Chapter 68 Investigation
The subsequent impact of Bill Farm's death was faster than expected. The day after the body was found, a sheriff came to Baita University and politely "invited" Mr. Nova Brody into the Sheriff's Office and asked him to cooperate with the investigation.
In the reception room of the Public Security Bureau, Nova met the dusty Count Fam, a middle-aged man dressed in exquisite and luxurious clothes, but with sickly sunken cheeks. No amount of lead powder could hide the dark circles under his eyes. He looked like a grief-stricken father who had lost his beloved son.
"You have ten minutes, Lord Fam," an old sheriff reminded him. Lord Fam simply sat on the sofa, stroking his cane, not even looking up. A servant beside him immediately produced a package and placed it in the sheriff's hand, creating a crisp metallic clang.
The old sheriff stuffed the purse into his arms with a smooth, careless gesture, oblivious to the fact that someone across from him had witnessed the entire process. "Half an hour, Lord Fam—after all, Mr. Brody is a Silver-Blooded noble and a professor at White Tower University, not a criminal."
"Please don't use too absolute words." Earl Fam said coldly, looking at the black-haired young man with a cold and hateful look.
But the other person remained motionless, staring at the bloodshot eyes of the deceased's family without any emotion, and did not seem to feel the slightest bit of guilt or uneasiness.
"Nova Brody." Count Farm chewed on the word grimly.
"The last student of Delos Rabelais, a rising star of the prestigious Académie des Ockenseles, the youngest professor at White Tower University..." He clapped his hands mockingly, again and again. "I believe you have reached the pinnacle of your professional field. You are truly a young scholar with a promising future."
The other person said the word "bright future" as if it were a curse - but the other person still did not hide his uncomfortable, cold and sharp gaze.
"Do you know what my Bill shouted before his painful death?" Earl Fam suddenly changed the subject - the Soul Guardian will automatically record the last words and other information left by the nobles when they die, and present it to the family and the Royal Court Council.
"heresy."
Almost at the same time, the two of them uttered the same word, but one was full of hatred, the other was calm and confident.
The black-haired young man said coldly, "There are still traces of gold dust on your cane. Judging from the size and location, it must have been left by your thumb when you subconsciously wiped it. The Glorious Church has always had the habit of using gold dust ink on documents. In addition, the conflict between Bill Fam and me ostensibly revolved around heresy..."
Ignoring the increasingly strange looks from the surrounding sheriffs, the man calmly concluded, "Before this meeting, you first visited the Heresy Inquisition of the Glowing Church. Judging by the end time of the first round of the Silver Flower Mine auction, it was probably yesterday afternoon. Then, you rushed to Baita Town overnight without stopping."
“…”
Lord Farm stared at him gloomily without saying a word.
Nova simply ignored him and looked at the old sheriff beside him: "I strongly suspect that the murderer deliberately framed me. I also know Bill Fam's living habits. I suggest that you first investigate the people whose interpersonal relationships Bill Fam has with mine."
"That's none of your business, Mr. Brody," the other man replied coldly. "What were you doing from six to eight o'clock in the afternoon three days ago?"
"I prepare lessons alone in my office."
"Who can testify?"
Nova paused. "No one. My teaching assistant went to town to help me buy some teaching supplies. The student who was originally scheduled to answer questions had to reschedule his class."
"You haven't been to dinner during this time?"
"No, I forgot."
The old sheriff lowered his head and wrote a few words in the record book: "It is said that after discovering the body, you did not wait for the sheriff to arrive, but took the initiative to 'inspect' the body?"
"Excuse me, I've learned some criminal investigation knowledge from books, and I know that some evidence may disappear with the passage of time." The black-haired young man's tone remained calm. "Please also understand that as a scholar, I simply cannot resist a rare opportunity to practice."
A teacup was flying towards the professor's head. Nova turned his head sharply - the teacup brushed past his ear, hit the wall, and shattered into pieces with a crisp sound.
"That's my son! My only son is dead! Not some damn practical opportunity! You dirty, disgusting, traitor! Devil!" Earl Fam seemed to have finally lost control of his emotions. His eyes were red, his fingers were trembling, and he was breathing heavily like an angry bull.
"Interesting," the professor said coldly amidst the chaos. "Instead of hating your son's murderer, you blame me for trying to find the truth?"
"How do you know that Bill Fam was killed by someone and not by accident?" The old sheriff looked at him sternly. Earl Fam on the side seemed to calm down a little, straightened his collar and sat up straight again.
