Arrodes

"Mr. Moriarty, I am Ikanser Bernard from the Church of the God of Steam and Machinery, and these are my companions," the disheveled man introduced himself, lowering his voice to avoid being overheard about the "Church." "May we come in?"

"Sure."

Klein stepped aside.

His gaze shifted from the conspicuous Mirror, and he noticed that the members of Machinery Hivemind were all wearing black police uniforms.

As they entered the living room, the previously restless atmosphere calmed down considerably. Klein was familiar with this feeling; when he Nighthawks, he often received better cooperation when investigating problems while wearing a police uniform.

"Alright, everyone."

Ikanser glanced around at the Detective, ignoring Luther who was standing right next to him, and smiled slightly at Detective. "I'm pleased to announce that the culprit in this case has been apprehended!"

It seems they've discovered the Devil's corpse on the street.

"Very good!"

"Now I can rest easy!"

"Praise the police!"

Upon hearing this good news, the Detective cheered and thanked the police for their efforts with a sigh of relief.

"However, for the sake of the overall investigation of the case, we need your cooperation to give statements," Ikanser continued. "My colleagues will take you to the police station. Don't worry, it won't take much time."

Since it was related to the case, the Detective naturally didn't refuse and left with the two team members sent by Ikanser, leaving only Klein and the others behind.

Luther did not take the opportunity to leave, but stood beside them, observing with great interest.

"Mr. Isengard."

He saw Ikanser nod to Isengard Stanton, his expression gradually turning serious. "You know what? That Desire Apostle is dead."

"Yeah?"

Isengard feigned just the right amount of surprise; if he weren't Detective, he'd certainly be a great theater actor. "Where?"

"It's at the end of this street."

Ikanser replied, "His Spirituality has dissipated, and the scene is tainted by strange blood, making it impossible to find any clues. Preliminary assessment suggests that the person who killed him was likely an extraordinary individual of the Secrets Suppliant Pathway."

That's correct.

Beside him, Luther nodded slightly.

Klein and Isengard exchanged glances, then Klein stepped forward and gave a brief explanation of the situation. Of course, he didn't mention anything about Luther, only that the "Desire Apostle" on the second floor was frightened by a mysterious extraordinary being on the first floor and smashed through the glass to escape. The extraordinary being on the first floor then chased after him.

"So, at that time, your family had two powerful extraordinary individuals lurking in the shadows?"

Ikanser asked in surprise.

"That's right, these two broken windows are the evidence."

Klein pointed to the broken window in the living room, his expression turning slightly bitter.

I hope the landlord's family won't express their dissatisfaction with me because of this. I don't think so; Mr. and Mrs. Sammer are quite tolerant. Before that, I had already killed someone in the house, and they hadn't said anything.

"I see."

Ikanser for a moment and said.

He picked up the Silver Mirror and gently stroked its surface three times with his right hand.

After a brief pause, he spoke in a deep voice:

"My question is, Your Excellency Arrodes, what is the true identity of that Devil corpse?"

The surrounding light seemed to dim, and a strange, watery shimmer Blink on the surface of the Silver Mirror, converging to create a clear image:

It was a young man, dressed in an expensive suit, with high cheekbones and a pair of cold eyes, looking contemptuously at everyone present through the mirror.

Several Loenese words appeared above his head.

Jason Beria, currently using the name Patrick Jason.

"Beria? The Devil Family?"

Ikanser said, somewhat surprised but also somewhat expectant.

What an amazing Mirror!

Klein thought to himself as he looked in the Mirror.

This Mirror seems alive; it not only has its own name but also possesses powerful effects. I feel that if I were to perform Divination on the Gray Fog, this would be the limit of what I could achieve.

Unbeknownst to him, Luther, who was standing to the side, also wore a surprised expression.

"Whoosh--"

Within Luther's body, Phantom Tide was surging, seemingly stimulated by this Mirror.

My Golden Finger reacts to this Mirror?

Just as he was wondering what was going on, the image on the Mirror quickly faded, replaced by words as red as blood:

"Based on the principle of reciprocity, it's my turn to ask questions. If you lie or can't answer, you will either have to accept the task I assign or be punished."

"."

Ikanser looked at these words, a helpless and numb expression appeared on his face.

The bright red characters rapidly combined and transformed into new sentences:

"Red Light's real name?"

Al Moria.

Luther and Klein, both of whom had read "Spirit World Insights," thought to themselves simultaneously.

However, Luther was invisible and couldn't speak, while Klein was unsure whether to speak or not. In that moment of hesitation, Ikanser's lips twitched, and he resignedly said, "Nanides!"

"Error."

The words on the mirror mercilessly judged, "Task or punishment?"

After a moment of hesitation, Ikanser sighed:

"Punish."

"Boom!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than a bolt of silvery-white lightning shot out from mid-air and struck him.

"Sizzle!"

Ikanser's body convulsed involuntarily, his hair becoming increasingly disheveled. He collapsed, his body stiff, twitching on the ground for a few seconds, black smoke billowing from his body.

"The Red Light's name is El Moria."

Isengard looked at him and sighed.

Why didn't you say so sooner?

Ikanser clung to the chair seat, struggling to his feet. When he heard that Isengard knew the correct answer, despair filled his eyes.

"Sorry, you answered too quickly."

Isengard shrugged regretfully. "I didn't have time to remind him."

Klein nodded silently to himself.

The Mirror didn't fall to the ground when Ikanser dropped it; instead, it hovered above Ikanser's head, bobbing up and down as if mocking him.

"."

Ikanser forced a smile that looked more like a grimace. "Okay, next time something like this happens, I'll consult you first."

He struggled to his feet and sat shakily in the chair, panting.

Are you alright?

Klein asked in a low voice.

He seemed to know why this official extraordinary person had such a peculiar hairstyle.

"He won't die for now."

Ikanser said with a wry smile, "But I need to take it easy."