Lord of Mysteries: S Chapter 23: Puppets

Chapter 23 - Puppets

"So it was actually Little Hayd who staged his own kidnapping and got Miss Rachel to help cover it up?" Officer Aetris finally seed to process Ebner's explanation, pondering it seriously and beginning to see the sense in his reasoning.

"Whether that's true or not can only be verified through further investigation! What I said is rely a possibility, a hypothesis, which could be wrong. Besides, my theory is based on typical scenarios," Ebner said, though he kept the second part to himself—that it would be a different story if the supernatural were involved. He shook his head thoughtfully, then asked Aetris, "Do you have any thoughts on this?"

My thoughts? My thought is that detectives are just full of it, aren't they? You've said everything forwards and backwards—what's left for

to say?

Aetris gritted his teeth, rolling his eyes slightly before huffing, "I already contacted Mr. Hayd. You're cleared to go in and investigate!"

"Thank you, we will," Ebner corrected, sharing a look with Aetris as they headed into the Hayd ho.

Mr. Hayd's expression was a little peculiar, as though he had sothing to say but couldn't bring himself to. Mrs. Hayd, on the other hand, didn't bother hiding her hostility and imdiately declared, "I will find my little Beck myself. We don't need useless officers like you! Leave us!"

Ebner exchanged a knowing look with Aetris, both thinking of the very scenario he had just predicted.

Aetris ignored Mrs. Hayd's rude comnts, instead addressing Mr. Hayd seriously. "Did you receive a ssage about ransom demands?"

Mr. Hayd flinched, startled. "How did you know?"

Ebner interjected, "Your attitudes changed too quickly... And based on my observations, Mrs. Hayd, although she still appears sowhat worried, seems much more relaxed, as if she's already got so leads." Of course, Ebner was only guessing about the relaxation part, using it to fish for more information.

"And what if you're right? We'll pay the ransom to get Beck back. We don't need your ddling!" Mrs. Hayd couldn't hold back from shouting again.

Such indulgence... no wonder their son is like this. Ebner shook his head, ignoring her outburst, and turned to Mr. Hayd. "Sir, if my guess is correct, the 'kidnapper' you're dealing with must have a rather notorious reputation?"

"Yes, the letter was signed by 'Red Devil' Tannik. He's demanding a ransom of 100 pounds..." Mr. Hayd deliberated for a mont, then decided to inform the police, as he had little confidence in trusting the word of a criminal.

I've heard of Tannik from my ntor before. He's supposedly an agent the Eternal Blazing Sun Church planted in Backlund, a Sequence 7 on the Sun Pathway, who was labeled as 'Red Devil' after the Storm Church uncovered his identity... Would soone like him kidnap a child for a asly 100 pounds? Ha! Little Hayd probably just heard the na sowhere and used it.

For most people, even middle-class families, 100 pounds would be a substantial sum, yet to the extraordinary, it's barely enough for ten Demon Hunting Bullets!

Aetris shook his head as well. While he wasn't aware of Tannik's extraordinary status, he understood that a "notorious criminal" with a 3,000-pound bounty from the Storm Church wouldn't stoop so low as to kidnap a child for 100 pounds. The detective's guess was probably spot-on.

"Dear, how could you tell them the details? What if they provoke the man and he hurts our Beck?" Mrs. Hayd screeched.

Fed up with her shrill voice, Ebner banged his walking stick against the floor with a few heavy thuds. The sound echoed loudly, rattling the chandelier, causing everyone to stare at him in shock—even Mrs. Hayd fell silent.

"Turns out this staff's side effect can also be used as a tool of intimidation," Ebner thought, amused. He'd only ant to get the couple's attention, not cause an earthquake.

At that mont, Miss Rachel Hayd, who had been hiding in her upstairs room, rushed down in a panic. "Papa, Mama! Was that an earthquake?"

Everyone's eyes focused on Ebner once again, and he cleared his throat awkwardly, choosing to change the topic. "Perfect timing, Miss Rachel. I have a few questions for you."

