Super Righteous Player
Chapter 874 - 411: The Death of Philip

Chapter 874: Chapter 411: The Death of Philip

"What exactly is going on?"

This was truly a situation that Annan had never considered.

Surely he couldn’t have been talked to death by Annan directly?

Others might kill with their blathering, but Annan killing someone through a chat—that would indeed make Scholar Lu an expert in the field.

The middle-aged man who had come to notify Annan was clearly misunderstanding Annan’s intention.

"You’ve misunderstood!"

He quickly explained, "We’re not treating you as a suspect... since after meeting with you, Prince Philip had met with others too."

"... So it was an assassination?"

"That’s correct. I can’t say much about the specifics for now... but it’s safe to say that it isn’t the doing of anyone from your country."

The man’s attitude was exceptionally respectful and polite toward Annan, "After all, His Holiness the Pope vouches for you. And that condition... I would guess the identity of the assassin isn’t hard to determine."

"May I go ask around?"

"That’s what I’ve come here to discuss."

The man in the silver robe sat on the sofa, a grimace on his face, "Please stay here temporarily and do not go out. If you must go out, send someone to call for the eminent Cardinals of the Silver Baron church or Captain Alexander to come too."

Annan’s sharp awareness picked up on the implied meaning behind the man’s words, "Has the killer not been caught yet? Is he still in the royal palace?"

"Unless there’s been an unexpected development... that is, if nobody has carried out a teleportation ritual just now to extract the assassin, then yes, he should be."

The man in the silver robe said seriously, "Please leave this matter to us. For the safety of everyone involved, try to avoid going out as much as possible during this time. At least this place is absolutely safe."

Just then, Victor, who was standing by Annan, interjected rather unexpectedly, "So, was the location where Prince Philip was also absolutely safe?"

The man in the silver robe was evidently taken aback by this comment.

But this middle-aged man, dressed in the silver robe whom Annan had met for the first time at last night’s banquet, appearing to be an official of domestic affairs, was quick to respond.

He disclosed more information, "Prince Philip’s residence is, of course, safe. Our Royal City Noah’s inner palace has undergone the sanctification processes of the Silver Baron Church. Neither Ritualists nor Transcendents can teleport in out of thin air, neither spirits nor phantoms can pass through walls, and any damage to the walls will disperse across the entire palace structure.

"To enter or leave, one must go through the doors and windows. Therefore, when you open the door later, please be extra cautious—best to have the Wizard here open the door for you. Be sure to focus on safety."

The man said, looking over at Victor behind Annan.

That was a strike neither too harsh nor too light.

"Then I have a question."

Annan pondered for a moment before asking, "When Prince Philip was assassinated, were there any other servants wounded?"

At this, the middle-aged man also paused.

He seemed to realize something, and his expression turned solemn.

He answered with certainty, "No, not at all—the first to discover that Prince Philip had died was a maid who got up at five in the morning to prepare breakfast.

"At around five ten, as she passed by the door to Prince Philip’s room, she found the door ajar. As she was about to close it, she saw a room in disarray and blood all over the floor.

"Then, they discovered Prince Philip lying on the bed—by that time, he had already lost his body heat."

This was undoubtedly crucial information.

Realizing Annan’s intellectual capacity, the official hesitated before adding, "The reason she could tell at a glance that something had happened to Prince Philip was because... by that time, Prince Philip had already been decapitated. We still haven’t found the head."

"The head?"

Annan furrowed his brows, thinking of a certain trick that often appeared in detective novels.

He then asked, "Since Philip’s head is missing, can you really be sure that the corpse is Philip’s, and not someone else with a similar stature?"

"The cardinals considered this matter right from the start."

The internal affairs officer promptly replied, "Before dispatching me, the cardinals used a ritual to prove that the headless body was indeed Prince Philip."

After saying this, he cautiously looked at Annan, "Your Majesty... what do you think?"

...What can I think?

Should I run over and take a look? Or sit back and watch while eating melon seeds?

Or should I remark, "So I suspect this person is already dead"?

All these things are still far from enough—hiding a pile of details, then expecting me to deduce them.

So if I really figure it out, does that mean I’ve hit the nail on the head?

Are you not still suspicious of us?

Annan subtly curled his lips.

But it’s also normal... After all, it was just last night that I spoke with him, and before the night was over, he was gone, and even his head had vanished.

"With rituals, shouldn’t it be possible to locate his head using Philip’s body?"

Annan still offered a useful idea, "The archbishops should have thought of this, right?"

"The ’Lost Object Retrieval’ ritual has been completed, and even the ’Pursuit of the Killer’ ritual has been used seven or eight times. But the problem lies here..."

The internal affairs officer frowned heavily, seemingly puzzled, "Prince Philip’s head has already left Royal City Noah and is still moving at high speed... but on the other hand, the assassin is still roaming within the palace."

"Roaming?"

"Yes, the assassin moves very quickly. It keeps speeding around the palace, but the three-eyed crows have also been unable to locate it... Currently, it is suspected to be something invisible, or possibly a spiritual body. We’re now considering setting up a large-scale exorcism barrier to sweep through the entire palace."

"Can’t you find the Silver Baron?"

"His Holiness the Pope has already gone to find the Silver Baron... but it seems that the Silver Baron has just stepped out. Once the Silver Baron returns, things should become clearer."

The internal affairs officer sincerely advised, "Currently, the Silver Baron is not in Royal City Noah, and the assassin is still in the palace. We ask that you please refrain from going out until we can capture the assassin."

After he left, Victor frowned slightly and asked Annan in a soft voice, "Your Majesty, do you have any thoughts?"

"The people of Noah still can’t put their minds at ease with us."

Annan shook his head, "He already said that Philip’s head has flown out of Royal City, yet he still didn’t tell us who else Philip had talked to afterwards."

"It’s unlikely to be Princess Kafney or the Eldest Princess."

Victor replied, "Although we don’t know who the assassin is, verifying directly with a ritual ’whether one person has killed another’ is simple and reliable. They could trust Your Majesty right away because they have likely already tested all the related personnel... which includes Your Majesty and of course the other two princesses as well."

"I do have an idea."

Annan furrowed his brows slightly, "I ask you, Victor."

"What is it, Your Majesty?"

"When a person loses their head... or rather, if a person only has their head. Must they necessarily die?"

This question made Victor deeply furrow his brow in thought.

While Annan continued, "More important than the life and death of Philip, is another matter.

"—Where is his ’Fourth History Thesis’ now?"

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