I was an apprentice in Ferren

Chapter 90 Murder (Three Updates in a Row)
Richard walked briskly from the bustling city center to the sparsely populated northern part of the city.

This is the closest direction to the front line. It was originally planned as a place for soldiers to be stationed. However, due to years of peace, many of the original rooms have been abandoned. Only the northwest corner area is left as a temporary rest area for the army. All other residences are listed for sale.

However, despite the town's large size and abundance of houses, the poor geographical environment makes it difficult to sell houses. Most houses are rented out at relatively low prices to poor people or adventurers who live here long-term.

Richard, seemingly oblivious to everyone else, used his key to open the gate to the courtyard, only to find the door locked: "Open the door, it's me!"

A woman wearing only underwear opened the door. She wasn't afraid of being seen and struck a seductive pose on the doorframe. But when she saw her lover's empty hands, she immediately pouted and said irritably, "You rascal, didn't you say you had things to do today and didn't have time to keep me company? Why are you here now?"

"I missed you." Sweet words came easily to his lips, but there was no lust in Richard's eyes. He patted the woman's shoulder: "I've been caught, and I need to run away immediately. Want to come with me?"

"Huh?" The woman was shocked to hear this: "What? Did your annoying new boss arrest you for taking bribes, or did you get reported for extorting someone?"

Richard shook his head: "It's not that serious, but I might lose my job and be sent to the countryside. Do you want to come with me?"

Upon hearing this, the woman froze. Richard shook his head, fully aware of her thoughts: "If you don't want to come with me, that's fine. That Barley Village really isn't a good place. You've been with me for so many years, so I can't say anything. Take this 200 gold coins and find somewhere else to stay. Once you've settled in, come back and leave your address. I won't change the key here. I'll contact you once things have settled down."

The woman took the money bag and froze. She was about to say something when Richard said impatiently, "What are you still doing here? What if they come and arrest you too?"

The woman hurriedly changed her clothes, put on a cloak, said "Be careful" and left in a hurry. Richard only breathed a sigh of relief after watching her walk away.

That guy is finally gone.

Richard drew the curtains, tossed the bedding onto the still slightly damp sofa, disassembled the bed frame, pushed aside the pile of bedding inside, touched it a couple of times, and his face lit up with joy. The heavy feeling told him that he was still safe here.

The suitcase was dragged to the wall, and when it was opened, it was filled with cute yellow things, as well as several sparkling gems that dazzled the eye.

This was all the savings he had accumulated during his 20-year career as a sheriff. If he could just take it with him and fly away, he could find a woman younger and prettier than his lover anywhere.

But when he thought of his wife and children, he hesitated again.

Although the two had long since lost their love, how could they so easily sever the bond of so many years, not to mention his son?

But would I really have to go to that godforsaken place, Damai Village, and be with a bunch of miserable farmers?
You can't squeeze any money out of a bunch of peasants; in the end, you probably won't even be able to find a pretty woman to warm your bed.

With that thought in mind, Richard pushed the suitcase back in, restored everything to its original state, sat on the bed and pondered for a while, then took out a sheriff's uniform and a few small items from the closet and put them in his handbag.

After making all the preparations, Richard went outside to check carefully to make sure no one was there, locked both doors, and then went out to find a tavern and booked a room to rest.

As night fell, Richard changed into his sheriff's uniform and returned to the guard post. Ignoring the guard dozing at the door, he went straight to the duty room and greeted the guard inside who was reading a chivalric novel: "Hey, slacking off again?"

"Huh? Second Sheriff?" The security guard on duty was clearly surprised to see Richard. "I heard from them..."

"I was transferred, but I still have some things to pack, don't I?" Richard said calmly, patting the young guard on the shoulder. "Where's the deputy captain?"

"The vice-captain is off duty and resting."

"Where's that woman? Is she still causing trouble?"

"She interrogated the old woman and got some supposedly terrible information. The vice-captain looked very grim." The gatekeeper looked at Richard: "She said it was about you."

"Tch, I've already been punished, what am I afraid of? Besides, everyone knows what happened. I'm just taking the blame." Richard's words made the man nod, but then he added, "Where is that old lady from the Siling family? In the detention center?"

"Yes, that woman specially booked a private room for her, telling her to stay there comfortably and that she was provided with good food and drink. Then she said she was going to thoroughly investigate this so-called corruption case, which has caused widespread panic. However, after the deputy captain talked to the old lady, she changed her testimony. After all that fuss, the old lady fainted. When she woke up, she looked listless and didn't speak, so the interrogation was stopped."

