Pokémon Detective Case Files

Chapter 452 The Dawn of Two People Standing Together

Chapter 454 The Dawn Sun Shines on Two People Standing Together

The king who appeared in the audience chamber was surprisingly young, a somewhat lazy black-haired youth.

The man was dressed in a white royal robe covered in patterns, holding a scepter in his hand. His steps toward the throne were casual yet full of majesty.

"The train carrying Asura and Team Aqua has returned to Raven City. With the Gym Leaders guarding it, there were no other unexpected incidents along the way, except for Team Aqua executives' repeated attempts to jump off the train and escape. So far, it has gone relatively smoothly."

"As for Interpol, their operation in Kagome Town was too 'lucky'; they stumbled upon the delivery site of the sealed Pokémon being transported by a modified destroyer from Team Plasma. Fortunately, the agents sent by Interpol were reckless enough to accidentally capture Vio and another Team Aqua executive who had infiltrated Unova. The only downside was that Acrom, who was also present, used his companion as a shield and led the Pokémon away by water alone. However, for a large-scale operation that was mostly a warning, the results were already quite gratifying. By the way, Azure, who was attacked by Archie, has also woken up from her coma. Just now, she was assisting the Snowdrop City police in clearing up the riot caused by the Team Plasma church."

This strange king lived up to his reputation, uttering incomprehensible "madness" upon first meeting. Seated high on his throne, he seemed completely immersed in his own fabricated, fictional world.

"Perhaps because of the events in Snowflake City and Giant's Cave, Team Plasma finally became vigilant at nightfall, and the disturbances by Team Plasma churches in various places ended with the troublemakers withdrawing on their own. The Alliance police have begun to follow the clues and eliminate the subordinate forces of Team Plasma in various places, but because they have just experienced a major battle, their police force is limited, and they may not be able to expect much results in the short term."

His Majesty seemed particularly fond of his scepter, spinning it around as he spoke.

"So, does that mean we Four Heavenly Kings have nothing to do now?" The magician shrugged and asked the kingdom's ruler without fear.

"Let's just say that's how it is." Hugo XVI yawned. "Anyway, whether Team Plasma decides to retreat or make another move, we can't afford to be careless at this juncture. Tonight is destined to be a sleepless night—in a sense, Wanlong's board game is quite fitting."

Having spoken, the king glanced at the three men standing in the audience hall, his gaze heavy, as if awaiting the outcome of a game of dice...

"Cough cough."

Ultimately, he seemed reasonably impressed with the group of travelers, so he casually waved his hand. "Travelers, you've come because of the recent rumors in the capital, haven't you? You mean that thing—supposedly perched on the throne..."

"A demonic dragon that can possess a human?" The king's lips curled into a half-smile. "Honestly, if such a creature truly possessed me, I'd be quite interested to see it—it would be far more interesting than spending all day reviewing official documents. Among you, is there any one who can make it reveal its true form here?"

"Then, please forgive my rudeness."

Without consulting anyone, the mage Yueju raised his hand and waved his staff. As he chanted a short incantation, a blinding beam of light shot directly at Hugo XVI—it was the [Holy Light] spell, which is mastered by intermediate-level mages and has a strong exorcising and purifying effect on spirits and demons.

Almost simultaneously, Cattleya activated her Monk skill [Mind's Eye], focusing intently on the king. The slightest unusual fluctuation from him would instantly reveal the true nature of the so-called "evil dragon."

"Hey, did you guys just communicate using superpowers?"

The thief, Lian Wu, muttered something under his breath, and then, a beat slower, took out a bundle of licorice smeared with a special oil from his bag. He first bowed to the king to apologize, then lit it with a flint and steel, and placed the smoky bundle of licorice at Hugo XVI's feet.

The burning licorice emitted wisps of white smoke, and the king curiously sniffed the not-so-pungent aroma: "What is this?"

"This is dried wormwood soaked in candle wax oil," the thief explained earnestly. "It's a recipe passed down from the thieves' guild I used to belong to. It's said to be able to repel most Pokémon. If the evil dragon possessing His Majesty is some kind of Ghost-type Pokémon, this might have a miraculous effect."

