Chapter 118: Exposed?

While Cassia quickly explained the whole situation to Hill.

“I had evil designs on her, I am truly sorry. I’ve caused trouble for everyone.”

Henson fed himself some painkillers and bowed his head in apology to Cassia while clutching his blood-stained severed arm.

He even apologized to the sparse crowd of onlookers.

“No, what are you saying? You insisted on shoving some pitch-black ornament at me, and now you’re apologizing?”

God, she couldn’t stand it.

She was looking at something disgusting.

One second he was thinking of killing her, the next he was bowing and scraping.

“Please arrest me, Mister Tuner. It all started because of me.”

Henson’s sincere appearance was moving.

“Th-Then do you also admit you’re part of the Evil Demon Society?”

Cassia was surprised by his straightforward attitude in admitting fault, but she still pressed him.

“Evil Demon Society? What are you talking about? I’m not something that dangerous.”

Henson widened his eyes as if he were hearing about this for the first time.

“Your god is a psychotic pervert. Do you mind if I say that?”

Facing Cassia’s blasphemous words, Henson’s choice was:

“As I said, I don’t know what you’re talking about…”

He put his glasses back on; his expression was hidden behind the reflection.

“You brought these women’s clothes out, didn’t you! He said at the time he would smash holes in my body and made me change so the clothes wouldn’t get ruined.”

Cassia pointed at the pile of clothing on the bench.

“I brought them, but that’s a personal hobby. I have a cross-dressing fetish.”

“Huh?”

Cassia was speechless at Henson’s eloquence.

She gripped a tissue in her hand and picked up a Sacred Tool placed in the shadows of the chair.

“S33. A Sacred Tool that has a slowing effect on people. It has your fingerprints on it, and it’s a discontinued contraband.”

“Yeah, I’m an Amateur Explorer, so it’s normal to carry Sacred Tools. My second aunt gave it to me. So it was contraband? I just thought it was suitable for attacking you.”

Cassia had never seen such a calm bastard before.

He was like a terminal cancer patient who had given up on treatment; Cassia’s arguments seemed ridiculous in front of him.

It sent a shiver down her spine that Henson would go as far as degrading himself as a pervert just to hide his status as a member of the Evil Demon Society.

She even had the illusion that she wasn’t talking to a person, but to a well-trained dog.

“Miss Benor, is the pitch-black thing you mentioned something like this?”

The Tuner showed Cassia a photo on his Terminal.

“That’s right, he used that to throw at me.”

She thought the Tuner would change his opinion of Henson after knowing this, but the Tuner showed a troubled expression.

?

Could it be…

Cassia thought of something and turned to look at the steel bars of the platform that had been deformed earlier.

Aside from the marks left by the destruction of the object, there was nothing else.

I see.

Even if Henson really held and threw that pitch-black thing, it couldn’t be proven.

He just had to say he threw a random rock or find some other excuse to fool them.

It couldn’t be proven anyway.

“What’s more, looking at the surveillance, Miss Benor, the lens broke the moment you appeared. To me, you both look suspicious.”

“This…”

There was no evidence to make an arrest.

Cassia remembered what Siloque had said.

Henson admitted to attacking Cassia.

But it would only be classified as a brawl between Explorers, and he would probably be released in a few days.

Moreover, no matter how you looked at it, Cassia had injured Henson more severely; Henson was the weaker party.

In fact, the Tuner’s eyes held plenty of suspicion toward her.

What should she do?

Just let him go and beat him up after he gets out…

No, what use would that be?

It’s illegal to do that in the City.

Ask Siloque for a solution?

Cassia unconsciously glared at Henson, and he shrunk back.

“I’m really sorry.”

“Tch…”

She clicked her tongue softly.

“Well then, Miss Benor, and the gentleman named Henson Quin, for now, come with me to the station. My colleagues will be here soon to collect evidence.”

Is there really no way?

Hertanid was fast; it could stab his heart at a speed no one could catch.

No, the Tuner is watching, and this barrier in front of me doesn’t look that easy to deal with…

“Are you talking about this?”

Hill, who had been quietly listening to the situation, revealed her left hand which she had been hiding behind her back.

“!!”

The moment he saw the item in Hill’s hand, the Tuner’s expression changed drastically.

He gasped, his initial coldness and composure vanishing.

“Hill, how did you…”

Hill was wearing a thick mountaineering glove on her left hand, and a small, Pitch-black Branch was floating slightly in her palm.

The Tuner hurriedly took out a box and used tweezers to pick up the Pitch-black Branch and put it inside.

Looking closely, his forehead was covered in a thin layer of sweat.

With this thing present, the Tuner had to believe Cassia’s words.

Cassia looked at Henson confidently.

“Well? How do you explain this? It must only have your fingerprints on it.”

Seeing this, Henson was neither flustered nor did he run away.

He simply said,

“Well, it seems this is also… the Lord’s choice.”

Seeing this, Cassia felt even more disgusted.

He had already lost, so why could he still smile…

It should have been Justice triumphing over evil, but Cassia didn’t feel happy at all.

With a wave of the Tuner’s hand, the hexagonal wall transformed into chain restraints, binding Henson’s hands and feet, while the outer perimeter reshaped into a transparent coffin.

Regardless, the matter finally came to a close.

Cassia thanked Hill.

“Fortunately, you had a way to preserve the evidence. Otherwise, if that menace was let go, who knows how many people would have suffered.”

Hill whispered to Cassia:

“Well, it’s fine. It’s the method my Brother taught me. He said this thing shouldn’t be touched by hand and shouldn’t have any contact with skin—just support it with Magic.”

