"Ah, did I just fall asleep? I'm so sorry… Miss Fran, your medicine is really effective. I feel much better."
She stole a glance at Fran before continuing, "I'm sorry for doubting you for a moment. You truly are a remarkable doctor. Worthy of being from the Secrets-Hunter Cult."
"It's not that great…" Fran touched her cheek, responding quite humbly.
"Might I ask if you have more of that capsule I just took? I'd like to pre-order a month's supply, or if you could plan a treatment course for me, that would be even better."
"Also, are you a full-time physician with the Cult? If you could do part-time work, I'd like to hire you as my private doctor."
"Please rest assured, you would only need to do quarterly routine check-ups. It absolutely wouldn't take much of your time. As for salary… let's start with the industry's highest standard."
Since her family began disappearing, Solani's mental state had never been this relaxed.
As a believer in the "White Cup," she naturally held trust in emerging technology industries and also had an inexplicable reverence for professions like doctors and researchers.
Fran's superb medical skills had genuinely shocked Solani in a very short time, which was why she conceived the idea of hiring Fran as her private doctor.
"Oh, truly flattering, Madam. Thank you for your generosity…"
Fran clasped her hands together, not hiding the appreciation in her eyes for Solani.
"After this case concludes, I will consider your proposal. You can simply send someone to the Secrets-Hunter Cult to find me then."
Haida raised an eyebrow slightly. She had thought Fran would directly accept Mrs. Solani's invitation.
After all, the other party directly offered the highest-level treatment, and given her family background and asset level, the actual salary would likely be even higher.
Yet Fran said, "find me at the Secrets-Hunter Cult."
She wasn't a real Cult member, so going to the Secrets-Hunter Cult naturally wouldn't work… This implied she was actually refusing Mrs. Solani.
It seems money isn't all-powerful… At least it didn't work on Dr. Fran this time.
"Madam, you haven't had dinner yet, have you? Please eat something first. Proper protein intake will be very beneficial for your body."
Before Solani could say anything else, Fran began recommending her freshly prepared masterpiece.
"Did you make this yourself? While I was asleep?" Seeing the plate Fran brought out, Solani couldn't help but feel surprised.
"My apologies…"
Since her family started disappearing, she really hadn't been able to eat properly. Now that her mental state was recovering, a strong sense of hunger surged up.
And this dish was tempting in every way… She seemed to have no reason to refuse.
Mrs. Solani took up her knife and fork, cut a piece of beef, and placed it in her mouth.
"I never imagined you had such exquisite culinary skills. Even the top chefs in Norlington might not be able to compare with you in this dish. That's truly impressive…"
Mrs. Solani's praise wasn't polite flattery but sincere and substantial.
When others said things like "top chefs," it might just be talk, but she often dined at the best restaurants in the Central District and had personally experienced the skills of so-called top chefs many times.
"You flatter me. I just have some experience handling meat…"
Fran propped her cheek with one hand, watching Mrs. Solani elegantly eat what should have been her own dinner.
She didn't show any displeasure. Her amber-like, deep golden eyes were filled with a smiling light.
"Just like you, dear Mrs. Solani. You also have quite a talent for handling meat. It must have been very troublesome dealing with three people plus one dog's worth of meat, right?"
Fran's sudden question made Mrs. Solani pause slightly, confused and a bit dazed, seemingly unable to grasp the meaning of the words.
Haida's eyes sharpened. The moment Fran finished speaking, she had already drawn her two customary large-caliber firearms from her overcoat holsters.
Although not directly aimed at Mrs. Solani, she was ready to aim and fire at any moment.
"Did you find something, Dr. Fran?"
"Colleagues from the Confidential Division should have started investigating the missing persons before today, right? They found nothing. That's why you needed to investigate directly, to obtain further clues. Correct?"
Fran didn't answer Haida's question immediately but instead asked one in return.
"That's correct."
There was no need to hide information of this level. Haida admitted it directly.
"They're right here. The clues you're looking for, the missing people and dog, are all in this house. But their locations are a bit scattered… It's normal not to find them."
"What are you saying? You have clues about Fice and the others?!"
Solani, who had just recovered somewhat, immediately neared her limit again. She came almost hysterically before Fran.
She grabbed Fran's shoulders with both hands, as if wanting to ask what the other meant by her earlier words.
