Detective Guide to the Steam World

Chapter 23 Inquiry

"I'm sorry, gentlemen, Miss Willow is not at the mansion."

In the Fletcher family, the butler bowed slightly apologetically.

"Not here again?"

Kent frowned. "When did she leave? Where did she go?"

One absence could be a coincidence, but two absences indicate that the other party is clearly avoiding them.

"Miss Willow didn't tell us any of this."

The butler remained respectful. "If you gentlemen wish to see her, you can go to St. Melvin's Church in the South District. Miss Willow occasionally volunteers there, distributing food to the local people."

"Doing volunteer work? This young lady seems to be quite kind."

Kent's tone was mocking.

Two days ago, if Kent had heard about this act of kindness, he would have sincerely praised the other person.

But now that he has decided that the other party is problematic, everything he does naturally transforms into "malicious intent".

"Excuse me, gentlemen, if you have no other questions, please allow me to leave. Mr. Jesper is still waiting for me."

With that, the butler bowed respectfully, touched his chest, and walked past Kent and Rean, who were blocking the corridor, toward the study.

Kent watched his figure disappear around the corner before turning his gaze to Rean.

"What do we do now? Should we go to St. Melvin's Church in the South District?"

"Even if you go, you'll most likely not find anyone."

Rean shook his head. "Since Miss Willow is deliberately avoiding us, she naturally won't let us find her easily."

"That's true."

Kent stroked his chin, then suddenly his eyes lit up. "Why don't we just stay at the Fletcher family's place? She'll definitely be back tonight!"

Since learning that Willow's Stigmata ability was related to creating illusions and that she, like him, didn't have much direct combat power, Kent was no longer as afraid as before.

"That's a good idea."

Rean nodded noncommittally, then countered, "But even if you manage to catch her, what do you plan to do, Mr. Kent?"

"I can……"

Kent only managed to say half a sentence before he couldn't continue, looking somewhat embarrassed.

When Rean asked him that question, he really didn't know what to do.

After all, this is Fletcher family territory. Even if they manage to corner Willow, if she doesn't want to communicate with them, there's really nothing they can do.

Even if you want to use torture to extract information, you have to do it in a secluded place.

Paying someone to talk to them is even more impossible, as the other person is richer than he and Rean combined.

Moreover, if a conflict were to actually occur, it would only alert the Fletcher family prematurely, hindering their subsequent investigation into the truth.

"So what do you suggest we do now, Rean?"

Kent shrugged helplessly. "The clues all lie with Miss Willow. Without finding her, we can't continue our investigation."

Rean didn't answer immediately. He leaned against the wall in the corridor, his gaze fixed on the direction where the butler had disappeared. He remained silent for a moment, lost in thought, before slowly saying, "That butler probably doesn't know about Willow yet, so what he said is most likely true."

"Go to St. Melvin's Church in the South District and investigate. Whether you find any trace of Willow or not, come back immediately."

"To the church in the south wing?"

Kent looked puzzled. "Didn't you just say it was unlikely we'd find them?"

"We can't find the person herself, but we can find traces of her activities in this church, and that's enough."

"I understand. What about you?" Kent nodded. "Aren't you coming with me?"

Rean glanced toward the study, his eyes gleaming. "I'm going to have a good talk with that Baron Jesper."

"Should we speak with Baron Jesper?"

Kent was startled and quickly lowered his voice, "You're planning to confront him?"

"Of course not, I'm not that stupid."

Rean shook his head with amusement. "I just wanted to ask this nobleman to confirm a few things."

"Rean, please don't do anything foolish!"

Kent looked at him with some unease and warned, "These damn human traffickers are all ruthless! We'd better keep the Sissippi Company business to ourselves and not mess with these bastards!"

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."

Rean smiled and turned to walk towards the study.

……

Inside the study.

After serving two cups of black tea and some snacks, the butler respectfully withdrew and closed the door.

"Mr. Rean, you came to see me today, has the investigation made any progress?"

Jesper picked up the black tea, took a sip, then put down the porcelain cup, smiled, and gestured with his hand, "Black tea from the Western Continent, it tastes very good."

"There has been some progress, but it still needs to be confirmed."

Rean didn't touch the tea, but instead placed his hands crossed on his knees. "I'd like to ask you some questions about Miss Willow."

"Willow?"

Upon hearing the name, Jesper paused for a moment, then frowned. "Mr. Rean, is this also part of the investigation related to Cyril's death?"

Rean nodded firmly: "Of course, and it's a very important part of the case."

Jesper didn't answer immediately. Instead, he pressed his hand to his brow, as if he was thinking about something.

After a long silence, he finally spoke: "Since it's related to Cyril... then ask away."

"Thank you for your understanding, Baron Jesper."

Rean looked at him and smiled. "First question, when did Miss Willow and Cyril meet? Do you remember?"

"I can't remember the exact time, but I think it was about three years ago."

Jesper thought carefully for a moment, "But I remember it was one night when Cyril suddenly brought a commoner girl to see me and announced their relationship."

"Sudden?"

Rean narrowed his eyes slightly. "Baron Jesper, didn't you receive any news beforehand?"

"no."

Jesper shook his head. "I've never heard anything about Cyril's love life before."

"So what was your attitude at the time?"

"I agree."

"You agree?"

Rean raised an eyebrow. "I mean no offense, but as far as I know, shouldn't nobles like you be very cautious about marriage?"

"Not all nobles are prejudiced against commoners; at least the Fletcher family is not."

Jesper waved his hand, his expression calm and without the slightest anger. "Besides, getting married sooner will allow Cyril to settle down and become independent as soon as possible, so that he can take over the family business from me."

Take over the family business...

Upon hearing this, Rean suddenly seemed to realize something, and a meaningful smile appeared on his face.

"One last question, Baron Jesper."

He leaned forward slightly. "I'd like to know, before Cyril died, had he already begun to engage in the Fletcher family's business?"