Chapter 37 - I Outsmarted Your Outsmarting!
Arthur's piercing gaze locked onto Carn, radiating an aura of absolute authority. His ability to see through lies and deceit activated, casting a mystical curse of judgment upon its target. This curse manifested as golden energy ropes that wrapped around Carn, glowing as if waiting for the opportunity to strike.
This curse had a unique effect: anyone who lied under its influence would face the punishment of divine will, compelling them to involuntarily confess their deeds.
The golden ropes didn't hurt Carn immediately, but their temperature began to rise, making it clear that he could not dodge the question.
Arthur's voice resonated with commanding force as he leaned in.
"I'll ask you again, Carn Yunho. Did you kill Barney James?"
Carn's eyes flicked to the golden ropes, quickly assessing the spell, and recognizing its effects and threat. He exhaled deeply and moistened his lips, preparing his countermeasure.
Inwardly calm, Carn employed a subtle method to subvert the spell. Instead of using his vocal cords to speak, he manipulated the air around him, compressing and vibrating it to simulate the sound of his voice.
His lips moved naturally, perfectly synchronized with the generated sound, ensuring the illusion was flawless.
With a steady gaze, relaxed posture, and a condescending tone, Carn replied.
"No."
"…"
Nothing happened, but everybody could hear Carn's answer.
This was the weakness of Arthur's spell. It would punish the target if the target uttered a word of falsehood. But it wouldn't affect him if someone else or something answered the question.
Arthur frowned deeply as the ropes and Carn didn't react as he had envisioned. He pressed on.
"Can you transform?"
"No."
"Can you teleport?"
"No."
"Where were you during the lunch break at school today?"
"I had a bad stomach this morning. I went to a washroom and took a big dump," Carn smirked, mocking Arthur.
"Did you go to a washroom, transform into a gargoyle statue, teleport to the classroom, kill Barney James, and teleport back to the washroom to create an alibi?"
"That's the most absurd story I have ever heard. No."
"…"
For the first time, Arthur's expression turned dark. He asked Carn one last time.
"Are you telling me the truth?"
"Yes."
"…"
For a full minute, Arthur locked eyes with Carn. His mind was clouded by frustration and confusion.
His deduction had been nearly flawless. Carn had both the motive and the ability to kill Barney, given his abnormal mana concentration level. Yet, the testimony under the judgment curse contradicted his conclusions.
"Fine."
Though unwilling to accept the result, Arthur dispelled the curse, releasing Carn from its golden bindings. Standing up, he glanced at Rosa.
"Kiddy lady, are you sure he doesn't seem evil to you?"
As always, Rosa remained unresponsive.
Arthur scoffed, slipping another cigarette between his lips. Without lighting it, he gestured toward Carn.
"Kiddy boy, why don't you try saying something to that lady? Maybe you can get her to react."
Sensing Arthur's growing exasperation, Carn smirked. Deciding to poke fun at him, he addressed Rosa in an exaggerated imitation of Arthur's tone.
"Kiddy lady, I'm a sinner, and I wish to make a confession. Will you hear me out?"
At the mention of a confession, Rosa turned her head sharply toward Carn, catching the entire room off guard. The sudden movement startled Arthur and the investigators, who immediately grew tense, wary of her area-wide petrification ability.
Carn chuckled and addressed the group.
"You've all been approaching this the wrong way. She's a nun, so you need to be respectful with your words and actions. See? I just said I wanted to confess a sin, and she reacted. She's probably pissed that you have been keeping her in an enclosure. Let her take some fresh air and pray, Jesus Christ. No pun intended."
Arthur froze for a moment before bursting into laughter. Slapping his forehead, he shook his head in disbelief.
"Of course! She's a devoted nun. How did I miss that? You've got me, kiddy boy." Arthur exhaled deeply, a sly smile returning to his face as he laid another trap. "But now I'm curious. What's your confession, hmm? Oh, don't worry. The testimony is over. Guys, stop recording. The kiddy boy is innocent."
The investigators exchanged uneasy glances, clearly confused by Arthur's command. ECD protocol strictly required continuous recording within any entity enclosure, with every incident immediately reported to Class-A personnel. Yet here was their chief, flouting the rules as if it were a casual suggestion.
