Don't move, it's a robbery!

Although the orphanage had been sealed off by guards, it was still surrounded by a crowd who were shouting for the murderer to be hanged.

It seems that Mrs. Mary had a very good reputation among those around her.

Because the Bell of the Pure Wind is very prestigious in Linde City, the guards made way for Little Dot and Eve when they saw them approaching, and let us in directly.

The children who had been playing in the yard had all lost their enthusiasm and were now anxiously staying in the room. The guards were looking at them with the eyes of prisoners, as if these orphans were the murderers themselves.

The person in charge of the investigation was Captain Hamiti, and Eve seemed to have a good relationship with him. After exchanging greetings, Eve took the initiative to ask about what had happened.

Hamiti, the guard captain, didn't hide anything and told them directly what they knew.

Here’s what happened: around noon, during the time I was chatting with Eve at the city lord’s mansion, Lady Mary returned to the orphanage with some newly bought fabric, saying she wanted to make some clothes for the children.

Because the area around the orphanage was under renovation, and it happened to be lunchtime, many construction workers saw Mrs. Mary.

Mrs. Mary did not linger in the courtyard; she simply placed the cloth in the storeroom and then returned to her room.

Not long after, the workers heard the children screaming. They rushed into the orphanage and followed the sound to the second floor, where they found Mrs. Mary dead inside.

According to the children in the orphanage, after Mrs. Mary returned to her room, the dozen or so children playing in the yard discussed among themselves and felt that it was too hard for Mrs. Mary to make so many clothes by herself. So, shortly after Mrs. Mary returned to her room, several older children who were good at handicrafts came to Mrs. Mary's room to help her.

However, as soon as they opened the door, they found Mrs. Mary strangled to death in the room with a light green silk scarf. The children screamed, which attracted the attention of the construction workers who were building houses nearby.

"In other words, Mrs. Mary was actually murdered not long after she returned to the orphanage."

"Yes, and there were many construction workers eating near the orphanage at the time, and they were quite certain that no one went in during that period. That is to say, during the time Mrs. Mary returned to the orphanage, no one else came to the orphanage, so the murderer could only be those little rascals in the orphanage."

Hamiti, the guard captain, pointed to the little devils locked in the room and showed a look of disgust.

"The murder weapon used to kill Mrs. Mary was a green silk scarf, a recent arrival at the market. I've already sent people to inquire with the merchants there, and we'll soon find out who bought it."

Before he finished speaking, several guards led a merchant into the orphanage. After a quick look, the merchant pointed out the prisoner among the group of children.

"Yes, he bought it."

The guards swarmed forward and dragged out the little boy who had placed the gift earlier.

"No, it wasn't me! I just gave my mother-in-law a gift! I noticed her old scarf was worn out, so I bought her this one!"

"Kid! You're talking nonsense. Where did you get the money?"

"I stole it... I borrowed it."

"Hmph, you must have stolen money from the orphanage, and Mrs. Mary found out, so you killed her."

Hamiti, the chief guard, made a famous deduction that was unanimously approved by the guards and the onlookers.

"These little brats are a menace! I was against establishing an orphanage back then! Now they've really brought harm to people!"

"That's right! These guys stole my things before! What a bunch of bastards! Lady Mary was so good to them! And they still killed Lady Mary! They should all be hanged!"

"They even hit my child, just because my child said they didn't have parents!"

Just as the captain of the guard was about to execute the boy on the spot, Little Dot and Eve quickly stopped the farce.

Although the onlookers had already accepted the conclusion, the little boy did not believe that the children from the orphanage had committed the murder and expressed his desire to examine Mrs. Mary's body.

The captain of the guard did not stop them, indicating that the body was upstairs.

We went to Mrs. Mary's room and examined the scene. It was almost exactly the same as when I left; the layout of the room was no different. Mrs. Mary was lying on the floor, and the silk scarf around her neck was clearly the murder weapon that caused her death.

Of course, this is all on the premise that Mrs. Mary is actually dead.

"Hey...A-Gua, what are you doing?"

The little one was puzzled when he saw me suddenly touching Mrs. Mary's corpse.

"I think Mrs. Mary might not be dead yet, and I want to try to save her."

"What? How did your treatment go? Is there any hope for Mrs. Mary's survival?"

"No, but what matters isn't the result, but the effort itself!"

"???"

After my examination, I confirmed that Mrs. Mary was indeed dead, not feigning death. However, the killer was definitely not a child, because Mrs. Mary was strangled with brute force, and judging from the wounds, the killer was taller than Mrs. Mary.

As for the eyewitnesses saying they didn't see anyone else come in.

LOL, I only came in here once!