Nova paused and didn't answer directly: "May I know the cause of death concluded by the coroner?"
"Bill Farm died of asphyxiation due to vomit blocking his trachea while he was unconscious."
"Besides that?"
The old sheriff sensitively asked, "Besides what?"
"You didn't find anything in the dead man's stomach?" Nova stared at him expressionlessly.
"How could you harbor such blasphemous thoughts?" The old sheriff frowned. "Even a deceased Radiant Knight must maintain their appearance and body's integrity, and must not harm the glory of our god."
The professor replied coldly and sarcastically: "If you had seen Bill Farm's body with your own eyes, I don't think anyone would see the difference between damaging 30% of your honor and damaging 50% of your honor."
Just looking at the other person's dignity after being pecked by a crow, how could he be so badly hurt by a knife in the stomach?
Earl Fam roared angrily and looked like he wanted to pounce on him and beat him, but he was held tightly by several sheriffs. The servants beside him watched the scene helplessly, not knowing whether to step forward to help restrain the furious master, or rush over first and slap the inhuman bastard.
The culprit continued to stare at everyone with his smoky gray eyes, unconcerned about the chaos he had caused. "If you have asked my other colleagues present, I think you know what I am talking about."
The old sheriff wrote something down and said calmly, "We found some undigested beans in the vomit."
“Datura seeds are similar to beans and can easily be mixed in.”
"It seems you are quite knowledgeable in this area?" The old sheriff suddenly raised his head and stared at him thoughtfully. "I'm sorry, we don't want to question you, but you are a professor of theology..."
"That doesn't mean I'm completely ignorant of other areas." The professor leaned back in boredom, staring at him expressionlessly, and ordered bluntly, "Please tell me something I don't know. Stop wasting our time, or I refuse to continue this fruitless conversation."
The reception room fell into an eerie silence. Everyone stared at the arrogant guy, and no one knew what he was thinking.
"Mr. Bill Fam arrived in White Tower Town around 8 p.m. three days ago," the old sheriff said slowly, breaking his silence. "He had dinner at the Birchwood Restaurant in town and then went to White Tower University. He hasn't been seen since. Two days later, his body was found in the bell tower of White Tower University. We searched the Birchwood Restaurant overnight, and the dinner Mr. Bill Fam had that day did contain beans, but we didn't find any datura seeds in the kitchen."
"Interestingly, when we asked the waiter at the Birchwood Restaurant if anything unusual had happened that day, he recalled that an impressively pretty blond boy had come in that afternoon and asked for some food to go. Professor Brody, what are your thoughts on this?"
"So you think I used some incomprehensible means to summon Bill Fam all the way from St. Bartolomeo's School of Warlocks to White Tower University." The professor's voice was steady, but his speech became faster. "Because the wine from the Birchwood Restaurant in White Tower Town is famous, Bill Fam would definitely choose to dine there. I instructed my teaching assistant to mix datura seeds into his plate, causing him to hallucinate. I also made him appear drunk and choked to death in the bell tower of White Tower University. After all, he was a famous alcoholic, and we happened to have some conflicts regarding heresy."
He clapped his hands gracefully. "It's a good script. The general motive and method of the crime are explained. The only thing missing is how I perform the summoning technique."
"So you admit it?" Count Fam sneered and raised his voice to the sheriff beside him, "Your Excellency, I don't understand why you haven't arrested this man yet?"
"Is your brain just a decoration? I have no doubt at all about the blood relationship between you and Bill Farm." The black-haired young man finally looked at him straight in the eye again, but unfortunately, he was so angry when he opened his mouth.
The other person stared at him angrily, his lips twitching violently and his face turned ashen.
"I'm sorry, Lord Fam, we don't have conclusive evidence yet, so we have no right to detain a noble, and White Tower University will also protest." The old sheriff shook his head in embarrassment.
"It doesn't matter. I won't embarrass you." Earl Fam stood up, patted his clothes, and replied contemptuously: "I will ask someone capable to intervene in this matter."
He sized up the black-haired young man like a venomous snake, squeezing out a few words from between his teeth: "Like the Royal Court Council, like... the Inquisition."
"Of course, it's your right." The old sheriff remained calm and nodded towards the professor. "Thank you for your cooperation, Mr. Brody. You can leave after we ask a few more questions about the crime scene. But please do not leave White Tower Town without permission."
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