Inside the room, a member of the Machinery Hivemind said indignantly,
"Why weren't those nobles in such a hurry before? Didn't they think this so-called serial murder case was less worthy of concern than their runaway pets?"
"Baelen!" Welch Stams cut off the young Machinery Hivemind member's complaint.
As the captain of the Machinery Hivemind squad that had been handling the serial murder case from the beginning, he and his team had also attended the meeting. Baelen, who had just voiced his complaint, was a new member under his command.
After stopping his subordinate from speaking further, Welch looked at Ikanser Bernard and said gravely,
"Tomorrow's newspapers will certainly cause panic among the public. Should we intervene in some way?"
Ikanser Bernard shook his head and sighed.
"No. The kingdom's nobles are deliberately pressuring us. Our intervention won't stop this from spreading and gaining momentum."
After a pause, he continued,
"Resolving this serial murder case as quickly as possible is our top priority. Given the wide range of victims, the level of danger, and the public outcry it has caused, all three of the Three Great Churches will handle this case together."
"Although it's being handled jointly, I'd still prefer it if the Machinery Hivemind were the first to resolve it."
The many Machinery Hivemind members in the room exchanged glances, then all turned their eyes toward Welch's squad, which had been the first to handle the serial murder case.
Welch exchanged a glance with Max, the Machinery Hivemind deacon seated at the head of the room, then spoke up.
"We've got some leads, but haven't had the chance to verify them yet."
After a brief pause, he turned to House. "You explain."
House nodded slightly, rose from his seat, and passed around the materials he had prepared in advance.