Pokémon Detective Case Files.

"Could this be the work of Count Leclerc?" Lian Wu was the first to analyze.

In terms of timing, the tavern was shut down precisely after their meeting with Earl Black Moon. Given the powerful minister's position, he clearly did not want the rumors to continue spreading, so sending guards to shut down the source was perfectly reasonable.

“During the previous meeting, he seemed to have mentioned wanting to ‘address the source of the rumors,’” Cattleya whispered a reminder.

Lingju stroked her staff thoughtfully: "But thinking about it carefully, what's the point of shutting down the tavern now? That rumor was already spreading like wildfire when we entered the capital. It's too late to deal with the source now. With that count's shrewdness, he shouldn't have made such an irrational move."

“Indeed, and he even specifically asked us to track down that bearded man.” The thief nodded in agreement.

"Hey! This isn't the time to slowly analyze the case!"

The waitress abruptly interrupted the discussion, grabbing Luna and shaking her violently—

“Those guards are so fierce! We Black-Eyed Crocodiles are just a small business; we can’t afford this kind of treatment! Luna, you don’t want to never be able to drink your favorite apple cider in the palace again, do you?”

"Cider?" The gardening apprentice tilted his head. "I'm getting a little tired of it lately."

The waitress was struck dumb, collapsing to the ground. This waitress was also the tavern owner's daughter; if the tavern's reputation were damaged, her family, while not necessarily bankrupt, would likely suffer a severe blow.

"……what?"

As if receiving some kind of divine revelation, the magician suddenly began to mutter to himself in surprise—

"There was actually an option? We could have helped her before?"

“Didn’t King Hugo hint that he wanted to take a walk in the garden?” Lian Wu pondered for a moment, then said, “If we take the hostess to the garden now to ask for an audience, we might actually be able to persuade him to help.”

"Oh dear, but I really don't want to help this person..." Yueju couldn't help but grumble as she thought about how her name was still on the Black Crocodile Tavern's blacklist.

"If—!" Upon seeing this, the waitress who had been slumped on the ground suddenly raised her head, her eyes wide open, "If you can help our Black Crocodile Tavern overcome this crisis, I... I will make you all lifetime super VIPs! Free food and lodging!"

Free room and board – that's no small discount for travelers. After all, inn expenses and daily food costs in the capital are considerable. Saving this money would be enough to buy several useful adventure items.

"Food and lodging are all included... Does that mean drinks aren't included?" The mage, still dissatisfied, tried to bargain. After all, while drinking at the tavern wouldn't improve one's attributes, it could sometimes subtly increase one's local reputation.

However, before his petty nitpicking could elicit a response from the waitress, he was met with a united crackdown from his teammates—

"Don't push your luck, Blueberry."

"Yeah, it's not a big deal to do a good deed once in a while."

"Gardelia is one thing, but why is even a thief like you so righteous?"

Yueju sighed helplessly: "Even if we're willing to help, we'd at least need this spy Luna's approval to let us into the garden she's in charge of, right?"

"Want to visit the garden? No problem."

Surprisingly, the Black Moon Count's spy agreed with unusual ease.

"Really?!" Hope instantly ignited in the waitress's eyes.

"Follow me!" Luna deftly bypassed the massive stone pillars of the palace's main gate, leading everyone to a quiet path on the side. "This way, we'll be there in no time!"

“There’s something I’ve suspected many times, but I still can’t help asking.” Lian Wu scratched his forehead, his brows furrowed. “Even if none of us planned to assassinate the king, isn’t the security at the palace… a little too lax?”

"Perhaps this is a foreshadowing of some future event by Wanlong," Yueju speculated, based on the game host's personality. "Maybe there will be a battle related to the capital in the future, and we can use this path."

"No problem!" the real-life spy said confidently, seemingly out of nowhere.

However, it turns out that Luna's earlier statement of "soon" was a complete lie.

The group followed her down a route completely different from their first visit to the palace, almost like traversing mountains and valleys—sometimes squeezing into narrow alleyways, sometimes scaling low walls, and sometimes darting into the garden area from the outside of the palace. Despite Luna leading the way, they surprisingly encountered very few guards along the way.

However, while this "secret passage" was unobstructed, it had to pass by the window of Earl Black Moon's office, next to the audience hall. Leclerc was sitting at his desk, and upon seeing the group of furtive travelers, he showed no surprise, merely nodding slightly—it seemed this was perhaps a court secret known only to the Earl's spies…

"This is it! The garden where Luna usually works!"

The gardening apprentices suddenly stopped, and a breathtaking view unfolded before them—hidden within this deep palace compound was a magnificent garden, as beautiful as a primeval forest.

This garden seems to encapsulate the vitality of a palace, with lush fruit trees forming a natural dome, and a stone fountain carved with a majestic portrait of a king standing quietly in the center of the courtyard, its waters murmuring gently. The air is filled with a refreshing fragrance, a few shy buds curl up among the leaves in the flowerbeds, while wisteria vines gracefully meander among the branches above.