"It seems the vice-captain isn't as weak as before and has come up with a solution. But this is a tough hurdle to overcome. If someone this old is still being ridden on by a young girl, everyone will laugh at him." Richard said sarcastically. The gatekeeper just smiled apologetically, thinking to himself, "Isn't this all your fault?"
Richard, however, didn't care about the strange look in his former subordinate's eyes. In this place, it was common for people to drift apart after leaving; business was more important right now. "Give me the keys to the detention center," he said, "I'll take care of this." "Huh?" The guard was taken aback. "Sir, you mean..."

“You took a nap because you were too tired from the day shift, at most you’ll be fined a month’s salary for dereliction of duty.” Richard said, placing 30 gold coins on the table: “That’s enough for you for 5 months.”

"But I heard that the captain can use divine magic to detect lies."

"If she takes a lie detector test, just pretend you don't know. Anyway, she's not someone you killed. What can a paladin do to you? At most, it'll be considered a dereliction of duty, but you know what I'm capable of."

Richard chuckled coldly, "The vice-captain has already taken care of the first task, so naturally I'll finish the rest. As for the others, you don't know or are unaware of them. You'll find out the details when the time comes."

The gatekeeper was horrified when he heard this. He instinctively wanted to refuse, but as soon as he looked up, he saw Richard's chilling gaze, like that of a lone wolf in the wilderness.

He shivered, then pulled the hat he had placed aside over his face. Richard smiled at this, took the corresponding key from the key tray in the duty room, and quickly went to the detention center next door.

Following the same method, Richard paid thirty gold coins to put the guard to sleep, then put on a mask, opened the door, and went inside.

The town's guards were not as tight as those in big cities, and only one person was on duty at night. In the past, this would sometimes have allowed some skilled thieves to escape, but now it made things easier for him.

At this time, most of the prisoners in the detention center were already asleep. Richard's arrival woke up a few people, but no one paid any attention to him because of his police uniform. He quickly went to the end of the detention center and successfully entered the last room with the key.

Normally, single rooms and these large dormitories shouldn't be in the same place, but the town doesn't have many rules, and over the years, very few people have lived here.

The slight sound of the door lock opening did not wake the old woman who had been disturbed all day. Richard glanced at the room and nodded when he saw the beam.

He took a rag from his pocket and placed it aside, then casually tore a strip from the bed sheet beneath her. The sudden tearing sound startled the old woman awake, but before she could even understand what was happening, the rag was stuffed into her mouth.

The old woman was startled by this action and her eyes widened. She frantically tried to pull the rag out, but Richard had already used the torn sheet to tighten around her neck. Then, with a strong pull, there was a crack, and the old woman's neck tilted to the side, and her body went limp.

Richard was not surprised by this; he simply pulled out the sheet, tied a knot at one end, and threw it toward the rafters.

While hanging usually results in death by suffocation, there is also a chance of death by neck fracture, which is more common in elderly people with brittle bones.

After tying the sheets, Richard tried to hang the old woman's neck on them, but he couldn't manage it because he had lost the strength in his muscles.

Richard cursed under his breath, then used the bed sheet to tie a knot and loop it around the corpse's neck to ensure it wouldn't fall off once tightened.

Although it was done in a rather ugly way, this matter is finally over.

Richard went back, hung up the key, and headed towards his safe house. Meanwhile, in an apartment, Deva was excitedly clutching the communication gem: "Mom, your method really worked! Those guys are all convinced!"

Even the vice-captain who was trying to trip me up was speechless. Later, I don't know what he said to the old woman that made her recant her testimony, but I recorded the initial conversation with a video recorder, so there's absolutely no problem.

A somewhat languid voice came from the gem's side: "Hehe, you can't reason with these unruly people from poor, remote areas. Using magic is the most reliable way. If that old man is smart, he should admit it tomorrow. Otherwise, you can go to the church tomorrow and take out your medals to make sure all of them pass through a lie detection test. I don't believe these guys in black never embezzle or take bribes."

Deva was startled by these words. Although she lacked experience, she knew that these low-ranking guards were not clean. She whispered, "When I came here, my mentor told me that the crackdown should be slow. Some people have become accustomed to taking bribes and demanding favors. If we really investigate thoroughly, I'm afraid none of them will escape. At that time, this guard team will probably be paralyzed, and the security situation might not be as good as it is now."

"The main thing is to give them a warning. You can demote them or impose fines as a form of punishment. Once one or two people are punished, the others will naturally be afraid. Then you can show leniency and they will listen to you. Anyway, let's not talk about these trivial matters. That young man you mentioned earlier is quite interesting. He came to help you again today, right? What's his name?"

"DuPont was a magician's apprentice."

　Thank you to Wanrenqiji, Shenyinzhuchan, Xiaobaihuajizhong, bdongbird, huajinmo, and Honglongtanto for their generous donations!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)