Without paying attention to the questioning looks from his subordinates, Swart walked out of the interrogation room again and returned to the previous room.
"Sir, what are your orders?" Swart asked respectfully.
"Ask him about the 'ritual,'" the man holding the pocket watch instructed.
"Understood, sir," Swart nodded, turned around, and returned to the interrogation room.
This time, Swart's gaze towards Goethe softened, and his tone became gentle, as if he was worried about scaring Goethe.
"Goethe, did you just mention a 'ritual'?"
"Yes," Goethe nodded directly, already guessing what had happened.
"What kind of ritual?" Swart asked in detail, remembering the instructions from the person in the next room.
"I can't remember very clearly. I only recall that the marks on the ground were crimson and glowing, then some disgusting maggots appeared... And they seem to be very powerful. Besides 'Ander' and this 'Soko,' they have more people."
Goethe spoke truthfully. The ritual was too complicated to remember clearly, and he was saying all this for the person in the next room, including the speculation afterward.
"Ander?" Swart asked about the name.
"Ander was the clue I found!"
"When I was repeatedly in trouble at home, inexplicably in debt, and everyone was avoiding me, a friend I met at the 'Garden Club' approached me, claiming to have a way to help. I paid attention at that time."
When Goethe mentioned the 'Garden Club,' Swart and the middle-aged officer showed knowing expressions, while the two younger officers looked envious and longing. The 'Garden Club' on Durian Street was a famous place in Lust, known for its gathering of young, beautiful girls who would passionately serve as long as they saw the coins in your pocket, even donning bunny ears, cat ears, tails, and wearing black, white, or flesh-colored stockings.
"Why did you kill him, then? He was a clue you found with great difficulty, wasn't he?" Swart coughed lightly, quickly gathering his thoughts, and continued questioning according to Goethe's account. The sheriff didn't know how much the big figure next door wanted to know, so he had to ask as thoroughly as possible.
"Yes, but he tried to kill me, so I had no choice but to resist. And a new clue has emerged, hasn't it?" Goethe countered.
Swart was stunned and then remembered the anonymous letter he had just received. The sheriff immediately glared at Goethe in anger.
"You're trying to use us to deal with those who are chasing you?" the sheriff scolded angrily. Yes, those chasing Goethe—this sheriff didn't think he needed to do anything. His salary wasn't enough for him to risk his life.
Goethe shook his head. "No! Not using, but cooperating!" Although in reality, it was using, Goethe would never admit that. He only acknowledged "cooperation."
After a slight pause, Goethe looked at the angry Swart and said seriously, "You see, they haven't figured out the real situation yet, so they're using small tricks to probe what's happening here. If we can respond in time, we can catch them off guard, even if they've set up an ambush on Guta Street!"
Guta Street, where Goethe's house was located. Hearing Goethe's words, Swart immediately refused without thinking. "I would never—"
Bang! Before he could finish speaking, there was a knock on the wall again. Without paying attention to Goethe, the sheriff left the room and ran into the adjacent room.
Facing Swart, who ran in, the man said directly, "Agree to it." After speaking, the man lowered his head and continued looking at the pocket watch in his hand.
"Yes," Swart agreed, even though he was extremely reluctant. But he didn't leave immediately. Instead, he stood at the door, hoping the man would change his mind because he knew how dangerous things would become if the man got involved. It was... fatal!
Unfortunately, the man had no intention of changing his mind.
"I will support you," the man said. Even with the man's promise, the sheriff didn't feel relieved. He wanted to say more, but noticing the impatience on the man's face, he wisely turned and left, returning to the interrogation room. He didn't want to offend the man before him and didn't dare to either.
Compared to the fatal danger, offending the man would be worse than death! Swart returned to the interrogation room, full of frustration, ignoring the questioning looks from his subordinates and glaring fiercely at Goethe. Swart, not being a fool, knew he had been played by the young man in front of him. From the beginning, Goethe had intended to go to Guta Street. But what could he do? He had no choice.
"Fine, I agree to your cooperation," Swart said. "But everything has to be under my command." Even though he agreed, the sheriff wanted to retain as much control as possible.
"Alright," Goethe, who had achieved his goal, did not object.
Twenty minutes later, the barber Dole, who occasionally acted as a forensic doctor, rushed back to the police station.
"I'm a part-time doctor, not a family doctor! If someone's hurt, they should go to the hospital! And why was Soko careless enough to get injured by a detained criminal? Didn't he have any vigilance?"
Dole started shouting as soon as he reached the police station. Everyone knew that the police station's forensic doctor was a good person, but he had a big mouth.
"That was an accident. No one expected that guy to suddenly resist," the officer waiting at the door shrugged helplessly. As police officers, getting injured was common, but it was rare for a criminal to injure someone inside the station.
Dole and the officer walked into the station. Meanwhile, across the street in an alley, someone who had been observing everything saw and heard it all. They immediately turned and disappeared.
Ten minutes later, a carriage left the police station. Driving the carriage was the middle-aged officer, and inside were Sheriff Swart, Goethe, and the two other officers from earlier. Unlike when Goethe was brought to the station, he was now handcuffed and sandwiched between the two officers, with Swart sitting opposite him—a standard setup for transporting important prisoners in Lust.
But this time, Goethe had a key to the handcuffs in his jacket pocket. As a precaution, his wallet and dagger were not returned.
"You better hope nothing goes wrong, or else..." Swart was still fuming, his words filled with threats.
Goethe just smiled in response. Although he was looking at Swart, his attention was already on their destination: Guta Street, his 'home.' What awaits him there?
The night in Lust was even quieter than imagined. After leaving the main street, the middle-aged officer lit a lantern. Under its light, the carriage quickly made its way toward Guta Street, where the Wayne family lived.
The journey was smooth, but as the carriage entered the street, a thin mist suddenly appeared.
(End of chapter)