The detective is dead, I did it.

Chapter 50 Everything Ends

"What right do you have to decide her fate?! How can you be considered a mother?"

"This is utterly inhuman! No! It's worse than an animal! Even wild beasts wouldn't treat their offspring like this."

"Your daughter worked to death in the textile factory; that was a dog-eat-dog world. You gave her to the Viscount; that's you eating your own daughter."

Li Ang stood up, took a step back, turned around, and stopped looking at her.

On the other side, after seeing Li Ang finish speaking, Charlotte casually waved her hand, showing no intention of continuing to listen to the woman.

The association's investigators immediately came over, and the two of them, one on each side, lifted her up from the ground.

This time, the woman stopped struggling. She was like a skeleton that had been removed, limp and hanging in the arms of the two men, with only her shoulders still trembling.

"My lord..." As she was being helped past Charlotte, she suddenly looked up, tears blurring her face. "Can I...can I go see her? Just...just one look..."

Clearly, after Li Ang's scolding, this woman seemed to have finally rekindled the faint trace of maternal love in her heart.

Although she didn't even know where her own daughter was buried, since the detective in front of her seemed to know so much about the matter, she must know.

So she wanted to see her daughter and apologize to her.

Unfortunately, it was too late.

Charlotte didn't want to look at her at all, nor did she answer. She simply turned away, leaving her with only a cold, indifferent back view.

"If only you had known this would happen, why did you do it in the first place?" Li Ang shook his head, then turned away, leaving the woman alone to cry.

Upon seeing this, the investigators unceremoniously helped her into the carriage and closed the door.

The wheels rolled over the gravel road with a dull thud, slicing the woman's cries into pieces and scattering them in every corner of the garden.

The scene fell silent instantly; no one spoke.

Those who were just protesting their innocence now lowered their heads one by one, not daring to look up at Charlotte, for fear that they would be the next to be called out.

Charlotte turned around and faced the group of servants, her gaze sweeping over their faces one by one. Everyone she looked at unconsciously shrank back.

"You, help the Viscount select people at the market. You, are responsible for receiving people at the gate of the mansion. You, carry the corpse to the garden and bury it."

Every name she mentioned was not random; every word she uttered was based on evidence.

Some of the evidence was written in letters by the old housekeeper, and some she discovered through investigation. Now, this evidence lies scattered throughout this cannibalistic mansion, telling its story everywhere.

No one cried out for justice anymore.

The investigators came forward and led them onto the carriage one by one.

This time, no one struggled.

The woman with short, silver-gray hair walked up to Charlotte, bowed again, and then went back to her work.

Li Ang stood on the lawn, watching the number of servants in front of him decrease, most of them being taken away by the investigators.

Although these people escaped Helena's magic, they ultimately could not escape the sins they had committed.

The old butler was the last to be taken away. He had made preparations before being taken away.

He was dressed impeccably in his black tailcoat, his bow tie perfectly tied. As he was led away, he stood ramrod straight, his steps steady, like a gentleman attending a banquet, not a criminal being arrested.

When the old butler walked up to Charlotte, he stopped and bowed slightly.

"Thank you for everything, Miss Holmes."

Charlotte stood on the steps, looking at him. "Thank you for standing up for me too."

After bowing to Li Ang once more, the old steward turned and walked toward the black carriage parked outside the iron gate.

Standing at the bottom of the steps, watching his retreating figure, Li Ang felt a sense of confusion: "He... is he going to be arrested too? Isn't he the one who wrote the whistleblower letter?"

Charlotte's gaze fell on the departing carriage. "He wrote the whistleblower letter. But he also buried the body."

"He handled the bodies of every dead girl. He took care of all the viscount's funeral arrangements."

"His report was commendable, but the fact that he was an accomplice remains unchanged. He will face the judgment he deserves."

Li Ang stood there, watching the black carriage disappear around the corner of the street.

Looking at the few servants on the field, he couldn't help but ask, "Where are these people?"

"They are among the few who didn't participate in anything but reported it."

"Therefore, they won't go to jail, but they won't stay here either."