Upon entering the palace garden, Luna did not lead everyone directly to the center of the garden, which was full of blooming flowers. Instead, she took a large detour and spiraled forward from the other side, closer to the true entrance of the garden.

Just as the travelers were wondering—

"Luna! Where did you bring this stranger in again? How many times have I told you not to bring strangers in!"

A voice came from deep within the garden. There stood an elderly man with a white beard, wearing a linen apron and carrying garden shears, looking over with displeasure.

"Not a stranger! She's a friend Luna knows!" the spy, disguised as an apprentice, feigned ignorance and argued.

“Just knowing each other isn’t enough… Sigh, it’s probably going in one ear and out the other.” The old man sighed helplessly and turned to the group, who looked a little disheveled from their journey. “You must be Luna’s new friends, right? I’m sorry to have troubled you as her apprentice. My name is Sander, and I’m the gardener in charge of managing this royal garden.”

It turns out he was the real manager of this garden.

"No, we're the ones who've caused Luna a lot of trouble," the waitress said apologetically. "I..."

Just as she was about to explain her purpose, a familiar voice rang out behind the old gardener, Sander—

"Oh dear, have you all not left the palace yet? Do you have any other talents you'd like to perform?"

Hugo XVI makes another appearance.

He still held the scepter in his hand, and his other hand held a few freshly picked fruits in his fingers.

"Or do you have any new developments to report regarding that absurd rumor about the capital?"

“It’s like this…” The mage Yueju stepped forward.

Seemingly sensing that the king was about to attend to official business, the old gardener Sande awkwardly stepped back: "I suddenly remembered that there are still a few plants by the door that have not been pruned. Please allow me to take my leave."

Hugo XVI did not stop them. Meanwhile, Cranberry took the opportunity to introduce them to a waitress at the Black Crocodile Tavern, who nervously explained their purpose.

"Hmph. You shut down this young lady's tavern just because of that ridiculous rumor? I never gave such an overbearing order."

"Who gave this order? Could it be Earl Black Moon?" Yueju asked curiously.

“Without the king’s decree, even Leclerc has no right to arbitrarily deploy guards.” Hugo XVI’s face darkened as he slammed his scepter heavily into the ground. “Waitress, are you sure the guards surrounding the tavern are from the capital?”

"Yes, they are the guards who patrol the city regularly. I even recognize some of them."

The waitress said definitively that she wouldn't have been able to get to the palace if those people hadn't been willing to let her through.

"Is that so?" A cold glint flashed in the king's eyes, but his expression quickly returned to calm as he looked at the pitiful-looking tavern waiter and said—

"I already know about this, and I'll send someone to handle it soon... No, perhaps there's no need to handle it at all; your tavern's crisis will be resolved immediately. It seems there are other things besides the rumors that require my attention..."

"Could it be that someone in the palace is forging an imperial edict?" Yueju asked, being nosy.

"Oh? You want me to tell you the whole story from beginning to end?" Hugo XVI's face showed a mischievous smile. "Unfortunately, I'm not that kind of person right now. If you want to know the truth, you'll need to put in your own efforts."

"At least give me a hint?"

“I reiterate, Leclerc is a man who will only obey the king’s orders,”

Having said all this, what more could the king possibly ask for?

"Oh, right, Luna." Before seeing the guests off, the king seemed to suddenly remember something and instructed the gardening apprentice, "I've been craving cider lately. Send some more over when you have time."

Upon reaching the garden entrance, one sees the old gardener Sande pruning potted plants, with several of the king's guards standing quietly to the side.

So, following the guards' directions, the group left along the official passageway of the palace and returned to the Black Crocodile Tavern. And there, just as Hugo XVI had said, the guards who had surrounded them had all withdrawn, as if nothing had happened the night before.

Although the reason behind this was unknown, the tavern owner's daughter kept her promise and readily solved the traveler's worries about food and lodging in the capital.

After two trips in and out of the palace, the day's journey ended in a blur, without even catching a glimpse of the bearded man.

Just as Yueju and the others began to wonder what the significance of this plot was—the next morning, a shocking piece of news exploded like a thunderclap in the capital.

Victor Hugo XVI has passed away.

His blood-soaked body lay beneath the thickest fruit tree in the garden, the blood soaking into the soil, while his noble black-haired head... along with the murder weapon, had vanished without a trace.

Chapter 440 The Reflection of the Truth Behind the Decapitation

headache.

The travelers felt as if someone was tapping their temples with a dull chisel.

There's a feeling that my stamina is decreasing.

Of the three, the magician Yueju was the first to regain consciousness, not because of the light—there were no windows in the place—but because of the chill seeping from the damp stone walls, the icy temperature seeping into his bones through his thin hotel pajamas.

When Lingju moved, she realized that her wrists and ankles were bound with rough ropes, and she was tied to a heavy wooden chair.

On the other two chairs, Lian Wu and Gadriya were also slumped in the same position, not yet fully awake.

