The Villain Saint is my secondary account

"Good evening, sir. You must be the knight introduced by the Holy Maiden?"

"Hello, Mr. Ford."

The man smiled and said, "Let me introduce myself first. You can call me Ye Xiao."

"And then, well, this is my partner and first mate, Greta."

Ye Xiao then introduced the cat that was lying on Ford's chest with its eyes wide open.

"...First Mate?"

Ford keenly noticed a strange word.

"Oh, the news shouldn't have reached here so quickly yet..."

Ye Xiao chuckled and pulled down his hat brim. "It's just that I've been doing a part-time job as a captain recently, so this little guy got a title too. You don't need to worry about it."

"Does being a captain... require such careful attire?"

Ford chose a slightly more conservative description, feeling embarrassed to use "suspicious" directly.

"After all, it's an infiltration operation, so of course we have to be careful."

"Is it really just because of this?"

"Ahem, I admit that some people have been contacting me because of a small misunderstanding. But you don't need to worry about the details. Rest assured, I will do my best to assist you."

This guy... he's definitely a pirate, right? And the kind with a bounty.

Ford's lips twitched.

Such a lie is essentially meaningless to a professional detective.

"Get ready, buddy. Even though the night is long, we still need to make the most of our precious time."

Ye Xiao was very outgoing, as if he had known Ford for a long time.

Ford instinctively didn't want to go on such a risky mission as infiltrating the palace with this suspicious fellow, but considering that this guy was introduced by the Holy Maiden, he hesitated for a moment before standing up.

The only one willing to support his unproven conjecture is the Holy Maiden. With the die already cast, he has no choice but to try anything, even if it seems hopeless.

The two left the tavern, but Ford was surprised to find that Ye Xiao had led him into a secluded alley. "Is this the way to the palace?"

"Don't worry, Mr. Ford, where do you plan to start your search?"

"The first place to go is His Majesty's bedroom. Although it has certainly been cleaned up, there should still be some clues left."

"Row."

Ye Xiao stretched out a hand. "Hold on tight, Mr. Ford."

"pay close attention?"

Before Ford could react, Ye Xiao simply put her hand on his shoulder.

The two figures disappeared into the alley in the next instant.

A dizzying sensation followed, and by the time Ford came to his senses and staggered a few steps, the scene before him had drastically changed.

Before my eyes was a large white gate, and under my feet was a spacious balcony piled with snow. The exquisite and antique railings and windowsills were undoubtedly the decorations of the royal palace.

Chapter 154 Scene Reconstruction

Ella specifically asked Ye Xiao to lead Ford into the palace on her behalf. Firstly, although Ye Xiao's matter was not completely resolved, it had come to a slight end, so he could take some time to come and help.

Secondly, given her sensitive status, if her infiltration of the palace were discovered, it would inevitably lead to some unnecessary trouble and misunderstandings, while Ye Xiao did not have such worries.

Although Ye Xiao cannot use Lucyville's divine authority to open a spatial portal, he can first have the raven familiar carry Ye Xiao's flying knife across the spatial portal to the palace, and then have Ye Xiao use the Miracle Sorcerer's Teleportation Phantom to grab Ford and teleport there.

"By the God of Light...Where am I...?"

Ford was still reeling from the spatial shift and was rubbing his dizzy head while leaning against the railing.

"The veranda outside the Queen's bedroom."

Ye Xiao said, "Shh, we need to keep our voices down now. Can you handle the lock on the door?"

"The dormitory...are we already at the palace?"

Ford paused for a moment, then quickly crouched down, glanced at the royal guards patrolling below the fence, and whispered, "My God, it really is. Magic these days is getting more and more outrageous."

"Now I understand why the Holy Maiden sent you to help me. With such magic, there's probably no place in this world that you can't infiltrate."

"That's an exaggeration."

Ye Xiao smiled.

At least Ella's rats and crows can't get through the tightly closed door on the balcony.

The corridors inside were patrolled by people everywhere, and the rats and crows were not small in size. If they were seen, they would definitely be chased away, so they could only land outside on the balcony.

"However, this also means I'll have to consider more factors in my future reasoning. Oh my god, just thinking about locked-room mysteries that might be caused by spatial magic gives me a headache."

"That's unlikely. There aren't many people who know this kind of magic... probably not."

As the two spoke in hushed tones, Ye Xiao took out a staff from behind her back and easily broke through the defensive and warning array on the door. Then she handed it to Ford, who used his personal tools to pry open the exquisite door.

Because of its investment in steam machinery and firearms technology, the Kingdom of Valen's mystical field is not very developed, to the point that even an expert-level mage like Ye Xiao, who is not actually a "specialist," can dispel the defensive spells set up in the palace.

This is something that would never be even considered in the Royal Palace of Loren.

However, if there are any areas that Ye Xiao can't handle, Greta in his collar can remind him.

Ford was much more adept at dealing with mechanical locks and alarm systems, to the point that Ye Xiao suspected that this guy might have had some unique profession, or perhaps he was indeed a private detective.

To avoid leaving any traces, Ye Xiao conjured a film of water on the soles of their shoes, preventing direct contact between the soles and the ground. This made Ford sigh again at how difficult the work of a future detective was.

Then, the two entered the pitch-black bedroom. Ye Xiao closed the balcony door, covered it with a curtain, and then raised his staff to light up a faint glow.

"Can you see clearly, Mr. Ford? The lighting isn't good. If it's too bright, the guards downstairs will easily notice us."