Carn inwardly chuckled before turning to Rosa with a mock-serious expression. Letting out an exaggerated sigh, he faced her and began his "confession."
"I played Fortn*te yesterday."
The room went dead silent for a moment.
The younger investigators smirked, quickly catching on to the meme.
"Very sinful. He needs Jesus."
"Absolutely evil. Go see a doctor."
"Disgusting taste. Rehab immediately."
"No class. Go touch grass, boy."
Meanwhile, the older staff frowned in confusion, unable to understand the inside joke.
Rosa tilted her head slightly, clearly puzzled by the comment, then resumed her stoic, statue-like posture, dismissing it as another nonsensical remark.
Arthur shook his head with a weary sigh, standing up and addressing the group.
"Alright, dismissed. Back to the drawing board. Quarantine the perimeter and keep an eye out for a potential doppelganger in disguise."
The investigators relaxed, shuffling toward the elevator in groups. However, since it couldn't accommodate everyone at once, Arthur, Carn, Tasha, and a few others remained behind to wait for the next trip.
As the seconds ticked by, Arthur's frustration over his earlier failed deductions still gnawed at him. He couldn't resist taking another jab at Carn.
"Kiddy boy, don't think you're off the hook just yet. You'll need to retake the mana concentration test."
Carn groaned, "Are you still suspecting me? Come on, give it a rest already."
Arthur's expression remained sharp. "No 16-year-old has that much mana. And, for the record, most hunters with your level of mana concentration can teleport."
The statement was half-true and half-false. Arthur knew that teleportation spells were notoriously complex and risky. Despite extensive research, many hunters had failed miserably. A botched teleport often resulted in horrifying injuries, with parts of the body or entire organs failing to teleport along with the main body.
The current minimum threshold for a successful teleportation spell hovered around a 25% mana concentration rate, but the mortality rate for attempts still sat at a staggering 70%. On the other hand, disguise spells were much simpler and widely accessible, making them far easier to pull off.
Knowing Arthur was still probing for cracks in his story, Carn collected his thoughts and probed back.
"How many hunters have mastered the teleportation spell so far?" Carn asked, feigning curiosity.
Arthur smirked, exaggerating the figure for effect. "About 500. Heh."
Rosa, who had been eavesdropping on the conversation, provided Carn with the correct answer through telepathy.
"That's wrong. Only two or three are still intact, and they don't even teleport as often as we do. That's what they get for relying on incomplete Aether."
Carn silently appreciated Rosa's input and pretended to be impressed. "If there are that many, how come you're not suspecting THEM of committing... whatever crime this is?"
Arthur shot him a sharp look, clearly hoping for a slip-up. He replied with a mock complaint. "Yeah, I thought of that too. But, you know, nobody else was near THAT OFFICE, except you kiddy."
Carn froze for a split second.
'Office? What office?'
Arthur had never mentioned where the crime took place. It seemed that he was testing Carn again.
While Carn masked his reaction, Arthur continued with his casual yet calculated tone, watching for any cracks in Carn's facade.
"We also found some interesting items at Barney's house. Seems like he had a thing for young boys like you. Makes me wonder if one of his potential victims got tired of him and decided to kill him first." Arthur grinned darkly, leaning in. "You fit the bill perfectly. Sorry, kiddy boy, if you're innocent. No pun intended. Heh."
Again, Arthur lied. All victims were young women who had been reported missing. Some of the victims turned out to be volunteers of the church.
Carn rolled his eyes, getting tired of Arthur's antics. He stopped talking, letting the man play his game alone.
*DING*
Fortunately, the elevator returned. Arthur swiped his ID card and let everybody get in, going back to the surface.
But as the elevator's doors closed, Rosa warned Carn through telepathy.
"Master, don't lose your temper and attack the saint. We're not in our dungeon."
Carn sighed and replied, "I know. I ain't stupid."
Chapter 38 - Sometimes, I Hate Angels
After completing the blood test, Arthur reluctantly let Carn go. Han, delighted to have his son back, drove him home with a lighthearted grin.
