The young woman’s peculiar actions had long left the officers at a loss for words.
What kind of girl her age would be so fascinated by rats?
They simply did not understand.
Their questions met with only her dismissal, leaving them with no choice but to stand by, ensuring she didn’t engage in anything more perilous.
“How long must these rats burn before they are completely dead?”
“You all…”
No one answered.
Turning her head, she found all the officers had retreated behind Sheriff Godfrey.
He had returned with Franz and Luke, and, to Ghervil’s displeasure, someone else she wished not to see.
Ramsey directed several officers to carry over two stretchers, each draped with a white sheet.
On one side of a stretcher, she glimpsed a section of hand bones peeking out from beneath the cloth.
“Should we burn them here, sir?”
Godfrey leaned close to Ramsey, his voice low with inquiry.
“No need.
Find a suitable place for a proper burial; it’s already been handled.”
“And what about them…?”
Godfrey cast a glance at the two officers behind him, heads bowed in shame.
“Ah, let me speak with her.”
Circumventing the Sheriff, Helm approached Ghervil.
“Forget everything you’ve seen and heard today.
We’ll consider it as if nothing ever happened.”
“No problem.”
“Of course, since you were in the wrong first… Wait, what did you say?”
He hadn’t expected the young woman to agree so readily, having already prepared an extensive argument.
“If you didn’t hear me clearly, sir, I can repeat it as many times as you wish.
However, I have a personal habit: I dislike being indebted to others, just as I dislike others being indebted to me.
I will grant your request.
In exchange, you will answer a few of my questions, and the debt you owe me will be settled.”
“…”
‘Where on earth did she learn such a thing?’
In the scant memories and rumors he held of Solis Abbey’s Abbess, she was described as an enigmatic, stern, and highly respected figure.
How could such a person have fostered a nun like this?
“There is no better bargain to be found.
I imagine Mr. Ramsey would surely agree to it.”
The young woman’s feigned innocence sent shivers down Helm’s spine.
Had he not just heard tales of her glorious exploits—how she had cornered officers, forced interrogations, and demanded to be led—he might have truly believed her to be as guileless as she appeared.
“Spare me your theatrics.
I am not him, and he is not here.”
“If the Abbess were to learn I failed to protect her precious rose, I wouldn’t know how I could ever face her.”
The young woman’s tone abruptly shifted, a choked sob forcing its way from her throat.
Against this seemingly heartless man, Ghervil had resorted to her final, desperate measure.
“Honestly, if not for the clear evidence, I’d suspect you’d only become a nun halfway through your career.”
Ramsey shook his head, a wry smile playing on his lips.
When it came down to it, they truly owed the young woman a favor.
Without her timely provision of the petals and clues, the death toll would have been far greater than just two.
Yet, certain information simply could not be disclosed…
“I’ll take that as a compliment then.”
Her expression shifted with startling speed, and the young woman beamed with a triumphant smile.
‘Perhaps this was her innate talent.’
Ghervil believed she understood well how to leverage her current advantages.
One must always learn to adapt to circumstances, employing different tactics for different people.
If someone were to speak harshly or act offensively towards her, she wouldn’t hesitate to adopt a different attitude and approach.
It seemed that a truly heated argument, one that stirred intense emotions, was also something she had yet to experience across both her lifetimes.
“See for yourself.
One minute.”
He pulled a small, black-bound notebook from his pocket, tossing it into the young woman’s hand.
Helm, without a backward glance, returned to briefing the Sheriff.
‘Only a minute? How stingy!’
Despite her irritation, Ghervil, spurred by curiosity, opened the small notebook.
The moment she turned to the first page, her composure fractured.
Unspeakable glyphs invaded her vision—she had forgotten her own illiteracy.
‘She recalled that Helm seemed aware of this… so he had done it on purpose?’
Out of the corner of his eye, Helm caught the young woman’s bewildered expression.
As he conversed, a slight curve played on his lips.
‘Joking aside, if he, after all these years, were to be bested by a mere girl, he truly wouldn’t deserve his position.’
‘Even if the young woman had reacted immediately, he could have dismissed her with the excuse, ‘That’s your own problem.’’
‘Still too young.’
‘What could Ghervil do?’
‘She couldn’t possibly admit her illiteracy in front of everyone and ask Helm to read the contents aloud, could she?’
‘Not only would it be humiliating, but who knew if he would simply fabricate a story while pretending to read it?’