Siloque!

No wonder.

“Hill originally wanted to take this back to show Brother to make up for the peeping thing today, but since you were so troubled, Hill will reluctantly help you. Remember to thank Hill.”

Even this part is just like Siloque.

How cute…

“Yes, thank you! Hill! I will never forget this for as long as I live.”

“Alright, alright, as long as you know.”

Facing Cassia’s solemn gratitude while holding her hands, Hill closed her eyes and smiled with satisfaction.

The Tuner carried Henson in the transparent coffin.

The sight was somewhat ridiculous, reminding Cassia of an air conditioner installer.

This time, she had also fully experienced the trouble of the Evil Demon Society.

She made up her mind: next time, if the Dungeon confirms they are part of the Evil Demon Society, she’ll just cut them down.

The Tuner’s riot van arrived.

As he lifted Henson into the car, just before the door was closed.

Henson locked eyes with Cassia meaningfully and smiled kindly.

“As expected of you. No wonder you could instant-kill Cliff in a duel.”

Bang.

The door closed, and the riot van sped away.

Hill tilted her head in confusion.

“Cliff? Does he have something to do with Chris?”

Cassia’s expression froze, her whole body went still.

He knows my identity?

“……….”

“Tiya… Sister?”

The Tuner remained behind, using a Sacred Tool to conjure a blue-purple protective shield to preserve and seal the scene.

He bowed to Cassia and left.

Nearby, Hill looked at Cassia and found she was staring in the direction the car had left.

Cassia’s expressionless face carried an unprecedented murderous intent, completely lacking her usual soft-spoken, weak appearance.

***

“It looks like it was solved smoothly. Luckily, I didn’t have to come out and work overtime. We should head back too.”

“Yeah, since Hill is with her, it should be fine.”

Beiren and Siloque watched from the crowd.

After watching the whole show, Siloque gave a somewhat troubled smile.

He didn’t know who his Sister learned that “helping at the last minute” trick from.

She could have handed it over earlier, but she dragged it out until the end.

Fortunately, the result was good.

Seeing Hill lead the dazed blue-haired girl onto the return bus, Siloque and Beiren entered the platform to wait for their ride.

Siloque wasn’t open-minded enough to ride the same bus as someone who had been stalking him.

Although it would be fun to catch his Sister Hill red-handed, a two-person world with Beiren was more interesting.

The bus would be slower than the subway and had fewer passengers; mainly, Beiren said she didn’t want to squeeze onto the subway again.

Twenty minutes ago, after Siloque and Beiren got off the Ferris Wheel, they started their way back.

On the way, they heard Hill’s Anti-wolf Alarm from a distance.

Siloque recognized the sound.

Carrying Beiren on his back, he rushed to the source of the sound at top speed; the startled Beiren performed a face-pinch on Siloque.

When they were a certain distance from the scene, they stopped and found that the maid who claimed to be from the House of Cass had encountered a cultist of the Evil Demon Society.

Speaking of which, why was she also using a pink Sword?

Was she influenced by Cass?

That bastard Cass… his charm is indeed strong enough to seduce his own maid.

Siloque directly called the Tuner to bring people in.

He had intended to help himself, but after seeing that Evil Demon Society cultist clearly, he felt it was unnecessary.

Henson Quin.

A Lv9 Explorer, no more than Lv10 at most.

Talent: [Slow as Fast].

A subtle Talent that must be used with Sacred Tools to be effective.

His attack looked powerful, but if it actually hit Hill at Lv15, it would at most cause “Ow, that hurts!” level of damage; it would barely leave a bruise.

In short, a Monster.

He was with the Evil Demon Society, but he was a low-level member without a Refined Tree Nest.

The branch the Tuner took from Hill was likely given to Henson by some other member.

A Refined Branch could assimilate ordinary people, but the minimum requirement was contact with mucous membranes or piercing the skin, and one had to be a chosen one.

If you could be infected just by touching it, the Game would be unplayable.

You could just grind a Refined Branch into powder and spray it over the City or put it in the water plant; then everyone would be an Evil Demon Society cultist.

This was an Incident for Henson.

Usually, there’s a high probability of encountering the Evil Demon Society’s proselytizing only if a character’s mental state falls into an extreme…

Of course, maybe the maid from the House of Cass just had really bad luck.

Siloque sent a message to Cass: Your maid met the Evil Demon Society, keep an eye on her mental state–

As for the specific reason the maid from the House of Cass met Henson, he could just ask when he went out to play with Cass.

After a while, Cass replied with an emoji of Ailulu excitedly beating up a weirdo.

Not that, man.

Your maid met with trouble, why are you happy…

Then the bus arrived.

The two rode in silence.

There were only four or five passengers in the car.

Siloque sat in a rear seat, and Beiren sat in front of him.

Her attitude was very cold—no, to be precise, she was embarrassed.

The proof was that she kept stealing glances at Siloque.

Siloque didn’t quite understand what Beiren’s criteria for shyness were.

Wasn’t she quite proactive in the Ferris Wheel just now?

Siloque got up and sat next to Beiren.

“Move over a bit.”

He deliberately pushed her shoulder a little roughly.

Although Beiren pouted, she still obediently squeezed toward the window seat.

“Don’t push too hard…”

“What does a little bit matter?” Siloque said with a mischievous smile.

“Hmph.”

Beiren simply leaned her head on Siloque’s shoulder.

“I’m tired. Call me before we get off.”

“Alright, alright.”

“Saying ‘alright’ once is enough.”

Beiren pinched Siloque’s side.

It was the perfect amount of itching, making one want it to happen again.