Meanwhile, Arthur stayed behind at the facility, pouring over Carn's data. He meticulously analyzed the timeline of events, cross-referencing the gargoyle's appearance on surveillance footage with Carn's movements on the first floor.
The lunch break began at 11:30 AM. Koa and Tasha left the classroom almost immediately, but Carn stayed behind, sitting quietly with his eyes closed as if he was meditating. At 11:35, he exited the room, crossing paths with Barney in the hallway.
Footage from the first-floor CCTV near the elevator showed Carn at 11:37, navigating through a crowd of students. He entered the men's washroom at 11:40.
Meanwhile, Barney lingered in the laboratory at the blind spot of the room's camera, stealing dangerous chemicals between 11:37 and 11:42. At 11:43, the mysterious gargoyle statue appeared on camera, silently watching Barney.
Barney seemed to panic and attempted to flee, but his escape was cut short. By 11:44, the gargoyle had killed him and vanished almost instantly. Carn, however, reappeared at 11:47, leaving the washroom looking refreshed.
Arthur sighed. From an average person's perspective, Carn was completely innocent. But as a seasoned investigator who had handled countless murder cases involving hunters and explorers, Arthur couldn't shake his suspicion.
Carn clearly loved breaking bones. He was capable of defeating doppelgangers. He also had both the motive to kill Barney and the mana capacity to execute all the key spells needed for the crime.
The key lay in the teleportation and disguise spells. If Arthur could prove that Carn could use either, it would be the missing link Arthur needed.
Lighting a cigarette, Arthur took a long drag and exhaled slowly, forcing himself to broaden his perspective. He couldn't risk fixating solely on Carn. He wondered if a third party or even a relative of one of Barney's many victims might have been involved.
For now, Arthur decided to put a hold on Carn's surveillance, shifting his focus to other leads. Coincidentally, many staff members of this school and a few students were related to the missing persons. He began researching their backgrounds.
.
After returning home, Han immediately grounded Carn. That evening, Wong lashed him several times, reprimanding him for going to school and getting himself into trouble again.
The next day, following the incident, the entire district went into lockdown. ECD agents, including Han, were dispatched to patrol the area, searching for the elusive gargoyle.
Confined to his room, Carn had little else to do but scroll through his phone. He focused on news related to the Wuhan outbreak, particularly the altered version of the COVID-19 virus that had sparked his concern.
Unfortunately, reliable information was scarce. Chinese media had largely stopped broadcasting anything about the rifts, and most clips and reports had been deleted, likely censored by the local government.
However, not all news was successfully suppressed. The United Nations had begun pressuring Chinese delegates to release information about the dimensional rifts, arguing that transparency was necessary for other nations to deploy teams to close them. Despite the mounting international pressure, the Chinese envoys steadfastly denied the existence of any open rifts within their mainland.
The situation was far from promising. Soon, chaos seemed inevitable. Instead of a resurgence of COVID, the world might face an even greater threat.
Thinking about the undead armies emerging from Wuhan's dimensional rift, Carn sprang to his feet before sitting cross-legged on his bed. Closing his eyes, he began recalling the details of Arthur's divine spirit.
'Only saints and saintesses receive divine protection blessings. They're immune to all undead curses and can easily vanquish liches, vampires, and zombies. But what about me? I can't just shatter their bones and hope for the best. Those nasty liches will keep resurrecting skeletons and zombies forever.'
Carn realized that he had run out of time. He needed at least a thousand gold marks in preparation for the undead army and the zombie outbreak, so he couldn't enjoy his current slow life.
Although he disliked the idea of praying to unfamiliar divine spirits, Carn decided it was a necessary gamble.
He didn't limit himself to a simple vocal prayer. Instead, he spent 10 silver marks, amplifying his telepathic voice to resonate across the entire state of Florida.
That was the maximum reach he was willing to pay for. While he could have spent 100 silver marks to extend his plea across all of North America, he deemed it far too extravagant for this purpose.
With determination, he began his prayer.