"The association will give them new identities and relocate them to another place. A new name, a new city, a fresh start."

Leaning against the wall, Li Ang asked, "So, the reason these people are still alive is because you saved them, right?"

"right."

"You want them to be put on trial?"

Charlotte shook her head. "Yes and no. My ability is area-of-effect. When activated, everyone within a certain radius centered on me will be affected."

"I can't precisely choose who lives and who dies. To protect you, I have to protect them too."

It turned out to be the case.

Li Ang immediately realized that the reason he hadn't been affected by Helena's magic was because Charlotte had used her abilities.

As a result, everyone in the mansion was also saved.

Li Ang's throat moved, and he wanted to ask for more details, but Charlotte had already started walking, leaving only a light, casual remark.

"Don't overthink it. Saving them doesn't mean letting them go. Those who deserve to go to jail will all be imprisoned."

She turned and walked towards the door.

"Let's go. Let's go see Helena."

Seeing this, Li Ang could only follow behind her, temporarily abandoning his idea of ​​asking any further questions.

When Helena was brought out, the sun was already high in the sky, and Leon and Charlotte had already arrived at the mansion's entrance.

She returned to normal human size, and the shackles on her hands had been replaced with a new set, covered with dense runes, clearly some kind of tool specifically designed for ability users.

Her long blonde hair was tied back, and two investigators walked in front of her, one on each side, while Shirley walked behind.

Helena paused as she passed by Leon and Charlotte.

"Thanks."

Then she turned around and followed the two investigators out the door.

Shirley turned and waved to the two of them. "Then I'll take her back first. See you next time, little Titi."

Charlotte simply watched her bid a warm farewell with indifference.

Leon watched Helena's retreating figure, lost in thought. "How long will she be locked up?"

"It depends on how cooperative she is. At least two hundred years," Charlotte replied, "but at least she won't die. The Association's prisons generally don't kill people."

Two hundred years is practically the same as a life sentence. But at least it saves your life.

"However, the trial process for witches is quite complicated, especially if the death penalty is not imposed. There may be people from other departments involved, and the two of us will also need to be present."

Charlotte wasn't really concerned about whether Helena was sentenced to death.

The problem is that she doesn't have the final say on these matters; it's decided by the association's key figures.

They certainly won't sentence Helena to death.

Because there is no precedent for this.

The association has always been very lenient towards criminals who are willing to surrender. Even cult members are willing to be let off the hook as long as they can abandon their evil gods and return to the right path.

Note that "letting the other party go" here means putting the other party in jail, not actually letting them escape.

But the biggest problem is that the Detective Association's prison is not so easy to get into.

"I understand," Li Ang replied, then noticed Charlotte still seemed to be frowning and couldn't help but ask, "What's wrong?"

"I'm worried about the other witches in the Witches' Guild," Charlotte replied. "Now that we've captured members of their organization, I fear they may have other plans."

"What else do they want to do? They can't possibly break them out of prison, can they? Hahaha! How could that be possible?" Li Ang laughed and denied Charlotte's statement.

Are you kidding me? This is London, the heart of all of Britain, and the headquarters of all detectives.

To attempt a prison break here would be like dancing on a knife's edge—absolutely impossible.

Not far away, the carriage carrying Helena moved slowly, the sound of its wheels rolling on the road fading into the distance until it was completely drowned out by the sounds of digging in the garden.

"I hope so," Charlotte sighed, then brought up another matter, "that matter can't be kept secret anymore either."

Li Ang turned to look at her. "What is it?"

"Your identity as an armed detective. That big mouth of Shirley wrote about you in the association's internal communications."

Charlotte had only just learned of this herself, and some people had even come to ask her how she managed to get an armed detective to willingly become her assistant.

Charlotte brushed off all these questions.

Even if Sherry didn't write it, Helena would have told the association anyway. In any case, Li Ang's identity could no longer be kept a secret.

Charlotte had intended to keep it a secret for a while longer, but now it seems her plan has fallen through.

"She is indeed quick."