"Sigh… Must I spell it out more plainly? It's quite clear, Mrs. Solani. You are the culprit behind all the missing person cases. Are you still going to pretend you don't know?"
"I know there's no Evil Spawn parasitising you, and your mind hasn't been altered. Everything stemmed from your own will."
Fran's exhalation was fragrant like an orchid, a light sigh. Her gaze towards Solani held a trace of pity, but more so, indifference.
"You suspect me? But… why?"
Even a fool could hear the direct confrontation in Fran's words. Strong anger surfaced on Solani's face.
"Blamelessly pushing the blame onto the innocent? Is this how the Secrets-Hunters operate? Who is responsible for my child and husband's safety? I will report your rudeness and irresponsibility to the White Cup Sect!"
The once relatively delicate Solani now seemed quite commanding, as if she had grown taller.
Though she was a rising aristocrat and had been separated from her family for a long time, her bones and blood still retained the arrogance—or perhaps hubris—of a superior that brooked no challenge.
"Oh, that would be for the best. And bring two 'Error-Purgers' from the White Cup Sect while you're at it, to see if they can see through the 'Flesh-Shaping Ritual' here."
"Using blood and flesh to mimic common objects, that's a trick I got tired of twenty years ago."
Fran looked at Solani with a raised, disinterested gaze, as if she had lost all interest in her.
"You…" Her words made Solani freeze abruptly.
This reaction, in Haida's eyes, was no different from admitting guilt. She swiftly raised both guns, aiming them at Solani.
"Whose flesh and skin was transformed into your family's carpet? Such a large size… it must be your husband, Logan, right?"
"And this tacky pattern, utterly lacking in aesthetics. A white oak tree full of branches, a rose to the left of the oak, and red leaves on either side…"
"The oak trunk is the spine, the branches are ribs, the rose is the heart, the red leaves are lungs… Right? Dear Mrs. Solani? Hmm, does this count as a kind of 'two-dimensional unfolding'?"
Fran tapped her lips lightly with her index finger, seeming to ponder the question seriously.
Having said that, she picked up the white porcelain cup she had used for black tea earlier, hooking the handle with her index finger and swinging it slightly.
"Using a skull as a cup, how classical. Why are you nobles so obsessed with using other people's heads for drinks?"
Haida pressed her lips together, feeling a hint of physiological discomfort.
Simultaneously, her gaze towards Fran carried a trace of inexplicable resentment. She didn't warn me? Wait, she even drank from that cup herself…
She simply doesn't care.
"Did you kill everyone?"
Haida questioned Solani while considering whether to shoot first to disable her limbs and eliminate her mobility.
"Kill? What nonsense are you saying? Returning to my Master's embrace is such a blessing… How could you mortals who believe in false gods possibly understand?"
Solani hurriedly responded to Haida and then began slowly backing away, biting her fingers anxiously.
"Impossible. It's just some missing persons, just an incident of this level. Someone sent by the Secrets-Hunters shouldn't be able to recognize such highly complete rituals! And why hasn't that thing taken effect yet…"
Solani tore at her hair and face. Her meticulously maintained face, twisted with expression, was now covered with deep creases.
She had abandoned her disguise and fallen into madness.
Suddenly, Fran subtly winked at Haida. Haida didn't understand what she intended but signaled with her eyes that she would cooperate.
"Alright, surrender. Anything else can be said back at the Secrets-Hunter Cult's holding cells… Ahem, what did you do?"
Mid-sentence, Fran suddenly stopped.
She shakily held her forehead, her body leaning softly against the nearby wall, soon collapsing to the floor.
What is she doing now?
Haida didn't understand why she suddenly pretended to faint when she already had the situation under control.
But she grasped the actual intent behind Fran's earlier wink: to follow her lead.
Somewhat helplessly, she feigned a drowsy state, pretending to struggle for a moment before also falling to the ground.
"Heh…" Seeing both of them unconscious, a brilliant smile bloomed on Solani's twisted face.
"So what if you saw through the 'Flesh-Shaping Ritual'? From the moment you stepped into this house, the outcome was decided. You too shall become my Master's bone and blood, like my lovely family… Ah, I can't wait to offer the tribute to Him…"
It was the black tea.
Those two cups of Attilan black tea contained a large amount of mystically potent sedatives. Even a Burial Attendant with basic resistance to poisons would be unconscious for at least a full day.
And for safety, in case the two didn't drink the tea or only one did, the expensive incense she was burning was also full of such substances.
