The eccentric doctor never makes a misdiagnosis!

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Haida's tone was quite confident.

Although it may be a copycat, this kind of stealthy method that leaves no trace... even if others wanted to learn it, they might not have the ability.

"Sigh, looks like I'll have to work overtime for a while."

Silver Hydra patted its left shoulder, and a huge raven flapped its wings and landed on it.

The [Calling Bird] is usually made from a smaller crow, while the [Raven Avatar] requires a larger and more intelligent raven.

In fact, some species of parrots can also serve as equivalents... however, most agents of the Secret Service prefer corvids.

"I'll go issue orders to intensify surveillance and pursuit; I'll leave this to you for now."

As she spoke, she gently stroked Vivian's head, leaving her agents at the scene with complete peace of mind. After all, Vivian was currently under the jurisdiction of the Funeral Court and, with Haida's protection, was even safer than if she were by her own side.

As Silver Feather Hydra left the room of the Manjusaka Tavern, the figure with long, crimson hair quickly vanished without a trace, leaving only a black raven flapping its wings and flying away, leaving behind the whistling sound of the wind.

Generally speaking, cases of this level are not handled collaboratively by multiple supervisors.

The reason for having multiple supervisors come together this time is more of a precautionary measure, in order to conduct a more in-depth assessment of the nature of this incident.

Once it is confirmed that no immediate adverse events will occur, the task can be handed over to one of them.

Black Banyan was still tracking down the Nightmare Guest, while Silver Feather Hydra had gone off to enjoy some leisure... The heavy responsibility of handling the aftermath naturally fell to Haida. However, she had anticipated this and was therefore prepared to take over the entire operation.

"How are those two survivors who were in the early stages of Cistanche deserticola parasitism?"

Haida asked the young hunter accompanying her about the survivors' situation, and he immediately straightened up and answered crisply.

"The Cistanche deserticola had not yet penetrated the brain, and the medical department has already removed it. Both individuals are currently in a deep coma and are expected to awaken within a week."

There were five people at the time of the Star Chart Study Group. In addition to the three senior participants who became corpses, there were two newcomers who had been tricked into the trap.

If Fran hadn't happened to bring Elsa with him to the venue that day, those two would probably have either become sacrificial offerings on the banquet table or become a breeding ground for Cistanche deserticola.

Haida didn't really have high hopes for the survivors' testimonies.

Since the perpetrator spared them, it must mean that neither of them knew anything of value.

"Let's call it a day once the Secret Service agents have finished collecting evidence. That's all for today."

After much deliberation, Haida finally gave the order to retreat.

"Yes."

The hunters obediently agreed and then began preparing for the cleanup.

"As for the autopsy report... I'll have to trouble Dr. Fran."

"This is what I should do. To eat the emperor's food is to bear his worries, isn't that right?"

Fran tilted his head slightly, revealing a faint smile, and then handed three reports filled with details of the deceased to Heida. Zero

Since he's taking on the role of a part-time coroner, he should still do his job properly. This is the basic professional conduct of a medical professional.

Haida received the three autopsy reports, reviewed them carefully, tentatively named the perpetrator "Nightmare," and closed the investigation. She then instructed the logistics team to begin cleaning up the scene and carrying out related follow-up work.

The same case has occurred again, and regardless of the perpetrator's true intentions, the provocative intent is self-evident. 5

Although the interests of the Order of the Mysteries were not harmed, the Funeral Court still raised the Nightmare Hunter's pursuit level.

……manage

Beneath the morning mist, even the sunlight filtering through the clouds carried a hint of coolness.

There were only a few pedestrians on Sandrank Street, and most of them were rushing to their early shifts.

Fran usually returns directly to the Fog Street Clinic after completing a request, but for some reason today she followed Haida and Vivian for a while as if taking a stroll.

The investigation failed to yield sufficient leads to pinpoint the culprit, so Haida remained silent on the return journey, seemingly sullen... yet also lost in thought.

Although she might simply be lost in thought, her prolonged silence unintentionally created a tense atmosphere.