‘She had been careless…’
As she pondered a solution, a small pebble landed at her feet.
She looked up.
Some distance from the cluster of officers, at the edge of the woods, behind a towering oak tree, a face that, while not entirely familiar, had left a deep impression on her—Luke, the officer who had shot her—was beckoning.
After a moment of hesitation, she walked over and quipped,
“I fear my body cannot withstand a second bullet, Mr. Luke.”
“Oh, please don’t say that! I’ve already recognized my transgressions!
You may call me… Luke, yes! Just Luke.
I called you over because I wish to atone for my sins.”
He chuckled awkwardly, removing his hat.
“As for that notebook, I can help you read its contents, word for word.”
“I believe that wouldn’t be permitted, and besides…”
She noted Helm was already casting glances, subtle yet deliberate, in their direction.
‘Claiming it wasn’t permitted was merely a polite refusal.’
‘The very fact that Helm dared to give her the notebook proved it contained no high-level secrets.’
“Precisely because it’s not permitted, my sincerity will be all the more apparent! As long as I can earn your forgiveness.”
Luke appeared somewhat agitated, his gaze fixed intently on the small, black-bound notebook in her hand.
“Though I’ve never truly blamed you…”
The young woman mused, her head bowed.
“Here’s what we’ll do: tell me everything you know about the case, anything at all.
Regardless of whether the answers satisfy me, I will forgive you.”
“It’s not entirely out of the question…”
He seemed to want to negotiate further.
His eyes darted to the notebook, gleaming.
He peeked his head from behind the tree, and, after confirming no one was watching, tucked his hat under his arm.
His fingers fidgeted, thumb rubbing against forefinger, his lips pressed into a thin line.
“I can tell you a secret about the rats, something even the detectives don’t know.
But in return, I hope you’ll let me glance at the contents of that book, just for a moment.
No one will notice.”
‘By her reckoning, nearly three minutes had passed now, yet the detective still hadn’t come to retrieve the notebook.’
‘Perhaps its contents were even less significant than she had imagined.’
“No problem.
It’s a deal.”
“Splendid!”
Luke instantly relaxed, the worry on his face melting into a wide grin.
He donned his hat, then lowered his voice, launching into an excited monologue,
“Truth be told, dealing with these rats is largely futile.
They haven’t even begun to grasp the true nature of what they’re up against.”
“You believe they’ve severely underestimated the danger of this incident?”
“No, no, no!
On the contrary, they’ve done quite well!”
The man began to grow animated, his hands unconsciously gesturing, mirroring his words,
“But you must understand, some things are simply inevitable.”
His voice gradually rose, no longer suppressed, and he lifted his head,
“I believe no one would refuse eternal life.”
“Even if it takes any form!”
“Eternal life?
These rats?”
Ghervil found herself utterly confused by his words.
‘Upon closer consideration, a creature that could survive with half its head gone and its chest pierced by bullets might indeed possess eternal life?’
Luke offered no further reply.
Given the man’s slightly unhinged demeanor and his prior act of shooting her, Ghervil understood that further questioning would be fruitless.
As agreed, she handed over the small, black-bound notebook.
The man, upon receiving the notebook, immediately brought it close, eagerly flipping through its pages.
He scanned them rapidly, reaching about the seventh or eighth page within ten seconds.
However, he seemed to forget the presence of others around him.
He frantically scratched his head, his features twisting into a grimace,
“Damn it!
Damn it all!
How could he suspect… It was those two old fools who spoke out of turn, leaving me with no choice but to…”
“Sir, what’s wrong?”
“No… nothing…”
Realizing his outburst, the man returned the notebook to Ghervil.
“My apologies, but there are other matters to attend to over there.
I’ll chat with you again another time.”
The man hurried back to the bonfire, joining the officers in their cleanup efforts.
Just then, Helm walked over, the two of them passing each other.
‘Eternal life…’
‘Any form…’
Ghervil stood rooted, flipping through the notebook page by page, though her thoughts lingered elsewhere.
“I trust you had him read it to you.
The potential culprit hasn’t been apprehended yet, and more personnel have been dispatched for the search.”
“Lingering here further will yield no results.
When you’re done playing, I’ll escort you back.”
She paid no mind to the man who had approached her, speaking as if peering through a keyhole into another’s business.
Instead, her gaze drifted to the wheat field.
“Perhaps you won’t believe it, but I might know where the culprit is.”