"Dear divine spirits, I am Carn Yunho. I foresee the destruction of this civilization and desperately need your aid. A looming threat of undead invasion rises from a dimensional crack in China. The undead creatures from the other side will consume the entire Asian continent within days once it breaks out! I know my request is sudden, but I beg you. Please lend me your holy power. I need it to protect my family and this world."
His voice carried an urgency that couldn't be ignored, echoing across the spiritual plane. Carn held his breath, hoping his plea would reach the right ears.
RUMBLE
It didn't take long for ethereal entities hidden in the world to manifest before Carn. Three radiant, golden figures appeared, surrounding him.
The figure directly in front of him was the same female divine spirit that protected Arthur. To her left, a levitating infant angel holding a trumpet hovered playfully. To the right stood a faceless knight clad in shimmering, golden armor. His entire form seemed to consist of dense, swirling gas, and his glowing gold eyes pierced through Carn's soul.
The knight's voice rumbled like an ancient storm, resounding directly in Carn's mind.
"Guardian of the Stone Mausoleum. Demon Lord of Bone Mountain. Bane of Heroes. Savior of the Mother Tree. Carn 'Pebble' Yunho."
Carn grimaced but masked his irritation. Their formality and acknowledgment of his titles felt like an implicit power play. Swallowing his pride, he knelt before the divine spirits, meeting their collective gaze with respect and defiance in equal measure.
The female spirit smiled warmly but carried an edge of curiosity in her tone.
"Demon Lord Pebble. We've heard your plea. Your sincerity has indeed reached us. But there is one thing that intrigues us."
The infant angel drifted closer, giggling as it blew a sharp note from its trumpet directly into Carn's ear. He winced, shutting his eyes as the high-pitched sound rang through his skull. After its mischief, the angel spoke in a sweet voice.
"We have long been aware of the calamity you fear, and we've already chosen our incarnations to protect humanity. The humans will inevitably prevail. So, tell us. Why do you even bother? This matter is none of your business, Demon."
Carn raised his head, his eyes narrowing at the divine spirits. Their detached nature made it hard to discern whether they were testing him or genuinely apathetic. Despite his frustration, he responded.
"Do I need a reason to protect my family, friends, and fellow humans? I'm a human now, am I right?"
The female spirit tilted her head, folding her arms in puzzlement.
"But isn't it… troublesome?"
Carn let out a sharp, sarcastic laugh, his patience thinning.
"If it's so troublesome. Why don't you stop shielding that detective I met yesterday? You know, the one you gave absolute protection to? Without your blessing, I could easily steal his holy power and solve this problem myself."
The gold knight's tone shifted, clearly irritated.
"Plundering our power is a sin. Harming our chosen incarnations is an act of blasphemy. Should you cross that line, we will hunt you down and send your soul to the abyss! Forget reincarnation, you will never taste Aether ever again!"
Carn's smirk faded into a glare. He rose to his feet.
"There you go. When I ask to borrow your power for the greater good, you call it troublesome. But if I request that you step aside and stop interfering, you threaten me. Are you really protecting the world, or are you just watching from the sidelines and letting the world burn? Make up your mind!"
The three divine spirits stared intently at Carn. Moments later, the infant angel and the knight vanished, dissolving into golden light.
Only the female divine spirit remained. Her expression softened into a smile.
"It is the decree of the Great Will that our power can only be granted to those who prove themselves worthy. You have yet to demonstrate your worth in this world. Therefore, we cannot bestow our blessings upon you, unless…"
Carn scoffed, cutting her off. His patience for divine posturing had long worn thin. He had encountered many spirits in his time and was familiar with their games.
"If you want me to do your dirty work in exchange for power, just say it already."
The spirit's smile grew brighter as if pleased by his directness. She nodded and gestured toward his smartphone, which buzzed to life on its own. The screen displayed a portrait of a middle-aged woman, someone Carn recognized immediately.
She was the same cougar who had attempted to seduce Han just days earlier.
The divine spirit's voice rang with a chilling serenity.
"That woman may not have taken lives, but she has stolen the livelihoods of seven good men, shattering their futures and leaving them in fates worse than death. If you kill her for us, we shall reward you with a portion of holy power, commensurate with the weight of your deed."
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