The perpetrator likely hid in the house before Mrs. Mary returned, then emerged from his hiding place after she returned, murdered her, and escaped from the balcony.

Furthermore, the fact that a silk scarf was used to commit murder indicates that the killer must have seen it beforehand and knew of its existence.

Wait a minute, if that's the case, it seems like I'm the most suspicious person to have committed the crime!

"Hey, did you notice anything?"

"No, no, absolutely not."

The little girl was speechless for a moment, then pulled me away and began to examine the scene herself. After some investigation, she came to a conclusion.

"I suspect the murderer must have already hidden in the house before Mrs. Mary returned. Look at the wardrobe; there are footprints inside."

"What?"

I was shocked. I never imagined that I, a seasoned thief, would stumble today. Had I become too arrogant lately? Had I even made a mistake in my basic stealth skills?

The guards crowded around and then gasped in surprise.

"It really is! There are indeed footprints! But how did the killer get away?"

"They must have left from the balcony. After all, those workers only saw the orphanage's gate, but the balcony faces the other side. There aren't many people on the street here, so if they escaped from here, it would be hard for anyone to find them. Hey, Agua, why do you look so pale?"

"Oh, I have an upset stomach. It's alright, you can continue."

The little boy continued his reasoning: the person who truly murdered Mrs. Mary must have first infiltrated the orphanage, then deliberately hid in the closet, and only reappeared to kill her when Mrs. Mary returned.

"But the scarf used in the murder belonged to that brat. If he didn't kill the person, why would the scarf be the murder weapon?"

"Didn't he just say that he only wanted to give Mrs. Mary a gift? He must have secretly put the scarf in the room to surprise Mrs. Mary, but he didn't expect that the murderer would see it and then use the scarf to kill Mrs. Mary and frame him."

"What a despicable bastard! He actually pinned the crime of murder on an innocent child!"

Upon hearing the little boy's deduction, Captain Hamiti's eyes widened in anger, and he righteously denounced the murderer, as if he wasn't the one who had wanted to execute the boy on the spot.

The little one didn't dwell on the matter much; he just hoped the captain of the guard would release the children from the orphanage.

"Now you can release him, right? That kid is innocent."

"Okay, but we still need to compare the footprints."

The little one naturally had no objections. She also wanted to find the murderer as soon as possible, so she unconsciously began to examine the feet of everyone present, wanting to see if anyone's footprints matched those in the wardrobe.

Then she saw me sitting cross-legged on the ground.

Why are you sitting on the ground?

"Oh, I'm tired, let's take a rest."

"But there's a stool right next to you!"

"I'm not used to sitting on chairs, and I prefer sitting on the floor; it's more comfortable."

"You have so many quirks."

Hamiti, the guard captain, glanced at me with a hint of doubt, then seemed to remember something and suddenly walked towards me.

"You must be the hero... the one who saved Leos before!"

"Huh? Oh, yes, is there something you need?"

"No, I've only heard of you. I never expected to meet you here. It's truly an honor."

"Oh, okay, no problem."

"Are you tired? Quick, you guys, go get a chair for Xia... uh, this gentleman!"

"No need, no need, you're too kind."

"Of course, of course, let me help you up."

"No! Stop! Yami!"

Eve couldn't stand it anymore and reached out to pull me up. Now my feet were exposed to everyone's view.

Then they just glanced at it and looked away, even the little one had the same reaction.

I was taken aback at first, then realized what was happening and quickly ran to the wardrobe to check it.

The footprints in the closet are not mine.

That's right! I knew it! I've been a professional thief for so many years, and I've never left a trace when I use stealth. How could I have forgotten this time?

It wasn't my footprint after all!

I wiped away non-existent cold sweat from my forehead and then carefully considered the course of events.

The events should be roughly as Little Dot described, and there's nothing complicated about it. However, Little Dot guessed one thing wrong: when the boy came to deliver the gift, the murderer hadn't had a chance to sneak in yet, because the person hiding in the closet at that time was actually me.

If that's the case, then another question arises: if the murderer didn't see the boy giving the gift, how did he know there would be a silk scarf in the drawer?

It was very simple. He rummaged through the drawer, and after seeing the gift bag, he even opened it to check it, only to find that it contained a silk scarf.

The killer's purpose was not to kill, but, like me, to find some clues from Mrs. Mary.

This is interesting. I'm here to confirm whether Mrs. Mary is a spy, and what is the murderer here for?

It suddenly occurred to me that a carrier pigeon had flown onto the balcony before I infiltrated. Could it be that the perpetrator's real purpose was actually that letter?

I touched the envelope in my pocket and realized things were getting interesting.