secured the area.
That evening, the Church of the Lord of Storms convened a meeting of the Cardinals, so the Archbishop of the Backlund Diocese, Ace Snake the Spellsinger of God, was not present. The case was being handled by a senior deacon of the Church of the Lord of Storms, Conard.
Conard was somewhat puzzled at the presence of the Nighthawks at the scene. He approached the squad leader, Karl, asking, "What are you doing here?"
This was the Mandated Punishers' jurisdiction, and the deceased was also a believer in the Lord of Storms. In theory, other official Beyonder organizations had no authority to interfere in the investigation of this case.
Karl briefly summarized their investigation into the Lelouch case and, with the support of some nobles, explained the longstanding convention between the arena and the official Beyonder organizations regarding criminal fighters.
Conard was aware of these matters and began inquiring about the case details...
Suddenly, all the Beyonders present looked up towards the top of the arena structure. There stood a noblewoman in an evening gown, exuding elegance.
All the Beyonders present greeted her. She was the royal demigod, Georgina Augustus.
Georgina raised a hand slowly in acknowledgment, then let her gaze sweep slowly across the distant surroundings. But after looking around, she found nothing of note.
The next second, she appeared not far from Conard and Karl. She said leisurely, "I have no intention of interfering with this case. I'm only here to ask what happened."
So Karl recounted the case details to the demigoddess.
Meanwhile, the Mandated Punishers had obtained some crucial clues from the deceased Bishop's bodyguard, learning that the shield used by the perpetrator, Lelouch, had once undergone a shell-shedding. The shedded exterior could be used to divine the murderer's location. However, the shield's exterior was not found at the scene.
A member of the Mandated Punishers squad came approached Karl, suspecting that the Nighthawks might have collected the exterior first.
"We couldn't find it," Karl stated.
"You couldn't find it?" Conard was taken aback, "How is that possible?"
"I don't know," Karl replied, "Perhaps someone took it. At the time, our personnel were limited. We couldn't secure the scene in time."
Frowning, Conard asked, "Did the perpetrator have an accomplice on-site?"
Karl fell silent, not participating in the discussion on this question.
Conard thanked him for the case details and officially took over the investigation.
After Karl and the other Nighthawks left, Georgina suddenly remarked, "When the critical evidence was discussed just now, he lied."
Although this Nighthawks squad captain had concealed it well, Georgina was a demigod of the 'Arbiter' Pathway. Her spiritual intuition was highly sensitive to the lies of others.
Conard was momentarily stunned, "Does he know who took the shield's exterior?"
Georgina shook her head. To determine exactly which aspect Karl had lied about would require interrogation using Beyonder abilities. But even as a demigod and a Duchess of this nation, she couldn't arbitrarily interrogate a Church Beyonder...
...
More than half an hour later, the Mandated Punishers finally found the shield shell in a wooded area outside. But by then, the perpetrator had been gone for over an hour, likely having already left Backlund and made some anti-divination preparations. This shield shell was now of little use.
Later, Conard speculated that it was very likely Karl had instructed, or even personally hidden, the shield shell in the woods. However, due to the extreme chaos at the scene, no evidence could be provided to support this theory.
By the time he thought of this, it was already beyond the effective time for some ritualistic magic, preventing any mystical means of implicating Karl.
Still, Conard couldn't understand why Karl, who was known for being ruthless towards Beyonder criminals, would help hide such a crucial piece of evidence...
~~~
After using the Teleportation Array within his coat to leave the arena, Odis appeared in a small alley on a street over ten kilometers away.
It was only a little past nine in the evening. There were still many pedestrians on the street, but they were all distracted by the explosions and fire at the arena. No one noticed that an extra person had suddenly appeared in the alley.
Odis remained extremely cautious. He hid in a dark corner of the alley and swiftly used a Spatial Array to store his bag, waist pouches, weapons, shoes, knight's attire, and other items within the Knowledge Moor.
He then retrieved the clothes, shoes, jacket, and top hat he had prepared in advance from the Knowledge Moor. After changing, he simply climbed over the wall of a house bordering the alley, emerging in another lane.
Then, he walked out of the alley calmly and hailed a carriage...
As soon as he boarded the carriage, Odis felt as if a gaze was scrutinizing him from behind. Many pedestrians on the street had a similar sensation, stopping to look in the direction of the arena.
It was the scrutiny of a demigod, perceptible not only to Beyonders, but also to ordinary people with stronger spirituality. However, as the scrutiny vanished quickly, ordinary people would simply think it was their imagination.
Odis didn't pay it much mind. He had already changed his disguise and could face such scrutiny openly. Showing nervousness now would only draw the demigod's attention.