The air was filled with the mixed smell of old dust and rusty metal. The only light source came from an oil lamp flickering on an iron table in the center of the room. The lamplight cast shadows on the walls, making it seem as if invisible ghost Pokémon were playing silently.

A person was standing next to the lamp.

Tall and slender, she was dressed in a perfectly tailored black gown, her long, silver-grey hair neatly tied back. It was none other than Count Black Moon—Ducum Leclerc—whom he had met at the palace just yesterday.

In this room, which was the complete opposite of the office next to the audience hall, he stood with his back to the travelers, slowly and meticulously wiping a dagger with a white silk handkerchief. The blade gleamed coldly under the light.

Yueju recognized the dagger—it was Lianwu's ever-present personal weapon. A chill ran down his spine as he noticed the rusty iron table not far away, where all three of their belongings were piled haphazardly: staffs, bags, amulets… everything had been looted.

"woke up?"

Leclerc did not turn around; his deep voice sounded like a eulogy at a funeral.

"I hope my men weren't too rude. But considering the seriousness of the situation, a little discomfort... is understandable."

"Where...where is this?" Lian Wu also woke up. He struggled slightly, and the rough ropes dug deep into his wrists. "Didn't we just fall asleep in the inn attached to the tavern? Why are we tied up here?"

Leclerc finally turned around and gently placed the thief's dagger on the iron table, alongside Lianwu's other spare weapons. The metal struck against the table with a chilling, crisp sound.

"Where?" the count repeated, a sardonic smile playing on his lips. "A place for questioning. A place that needs no sunlight and where no irrelevant people will bother you."

He walked up to the travelers, bent down, and his cold gaze was like a scalpel.

"As for why... that's a question for me to ask you. Yesterday, you were among the last people to see His Majesty Hugo XVI—during his lifetime."

"You killed Hugo in your life?" Lian Wu, standing to the side, stared wide-eyed.

Leclerc frowned: "Our king is not a character on the pages of a book, but he has indeed lost his life—that is an indisputable fact."

“We’re just going to…” Cattleya, who had just woken up, tried to speak, her voice hoarse from just waking up.

"—Go and plead for that insignificant tavern." Leclerc interrupted her, his tone laced with undisguised sarcasm. "How touching. And then? His Majesty mercifully granted your request, and you left. The story should have ended there."

He straightened up, put his hands behind his back, and paced around in the cramped space.

"But the story doesn't end there. After you left, His Majesty didn't summon the gardener Sande and the guards who were waiting outside. At first, no one thought it was unusual; His Majesty would occasionally immerse himself in the tranquility of the garden... until time passed by abnormally. When Sande finally mustered the courage to enter the garden with the guards..."

Leclerc paused, the only sound in the room the crackling of the oil lamp. His voice suddenly turned low and dangerous—

"They found His Majesty lying beneath the oldest fruit tree. Blood stained the soil around the roots. And his head... was gone."

The atmosphere suddenly became eerie.

"So, the moment we left, Hugo XVI was killed... and beheaded?" The thief grinned, his expression a mixture of absurdity and horror.

"It seems... Wanlong wants to add a mystery plot to this role-playing game so he can show off in front of Hugo." The magician yawned.

"Poor king, rest in peace." The warrior monk suddenly remembered her role, her hands bound, and closed her eyes, bowing slightly in mourning.

“Alas,” Leclerc sighed, a mixture of helplessness and pity. “It seems you all haven’t yet grasped the situation you are in.”

He suddenly turned to the three of them, his gaze as sharp as a great white bird swooping down to hunt—

"Now, answer me. What happened after you 'left'? Which of you, and for what reason, cut off the king's head?"

"No, no, no, we absolutely did not assassinate the king!" Lian Wu hurriedly defended himself. "Besides, there were more than just us present at the time; they can all testify!"

“That’s right, and the tavern waitresses and Luna too,” the monk Cattleya added. “Isn’t the latter still your direct subordinate, Count Black Moon?”

"The tavern owner's daughter is being questioned elsewhere; she fainted upon hearing of His Majesty's murder. As for Luna..."

Leclerc's expression grew increasingly grim—

“I haven’t seen this subordinate since yesterday. But I can say with certainty that Luna Silvia could not possibly have murdered His Majesty; she had no motive. Judging from the current situation, the most suspicious are you three ‘travelers’ who last met the King.”

“Strictly speaking, the last person to see the living Hugo XVI should be the murderer who killed him,” Yueju calmly corrected.

"The premise is that the murderer is definitely not one of you."

Count Leclerc maintained his stern expression—

“No more than two hours passed between when you left the garden and when the gardener discovered the body. During that time, no one else entered or left the garden except for the three of you.”

"So, this is a 'locked room murder'?" The magician raised an eyebrow, throwing out this term from futuristic literature.

"A locked room? What is a locked room?"

This powerful minister from the ancient Union era clearly couldn't understand the later concept of genre fiction, but he still quickly grasped the core meaning of the term—