New Gods of North America.

Chapter 278 Exclusion
Luke Matthew's reaction was not as unexpected as Wayne had imagined.
After listening to Wayne's question, he seemed to have thought of the answer quickly, and seemed to understand why Wayne asked this question.

Wayne did not doubt the other party's intelligence level. After all, in the academy, those who did not need to worry too much about obtaining graduation qualifications did not look too simple.
Especially those students with more "ordinary" family background and economic conditions.

However, the answer given by Luke Matthew was not what Wayne wanted.
He just shrugged his shoulders slightly and took another sip of beer:
"Ian told you all about this? It seems that the relationship between you two is closer than I thought.

"The reason I fought for the position he promised me was to gain the protection of the Fisk family. Holy Spirit, if I hadn't met Ian, I wouldn't even be allowed to leave Georgeburg.

"Virginia is a little too harsh for us degenerates. I would rather go to Los Angeles on the West Coast than stay here any longer."

Well……

Wayne thought for a moment and asked, "Is it usually the church in the academy that manages you?"

"Of course," Luke Matthew nodded. "After I arrived at the college, people from the college church quickly found me and asked me to drink holy water. When I was in Louisiana State, except for the exorcism I experienced as a child, I didn't even know that I was a fallen person.

"Afterwards, Reverend Pycelle asked me to report to the academy every week. He also told me some of the requirements of the Virginia Church for the Fallen."

This is consistent with Wayne's guess.
According to Tom Hagen, the cathedral is relatively tolerant of professors and students of the "college" and will not actively confirm their "fallen" status during their time at school.
The college's chapel itself must be managed by the Georgeburg Chapel and does not have much real power.

Perhaps the most advantageous approach is to take advantage of the time and information gaps, and take the lead in bringing under management some of the "wild degenerates" who have not been paid attention to and have not been given shelter, in the name of "acceptance by the small parish."

"What do you think of Reverend Pycelle?" Wayne asked.

Luke Matthew thought about it for a moment:
"He is a respectable elder who is considerate of degenerates like me. But the church in Virginia is really unbearable. I cannot leave without permission, and the rules are very detailed and strict. I also have to drink disgusting potions every week. If possible, I still hope to leave as soon as possible."

Wayne continued, "Reverend Pycelle, or has anyone else ever asked you to do something for them because of the identity of the 'Fallen'? I mean things that are not suitable for public discussion."

"That's not true..."

Luke Matthew thought for a moment. "During my time at school, apart from studying, I basically stayed with the members of the fraternity, in fact, I mainly acted with Ian. Reverend Pycelle did not encourage me to have too much extra social activities, although he would occasionally ask about Ian."

After Luke Matthew finished speaking, he asked the question for the first time, "Why are you asking these questions, Wayne?"

Wayne made up an excuse. "I'm a private detective and I run a law firm. I'm curious about secrets like this. Has Reverend Pycelle asked you about me?"

"No."

Luke Matthew's expression looks fine:

"But he has always required me to abide by the church's management and forbade me to disclose the relevant specific content to others. He did mention you when he emphasized this matter last time, and he mentioned Ian before - ah, no wonder you asked me these, it turns out that you, like Ian, also have a certain understanding of this aspect."

Is this really a coincidence?

Wayne thought about it for a while and decided that if he considered it from the perspective of "looking to the future", Ian Fisk's prospects would obviously be better.

Assuming that he was Luke Matthew, if he had to choose between the two, he would definitely choose the Fisk family instead of Reverend Pycelle of the College Church, unless the "cost" of sheltering Luke Matthew was huge, which might cause Ian Fisk to give up, or there was some very important reason.

Wayne made a quick decision, walked to the window in the room, and pulled aside the thick double curtains.

Even though the dormitory seemed pitch black at this time, it was still bright outside.

He turned his head and glanced at Luke Matthew, “I plan to leave directly from here.”

"Ah? I thought you came here today to join the Brotherhood." Luke Matthew was slightly stunned. "Or is it that the test I gave you was too simple and you felt it was not challenging enough?"

"That's not it."

Wayne was already riding on the window frame, planning to hold onto it and then land on the lawn:

"I came here today mainly to respond to your invitation, so as not to embarrass you in the fraternity. I have found a more time-consuming extracurricular project, and perhaps I don't have time to hang out in the fraternity anymore.

"But next time I meet Ian Fisk, I will tell him about your care for me. He usually communicates with Miss Olivia, so maybe she can tell him for me."

Hearing this, Luke Matthew seemed to have given up trying to dissuade him, “Actually, you can go out through the main gate. We won’t stop anyone who gives up.”

Wayne waved at him at this time, and then flipped over the windowsill.

……

"I feel like Luke Matthew doesn't seem to have any major problems. At least with his identity, it's hard to find any evidence against him that would be detrimental to the detective agency."

After sneaking out of the fraternity dormitory, Wayne soon saw the detective agency's carriage and got in.
After telling Inissa and Lina about his initial judgment,
Wayne looked at Seth Grayson, who was left in the carriage as a half-hostage “just in case”:
"Where would Macon Reeve, our dormitory's 'floor master', usually be at this time?"

Seth Grayson thought for a moment and then gave his answer:
"Today is not the day he needs to report to church. If he has finished dinner, he should be studying in the library - he doesn't get along very well with his roommates, and he doesn't stay in the dormitory for too long. Sometimes he would rather stay in the common lounge area of the dormitory and won't go back too early."

"Then let's go to the library."

Several agents had quietly retreated at this time, some of them got on another carriage, and Ryan returned here to be the coachman.

"There shouldn't be a fight in a place like a library, right?"

Lina thought for a moment and said, "If there is no danger, then after sending you there, Inesa and I will go back to the detective agency. Piano lessons are too tiring, and Miss Olivia's enthusiasm is too scary... I should have signed up for the course to take the lawyer's license test."

what,
You know it’s not easy to be a rich woman.

(End of this chapter)