"F-for ?" Rachel stamred, wide-eyed.

"Yes, I'd like to know why you helped your brother lie and tried to scam your parents." As he spoke, Ebner blinked quickly, activating the Pure White Eye, using its natural authority to amplify Rachel's anxiety.

"B-because he... he found out about

and Dict," Rachel stamred, her voice shaking. "So he... he threatened..." As expected, Rachel's defenses crumbled under Ebner's words and deanor. This wasn't a supernatural ability but more akin to the fear people feel when they suddenly encounter sothing terrifying. Anyone with a firm will or life experience could easily withstand it, but Rachel was clearly lacking in both.

The mont Ebner closed the White Eye, she regained so composure, her face deathly pale. It was clear that she'd said sothing she hadn't ant to reveal.

"Rachel! What's going on here? Explain yourself!" Mr. Hayd, realizing the implications of the conversation, demanded, "And where is Beck?"

Mrs. Hayd, on the other hand, focused on a different concern. "Rachel, how could you be involved with that penniless Dick?"

Rachel's face paled even further, avoiding her mother's gaze. She mumbled to her father, "Beck... he went to find a friend nad Emlyn... He said that if he couldn't get the money from you, he'd trade so of his... so of his dolls with that friend and then use the money to buy..." She was skirting around her role in helping her brother with his lies.

"It really was for those dolls? What a spoiled brat!" Mr. Hayd's face was twisted with irritation. He'd always ignored his son's peculiar interests, never imagining they'd cause such trouble. Containing his frustration, he turned politely to Ebner and Aetris. "I sincerely appreciate your help, and I'll be sure to publish an article in my newspaper to comnd you both. But there's still sothing else—I need to ask for your help in locating this Emlyn fellow."

If I rember correctly, he lives at 48 Riverbay Avenue in the South Bridge district... Ebner thought but refrained from blurting it out. That would be far too suspicious.

"Who would have thought the future 'Moon' had a friend with the sa odd hobby? Although Emlyn is protective of his 'treasures'—definitely wouldn't trade them on a whim like young Hayd..." As Ebner mused, Aetris had already agreed to investigate Emlyn's whereabouts.

Afterward, they took Rachel's statent before bidding the Hayd family goodbye.

As they waited for the public carriage, Aetris glanced skeptically at Ebner's staff. With a smirk, he quipped, "That explains why our carriage earlier was so slow. I think the driver should've charged extra for hauling that thing! What's it made of, anyway?"

Ebner ignored the jab, as his thoughts were still on the staff. While it usually felt heavy, it had never been heavy enough to shake a room... only when striking a target did its weight seem to multiply.

"Seems the 'Artisan's Agent' ant it when she warned about the side effects. The striking motion increases its weight considerably. If it's this hard to wield, it's useless as a weapon in staff form... or maybe not. Swinging it downwards was unexpectedly effective. Should it be called 'Destroyer of Vehicles and Second Floors' instead?"

While Ebner amused himself with these thoughts, he noticed that so of the Hayds' servants were carrying several dolls past them, heading toward an empty lot. A common incineration spot for discarding unwanted household items.

"Looks like Mr. Hayd, in a fit of anger, decided to take his son's beloved dolls to the flas," Ebner mused, lanting the fate of the intricate figurines. Many were finely crafted; it seed a sha to destroy them.

Just then, a doll with cat ears, about the size of a bust, caught his attention. It sparked an unusual sense of awareness within him. Ebner looked closer, but he couldn't pinpoint anything extraordinary about it, only that it gave him a strange feeling, as though it might be important to his future.

"Is my sensitivity to the supernatural being triggered by so presence? Or... is this thing really connected to my fate?"

With no clear answer, Ebner couldn't resist activating his "Pure White Eye," hoping for a glimpse into the doll's true nature.

In that instant, he felt a splitting headache and collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

Before his mind faded into darkness, he had only one word in his thoughts: "Fog!"

He had seen the Gray Fog.