Mystery: The Last Shepherd

Chapter 74 The Aura of Corruption
"Hahahaha!"

Upon seeing Viscount Dorset's embarrassing corpse, Luzer burst into uncontrollable laughter.

He knew this was a side effect of 3-169, and he was anxious, but he couldn't stop laughing; instead, his laughter grew even louder. Frye and Inspector Tolle both looked at him as if he were a madman, while the Viscount's family, who had been waiting downstairs, heard his voice and angrily came upstairs.

"What are you laughing at! Who's laughing?"

A richly dressed lady strode in, her anger palpable, and the maids behind her struggled to keep up.

There was no need to answer this question, because Lu Ze was still bent over laughing hysterically in the bedroom.

3-169, you're really trying to kill me!
Lu Ze covered his mouth and cursed under his breath.

Only then did he finally suppress his hysterical laughter, panting heavily.

"What an incompetent police officer! How rude of you! How does your police station manage its officers?!"

"Lady Dorset screamed. Her family was already ashamed of the Viscount's death, but had tried to maintain their aristocratic composure. Now, shattered by Luzer's loud laughter, even that semblance of dignity was shattered."

“I’m very sorry, Mrs. Dorset,” Inspector Tolle said helplessly, “this trainee Inspector Rondor, he, he…”

It was clear that Toller was trying hard to explain, but he couldn't find a plausible reason.

"My esteemed lady, this was an accident."

Frye also said with a cold face.

"No need for explanations! What's your name?! I'm getting you out of the police station right now!" the lady continued shouting angrily. "Raise your head! Is this the kind of etiquette you should show to nobles?"

As she spoke, her voice suddenly lowered, because Lu Ze had straightened his back, fully displaying his flawless handsome face to her.

So the Viscountess suddenly felt that it was forgivable for young people to make mistakes occasionally.

"I'm terribly sorry, ma'am."

Lu Ze raised his right hand and gave the Viscountess a graceful salute. "I was rude just now, please forgive me."

His uniform and handsome face made him hard not to attract women. Not only the Viscountess, but even the maid behind her had a dreamy look in her eyes.

"You should be more careful next time."

The Viscountess's attitude softened considerably. The change was so drastic that Inspector Ptole looked on incredulously.

The lady asked Lu Ze a few more questions, and after learning that he had come from elsewhere to offer help, she gave him a few more words of encouragement. Finally, because Lu Ze needed to continue his investigation, she reluctantly left the bedroom.

“You should really go to a nobleman’s ball; all the ladies and young women would go crazy for you,” Toller said enviously. He had originally thought Luze had gotten into serious trouble, but who knew that the other man had calmed the Viscountess’s anger with just his face.

“I don’t lack money, and I’m not interested in attracting them.”

Lu Ze shook his head indifferently.

After a chaotic interlude, the investigation continued. Reluctantly, Luzer pulled back the white sheet, revealing Viscount Dorset's corpse beneath.

The viscount's body was indeed naked. A rope was wrapped around his neck, the two ends of which he was tightly gripping in his hands, pulling them apart. His face wore an expression of both excitement and pain, and his complexion had turned an eerie purplish-red.

"He died of suffocation."

Fry stepped forward, pried open the dead man's eyes to examine them, and said, "What is this? He strangled himself? No wonder he's a nobleman, he certainly knows how to have a lot of fun."

Lu Ze shook his head, his eyes scanning the corpse up and down, but he didn't find anything unusual. "I didn't see any mystical elements either."

"Then why did he die in this state?" Fry asked, frowning.

"Probably to seek thrills."

Lu Ze said that he had seen similar cases in his previous life. Some people liked to get pleasure from suffocation. Occasionally, they would use too much force and kill themselves, leaving behind some sensational legends because of their bizarre deaths.

"."

After listening to Luzer's explanation, Frye's expression became conflicted. He probably hadn't expected that people could come up with so many creative ideas.

“I simply don’t know how to explain this to Inspector Toller.”

"Just tell the truth. He's the one who needs to worry about this."

Lu Ze said, his gaze sweeping across the bedroom, when he suddenly noticed a slightly decadent aura emanating from a chair, which, judging from its condition, seemed to have been left recently. Lu Ze felt that this aura seemed somewhat familiar.

Hmm, I think I've seen a similar vibe in those streetwalkers.
Lu Ze thought to himself. Could it be that someone else was present when the Viscount died?
"Wait a minute, it seems there were other people there at the time. Let me try using ritual magic to see if I can find them."

So he used his newly purchased silver dagger to create a spiritual wall, lit candles, sprinkled in herbal powder and essential oils, chanted incantations, and prayed to the goddess to draw the scene of those present at that time.

A serene and profound power quickly enveloped Lu Ze, and he couldn't help but pick up a pen and begin to draw on the white paper. Before long, he had drawn a detailed portrait.

The painting depicted a round-faced girl whose individual features were not particularly striking, yet together they created a captivating effect. She seemed to be witnessing something astonishing, her mouth agape in surprise.

Huh? This lady
After the ceremony ended, Luze picked up the portrait and examined it closely, feeling an increasing sense of familiarity. He had indeed seen this woman before, on the day he met Mr. Azik in the Tingen underground market!
Is that woman a streetwalker?

Even streetwalkers go to the Extraordinary Materials Market?
Filled with questions, Lu Ze pushed open the door and called Inspector Tolle over. "It's very likely that the Viscount deliberately restrained himself in order to gain pleasure."

"Is that really the case?"

Inspector Tolle seemed to have guessed something as well.

Lu Ze nodded. "Also, I discovered that this lady was present on the day the Viscount died. You can ask the servants if this is true."

Inspector Tolle took the painting and left, returning shortly afterward.

"The servants saw her; she was a prostitute the Viscount had found himself. The poor girl had only been in the Viscount's bedroom for a short time when she ran away in fright. The servants saw that the Viscount was still alive at that time, and he was very unhappy, but he still had the servants send her away."

She escaped? It seems she couldn't accept this kind of game. But the Viscount was so magnanimous, letting the streetwalker go so easily, only for her to end up dying from accidentally overdoing it while trying to have fun.

Lu Ze nodded and asked, "So, the servants actually knew about the Viscount's interests?"

"Yes, but when they questioned them earlier, they didn't tell the police, out of respect for the dignity of the nobility."

Inspector Toller said, "Moreover, the servants all say that the Viscount has been going further and further lately, seeking increasingly excessive thrills. At this rate, it's only a matter of time before he plays himself to death."

So, was the Viscount's encounter with that woman purely accidental?
Lu Ze shook his head, feeling that these coincidences were too much. He planned to go back and tell the captain, who would then decide whether to continue the investigation. As for other troublesome matters involving nobles, he would leave that to Inspector Tolle to handle.

(End of this chapter)