Warlock Apprentice

Chapter 1482: Section 1483: The Murder Case in Gust Town Chapter 1482: Section 1483: The Murder Case in Gust Town Saying Alex was interesting was not a comment on his personality. Rather, Angel had discovered that Alex had a very peculiar aura about him. If aura could be likened to a halo, then while others were shrouded in a layer of dullness, Alex shone as bright and dazzling as the sunlight.

Because the only power Angel could currently use was Illusion Technique, he couldnʼt figure out why Alex had an aura so different from everyone elseʼs.

Angel thus began to observe Alex more closely.

During his observation, Angel also noticed that Alex seemed to be able to see him. When other peopleʼs gazes swept past him, they didnʼt notice him because of the blinding illusion. However, when Alexʼs gaze swept over him, although he hid it well, the micro-reactions of his pupils betrayed him.

Could this Alex be a Transcendent? But he didnʼt quite look the part.

Angel had thought that Alex would pretend not to see him the whole time, but to his surprise, when everyone else in the church had left, Alex took the initiative to strike up a conversation with him.

“Are you a ghost?” Alex asked again.

Angel looked at Alex, this white-haired youth who seemed to be only sixteen or seventeen years old. Facing Angel, he had no other emotions–no fear, no surprise, just simple curiosity.

If it were a four or five-year-old child, innocent and unknowing, it would be one thing. But it was clear that Alex had significant thoughts, yet they were not about others, but about himself.

His attitude towards external things, even strangers, was one of “equanimity in presence or absence”.

The fact that his appearance could evoke a hint of curiosity in Alex was quite an accomplishment.

“Have you seen a ghost before?” Angel asked in return.

“It seems you are not a ghost,” Alex stated with great certainty.

“You have a keen observation,” Angel said, neither confirming nor denying with a nod.

Alex continued to answer Angelʼs previous question: “I donʼt know if I have seen a ghost before, maybe I have. My heart tells me so.”

“Is it because of amnesia?” Angel remembered that the priest named Bertrand seemed to have mentioned Alex had lost his memory.

“Eavesdropping is not a polite behavior,” Alex said softly, not delving into or reproaching further, and continued: “Indeed, it is because of the memory loss. I donʼt remember what I have experienced, but my heart tells me that I may have seen ghosts in the past.”

Alex paused: “So Mr. Pat, have you ever seen a ghost?”

“I have.”

Angelʼs unequivocal assertion startled Alex a bit, causing him to mutter softly and distractedly: “So, ghosts really exist. Itʼs not just my imagination?”

Angel thought Alex would inquire further about the ghost, but Alex quickly collected his emotions, asked nothing further, and said, “If Mr. Pat is not a ghost, what are you then? Why canʼt other people see you?”

Angel: “Itʼs quite normal that others canʼt see me. I think the question you should ask is: Why can you see me?”

Alex, without any hesitation and following Angelʼs lead, asked: “Why can I see you?”

“I donʼt know,” Angel answered with a smile playing on his lips.

Alex was taken aback by the malice-filled response, and despite his composure, the corners of his mouth twitched involuntarily.

Angel indeed did not know, but he suspected it might have something to do with Alexʼs lost memory; perhaps he used to be a Transcendent. After all, Transcendents had a strong spiritual sense, and the eye-blocking illusion that he had cast was actually very low-level, a mere application of illusion energy without touching on the “law” aspect. Most Talented Ones could sense something was off, and for a Wizard Apprentice, seeing him wouldnʼt be difficult.

Angel: “I am quite curious, you see someone whom others cannot, arenʼt you afraid?”

Alex: “If you wanted to kill me, you would have had many opportunities; if you arenʼt going to kill me, why would I be afraid?”

After saying that, Alex even stopped paying attention to Angel, sat down, and began to record some text on paper.

“Reasoning of Knight Ravenʼs cause of death?” Angel read softly, murmuring to himself, “Nowadays, the clergy have even begun moonlighting as detectives?”

Alex continued to hold the pen, rapidly scribbling on the paper.

The content, however, was very brief, simply listing the name of Knight Raven and then writing Fanniʼs name on the other side of his, marked underneath with “Fanniʼs birthday present”.

After pondering for a moment, Alex crossed out all the characters and wrote a location name: Holy City.

“What is the Holy City?” Seeing Alex start to focus on the task in his hands, Angel decided to walk around the church, then leave, but he did not expect that Alex would write down a location name at the end.

Angel was looking for location information, so he asked outright.

Alex put down his pen and looked at Angel with a puzzled look, seeming somewhat surprised that Angel didnʼt know about the Holy City.

