Chapter 82: Sacrifice and Death
After that, Cardinal Matilda took the body away.
Because the corpse may be some special evidence, or some kind of symbol. So she decided to store the body in the thirteenth ring under her jurisdiction and preserve it first. If you need to call it later, you can also go to her side to continue the investigation.
When Cardinal Matilda had left, Eivas sat down on the fluffy bed in the bedroom. Put the crown he was wearing in his arms and stroke it casually.
"You've said before, 'It's weird, I'll talk about it later'...... Right. ”
Ivus looked up at Sherlock and asked, "I guess what you mean...... Will you wait until Cardinal Matilda leaves? ”
Clearly, that's what Sherlock thought.
He was leaning back on the sofa in his bedroom, his legs crossed in thought. Lily had already gone to the kitchen to make tea and prepare refreshments, and there were only two people in the room, Ivas and Sherlock.
Whatever Sherlock wants to say, it's time to say it.
"The wound is wrong."
Sherlock replied casually, "This wound should not be fatal in any case." The wound bleeds less simply because the bleeding point is too small, not because the blood has drained. So it was certainly not due to ischemia that he died. ”
"So, poisoning?"
"It can't be. I checked it out and all the internal organs were intact. The trachea, oral cavity, heart, liver, and subcutaneous were not found to be the proper reaction to poisoning. ”
"Could it be a neurotoxin?"
"The cause of death is also not related to cardiac arrest or asphyxiation."
"How did that die?"
"Here's the problem, Evas."
Sherlock calmly said, "How did she die?" ”
Ivus raised his eyebrows: "Since you are so calm, you must have already got the answer." ”
"Then let's talk about the direction of the wound."
Sherlock replied, "The wound is less than two fingers wide, and the direction is very standard up and down vertical, and the force at the top and bottom is the same as the depth. That is, when the dagger is fully inserted into the body, the dagger should be completely perpendicular to the surface of the skin. The Mercedes Bishop apparently showed no signs of struggle, so the wound was completely untorn and the edges were very neat. The deepest part of the wound is in the middle of both sides, specifically in the uterus, and the other side is not penetrated. ”
Hearing this, Ivus realized something: "Ceremonial knife? ”
Such a wound is obviously not an injury that can be caused by a sharp blade piercing the abdomen when two people stand opposite each other. A straight piercing is actually very unreasonable, and the force will be very uncomfortable.
It's more like a ritual of being performed by someone — or herself — when she's lying down.
Considering that the position is too low, there is a possibility that the cutting edge will be skewed if you operate it yourself, so it is more likely that there is a helper, or if you are under control, you will be cut with a ritual knife; And even if she performed the ritual voluntarily, it was difficult not to tremble completely under the sharp pain of the sharp blade, so she should have been controlled.
And if you consider the cooperation of Bishop Mercedes, considering the length, thickness and sharpness of this wound, Ivas can only think of the ceremonial knife.
Ceremonists often need to depict ritual arrays on the ground or hard surfaces to ensure stability, so the style of the ritual knife is actually close to that of a scalpel or a carving knife, and the gesture of holding the ritual knife is similar. It is very sharp and hard enough, slightly longer than the blade length of carving knives and scalpels, but in general the length of the handle is longer than the blade length.
And obviously, a ritual knife piercing the abdomen can't kill anyone.
"So I think it's possible that this was a sacrificial ritual."
Sherlock gave his speculation: "When the wound is not fatal, or even serious, the person dies, and no other body organ is damaged." At the time of his death, the Mercedes bishop was very calm and did not have any struggle. This means that she should have lost her strength or was unconscious. This is perfectly in line with the performance of the sacrificed. I suspect it's a demon scholar. ”
His views are very professional.
Avalon's main rival transcendents are the transcendents led by the Noble Red.
Although the Noble Red had now been dried up by Ivus, they were active when Sherlock was in school.
Discerning the dead body of a dead man who has been tampered with is a very important skill for lawyers.
One of the ritual spells is to convert a sacrificed corpse into a bomb. The moment the corpse is impregnated with the power of other paths, it will be immediately detonated - if the lawyer tries to retrace this part of the image, it will be blown to pieces at close range.
If a lawgiver who is not a good teacher is accidentally blown apart, I am afraid that he will be ridiculed by his peers.
It's just that this is certainly not the first scene. Backtracking only works for corpses that have died within twenty-four hours, otherwise it would have been much clearer for Sherlock to go back.
But Ivus shook his head: "I'll give you a common sense that won't be taught in school—the sacrificial rituals of demon scholars are actually non-lethal. Demon sacrifices in Avalon only leave corpses, as the Demon Scholar will perform extermination, torture, or other parts to replenish ritual materials after the sacrifice.
