Pokémon Detective Case Files

Chapter 463 The Response of the Unstoppable Harmony

Chapter 465 The Response of the Unstoppable Harmony

The moment the blueberry lifted the lid of the bucket, revealing King Hugo's head, the silent bodyguard Lopa, who had been following him, suddenly snapped out of his shock.

Ignoring the astonishment of those around him, he quickly pulled a brass whistle from his pocket, puffed out his cheeks, and blew it with all his might. The piercing whistle tore apart the tranquility of the twilight.

Immediately afterwards, a dense sound of footsteps echoed through the street. At first, it was just a few scattered sounds, but it quickly coalesced into a rhythmic thud, interspersed with the clanging of metal plates clashing together.

"What's going on?"

Emily pushed open the attic window and looked down, and couldn't help but gasp. At this moment, the tavern was surrounded by layers of fully armed palace guards, several times more than when the tavern was raided yesterday.

The blueberry remained calm, gently closing the bucket lid and sealing the king's head and the blood-stained gardening axe back into the darkness.

Then, without changing his expression, he turned to Lopai and said, "It seems you had this planned in advance?"

"It is the Earl's order."

The guard calmly met the magician's scrutinizing gaze. "The Earl instructed that once the case makes a breakthrough, we must immediately report it and simultaneously detain you three key witnesses." He paused, then added, "You're just unlucky—this tavern isn't far from the palace; a single whistle is enough to summon the entire guard. Judging from the commotion, reinforcements are arriving sooner than expected; the Earl should be here shortly."

Lian Wu and Gadriya exchanged a glance, both seeing the solemnity on each other's faces—looking at the densely packed armed guards downstairs, it was probably a pipe dream to try to break through by force and luck this time.

"If the Earl really wanted to frame us, he would have done it in the dungeon long ago. Why wait until now to make such a big fuss?"

Yueju bent down to pick up the scepter that had rolled to the ground after the spell ended, and slowly walked to Lopa.

The weight of the cane reminded him of the chips in a casino whose weight could never be accurately calculated—always tilting towards the side that would cost more.

"This is the Earl's decision," Lopa said calmly, as if reading a proclamation. "Your fates are not in the hands of an executor like myself. Whether you leave the capital alive depends on your own actions going forward."

"Oh."

The magician whistled, his tone flippant, as if teasing Bobo in the palace gardens. "Since you can't make the decision, then let someone who can."

Once the bodyguards disappeared at the top of the stairs, Yueju turned to her two companions.

"It seems this part of the story is now entering its final stage," Lian Wu said, arms crossed.

"Something doesn't feel right," Cattleya frowned slightly. "Do you need some inspiration?"

J

"There's no need." Blueberry directly pointed out the source of the unease—

"The king's burial is just around the corner, and all the kingdom's dignitaries will gather in the capital. From Leclerc's perspective, if the true killer cannot be identified by then, he will inevitably be put on the defensive. Therefore, although the count doesn't seem to believe we are the murderers, judging from this turn of events and the attitude of his subordinates, that court count doesn't mind using us as scapegoats. Wanlong wouldn't have devised this reasoning plot without a reason; if he wants to end this story perfectly, he still needs to provide some kind of explanation."

"So, in other words—it's time to deduce the killer?" Lian Wu raised an eyebrow.

Just then, steady footsteps sounded outside the attic—

"If you are only now beginning to deduce the true culprit behind His Majesty's murder, then I can justifiably throw you back into the dungeon."

As dusk settled, Leclerc, with her silver hair tied up and dressed in a jet-black tuxedo, pushed open the door and entered without any ceremony.

He held the king's scepter in his hand, followed by Lopa and two other palace guards, like four silent shadows.

"What have you been talking about since the beginning? My daughter and I have just been running the tavern honestly. Apart from serving that drunken madman last month, we have absolutely nothing to do with the king's death."

The tavern owner, who knew nothing about the case, hurriedly shouted that, aside from his daughter, the father was truly innocent.

The count waved his hand, giving a knowing look. Two guards immediately stepped forward and led the father and daughter away from the attic. Seeing that Lopa was still following behind him, Leclerc waved his hand again, sending the guard away as well.

The doors closed, and now only Count Black Moon, the three travelers, and Hugo XVI's head, resting in a wine barrel, remained in the dimly lit attic.

"Count Leclerc—" Yueju tried to speak, but was immediately interrupted.

"Before we begin any negotiations," Leclerc said, his gaze passing over the mage's shoulder and landing on the oak barrel, "I want to see—that man's remains—and offer my condolences as a subject."

This courtesy was indeed commonplace in this era, but Lingju held her staff horizontally in front of the count. "I cannot comply. This head is our only bargaining chip. As helpless travelers, we must ensure our own safety first."

Count Black Moon seemed enraged by these words and waved his hand impatiently—

"Don't take yourselves too seriously. Even if you're looking for a scapegoat, do you really think you're qualified?"

