Ke-style law enforcement officers

Chapter 274 Justin's Confession

“I’ve heard a little about it.” Milo nodded, then glanced at the file on the table containing Arcenas. “Those must be very old legends, but to be honest, I’ve been to Innsmouth, though only passing through, and I didn’t find anything special about it… Are the bad rumors you’re talking about about Arcenas because she was born in Innsmouth?”

“No, if it were just simple regional discrimination, that would be one thing, but there are many people from Innsmouth, she’s not an isolated case in the academy.” Justin shook his head: “Her problem is that she is the daughter of Ephraim White, the child of an elderly Ephraim and an unknown woman, and Ephraim, he is the source of all these rumors. Some say that he lived in a partially collapsed mansion on the streets of Innsmouth. Anyone who has seen that place knows that the attic windows are always boarded up. This deceased old man was said to be a heretic and a magic apprentice, and there are even rumors that he could summon storms at sea.”

"So it's not regional discrimination, it's family discrimination?" Milo continued twirling his pen, in his opinion that this kind of story wasn't worth his time to record.

“Athenath is so much like her Ephraim. At the academy, she hardly formed any close relationships with anyone. It wasn't that everyone disliked her; more accurately, she disliked everyone. Her classmates always said she had a strong desire for control, and some even said she had the ability to control people. Opinions varied. In short, all the qualities she displayed were out of step with her peers. For example, her dedication to metaphysics and mysticism—that alone was enough to keep most people away from her,” Justin said, recalling the past.
"But David is also a freak. He loves writing, especially occult stories. If you've read his poems, you'll understand that what he writes might not be accepted by the world even a hundred years from now. And he's always hoping I can publish what he writes. To be honest, I've racked my brains and can only pick out one or two short stories from his works to sell as horror novels..."

"But this rich kid who loved horror literature won the favor of that Asenas. Unlike others, David didn't reject Asenas because of her specialness. He told me countless times about Asenas's unique understanding and quirky interpretations of the occult, and how fascinated he was by this mysterious girl..."

"If I had known things would turn out this way, I should have stopped him from pursuing Arcenas in the first place."

Justin shook his head helplessly.

"What do you mean by...the ability to control people?" Milo noticed some key points mentioned in Justin's words.

The other person chuckled awkwardly: "It's just a rumor, a rumor in the academy. Everyone thinks that Asenas's gaze is unsettling, and it is indeed true. Even I feel a strange chill under her gaze, even after I returned from my military service. She really doesn't seem like a student, nor a wife, or rather... she doesn't seem like Asenas at all."

"—" Milo didn't speak. He wrote "appearance discrimination" on the white paper and added a question mark after it.

“I know that my words, which denigrate the victim, may sound like I’m trying to absolve David of his guilt, but I don’t need to. I’m just stating my true feelings. You can verify all the rumors about Asenas by simply asking at Nanwei Academy,” Justin said to Milo.

“I understand.” Milo shrugged. “Just state the facts.”

“Okay.” Justin continued, “A few months ago, when I was traveling in the North, I received a letter from David.”

He took a letter from his pocket and handed it to Milo, then said, "This is the original. In the letter, David confided in me, saying that he had fallen into the devil's trap. In his description, Asenath is a terrifying creature that can control his mind. He said that he has seen himself sleeping many times in nightmares, and when he wakes up, he finds his wife standing expressionlessly at the head of the bed, bent over, almost face to face with him..."

"He claimed that he was being driven crazy by Asenas. Sometimes he couldn't even tell whether he was unconscious or conscious. He lost his sense of time and couldn't distinguish between day and night."

Justin gently stroked his sleeve and slowly said:
"To be honest, when I first saw this letter, I also thought my old friend had gone mad. But when I returned to Nanwei City to see him, the fear and unease he showed were so real."

“I comforted him more than once, saying that all of this might be caused by some kind of physiological cause, and made an appointment with him to go to the hospital for a comprehensive check-up at the beginning of the year. However, when I visited him at the beginning of this year, Justin received me very normally and calmly, and said that his previous outbursts were just due to emotional confusion. He apologized to me, canceled the plan to go for the check-up, and declined all the invitations I made to him afterward, even dinner.”

“At the time, I remember very clearly, David told me that Asenas had gone on a trip. During the time his wife was away, he had been able to control his emotions very well. When I first heard this news, I was actually happy for him. After all, only he knows how torturous life must be with a woman like that. But as an outsider, I couldn’t say anything.”

"But not long after, I was passing by the manor one day and thought I'd give them a visit. But I caught a glimpse of Asenas's face through one of their windows. Her face was filled with pain, despair, and an indescribable sorrow, a stark contrast to her usual haughty demeanor..."

“I questioned David, but he insisted that his wife had indeed traveled north, and even produced the receipt for her ticket. I haven’t been to his estate since then. Who would have thought…”

Justin paused here, sighed helplessly, and asked Milo:
“Officer, perhaps if I had reported these circumstances to you earlier, this tragedy could have been avoided?”

(End of this chapter)