Alex fell silent for a long time, no longer asking about Angelʼs origins but instead asked, “…Why are you following me?”

“I wanted to ask you for some information,” Angel said, not hiding his intent.

“What information?”

“Geographical information.” Angel pointed to the words “Holy City” on the paper in front of Alex, “I want to know where this place is, what and where the Holy City is, and the name of this continent.”

Alexʼs eyes moved slightly at Angelʼs series of questions, “From your tone, youʼre not from this continent?”

“I donʼt know,” Angel shrugged, “Arenʼt I waiting for your answer? Once youʼve answered, I can confirm whether I am from this continent.”

Alex watched Angel quietly, always feeling that this odd person was filled with a mysterious unknown.

“This is Gust Town, which is said to be southeast of Holy City. Holy City is one of the fortified towns of the Kruya Divine Court and also the closest city to Gust Town.”

Angel: “Said to be? Havenʼt you been there?”

Alex shook his head, “At least in my memory, I have not been there.”

Angelʼs gaze unintentionally shifted to the paper, where “Holy City” was clearly visible, and he casually asked another question: “If you have never been to Holy City, what then do you mean by writing ʼHoly Cityʼ? Or do you think, the death of Knight Raven, has something to do with Holy City?”

Alex shook his head again, “There is no evidence to indicate any connection, but…”

Alex fell silent mid-sentence suddenly.

Angel was here in search of geographic information, not to solve a case, and he was indifferent to the answer. He was about to continue his geographical inquiry when Alex resumed the previously unfinished topic.

“But I think itʼs not only Knight Raven, the cases of Miss Camelot, Uncle Mainiʼs family… This series of cases seems to share a common characteristic.” Alex had secretly studied the cause of death of these people, and although he couldnʼt find the culprit, he had noticed something peculiar. However, for some reason, he had not told Father Beren Lang or anyone else.

Now that Angel had inadvertently brought up this topic, to Alex, Angel was a stranger both to Gust Town and to him.

So, after pondering for a moment, he let out his long-suppressed desire to confide, speaking slowly.

“Knight Raven had a lady he had long admired, named Fanni. He once told me he planned to confess to her on her birthday. Later, I heard Fanni tell her friend that if she could listen to a divine chorus at the Chorus Hall on her birthday, she would die without regrets.”

“The Chorus Hall is in Holy City. I believe that Knight Raven must have known this and with Fanniʼs birthday just a few days away, he decided to go to Holy City alone; tragically, his head was found on the bridge pier on the way to Holy City.”

Angel wasnʼt interested in hearing the analysis of the case, but Alex himself was completely immersed in it.

“Knight Raven isnʼt an isolated case; many cases before him also ended with only a severed head remaining. The sheriff says the murderer kills indiscriminately, but I disagree, Iʼve noticed a pattern: they all died because they were going to leave Gust Town.”

“Miss Camelot wanted to visit a relative in Holy City she hadnʼt seen for many years, Uncle Mainiʼs family was moving to Holy City… and itʼs highly likely that Knight Raven was going to Holy City to buy tickets for the Chorus Hall for Fanni.”

“Itʼs always the same, all the victims were planning to leave Gust Town, whether intentionally or unintentionally, and as soon as they stepped outside the bounds of Gust Town, they died.”

“The whole of Gust Town is like a birdcage that no one can escape.”

“As soon as the birds try to fly away, they are caught by an unknown hand that breaks their wings.”

Initially, Angel was not concerned with Gust Townʼs cases, but as he listened to Alexʼs account, he began to take an interest.

If Alexʼs deduction was correct, and all the deaths occurred because people were attempting to leave Gust Town,

then this series of cases was indeed not simple.

After all, itʼs impossible that everyone would inform others of their destination, yet all without exception ended up dead. This clearly wasnʼt the work of an ordinary murderer, especially since Alex had analyzed one of the victims; her death was likely the result of a quarrel with her husband that very night, which made her decide to leave Gust Town. Even a Wizard with the ability to read minds couldnʼt perfectly grasp othersʼ movements; human hearts are fickle, changing every second with countless possibilities.

Which “murderer” could flawlessly track every individualʼs movements, capturing even those who leave in the wake of a sudden quarrel and killing them?

Therefore, after hearing this, Angel felt it might not be a normal case, but perhaps the work of the Transcendent.

“Anyone who thinks of leaving Gust Town ends up in an accident. So, what do you think is the reason?”

After releasing his inner urge to confide, Alex returned once again to his calm demeanor, “I donʼt know.”

“Do you study these cases out of curiosity?”

Without hesitation, Alex shook his head, “I am not curious.”