"He took a step closer, deliberately raising his voice, "To tell you the truth, even if you had gained absolutely nothing these past few days, I wouldn't have executed you outright. After all, the royal family also needs to act logically—too many people witnessed you leaving the garden, and His Majesty had just appeared before the guards—it's hard for people to believe that someone could be murdered in such a short time. In comparison, identifying that old gardener Sand as the murderer would actually make the subsequent handling much easier."

"You want to send an innocent person to the guillotine? And you want to silence all the witnesses?" The female monk frowned, seemingly basking in the sense of justice that came from her long years of training.

"If you're foolish enough, I wouldn't mind letting you join their ranks." The count narrowed his eyes, his gaze unusually sharp—

"Of course, putting aside the murderer, the so-called silencing is just your imagination. I have no intention of causing unnecessary bloodshed. In this era, all it takes is to find a pretext to exile someone to the frontier, and you can completely deprive them of their right to speak."

Even if he knew a great deal of inside information, to outsiders it would all sound like the ravings of a madman.

He shifted his tone, softening slightly: "However, considering how hard you've worked, I could choose a smarter approach—for example, using this opportunity to bring down the King's uncle, that prince who has always coveted the throne, and claim that the assassination was carried out by his own men. Then, you would become my witnesses at His Majesty's funeral, accusing my political enemies. As payment, I would bestow upon you a reward you cannot refuse. Isn't that a much better outcome than death?"

"It will not only damage your reputation, but also increase hostile forces. What kind of ending is that?" Yueju raised an eyebrow and complained.

"Then," the count's gaze pierced the magician, "do you perhaps have a choice that would be more convincing to me than these?"

Blueberry fell silent.

To be fair, based on his experience dealing with Count Ducham Leclerc of the Black Moon, although he was an absolute power-hungry official, his moral standards were surprisingly not too low—at least he rarely resorted to pure violence to solve problems unless absolutely necessary.

Judging from the opinions I've heard these past few days, since King Hugo XVI allowed Leclerc to wield absolute power, the kingdom's governance has actually shown signs of improvement. The king seems to have curbed his extravagant nature in the palace, behaving like a docile puppet, and the common people in the capital, like Emily and her father, are living in relative peace and contentment.

Given the backgrounds and experiences of the three travelers, as well as the absurd rumors that circulated about His Majesty in his early years, this country should have already fallen into a terminal state.

However, the man before them seemed to exert some kind of check on that incompetent monarch.

A powerful minister who holds absolute sway over the court and a debauched king—either one could bring down a country.

However, when the latter becomes the former's puppet, a strange situation of harmony between ruler and subject emerges.

Ironically, the puppeteer's power came precisely from the king's personal promotion.

Something seems off.

"Would you please move aside from me?"

Leclerc tapped Yueju's arm with the broken head of his scepter.

The magician remained motionless, a look of realization gradually appearing on his face.

"Hey, get out of my way!"

The count tried to bypass the blueberry to check the barrel containing the head, but the magician grabbed his arm. "Before that—you have to answer one question for us."

At this moment, Yueju's tone was no longer frivolous.

"What's the problem?" Count Black Moon raised an eyebrow.

"Yesterday, before we arrived at the palace for the second time, who exactly ordered the guards to surround the Black-Eyed Crocodile Tavern?"

The count's face darkened.

"You can't answer that? Then let's summon the captain of the guards who surrounded the Black-Eyed Crocodile Tavern yesterday. I think we can ask him in person who assigned this task."

Leclerc remained motionless, like a sleeping baboon.

"It seems you actually know the truth."

Seeing this, Yueju's lips curled into a sharp smile. "Only two people in the palace can command the royal guards: one is His Majesty King Hugo XVI, and the other is you, who have received His Majesty's authorization. And we all know that the person sitting on the throne is merely a puppet controlled by you. Interestingly, the puppet in the garden personally denies it, claiming that he never issued such an order—what does this mean? Did you forge the order, or did His Majesty lie for you? I personally lean towards the third possibility—"

The magician was about to continue when Leclerc interrupted him sharply, "Magician, you'd better think this through! Once certain things are brought to the forefront, as a court count of this country, I can no longer just let you leave with any excuse, like I did before."

"Heh." Yueju chuckled. "Since I dared to ask this question, I must have been prepared."

Not only that, I also know why you're so eager to see what's in the barrel.

"Even if you're willing to take the risk, what about your two companions? Are you going to gamble their lives?" Count Black Moon roared, disregarding all decorum.

"I see, that explains it—so this is the real 'big beard'?"

The voice came from the side, and it was the thief Lian Wu who spoke—

1

"Leclerc is the kind of person who will only obey the king's orders." Wasn't that the hint Hugo gave us? The detective has already given us this much; if we still can't guess it, we'll be unworthy of the League's kingly status.

"The person who issued the lockdown order."

Another voice rang out, this time it was the cool voice of the female monk, Gadriya: "It should be the real king, right?"

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