Vivian followed closely behind, somewhat reservedly, occasionally soothing the uneasy little raven in her arms.

Was Sister Heda angry because she couldn't find any valuable clues?

She glanced at Haida, whose gaze was deep and thoughtful, then at Fran beside her, whose expression was relaxed, and felt a strange pressure rising within her. These two hadn't spoken a word the entire way; why...?

"Dr. Fran."

After a long silence, Haida finally spoke, breaking the long silence.

"This case...you did it, didn't you?"

Upon hearing this, Fran simply tilted her head slightly, her smile deepening at the corners of her lustrous lips.

Vivian, along with the raven in her hand, stared in surprise, somewhat flustered, awaiting the doctor's response.

Although Dr. Fran's style of doing things is consistently bizarre and cunning, and often accompanied by bloody scenes that will haunt your nightmares for five or six days... she herself seems to be very principled and never gets too involved.

Fran did not answer the question, but instead went to Vivian and gently stroked the eyes of the raven in her hand.

After being stroked a few times, the glossy black bird lay on its back, revealing its belly, clearly having fallen into a baby-like sleep...

"Let the little guy sleep for a while. Whatever I say next, I hope it will remain a secret between us."

Fran's posture was almost an admission that he had done it.

However, she showed no panic whatsoever after the culprit was caught red-handed; rather, this kind of development had been waiting for a long time.

Just like a skilled phantom thief, one must go through the process of having their true identity exposed by a famous detective a few times... well, it's all unavoidable.

Moreover, the reason she didn't clean up the scene too thoroughly was precisely to leave clues for Haida. Sometimes, being perfect is the easiest thing to do; trying to provide just the right amount of information so that a specific person can solve the mystery... is quite difficult.

"Sister Haida, tell us how you came to this conclusion?"

Fran gently closed his hands, like a young professor waiting for his students to answer questions.

Heda hesitated slightly before telling Fran why she had doubted her.

“Melt marks, penetrating wounds, and methods of removing organs.”

"The melting marks on Schmidt's body are very similar to the wounds caused when Sigrid turned into a sword. And the penetrating wound on Nicholas's body is very similar to the cross-shaped tear caused by the chiseled spine 'Sphinx'."

"And his missing brain..."

She didn't continue, but both of them understood that it would be incredibly easy for Fran to steal Schmidt's brain without opening his skull.

After all, this guy once even snatched the crown of a deity's incarnation...

Although the talent for stealing things has been restored after being lost and regained, taking someone's brain is obviously just a piece of cake.

"Now that you've identified the perpetrator, why are you hesitating? Why not take the suspect into custody first?"

Fran slowly approached Heda, extending his slender wrist with black stitching as if surrendering, seemingly waiting for her to handcuff him.

Haida simply shook her head.

"Because there is no sufficient evidence to form a chain, everything mentioned above is just my speculation. Or rather... conjecture."

“Dr. Fran, I apologize if my thinking is wrong.”

Fran chuckled softly upon hearing this, then waved his hand.

"Your guess is correct."

"I was indeed the one who committed the crime at the Mandala Tavern."

Hearing her admit it so readily without any hesitation, Vivian couldn't help but bite her lip nervously, and even her breathing became a little short.

I hope the two of them don't start fighting here; this is South District Street...

To Vivian's surprise, Sister Heda didn't seem to have any intention of taking action after receiving the answer. Instead, she moved closer to Fran and asked her about the details of the incident quite seriously.

“Please tell me the details of last night, Dr. Fran. Did they attack you?”

"Hmm, more or less."

Fran raised his eyebrows slightly, seemingly recalling the unpleasant experience of last night.

"I thought I was just going to attend a regular secret meeting, but it turned out to be full of empty shells with their brains eaten... So I had no choice but to exercise my legitimate right to unlimited self-defense as a citizen of Norlington."

"I see."

Haida stated that she was aware of this and offered no further rebuttal.