He paused, then added, "In one of our previous adventures, we used this item to successfully navigate an underground labyrinth."

"Unfortunately, it seems that it is not working in our 'Royal Capital Chapter'."

Hugo XVI shook his head, his voice lowering. "Gentlemen, I'm not usually one to care much about court etiquette, but I can behead people when I'm in a bad mood. The other two travelers over there, if you end your inexplicable exorcism ritual now, I might just laugh off your disrespectful behavior as a clown's foolish performance."

Under the king's warning, Yueju turned pale and withdrew the [Holy Light] spell she had just cast, clearly having exhausted all her magic power.

The female monk glared fiercely at the king. Neither of them had managed to unleash their skills to any effect—it seemed there was no room for a miracle in this matter.

The king shrugged, a smug smile on his face. "Looks like there haven't been any exciting supernatural occurrences—I am still me. If you have nothing else to report, it's time to leave my sight."

He raised his hand, beckoning Luna, who had somehow hidden in a corner of the audience hall. "Another group of fools, ensnared by ignorance and prejudice. It seems there's no need to treat them with any seriousness. Luna, take these people back to where they came from. Leclerc seems to have given them some instructions; just do as Count Black Moon wishes."

"Wait a minute! There's also Cattleya's prophecy—"

The thief tried to say something more, but was interrupted by the capricious king raising his scepter. The next moment, a large group of fully armed guards surged in—"I'm tired," the king said gently, gesturing with his hand, his tone leaving no room for argument. "Let's leave it at that. Today seems like a fine day to enjoy the garden."

Thus, the travelers were "invited" out of the audience hall and found themselves once again standing in front of the magnificent main gate of the palace.

"It seems Wanlong isn't planning to let us end this game easily." The mage leaned against the city wall, holding his staff, and sighed. "There's absolutely no sign of possession on the king. From now on, we can only follow Earl Black Moon's instructions and search the capital like a needle in a haystack for that big-bearded man who spread the rumors."

"Could it be that the exorcism failed just now because our level was not high enough?" Lian Wu cautiously put forward a hypothesis.

Yueju shook her head: "If it's just a numerical difference, the host would at least give us a chance to be judged as a 'great success'."

However, that possibility does not exist. The only reasonable explanation is that the so-called possession by an evil dragon is completely fictitious, and no matter what methods we use, we cannot find any problem.

"However, the King seems to trust Leclerc very much," Cattleya rarely participated in the analysis.

"It's more than just trust?" The magician pointed to Luna beside him. "With just a word from the Count, Hugo XVI allowed three armed strangers into the palace. This is less a matter of trust and more a sign that he has become a complete puppet of the Black Moon Count."

"Even the gardeners in the palace are his spies," Yueju sneered. "It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that Leclerc is the actual ruler of this country."

"And yet he has managed to govern the kingdom into this state." The thief, who had once struggled in the darkness of the lower rungs of society, shrugged.

"That's not something we should be worrying about right now," said the graduate who had been suppressed by the magical community. "Since we're looking for someone, perhaps we should go back to the Black-Eyed Crocodile Tavern to gather some clues. However, if we want to find a specific bearded man in the densely populated capital, we'll probably have to rely on the Thieves' Guild in the end."

"But our relationship with the Thieves' Guild seems pretty tense right now, doesn't it?" Lian Wu frowned, arms crossed. "After all, in the last underground labyrinth, we repaid kindness with enmity, using smoky herbs to drive the giant steel snake, the final boss, right in front of them, and then pocketed the treasure for ourselves—."

"Hmm—"

Just before Cattleya was about to say, "Let me have an inspiration," an unexpected figure appeared in front of the three travelers in a panic.

"Oh no, you're here! Something terrible has happened!"

The waitress at the Black Crocodile Tavern looked disheveled and ran breathlessly toward Yueju and the others.

More precisely, her target was not the suspicious homeless people she had met less than a day ago, but Luna Silvia standing behind them.

"The Black Crocodile Tavern has been shut down by the royal guards! Luna, don't you have connections in the palace? You've even met the king! Please, please help me think of a way!"