Although Li Ang didn't understand why Charlotte wanted to hide her sequence abilities, he also knew the saying "the taller the tree, the more the wind blows," so he was naturally happy to keep it a secret.

But now that it can no longer be hidden, they can only play it by ear.

"She has no other skills, but her speed in relaying messages is at the Sequence 6 level."

Charlotte took out a blank sheet of paper and started writing something as she spoke.

"So you need to officially register next. Otherwise, you won't be able to explain it to the association. It's against the rules for an unregistered ability user to use weapon-type abilities at a crime scene."

Li Ang looked at her. "What do I need to do on my end?"

"Do nothing." Charlotte sat down in the chair, crossed her legs, and tapped the table lightly with her fingers. "Just demonstrate your armed sequence capabilities here. We'll talk about the rest after the association sends someone to evaluate you."

"I have no objection."

If the association finds out about my dual-sequence ability, they might even dissect me for research.

"I'll write you a letter of recommendation. After all, you haven't received professional training, so you need someone to vouch for you."

She put down her pen, read it through again from beginning to end, and after confirming that there were no mistakes, she folded the letter, put it into a new kraft paper envelope, and sealed it with sealing wax.

The sealing wax stamp was engraved with her personal crest, a raven with outstretched wings, holding a magnifying glass in its beak.

"Now all we have to do is wait." She placed the envelope on the corner of the table, waiting to hand it to the association members when they left.

"The association might have some questions about your identity, since your abilities weren't innate, and there's no record of you in the association's archives."

"They will investigate your background to confirm that you are neither a cult member nor a criminal with superpowers. Until then, your identity as an armed detective will not be officially recognized."

"What if the investigation fails?"

Charlotte glanced at him, a smile curving her lips in a way that was hard to decipher—whether it was a comforting or a warning.

"I wrote this letter of recommendation myself as Sherlock Holmes. If it doesn't pass, it won't just be you who loses face."

Charlotte's carriage returned before noon and left the Viscount's mansion.

Outside the car window, the investigators were still busy in the garden, and most of the remains had been excavated.

The sunlight shone on the rose bush that had been dug up by the roots. Its roots were curled up in the lime layer, like a hand that had been burned and could no longer open.

Li Ang leaned back in his seat in the carriage, resting with his eyes closed.

This trip has really worn him out, especially since he barely rested last night. Now, sitting in the carriage, weariness is creeping back in.

The wheels rolled over the stone road, the rumbling sound rhythmically shaking the carriage.

Charlotte sat opposite him, her eyes closed, her long white hair cascading over her shoulders, swaying gently with the movement of the carriage.

Her breathing was light and even; it was hard to tell if she was truly asleep or lost in thought.

As time passed, the two returned to Charlotte's mansion.

The driver jumped out of the car and opened the door. Charlotte got out first, followed by Leon.

The door was open, and Donald was already standing on the steps waiting for them.

"Welcome back, Miss, Lord Li Ang," he said with a slight bow.

"You've had a long day, Donald." Charlotte started walking. "Where's Ktura?"

"She's still sleeping, but I've already arranged for someone to inform her. She waited until the early hours of the morning yesterday for the two of you to return." The old butler stepped aside to let her pass.

Li Ang shook his head helplessly, clearly feeling somewhat resigned, but there was nothing he could say.

After all, it must have been difficult for Ketura to sleep alone all of a sudden, especially in such an unfamiliar mansion.

Thinking of this, Li Ang quickly walked up the stairs. When he opened the door, Ketula was already up. Their eyes met, and then she quickly stood up, ran over barefoot, and buried her head in his arms.

"Brother!" Her voice was muffled against his chest, trembling with tears, "You haven't come back, I thought..."

"I'm fine." Li Ang patted her head, his hand covering her soft blonde hair. "There was just a little mishap that delayed me. Didn't I already tell you before I left? I might not be back tonight."

Ktura lifted her head from his embrace, her eyes red, checked his body, and after confirming that there were no injuries, let out a long breath.

"But I've always been worried about you."

"Don't worry. I'll always be by your side."