"That's enough, that's enough."

Ford said in a low voice.

In the dim light, everything in the Queen's bedroom was still neatly arranged, from the parchment stacked on the desk to the tidy bookshelves... as if the room's owner was still using it.

The only thing missing was the bedding and mattress; now only the empty solid wood bed frame is visible.

"These items are still here. I thought they would have been moved away immediately."

Ye Xiao observed that, in theory, the royal palace, unlike ordinary citizens' homes, would not be short of manpower. Moving the relics should be done in an hour or two.

"According to royal tradition, the room where the deceased mainly lived is left as is for a period of time as a matter of etiquette during the funeral."

Ford explained, "Otherwise, I wouldn't have considered coming here. In fact, there should be guards patrolling and protecting this room outside the corridor, which is just across the wall from us."

His voice was kept very low, presumably for this reason.

"Wouldn't it be disrespectful to His Majesty to search the room in the middle of the night?"

"To me, the greatest disrespect would be to stand by and watch His Majesty's true fate be concealed by falsehoods out of respect."

Ford said calmly.

Alright, since even a Valenman has said so, Ye Xiao naturally won't care anymore.

Ford took out a magnifying glass and began to carefully examine every part of the room, from the teacup on the table to the bed and the bookcase on the side...

Ye Xiao was mainly responsible for helping with the lighting. He did think about things occasionally, but this kind of investigation at the level of clues was too much of a burden for him. Since his older brother was there to guide him, he could simply save his brainpower.

"So, did you figure anything out, Ford?"

Ye Xiao saw Ford inspecting the area with a magnifying glass and asked curiously.

"Um……"

Ford stood up. "The books on the bookshelf are arranged alphabetically by syllable, which shows that His Majesty has rather strict requirements for the placement of items."

"This is also reflected in the wardrobe. The colors and categories of clothes are arranged in a very strict order. However, here the category takes priority over the color. In other words, all clothes are arranged first by function category and then by color."

"But the jewelry box in the drawer under the desk had its rings sorted by color, while the rings that should be worn on the ring finger and index finger according to royal custom and etiquette were mixed together."

"People's habits of categorizing and sorting items don't change easily. Habits about one type of item often extend to another. The change in the way rings are categorized here is very incongruous."

"Oh, I see. So if we sort these rings properly, we might discover a hidden door?"

Ye Xiao raised an eyebrow and said.

Ford glanced at Ye Xiao with surprise. "What hidden door? I just said these rings might have been tampered with."

"Ahem, okay."

Ye Xiao coughed lightly.

"Even the servants who tidy the room would never dare to touch such valuable items located in a private place,"

Ford's gaze shifted from under the desk to an expensive ceramic tea set on the table. "Considering that," he remarked, "the placement of the teapot here is also quite intriguing."

"What's wrong with this?"

"The handle of the teapot is positioned towards the chair, but the chair and the bed are located at opposite ends of the room. His Majesty has been bedridden for a long time, and after the servants who serve the Queen have poured tea, the handle of the teapot should be facing the side of the bed where it is convenient for him to hold it, but here it is completely the opposite."

"Perhaps the servant put the teapot back after cleaning it and it ended up like this?"

“Look at this teacup,”

Ford pointed to a teacup right next to the teapot, which had a small chip on its rim.

"Did he bump his head?"

Ye Xiao looked at the teacup with curiosity.

"And it was only recently that I was influenced by this."

Ford continued, “I recall this tea set being the work of a master craftsman, so it’s understandable that it’s not being replaced. But while such minor damage doesn’t affect its use, the tea stains that accumulate in the gap over time are very difficult to clean. However, the broken surface of this gap is smooth and white, which means it’s obviously a recent occurrence.”

"Hmm... but what does that mean?"

Ye Xiao and the cat perched on the collar tilted their heads together.

"Now you should understand."

Ford first removed the teacup, then turned the teapot handle to face him, and then took two steps forward with his back to the desk, before slowly backing away until his elbow accidentally touched the teapot handle.

The teapot handle was gently turned by the touch, and if the teacup were still in its path, the two would have touched.

"Oh!"

Ye Xiao and the cat head on his chest both showed a knowing expression at the same time, "Someone accidentally bumped into the teapot while backing up."

"Then he hurriedly straightened the teapot, but didn't pay attention to the direction the teapot handle was facing."

Ford added.

"But normally, why would someone turn their back to the desk and back away?"

Ye Xiao continued his analysis, "What did he see that alarmed him?"

"Or perhaps, he did something he himself couldn't believe."

Ford said in a deep voice, "For example... murdering the Queen."

Chapter 155 Dark Dream

"Isn't this a bit of an exaggeration?"

Ye Xiao said in surprise, "It's probably just that some poor servant happened to discover that the Queen had passed away and was frightened."

"Then he won't bother to straighten the teapot."

Ford shook his head. "'Panic' comes before 'setting the teapot right.' A normal servant, upon discovering a dead body, should first rush out to call for help, not move anything at the scene."

"That's true, but it only seems suspicious; it's a bit of a stretch to call it a conclusion."

Ye Xiao didn't distrust Ford, but he still needed to maintain a dialectical attitude.

"Indeed, this can only be considered a slight suspicion at best, not even evidence."

Ford agreed with Ye Xiao's point of view, "But we can go further and look ahead to the bed."

"All the things on the bed have been moved out, what else can you tell from that?"

Ye Xiao scratched his head.