Chapter 20: The Shadow of Suspicion

“You investigated him?!”

Yuli looked down at the dossier on the table in disbelief. Lyon leaned back on the sofa, clutching his head, and spoke without a hint of psychological burden.

“It’s standard procedure, Yuli. When someone with an unknown background appears, the intelligence division is obligated to investigate them.”

“I know…”

Yuli softened. She walked back to the sofa, picked up the file from the table, took a deep breath, and sat down.

‘It’s fine, Fran wouldn’t be a bad person…’

Yuli silently reassured herself, then quickly tore open the dossier and pulled out the documents. Her heart pounded, a clear sign of her nervousness.

As Yuli read, Lyon, sitting upright beside her, began to explain.

“Yuli, the boy named Fran does indeed have an unclear background. I’ve already investigated. He arrived in Purburg a few years ago from somewhere in southern Francis, but no one knows the exact location.”

“I know that much…” Yuli frowned. “I know he came from a small village in Francis. A small village might not even have a name. That’s not important.”

“And what then?” Lyon continued gravely. “Do you know who brought him to Purburg? I investigated that too. It was a female doctor, no relation to him. Fran became her apprentice.”

“Oh, I see, it’s all written here…” Yuli frowned, feeling that what Lyon was saying didn’t seem to be the main point.

However, Lyon quickly highlighted several major points of suspicion from the investigation.

“Firstly, the female doctor who took care of Fran is highly suspicious. My investigators reported that she allegedly had connections with some radical political forces and numerous labor parties in Purburg.”

“That’s…” Yuli scratched her head, defending Fran. “Doctors, by nature, treat many people and are bound to have connections. Besides, Fran was just an apprentice. He also worked at a tavern; he wasn’t with that doctor every single day.”

“That’s also a problem, Yuli! I investigated the tavern where Fran used to work in Purburg. That place doesn’t seem simple either; many political figures frequently patronize it.”

“That’s…” Yuli shook her head again. “That’s perfectly normal, isn’t it? I’ve been there myself. Does that make me a political figure from Francis?”

She shook her head. Lyon was clearly operating on a presumption of guilt, first assuming Fran was a villain, then desperately searching for flaws. This was…

“Chief… and finally… the most crucial point, the one that directly sparked my suspicion, Yuli!”

Lyon stood up, changing his tone. “Months ago, when our army was preparing to march into Francis, I was already secretly contacting individuals within Purburg’s political circles who were willing to cooperate with us.”

“Among them was a gentleman, a direct member of the National Assembly. I maintained close contact with him, and our correspondence was frequent. He was meant to be a perfect asset I’d planted in Purburg, but on the day our army entered the city… my communication with him suddenly ceased.”

“You were that prepared?” Yuli listened, somewhat shocked. She hadn’t expected Lyon to be seeking collaborators for the Empire in Purburg even before the battle had concluded.

But…

What did any of this have to do with Fran?

“Don’t you find it strange? He provided us with so much information beforehand, yet when we arrived in Purburg and were eager to collaborate with him, offering substantial rewards and compensation, the man simply vanished, as if he’d evaporated into thin air.”

Lyon continued, “At first, I wasn’t particularly suspicious, just found it odd. It wasn’t until I recently started investigating Fran that I suddenly discovered this fellow had worked as a caregiver in their home! He looked after the councilor’s father.”

“Wh-what?”

Yuli suddenly tensed, her gaze at Lyon tinged with a hint of fear. Lyon, displaying a triumphant expression, continued.

“It’s absolutely true. I extracted this information by questioning some of the councilor’s neighbors. Fran was responsible for caring for the councilor’s father, worked as a caregiver in their home, and even lived there for a period.”

“However, on the very day our army entered Purburg, the councilor’s father suddenly collapsed in front of the Arc de Triomphe. Fran, presumably, left the councilor’s residence around that time.”

“Sensing something highly unusual, I ordered my team to search every inch of Purburg and its surroundings. Fortunately, we had enough manpower. At the bottom of a cliff, we found the councilor’s car, completely wrecked, and the councilor himself, reduced almost to a skeleton! Honestly, if it weren’t for his identification, I wouldn’t have dared confirm it was him.”

“So what? Are you certain nothing happened to the councilor, that he didn’t drive his car off the cliff himself?” Yuli, still disbelieving, asked with a glimmer of hope.

“No, the councilor had six gunshot wounds!” Lyon immediately retorted. “It’s obvious someone murdered him and then pushed the car over the cliff.”

****

Yuli was speechless. She lowered her head, lost in thought.

Who killed this councilor?

Could it be… Fran?

****

No, it’s impossible.

Yuli shook her head, rejecting the answer Lyon was so desperately trying to imply.

He was so delicate; he probably couldn’t even lift a gun.

Could a child like that fire six shots and kill an adult man?

Yuli found the notion unbelievable.

Moreover, the councilor was a politician. It wouldn’t be unusual for him to be killed after offending the wrong people.

But…

She looked up, suddenly asking Lyon, “Which road is closest to where the councilor’s incident occurred?”

“Hmm… let me think. Oh, right, Highway 97…”

“Highway 97…”

Yuli lowered her head, a sudden chill running down her spine. Highway 97…

This…

Yes, it was. She recalled that when she ran into Fran that night, he had likely come from the direction of Highway 97.

And… right, she remembered now. He had been very flustered. She had even noticed… some red spots on Fran’s clothes.

****

Could… could it be him?

But…

Yuli’s eyes wavered. Lyon, noticing the change in her complexion—it had turned deathly pale—hastily asked.

“Yuli, are you alright? What’s wrong? Did… did something come to mind?”

“No…” Yuli shook her head almost immediately in response to Lyon’s question. “N-nothing’s wrong…”

She decided to keep this matter buried in her heart. For now… she absolutely couldn’t tell Lyon.

“In any case, that person’s background is too suspicious, Yuli. You absolutely cannot meet him tomorrow!”

“But… Fran asked to meet me. If I stood him up…”

Yuli kept her head down, which truly exasperated Lyon. He couldn’t help but exclaim.

“Why would he suddenly ask you out of the blue? Have you considered that? What if they’re closing in? Yuli, you can’t joke with your life.”

“I…”

Yuli nervously clutched at her hair. After a long moment…

She nodded.

“Tomorrow, send someone to stake out the tavern and watch him. I won’t show myself for now…”