Letting It Slip

Looking at the massive stack of documents in front of him, Lynch felt an incredibly complex mix of emotions.

These files were highly likely the source of Donnie's stack of photos—the actual mystery documents. Since the photos alone had been that dangerous, the originals were bound to be far worse. It felt as thrilling as if he had spent the night sleeping with a nuclear bomb in his arms.

What's more, after going in a massive circle, exhausting his wits, losing several lives, and almost losing Officer Natalie herself, who would have thought that the very thing he was looking for had been right beside him all along?

Fate was truly a mysterious thing. But now that he knew these were related to a manifestation grade mystery relic, should he continue investigating?

【Don't misunderstand, it has nothing to do with fate, Lynch.】

‘Huh?’

【All of this was destined the moment you set foot on the path of immortality, Lynch. The supreme will strongly attracts mysterious filth to entangle itself around you. With your attraction to the mystery, how far away do you think the mysterious events already connected to you can possibly be? Hasn't everything that happened around you over these past twenty days made you realize? No matter where you hide, no matter how you turn a blind eye, the mystery will always appear by your side when you least expect it. You have no choice but to endure.】

Lynch opened his mouth, but found himself speechless.

【This is the price of your own choice, Lynch. I warned you that the path of immortality is a journey of no return. From the moment you set foot on the starting line, your life was destined to be tightly entangled with the mystery, unstoppable and inseparable, until you reach the supreme, or... return to the depths of the Dreamlands.】

‘Huh? Wait, Neighbor, did you let something slip? Shouldn't it be crossing the River Styx to return to eternal sleep? There's never been any mention of returning to the Dreamlands. Don't you think something is off?’

【……】

‘Hey, you there?’

【……】

‘Hello, is anyone there?’

【Lynch, do you understand the meaning of the phrase "letting it slip"?】

The female voice in his head was still just as gentle, but for some reason, Lynch suddenly felt a chill run through his entire body, as if doomsday had arrived.

【It's not that I won't tell you, but...】

‘Or is it that it's not suitable for me to know right now?’

【No, it is that you cannot know. Therefore, you must not even think about it, or it will lead to irreversible consequences.】

Hiss. Lynch truly felt a bit cold this time. His neighbor wouldn't lie about something like this, which meant it was likely extremely dangerous information. But to ask him not to think about it...

‘Isn't this just like the demand to absolutely not think about a white polar bear? This is way too difficult.’

【Even if you cannot, you must. This is also a test brought to you by the path of immortality.】

‘Huh? Isn't this because you let it slip? What does it have to do with the path of immortality?’

【...Lynch, do you understand the meaning of the phrase "flying into a rage out of shame" from your hometown?】

‘I was wrong. Praise the great crimson moon, I'll never dare to do it again.’

The fearless Detective Lynch Levive pacified the raging goddess at lightning speed, returning his attention to the massive stack of documents in front of him and letting out a soft sigh. Since he couldn't avoid it, he might as well face it bravely. He refused to believe an evil god could jump out of this and pin him to the ground... Actually, scratch that, it was highly possible.

This was the very thing that had killed Donnie and Klin, blown up Madam Bessie's magic prop shop, and heavily injured Officer Natalie. Should he call those two ladies over to appreciate it together?

Forget it, he would probably be beaten to death by the two of them.

Lynch shook his head and told Miss Valente everything about these documents, though he didn't explicitly mention Duke Vane's commission. Miss Valente was tactful enough not to pry, and they maintained a tacit understanding.

“I've read all of these documents, every single page, and repeatedly at that. I didn't sense any issues, so normal reading should be safe.”

Listening intently to Lynch's explanation, Miss Valente casually flipped through a few pages, her beautiful brows furrowing slightly as she fell into thought.

“But according to your description, the deaths of those people are clearly strongly correlated with these documents. This means these are indeed mystery documents. However, there must have been many people who have read them. You said there are copies in Norin, so that number should be at least several times higher, yet those people are all fine.”

“Isn't that contradictory?”

“It's not contradictory. The condition for mystery documents to take effect is, strictly speaking, not that someone reads them, but that they understand them. Unlike those ability documents written in cipher, normal mystery documents will only taint the reader with filth once they comprehend the core information the document intends to convey.”

Miss Valente spread the documents out completely, turning them page by page.

“This means that the information conveyed by the words and diagrams in the document is completely normal and harmless, but hidden within is core information that requires a specific method to understand. That information is the true carrier of the mysterious filth. So you see, normal reading is fine, and so many people have read it without issue, including Maya. But once you find the true method of deciphering it, even if you just happen to stumble upon it by chance, the moment the reader realizes the information deciphered by this method... bang.”

Miss Valente softly mimicked the sound of an explosion, making the hairs on the back of Lynch's neck stand on end. Her explanation was much more detailed than Klin's, allowing him to fully comprehend the danger of mystery documents.

When you couldn't understand it, nothing would happen no matter how much you looked at it, even if you memorized all the words. But once you suddenly had a flash of inspiration at some point and realized the true core information, you were already dead.

Even more terrifyingly, if you had already memorized the ordinary information in detail beforehand, once you understood the method of deciphering it, you wouldn't even be able to stop reading, because that information was already left in your consciousness. Just like that white polar bear, the more you tried not to think about it, the more clearly you would remember it, until you were completely consumed by the mysterious filth.

“Yes, so although I didn't know it was a mystery document, I also habitually avoided memorizing or copying them.”

“Right, you just moved them directly to your home.”

Lynch smiled bitterly. Looking back, the fire at the Hall of Order was likely arson, in all probability ordered by Mayor Howard through Walker and the others to burn these things. But no one expected that when this girl conducted her deep investigation into the tunnel matter, she had moved everything away, leaving the fire to burn nothing.

Coincidence?

No, there were no coincidences in the mysterious world. Even a novice like Lynch realized that this was likely just the mysterious filth's way of continuing to spread.

This was an extremely troublesome matter. Before, Lynch might have hesitated on whether to read it, but after his conversation with the Crimson Lady just now, he realized that since these things were actively coming to his door, it was impossible for him to just hide. He would have to face the music either way, so he might as well face it head-on. Gaining more information would also give him more of an edge.

He took out his pipe and placed it between his lips. Before he could light it, Miss Valente took it away, took out some beautifully packaged soul-returning grass to fill it, and stuffed it back into his mouth, but...

“You should step out first, Miss Diana. My willpower is different from ordinary people, so I can at least guarantee my safety better.”

Miss Valente was startled, then she beamed. “I've already read it, Mr. Lynch, so avoiding it now makes no sense. Besides, are you insulting me? Do you think Diana de Valente would abandon a companion she has entrusted her life to and run to a safe place by herself? You also need a safety officer when you read. I'm watching you, Mr. Lynch.”

“I...”

Looking at the noble girl's gentle smile, Lynch's heart warmed. No longer burdened by lingering worries, he lit his pipe and flipped open the documents.