Chapter 8: The Demon Hunter's Sly Smile
"Do you perceive anything suspicious about Ceresia?" Rather than providing a clear answer, Grayson deftly redirected the question to Seraphine. "Was she in the temple the night of the incident? Who was with her?"
"Of course, she and Alyssia were guarding outside the chamber that night. They're the best of friends. Ceresia is modest and dependable if a bit rigid, while Alyssia is bright and charming. Both are well-liked and have always been trustworthy in my eyes."
"Indeed, who wouldn't appreciate a beautiful and intelligent young woman?" Grayson nodded subtly, casting an approving glance at Seraphine.
Noticing the look, Seraphine smiled modestly and continued, "According to Alyssia, an assailant attacked her squid from a distance that night, tearing its ink sac and shrouding the surroundings in darkness."
"By the time the ink cleared, the relic was gone, but neither the guards at the temple's entrance nor the patrolling soldiers saw any trace of the thief."
"And the squid, how is it faring now?" Grayson inquired, peering behind the stone podium, examining the large shell set upon it.
"It suffered some injury, but nothing fatal, and it's recovering well. Strangely, though, we found no foreign objects in its wound, like the remains of an arrow."
"Hmm, let's head out. There's nothing more to see here," Grayson stated, stepping out of the chamber. He addressed Seraphine: "If you could assemble the five guardians at the temple entrance with their guardian beasts, I'd like to see them."
Immediately, Seraphine relayed the command. The guardians and their beasts assembled, standing side by side at the temple's doorway.
Grayson approached the towering sea cucumber first. Its chubby body was covered in spikes, with a large mouth at one end. Without teeth, it could devour an adult, and as Grayson poked near its mouth, he lifted a piece of blackened flesh.
"What might this be?" he asked Ceresia, who leaned in for a closer look.
"That's from a recent skirmish between Alyssia's squid and my sea cucumber. For some reason, the squid attacked and the sea cucumber expelled part of its insides, which includes that piece of flesh."
"Poor creature, hopefully it can regrow its expelled flesh soon," Grayson said, withdrawing his hand just as the sea cucumber seemed poised to bite.
He turned his attention to Alyssia's squid, observing the quiet creature at the side of its keeper. "It seems your squid's injuries are not severe."
Looking at the minuscule scar on the squid's ink sac, he raised his head to Alyssia. "Does it usually obey you? Can you control it?"
"Certainly, all guardians can control their beasts," Alyssia responded calmly, adding, "Though sometimes there are unavoidable conflicts between them, driven by their predatory nature."
"All right, I understand," Grayson replied, turning to Seraphine. "Miss Seraphine, I know who stole the relic."
The announcement left everyone in shock. The guardians exchanged glances, and Seraphine and Katheren looked on in disbelief. Seraphine stepped forward, asking, "Who is it?"
"Don't be hasty, let me slowly unveil her guise," Grayson said, eyeing the various reactions of the guardians. "Her entire process of committing the crime should have unfolded like this..."
"On the night of the incident, the suspect attacked Ms. Alyssia's squid under cover of darkness. The small wound, likely made with a merfolk claw, was enough to cause ink spillage, disguising her theft of the relic. That's why no foreign objects were found in the wound afterward."
"Then, amidst the blinding ink, she snuck into the chamber, opened the shell, placed the relic into the sea cucumber's mouth, and let it swallow it. She later staged a pursuit of the thief, ensuring her own invisibility throughout the crime."
"Once out of sight, she incited Alyssia's squid to attack the sea cucumber, provoking it to expel its insides. She retrieved the undigestible relic and secretly transported it to land, thus colluding with outsiders to secure the theft. That's the entire crime!"
"Does that mean... Ceresia, it's you?" Seraphine turned to the guardian, both shocked and angry. Ceresia, taken aback, shook her head frantically.
"Ceresia, only you and Alyssia were on watch outside the chamber that night. And you know how sea cucumbers behave best. Who else but you could have used the creature to extract the stolen relic?"
Ceresia, flustered, retreated a step as Seraphine accused her with her staff. Alyssia, defending her friend, assured, "Ceresia's honesty is well-known. How could she conspire with outsiders to take the relic?"
"Alyssia...," Ceresia clung to her friend's hand, overwhelmed, as the other guardians nodded in agreement.
"If not her, could it be you?" Seraphine hesitated but, driven by Grayson's logic, realized that only those outside the relic's chamber could be suspects. If not Ceresia, then only Alyssia remained.
"Why would I do such a thing? Can you provide a reason?" Alyssia asked calmly, and Seraphine, searching her eyes, found no motive.
Struggling for an answer, Alyssia grasped Ceresia's hand, raising her voice, "Guardian, I don't know where you found this human, but his accusations are utterly baseless! How could you so easily believe a stranger and blame us?"
"We have to find the traitor and recover the lost relic," Seraphine replied, torn.
"Must one of us be the scapegoat to retrieve the relic?" Alyssia's voice rose with indignation, stepping forward to declare, "Then let me be that scapegoat. Don't hurt Ceresia!"
"Alyssia!" Ceresia reached out to her, and the other guardians joined in trying to calm her.
Alyssia turned to Grayson, who watched the unfolding drama, and pointed at him accusingly, "Perhaps he's the one sent by the thieves to confuse us!"
The mermaids began to suspect Grayson, some nodding in agreement.
Amidst this scene, Seraphine felt helpless and looked back at Grayson with his cigar, who let out a mysterious chuckle.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone