Chapter 526
Died from Sacrifice
After that, Cardinal Matilda took the corpse away.
Because this corpse might be some special evidence or hold some symbolic meaning, she decided to store it in the Thirteenth Ring, which was under her jurisdiction, for safekeeping. If it needed to be retrieved later, further investigation could be conducted there.
After Cardinal Matilda left, Eivass sat on the soft bed in the bedroom. He held the Episcopal Crown he had been wearing earlier in his arms, idly caressing it.
“You said before, ‘It’s a bit strange, I’ll talk about it later’… right.”
Eivass looked up at Sherlock and asked, “I’m guessing you meant… you wanted to wait until Cardinal Matilda left before saying it?”
It was clear that Sherlock thought so.
He was leaning against the sofa in the bedroom, his legs crossed, lost in thought. Lily had already gone to the kitchen to make tea and prepare refreshments. Only Eivass and Sherlock were in the room.
Whatever Sherlock wanted to say, now was the time.
“The wound is wrong.”
Sherlock replied casually, “No matter what, this wound shouldn’t be fatal. The wound bled little simply because the bleeding point was too small, not because all the blood had drained out. So, it definitely wasn’t death from blood loss.”
“Then, poisoning?”
“Impossible. I specifically tested it, and all the internal organs were intact. There were no signs of poisoning in the trachea, mouth, heart, liver, or under the skin.”
“Could it be neurotoxins?”
“The cause of death also has nothing to do with cardiac arrest or suffocation.”
“Then how did she die?”
“That’s the problem, Eivass.”
Sherlock said calmly, “How did she die?”
Eivass raised an eyebrow. “Since you’re so calm, you must have found the answer.”
“Then we have to talk about the direction of the wound,” Sherlock replied. “The wound is less than two finger-widths wide, and the direction is a very standard vertical cut. The force and depth at both the upper and lower ends are consistent. This means that when the dagger was fully inserted into the body, the dagger should have been perfectly perpendicular to the skin’s surface. Bishop Mercedes clearly showed no signs of struggling, so the wound has no tearing and the edges are very neat. The deepest part of the wound is at the center on both sides, specifically at the uterus, and the other side was not penetrated.”
Hearing this, Eivass realized something. “A Ritual Knife?”
Such a wound could clearly not be inflicted by a blade piercing the abdomen when the two were facing each other. A straight stab would be very awkward to exert force.
It was more like she was lying down when someone – or herself – performed a ritual.
Considering the position was too low, if she operated it herself, the blade might have been skewed. Therefore, the possibility of an assistant or being controlled and cut with a ritual knife was greater. Even if it was a voluntary ritual, it would be difficult to avoid trembling under the sharp pain of the blade, so she must have been controlled.
If we consider that Bishop Mercedes cooperated, given the length, width, and sharpness of this wound, Eivass could only think of a ritual knife.
Ritualists often need to draw ritual arrays on the ground or hard surfaces, requiring stability. Therefore, the style of a ritual knife is similar to a surgical knife or a carving knife, and the way it’s held is also similar. It is very sharp and hard enough, with a blade slightly longer than that of a carving knife or surgical knife, but overall, the handle is longer than the blade.
And clearly, a ritual knife piercing the abdomen would not kill someone.
“So, I think this might have been a sacrifice ritual,” Sherlock gave his conjecture. “The wound was not fatal, and not even a severe injury, yet the person died. Other body parts were undamaged. Bishop Mercedes was very calm when she died, without any struggle. This indicates she must have been exhausted or unconscious. This behavior is completely consistent with a sacrificial victim. I suspect a Demon Scholar.”
His deduction was very professional.
Avalon’s main enemy transcendent beings were the transcendent beings of the Transcendent Path led by Noble Red.
Although Noble Red had been shattered by Eivass, they were active during Sherlock’s school days.
Distinguishing between tampered corpses was a very important part of a Law Master’s duty.
Among ritual spells, one of them was to turn a sacrificed corpse into a bomb. The moment the corpse was tainted by other path powers, it would explode immediately – if a Law Master tried to trace back the footage of this event, they would be blown to pieces at close range.
If an unskilled Law Master accidentally blew themselves up, they would likely be ridiculed by their peers.
It’s just that this definitely wasn’t the scene of the crime. Retrospection is only effective for corpses that died within twenty-four hours; otherwise, if Sherlock tried to do it, it might be clearer.
But Eivass shook his head. “Let me give you some common sense that school won’t teach you – Demon Scholar sacrifice rituals are actually not fatal. In Avalon, demonic sacrifices only leave behind corpses because Demon Scholars would silence, torture, or extract other parts to supplement ritual materials after the sacrifice.
