The Youngest Member Filming a Parenting Show is Adorable - Chapter 276

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com

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【276】
Rasifer quickly read the suspicion in my eyes and his expression grew cold.
His posture tilted, and the smile playing at his lips deepened considerably.
Yet his eyes had turned glacial, and the oppressive atmosphere intensified.
“Are you… quite all right? I’d appreciate it if you could describe the circumstances when the body was discovered.”
The Police Captain flinched at his words and cautiously requested an eyewitness account.
It was something like instinct—a survival instinct that screamed if I crossed the line here, my head would separate cleanly from my shoulders, or I’d suffer nightmares so vicious I’d lose my mind.
“You’ve already heard enough, haven’t you?”
“Ah… well, yes, but you were present at both incidents, weren’t you?”
“The first time, I was going about my business when someone blocked my path, so I went to check out of annoyance. The second time, Superti found the body while coming to look for me. You failed to prevent the incidents due to your incompetence—why aren’t you keeping your eyes open?”
His tone was somewhat… well, harsh, but not inaccurate.
As I listened quietly, I interjected before Rasifer could grow any angrier.
“We weren’t the only ones present both times.”
“Pardon? Then…”
“There was a Young Priest. He even appeared as a victim in the second incident.”
When I pointed out the oversight, the Police Captain blinked and exclaimed, “Ah!” as if he hadn’t considered it at all.
“But then, where is that person now…?”
To be this incompetent was almost impressive.
I smacked my forehead and directed my question toward the clustered Priests.
“Do any of you know who among the Priests is about this tall, has brown hair, pale skin, and wears their hair in two braids?”
“That’s Kalani, a junior Priesthood member. We haven’t seen where she went, so we were wondering if we should go search for her.”
The one who answered was a middle-aged woman.
“Ah, my name is Yulta. I’m a senior Priesthood member who serves closest to Agnes.”
Sensing that this woman was the only one I could have a proper conversation with, I stepped closer and continued quickly.
“There’s a possibility that Radicals are aboard this ship. Could Kalani be a spy sent by the Radical Faction?”
“Ah… that’s… possible. She’s been with us for about three months, and she was excessively zealous. But how do you know about the Radicals…?”
After lowering my guard as much as possible, I organized what I’d learned.
The victim was Agnes, a senior Priesthood member.
A month ago, the Moderate Faction Priests had traveled to the Mado Empire to purchase “something.”
It was something that could stop the rapidly growing Radical Faction within Whithirian, but no one except Agnes knew exactly what it was.
No one knew where it was hidden, how large it was, or even the quantity or cost.
“Agnes was most wary of Radical Faction spies. That’s why she chose only those with deep faith to accompany her.”
“But you never suspected that Kalani might be part of the Radical Faction?”
At my question, Yulta’s expression clouded.
“I had some doubts. However, Agnes trusted her. And I still want to believe in her.”
It was unfortunate, but resolving this quickly would be best.
I sighed and voiced my thoughts.
“To place dry ice in the ventilation shaft, someone would need to be thin and small enough to fit inside. Kalani is perfectly suited for that.”
“…Yes.”
The middle-aged Priesthood member I was speaking with had a substantial build. The others were either tall or broad-shouldered, and none seemed capable of crawling into the ventilation shaft.
Applying process of elimination, Kalani Priest seemed most likely.
“Then, can Kalani Priest self-heal from frostbite?”
“…Yes. Kalani is exceptionally skilled in healing magic. His recovery is also quite fast. As for pain… he’s rather insensitive to it.”
That made him even more suspicious.
I turned to look at the Police Captain and tilted my head.
“Does this qualify him as a suspect?”
“Without concrete evidence, we cannot designate him as the culprit, but we can place him under suspicion.”
That would do. All that remained was finding the perpetrator lurking somewhere aboard the ship.
“Earlier, the doors were locked—was that done by the police?”
“Ah, yes. That’s correct.”
“How troublesome. You opened the ones near my room. You should have notified me beforehand.”
I could actually voice complaints!
How mature of me.
‘Here I am, caught up in a murder case during a vacation…and I’m acting quite grown-up too….’
I wanted to contact my family soon, but if I told them, they’d surely worry terribly and demand I return immediately, wouldn’t they?
‘What should I do? Should I just not mention this incident…?’
While Rasifer continued speaking, I stepped back and sought comfort from the Water Spirit.
As the adorable child tickled my fingers, my heart seemed to ease a little.
That was when it happened.
Boom!
A tremendous explosion thundered from below where we stood, and the entire ship shuddered violently.
Rasifer rushed over and caught me, wearing an expression of smug satisfaction like a well-fed fox.
“Got him. Let’s go.”
“Already?”
“I had a remote-controlled device placed outside. If anyone tried to tamper with it, it would detonate. Of course, I also set up a barrier to prevent any damage to the ship.”
When on earth had he done all that!
I clicked my tongue and took Rasifer’s hand, heading downstairs. The explosion had occurred in the Hall of the Deep Sea.
A large mechanical automaton was half-charred, sparking and crackling. What had once been seats were blackened with soot, and beside them lay someone collapsed.
“Kalani Priest!”
Yulta Priest, who had come down with us, gasped and tried to rush over, but the Police Captain blocked his path.
“He is a suspect. This may be a crime scene, so do not approach.”
“Ah, but… he’s injured so badly….”
“Did you not just say he was capable of self-recovery?”
True to those words, Kalani Priest, who had been charred like burnt charcoal, was gradually recovering.
Soon, Kalani Priest’s fingers began to twitch, and he slowly pushed himself up.
“Ah… Yulta Priest!”
“Kalani Priest! What on earth is happening here? What is that thing?”
“No… well, I got lost while wandering around… and I found this and got curious, so I touched it. Then it, it exploded….”
Kalani Priest’s contorted face looked genuinely innocent.
If that tearful expression was an act, he deserved an award.
“This mechanical doll has such a distinctive appearance that I’ve seen it before. I was wondering if it might show me the way.”
There was a tremor in his voice, a dilation in his pupils. Yet nowhere did I detect a lie. At least, not yet.
But Rasifer did not trust him in the slightest.
“Lost your way, have you!”
“The ship is so vast, I’m afraid. My apologies, Yulta.”
Anyone could say such things.
Rasifer immediately summoned the flying spider he had released earlier.
I noticed Rasifer was doing something and quickly surveyed the tank.
“The mermaids must have seen everything. Let me ask them.”
“…You can communicate with mermaids?”
The Police Captain questioned me in bewilderment, but I paid him no mind.
“I am the daughter of Fasayen, who rules the Sea. A descendant of the Ancestor Whale, Superti Fasayen. To breathe underwater and live in the sea is my nature, so communication with mermaids is only natural.”
I stated my identity plainly and called for Ruberta. To ask what she had witnessed.
After all, one cannot evade the truth when there are both witnesses and evidence.
“There is a dedicated manager who cares for Ruberta. If the words I relay match what that manager says, that should suffice.”
“That would be reasonable.”
“I’m not saying he’s necessarily the culprit. He could also be cleared of suspicion.”
Ruberta swam toward me with elegant grace, creating bubbles in her wake. In the meantime, Ruberta’s Manager was also summoned.
“Ruberta, what did that young priest do here?”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com

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