As the head of the household, Duke Holmes naturally opened the door to welcome these officials. It was worth mentioning that because of the city lockdown during this period, Euphy's parents were not as busy and elusive as before, but had been staying at home the entire time.
But even so, Freya noticed that the frequency of Euphy's interactions with her parents was extremely limited. Even when they passed each other in the hallway, they did little more than nod at each other. It didn't feel like a warm relationship between parents and daughter at all; instead, they seemed like strangers who were merely nodding acquaintances.
After leading the official squad into the mansion, Duke Holmes said, “Would you gentlemen like something to drink? I will have the servants prepare it.”
The captain of the squad shook his head. “No need.”
Even though they declined, Duke Holmes still summoned a servant to prepare some tea. Whether they drank it or not was one thing, but showing hospitality was another.
Duke Holmes said, “So... what brings you gentlemen here today?”
The captain said, “We received word that the thief who stole the potion might be hiding in your home. Please cooperate with our investigation, Your Grace.”
Meanwhile, as the two sides conversed, Freya, Euphy, and Kuro—two people and one cat—were all poking their heads out to watch from the corner of the second-floor staircase. Kuro's head was at the very bottom, Freya's was in the middle, and Euphy's was at the top.
The cat ears on Kuro's head twitched, brushing against Freya's cheek and making it itch slightly. Kuro whispered, “Eh? Did they find me, meow?”
Kuro shared what she had overheard with the other two. Upon hearing it, Freya's immediate reaction was, “Is the third trial here?”
If another wave of Mind Reading came at this moment without Mind Freya's prior preparations, they would definitely be exposed.
But Euphy said, “That's impossible.”
Euphy explained briefly. After those two rounds of investigation on the first day, the Holmes family should have cleared all suspicion. After all, the 【Divination Instrument】 had asked two questions back then: "Is the thief here now?" and "Will the thief come here in the future?"
If the authorities believed the divination result, they wouldn't investigate this place again. If they didn't believe it, wouldn't all their investigations over the past few days be a joke? Euphy didn't believe they had only used the 【Divination Instrument】 once; on the contrary, they likely used it once at every single location.
The conversation on the first floor continued. Duke Holmes also said, “That's impossible! There is absolutely no thief in my house!”
The captain said, “But according to the divination results of the 【Divination Instrument】, the thief is hiding right here.”
On the second floor, listening to Kuro's relaying, Euphy said, “Then that makes it even more impossible!”
Could it be because Kuro had arrived at the Holmes mansion, and the 【Divination Instrument】 picked her up? But the problem was, Kuro wasn't the actual culprit at all.
And if what this captain said was true, wouldn't this divination result contradict the previous one?
Euphy said solemnly, “This is an excuse. Their goal is definitely not to catch the thief...”
On the first floor, Duke Holmes furrowed his brows, clearly realizing this as well. At that moment, the captain suddenly said with a solemn expression, “Your Grace, it is not that we do not trust you, but this matter is truly of utmost importance, even concerning the safety of the entire nation! I ask you solemnly: are you absolutely loyal to His Majesty?”
At first glance, wasn't this an easy question to answer? A normal person would definitely choose to say "absolutely loyal." However, Duke Holmes paused slightly before saying, “No, my loyalty is to this country, and to all the people of this nation.”
On the second floor, Euphy also said, “That guy... he's setting a trap for my father. He's not with the authorities! At least, not the legitimate ones.”
This also suddenly reminded Freya of the events ten years in the future that she had experienced in the past. The Usurper, Regent 【Trig】, had seized the supreme power of the nation. Back then, the butler hadn't specified when the coup occurred, but looking at it now, could it be happening right at this moment?
A massive occult barrier had enveloped the entire city. This was the ultimate measure to defend the nation and ward off external enemies. No one could enter the city, which meant, conversely, that no one could leave. The entire city had effectively become a completely sealed space.
The core reason for the barrier's activation was the theft of the Rank Seven potion. With this in mind, Freya looked at Kuro and asked, “Was the client who commissioned you to steal the potion Trig?”
Therefore, the first batch of investigators on the first day were likely indeed the King's men, but those conducting this second investigation now were highly likely Trig's men.
Under the guise of 【catching the thief】, they could accomplish many things. Thinking of it this way, were the cultists discovered some time ago actually cultists? If Euphy's father, Duke Holmes, clearly showed his allegiance to the King at this moment, would the entire Holmes family become the next cultist stronghold?
But clearly, Duke Holmes was a smart man. In that false timeline, the Holmes family still existed ten years later, which naturally had its reasons. And now, Duke Holmes had undoubtedly made the correct choice.
On the first floor, the captain said, “Loyal to this country, loyal to all the people... is it?”
Duke Holmes said, “Naturally. Is that not what nobles are supposed to do?”
The captain fell silent for a moment, then said, “Fine, then I shall believe your loyalty to this country. I hope... when the time comes to make a decision, you will not make the wrong choice.”
As the captain spoke, he drained the tea on the table in one gulp. Then, with a wave of his hand, he commanded, “Withdraw! I believe that given His Grace's character, he would never harbor a thief. This time, the 【Divination Instrument】 must have made some mistake. Let's go!”
Subsequently, the squad quickly departed. It was only then that Duke Holmes wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and let out a long sigh of relief. Clearly, dancing on the edge of a blade was far too thrilling.
On the second floor, Freya, Euphy, and Kuro pulled their heads back and quickly left the hallway, returning to the bedroom. Euphy wore a look of sheer shock. “This is... a coup...”
However, Freya took a more open-minded view on this. “Thinking about the situation in that false timeline, maybe this is a good thing? Under the leadership of that Regent, this country grew countless times stronger over those ten years.”
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