"Because the price of a proper sacrifice to a demon is 'half...... No matter how much you give, the demon will only take half of it. If this is a sacrifice directed at the devil, then the Bishop of Mercedes must have been healthy when the sacrifice was completed. ”
"So if this is a sacrifice and death, it means that the target of the sacrifice must not be a demon?"
"Definitely not."
Evas affirmed, "Ordinary illusions—even the apostles don't dare to ask for 'all', that's already over the line." So if she died as a sacrifice, she must have been sacrificed to a certain pillar god or celestial priest. ”
"That's kind of a clue."
Sherlock nodded, "I remember...... Well, thank you, Miss Lily. ”
At this moment, Lily came over with tea.
She gave the tea to Sherlock and Ewas, then kept one for herself, and then asked, "Does the young master plan to tell His Highness about this?" ”
"Yes," replied Ivus without thinking, "she has the right to know the truth." ”
"I think so." Sherlock agreed.
"So we're going to the Fifth Ring Road now?" Lily asked.
Ivus shook his head: "Let's rest for a while and put our luggage away." I'll just stay in this one, and you two will pick a room. Then you come with me to the first ring to buy some things and ask for some information...... There are already too few humans in the five rings, and the news circulation is relatively fast in places where short-lived species gather. ”
Now that the Pope is no longer in contact, there are multiple cardinals who know the secret of the Holy Maiden Ningpo, and the Pope's succession ceremony is less than half a month...... Time is running out for him.
If you want to intervene, this half month is the golden time. If you wait for something to happen and then interfere with it, you will fall into passivity.
"Then I'll live upstairs."
Without hesitation, Sherlock replied, "You are walking around in the province and affecting my sleep. ”
"I walk silently, Mr. Hermes."
Lily was a little dissatisfied.
She felt that her professionalism as a stalker, a werewolf, a killer, and a professional maid was under suspicion at the same time.
But she was quite happy with the fact that her room was placed next to Ivus.
She had lived in the servant's room in Ivus's room—a small single room in the master room, about five or six square meters in it. It can accommodate some simple personal items, a wardrobe, a desk and a bed. There is a window between the servant's room and the bedroom, and the main purpose is to not insulate the sound, so that the voice of Ivas can be heard at all times.
Now, as a third-level transcendent who is proficient in perception, she no longer needs a servant's room to get orders at the first time.
The only thing that made Lily slightly unhappy was that she felt that her abilities didn't seem to be useful at all.
When she fought with Haina and the others before, Lily realized that unless she turned into a werewolf, she would not be able to use it at all on the frontal battlefield, and the most she could do was to interfere. But this also makes sense, after all, she can be considered half an assassin in her main class, and she is only good at making potions in her secondary class.
But Evas neither asked her for potions, nor did he send her to assassinate anyone. If he is attacked, there will always be a Flame Butterfly or a Night Demon to protect him.
Now Lily is already a transcendent at the third level of the Double Path, and she can be called a powerhouse anywhere. But she felt that she still couldn't catch up with Ehuas...... The problems he encountered had reached the realm of a fifth-level powerhouse like a cardinal.
In a place like the Sect Country, which is full of fifth-level transcendents, what use can she have?
Just accept Ivus's gifts and help, but give nothing in return...... For Lily, it was actually a little uncomfortable. Although her job is to be a personal maid...... But Lily thinks it's a job that anyone can do well, and Ivas keeps her with him only because he trusts Lily. The job is not unique to her.
It doesn't have to be her.
What is it that only I can do?
Lily pondered, but her work was still neat.
There wasn't much luggage for a few people. After packing up the belongings of several people, Lily returned to the door of Ivus's room.
She patted her face lightly and rubbed it. She collected her emotions, smiled lightly again, and lifted the box full of money—considering what happened on the way here, she took out some of the money and put it in different pockets on her body.
Ivus was a pre-bishop at the time...... Nowadays, even the archbishop does not have to care about such a thing in the territory of the church.
But as Ivus's maid, she still has to help him minimize unnecessary trouble.
So Lily pushed open the door: "Young master, everything is ready." ”
"Let's go," Ivus, who had been waiting for a long time, got up and grabbed Sherlock from the couch, "I'll talk about it when I want to sleep." ”
"What the hell are you going to buy?"
Sherlock complained, "Can't you let Lily buy it?" ”
"I'm going to buy you a tantric book."
Ivus replied, "And the equipment—the money I brought with me was used at this time." ”
“…… Ha? ”
Sherlock was a little surprised, apparently unexpectedly the answer: "Buy it for me?" ”
(End of chapter)
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