“Because the correct price for a sacrifice to a Demon is ‘half’… no matter how much you offer, the Demon will only take half. If this was a sacrifice directed at a Demon, then Bishop Mercedes would have been healthy when the sacrifice was completed.”
“So, if it was death by sacrifice, it means the sacrificial target was definitely not a Demon?”
“Definitely not,” Eivass affirmed. “Ordinary Phantom Demons – even Apostles don’t dare to take ‘all’ of it, that’s crossing the line. So, if she died by sacrifice, it must have been a sacrifice to some Pillar God or Heavenly Envoy.”
“This is a clue,” Sherlock nodded. “I’ll remember it… Hmm, thank you, Miss Lily.”
At this moment, Lily walked over with tea.
She poured the tea for Sherlock and Eivass, then kept a portion for herself, and then asked, “Does Young Master plan to tell Her Highness the Saintess about this matter?”
“I have to,” Eivass replied without hesitation. “She has the right to know the truth.”
“I think so too,” Sherlock agreed.
“So, are we going to the Fifth Ring now?” Lily asked.
Eivass shook his head. “Let’s rest for a while, put away our luggage. I’ll stay in this room. You two pick a room. Then you’ll come with me to the First Ring to buy some things and gather some information… There are too few humans in the Fifth Ring; news circulates faster in places where short-lived races gather.”
The Pope could not be contacted, several Cardinals knew the secret of Saintess Amber, and the Pope’s succession ceremony was less than half a month away… There was not much time left for him.
If he wanted to intervene, this half-month was the golden period. Interfering after things had already happened would put him on the defensive.
“Then I’ll stay upstairs,” Sherlock replied without hesitation. “So you won’t have to walk around and disturb my sleep.”
“I don’t make noise when I walk, Mr. Hermes,” Lily said somewhat indignantly.
She felt that her professional qualities as a stealth expert, werewolf, assassin, and professional maid were being questioned simultaneously.
But she was quite satisfied with the arrangement of her room being next to Eivass.
Previously, she had basically always lived in the servant’s quarters in Eivass’s room – a small single room within the master bedroom, about five to six square meters. It could accommodate some basic personal belongings, a wardrobe, a desk, and a bed. There was a window between the servant’s quarters and the bedroom, mainly to not be soundproofed, so that Eivass’s voice could be heard at any time.
Now, as a Third Tier transcendent being proficient in perception, she no longer needed servant’s quarters to receive orders immediately.
The only thing that slightly displeased Lily was that she felt her abilities had never been used.
When she fought alongside Haina and the others before, Lily realized that unless she transformed into a werewolf, she was completely useless on the front lines and could at best provide interference. However, this was reasonable, as her main profession was also half an assassin, and her secondary profession only excelled at making potions.
But Eivass neither asked her for potions nor assigned her to assassinate anyone. If attacked, there was always Butterfly or Night Demon to protect him.
Now Lily was a Third Tier transcendent being of two paths, a strong person anywhere. Yet, she felt she was still no match for Eivass… The problems he encountered had reached the realm of Fifth Tier transcendent beings like Cardinals.
In a place like the Church, where Fifth Tier transcendent beings were everywhere, what use could she possibly have?
Just accepting Eivass’s gifts and help, yet being unable to reciprocate… For Lily, it was somewhat difficult. Although her main job was a personal maid… Lily believed that anyone could do this job, and Eivass kept her by his side simply because he trusted her. This job did not have any uniqueness for her.
It was not that she was indispensable.
What was there that only she could do?
Lily mused, but her hands continued to work efficiently.
They didn’t have much luggage. After packing their belongings, Lily returned to the door of Eivass’s room.
She lightly patted her face and rubbed it. Then, she composed herself, revealed a faint smile again, and picked up the chest full of money. Considering what she encountered on the way here, she had taken out a portion of the money and divided it into different pockets on her person.
Eivass, as a Reserve Bishop then… and now even an Archbishop, didn’t need to worry about such things on Church territory.
But as Eivass’s maid, she had to help him minimize unnecessary trouble as much as possible.
So, Lily opened the door. “Young Master, everything is ready.”
“Let’s go,” Eivass, who had been waiting, stood up and grabbed Sherlock, who was slumped on the sofa. “If you want to sleep, you can do it when we get back.”
“What exactly do you need to buy?” Sherlock complained. “Can’t you let Lily buy it?”
“I’m going to buy Grimoires for you,” Eivass replied. “And equipment – the money I brought is for times like this.”
“…Huh?” Sherlock was somewhat surprised, clearly not expecting this answer. “You’re buying for me?”