Two disciples' husks hollowed out by Cistanche deserticola, and a White Cup teaching assistant who had made a pact with the Red Cup. It's fortunate that Fran was the one who came... anyone else would likely have only added to the list of victims.

Vivian, who had been watching the whole thing, breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that the atmosphere between the two was still harmonious. Then she narrowed her eyes, her expression inexplicably subtle.

She discovered that the relationship between Sister Heda and Dr. Fran was not merely a superficial charade. There seemed to be an underlying understanding and trust between them…

When did things develop like this? Did I miss something?

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soup!

Chapter 18 Annual Parliament

"Haidah, why didn't you suspect that I was the Nightmare Guest?"

Fran raised his fingers and made a gesture as if he were taking an eyeball out of his own eye socket, pretending to pinch his thumb and forefinger together in the air.

Of course, she didn't actually take that thing out.

"I have mastered both the techniques for removing Dorothy's eyes and the methods for shaping Tong En's spirit. Do you think it's possible that I and that so-called Nightmare Guest are the same person?"

Heda had already thought about the question and quickly gave an answer.

"Judging solely from the known clues, Dr. Fran, you are indeed highly suspicious. However... the Nightmare Guest gives me a completely different feeling than you."

"And from a motivational standpoint, you have absolutely no reason to do this."

She spoke with considerable conviction when she mentioned this.

If Fran truly needed the eyes of the Blessed One of the Light, he should have already taken them from Dorothy back in Norrington. Why did it take until now?

And the most important thing...

If Fran had been the one to do it, Dorothy would never have had a chance to resist. Or rather, she might not even have realized that her eyeballs had been replaced.

This is why Haida quickly closed the case after becoming suspicious of the Mandala Tavern incident. She then sought an opportunity to speak with Fran alone.

"That's true."

Fran extended his index finger and lightly touched his thin lips, as if he had thought of something interesting.

"Speaking of which, I got some interesting news from Schmidt yesterday. I think you'll find it interesting."

Just then, she obtained information about the Nightmare Guest from Schmidt's mind. Since Heda had discovered that she was the real culprit in last night's case, it wouldn't hurt to tell her first.

Consider it Sister Heda's year-end bonus from the clinic last year...

Heda remained calm, but Vivian's expression became somewhat subtle as she recalled Schmidt's empty skull.

Clearly, Dr. Fran's method of obtaining information might have been a little crude... but Vivian quickly felt relieved when she thought of Schmidt's fanaticism.

If that guy were really alive and had fallen into the hands of the Funeral Home, his fate would probably be even more tragic.

"Is the information about the fall of the Star Chart Research Society related to the corruption of that White Cup teaching assistant?"

Haida knew nothing about this secret gathering and could only try to guess as much as possible in terms of its relevance to the case.

Fran shook his index finger.

However, she didn't intend to keep people in suspense at the moment, so she quickly began to explain in detail what she had gained from Schmidt's mind the previous night.

“There are unimportant parts. For example, Mr. Schmidt was lucky; he surrendered and betrayed the priestess when she cast the spell. This allowed him to escape the subsequent torture... The others were not so lucky.

"Of course, there are also important parts... such as the fact that Nicholas, the organizer of the Star Chart Workshop, and Nightmare were old acquaintances."

This is unexpected news.

Since Fran was the mastermind behind the Mandala Tavern case, it meant that the matter should only involve the Star Chart Study and the Crimson Cup Cult. But unexpectedly, Nightmare Guest was actually involved...

Unrelated events are now linked together by a series of coincidences.

Vivian narrowed her eyes again, waiting for her to say next.

"The Star Chart Academy was completely overrun several months ago. And after that... Nightmare Guest attended a gathering and was ambushed. But he was experienced and had superb escape skills, so Schmidt and the parasites could not kill him, and he could not escape for a while."

"With neither side able to gain the upper hand and neither able to do anything to the other, they eventually reached a pact of non-interference."

"According to the intelligence provided by Schmidt, Nightmare should have already returned to Gormouth, the Kingdom of the Abyss."