After the carriage had traveled about eight streets, he got off, walked for a while, then changed to another rental carriage and returned to Unit 75 Hailin Avenue.
Back home, he cooked himself some noodles for a late-night snack.
While eating, Odis pondered again: 'I wonder if the newspaper can withstand the pressure? After all, this is scandal involves a noble. Ordinary newspapers wouldn't dare to report on it...'
…
~Daily Observer~
In the editorial office, Chief Editor Reginald had just finished his work and was about to turn off the lights and leave for the day.
At that moment, the blue-eyed reporter with a neatly trimmed mustache, Mike Joseph, knocked and entered, holding a thick file folder.
"Chief Editor, I found this in the mailbox just now when I went downstairs." He said, placing the file folder in front of Reginald, "I've looked through it. It's evidence of the crimes committed by Bishop, the second son of Viscount Verde: hiring hitmen, murdering young women, and assassinating striking workers..."
Reginald grew increasingly uneasy as he listened. He put on his glasses and skimmed through the contents.
Then the chief editor fell into deep thought. Mike did not urge him, standing there quietly and waiting.
After a moment of deep contemplation, Reginald exhaled and said, "I will soon be in a carriage accident and then taken to the hospital, completely unaware of this entire matter. And you, Mike, ignorant of Bishop's noble status, followed newspaper protocol and adapted this material into a report. You pulled tomorrow's front-page headline and replaced it with this story. By the time we discover the truth, it will be too late, and you will deeply regret having implicated a noble out of ignorance."
Mike nodded in agreement, "This is the best approach."
Based on past experience, if Viscount Verde learned tonight that someone had placed these materials in the newspaper's mailbox, he would likely send people to confront them.
Whether at home or at the office, Reginald would have to face the pressure from a noble directly. Under threats or inducements, the report would likely be shelved.
So, to deal with such situations, the newspaper had its own set of procedures: The editor-in-chief needed to find a place to hide, and the entire operation would be carried out by the reporter.
This would temporarily shield the paper's leadership from the noble's reach and allow for the plausible dismissal of the reporter afterward as a gesture to the noble.
Mike added, "Please brace yourself mentally. Once Viscount Verde sees these reports, he will undoubtedly make trouble for the newspaper."
"There's no need for excessive worry," Reginald said with a slight smile, "These old nobles value appearances above all. To demonstrate their magnanimity and benevolence, they are unlikely to act rashly against us. Of course, if they hold the power to bankrupt the paper, that's another story." Then he looked deeply at Mike, "You must also be mentally prepared."
Mike replied with a relaxed smile. "The era of the old aristocracy is over. Viscount Verde's 'noble bloodline theory' is long outdated. People now crave the truth, and such revelations can awaken the public's consciousness and harness the power of public opinion." He glanced at the name written on the file folder and added, "Backlund is home to more than one Lelouch."
…
~Unit 75 Hailin Avenue~
After finishing his noodles, Odis returned to his bedroom and picked up a book. In truth, he had no intention of reading, and not a single word registered in his mind.
But his long experience of being under surveillance in the past had given him the habit of using reading as a cover for thinking through problems.
He was primarily considering whether there were any flaws in his actions or if he had left behind any clues. The only thing he hadn't had time to retrieve was the shield's exterior.
However, with the protection of the Knowledge Moor, abilities like divination wouldn't be able to find him.
After reviewing everything and confirming there were no oversights, Odis lay down to rest and, as per his usual weekend routine, he entered the illusory realm of light and shadow known as the Knowledge Moor...
Familiar with the path, he journeyed deep into the wasteland, to the towering structure formed from numerous orbs of light.
This week, Odis didn't plan to conduct any research. He intended to finish writing the 'Outline of Combat' within this space. But before that, he glanced at the three weapons obtained from today's battle.
Alva had been a leader of the 3N Party for over three years and possessed quite a few good items, all of which Odis had acquired today.
That silver-white sword was a mystical item corresponding to Sequence 7, but Odis's Spirituality couldn't sense which specific Pathway it belonged to.
At that moment, he suddenly looked at the core orb in the room and had a bold idea. So, holding the silver-white sword in one hand, he pressed his other hand against the orb.
Just as he had anticipated, by leveraging the power of the central orb and the status of the Knowledge Moor, the abilities and negative effects of the silver-white sword became instantly clear...
...
{T/N: After completing one project, a P@tre0n of mine pointed out that the author of this book released another LOTM fic, requesting that I take it up as my next project to fill the newly opened-up slot.
I've already started uploading it here on Webnovel.
Name >> Lord ofMysteries: The Peerless Tarot}