A flush of excited fervor rose on Solani's face. Her body trembled with excitement, her eyes brimming with pure happiness.
To become the bone and blood of the transcendent, great existence, the "Red Cup"—how glorious and sacred. This was her ultimate, long-cherished dream.
But she couldn't blood-sacrifice herself so hastily. Before the destined moment arrived, she must do everything possible to let more dull, ignorant mortals hear the Master's gospel.
For this, Solani had to endure this constantly decaying flesh… She had to play the role of an elegant aristocrat, a virtuous wife, and a gentle mother.
No, her feelings for her family weren't false. She genuinely, sincerely loved everything in her household.
At the same time, she felt truly happy that her family could return to the Master's embrace before her.
Solani unbuttoned the tightly fastened clasps of her velvet gown, revealing a body densely covered with healed scars.
Then, from a wound fissure right in the center of her chest, she slowly extracted a small bone saw covered in sticky blood.
Her actions didn't stop there. Following the same method, she took out several pieces of human parchment used for inscribing flesh-shaping rituals.
"After finishing this, I must relocate. I'm already being watched by those fanatics. The flesh and blood of Secrets-Hunters have always been the highest quality tribute. Though there were some twists, the outcome is still beautiful. Thanks to my Master's grace and mercy…"
She affectionately stroked the bone saw, then turned her gaze to Fran, lying limp on the floor.
"This doctor's body is too frail, what a pity. But her brain is undoubtedly a rare treasure. My Master will surely like it…"
Knock, knock, knock.
Just then, a sudden knocking sounded at the door.
Solani, lost in her reverie, shuddered. The muscles at the corner of her eye began to twitch uncontrollably.
"Hello, I'm Vivian, an investigator from the Secrets-Hunter Cult's Confidential Division. Is Ms. Solani at home?"
"Tsk, why now, of all times? Why! I was so close. If only I had a little more time…"
Disgust, regret, disappointment… Solani's face twisted almost into a knot.
But she couldn't afford to stay now. The situation outside was unknown. Who knew if it was just one investigator or an entire action team? This forced her to abandon the tribute already in her grasp.
Solani looked reluctantly at the two collapsed on the floor. She put away the bone saw and parchment, redressed, and left the house through a concealed back door.
Her facial flesh twisted repeatedly in the evening shadows, finally completely transforming into another person's appearance.
"I didn't succeed. A near miss. But this too is my Master's trial. Patience, patience…"
She comforted herself in a voice as thin as a mosquito's hum, her figure gradually disappearing into the night.
——
Vivian took out a wire, deftly fiddled with the door lock for a moment, and quickly opened it. She then casually put on a black mask covering her mouth and nose.
She entered the house, looked at Haida and Fran lying on the floor, her eyes carrying a hint of helplessness as she let out a rather despondent sigh.
"Sigh, in the end, I have to clean up the mess? And I even let Solani escape. I'm not going to get scolded by Head Alwin again, am I…"
As an investigator for the Confidential Division, Vivian's investigative skills were outstanding, but her combat abilities were absolutely no match for the fanatics from the Burial Court.
In the situation just now, even knowing something had happened inside, she could only try to scare Solani off, unable to stop this heretic from leaving.
Because in a one-on-one situation, she might not win.
The next moment, she couldn't help but widen her eyes.
Dr. Fran, who had been unconscious, suddenly stood up nimbly. She brushed the dust off her white coat and looked at Vivian with an "I knew it" expression.
"I said the General Affairs Division wouldn't let Sister Haida take another dangerous solo mission so soon. There should be surveillance and backup. Perfect for scaring off Solani at the critical moment."
Before the words faded, Haida also stood up. Her expression was calm, seemingly completely unaffected by the sedatives.
She asked Fran somewhat puzzledly, "Why let Solani go? Heretics of the Red Cup sect specialize in flesh and blood and can easily change their appearance. Once they blend into the crowd, finding them again will be very difficult."
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T/N: Hey readers~! New Translator here! Before I say anything, I'd first like to thank the original author for creating this wonderful story. Without them, I wouldn't have the chance to share this adventure with you. I hope my translation does justice to their work, and that together, we can enjoy this story.
With that said, I'm happy to let you know I'll be uploading daily chapters. And for those who wish to support my work and gain early access, I've set up a Patreon where advanced chapters will be available.
[email protected]/PeakTL