Volume 3 Chapter 55 Catherine - I'm A Great Detective
*In the last chapter, someone pointed out that it was unclear why Randy had to side with the king, so here's an explanation.*
First, let's set the scene.
Randy was angry because he felt Catherine was being treated like a sacrifice.
But he didn't really want to help Catherine.
Then Liz got mad and jumped in, pushing the kings to help Catherine.
That's the basic flow of the story.
Sorry if this part is really confusing.
To put it simply, Randy doesn't like Catherine herself, but he hates the adults who are using her even more. Liz, who is the real victim, said, "Show some mercy," so Randy thought maybe he made Liz suffer because of him. He decided to side with the kings and said, "Well, maybe not mercy after all." That's how it went.
I hope this clears things up for you.
While Randy and the others were in the meeting room, trying to agree with the king...
"I don't get it..."
Catherine was lying on her bed in her room.
Chris had brought in people from the dark guild.
Chris's words seemed suspicious.
There were rumors about an assassination plot against the Crown Prince.
Chris had gone missing.
The school was closed.
Everything was totally different from what Catherine knew about the game.
"My game knowledge... is totally useless!"
Catherine buried her face in her pillow, her mind swirling with things that were supposed to happen next.
The Marquis family's rebellion.
Chris's awakening.
The Church's upper management being wiped out──
Just as Catherine thought of all this, she suddenly sat up.
"If it's the Pope... he might know something."
The Pope was the one who originally controlled Chris and actively helped with Elizabeth's exile. His goal was to create his own country. During the game, Catherine thought, "Someone like you can't do that," but now she realized it was different. This was real life, not a game.
And she was walking a completely different history than in the game.
But at the same time, she knew that everyone had backgrounds based on the game's settings. The people she had met so far had backgrounds that matched the game.
So, she could assume that the Pope's thoughts and background were also like in the game. If that's the case, it made sense that Chris helped with Elizabeth's exile. Chris was definitely acting under the Pope's orders, just like in the game.
Even though the thoughts and backgrounds were like the game, the actions of different people had changed, which might be why things weren't going as planned.
Now that they had already strayed far from the game's story, if the Pope and Chris were still connected... it was very likely that the Church was involved in the assassination rumors.
Realizing this, Catherine jumped out of bed and quickly got ready.
As she rushed down the stairs, skipping steps, the butler called out worriedly, "M-Milady, where are you going?"
"To the Church! I need to check something out!"
Catherine didn't act all sweet in front of her family, but she knew the butler didn't want her running down the hall like that. He sighed and said, "You shouldn't run."
"I know!"
Without looking back at the butler, Catherine dashed out the front door, caught a carriage waiting in the yard, and told the coachman, "To the Church!" before jumping in.
She couldn't just ask the Pope directly, but she could ask some vague questions to get a feel for things.
After a while in the carriage, Catherine arrived at the Cathedral just before noon.
She greeted the worshippers who were there to pray and headed straight for the Pope's private room at the back. As a Saint, Catherine could go straight to the Pope without an appointment.
(You have to use your privileges!)
With a sly smile inside, Catherine rushed down the hallway until she reached a huge door.
Two Church Knights guarding the door noticed her and saluted.
"Um, I'm here to see the Pope."
Catherine said with a sweet voice. One of the knights said, "Just a moment," as he knocked on the door and called out to the Pope. From behind the slightly open door, a voice that sounded a bit angry replied, "I'm busy right now." But when the knight told them that Catherine was visiting, they heard a clearer sound of things being moved around inside, followed by,
'Come in.'
The two knights slowly pushed open the big door.
"Hello, Pope."
Catherine curtsied, and the Pope nodded and spoke.
"I heard you got caught up in the Crown Prince assassination rumors... It's good to see you're okay."
With the Pope's probing gaze on her, Catherine smiled and said, "I'm training, you know."
(He's not really worried about me, huh... I think he just wants to know the truth about the incident.)
"So, what brings you here today?"
The Pope's question interrupted Catherine's thoughts, and she smiled back.
"I just thought I'd come show you I'm doing well since I thought you might be worried."
Catherine's smile made the Pope visibly annoyed. She showed up during a busy time with no useful information, just to say hello. Even the Pope would feel frustrated.
But the Pope quickly hid that annoyance and nodded with a calm expression, saying, "I was worried."
Catherine smiled, and the Pope looked calm too. Both were trying to figure each other out, but it was the Pope who spoke first.
"By the way, I heard Chris Row has been around you a lot. Was he not involved in this?"
Catherine raised the corners of her mouth slightly at the Pope's obvious question.
"Sir Chris? He was with me, but──."
It's not a lie. He was there, but they weren't doing the same thing. Chris was indeed at the scene, but he hadn't invited her. Still, he showed up as if he was waiting for them. It was strange, but Catherine already had her suspicions about it.
As Catherine threw out her net, the Pope jumped in eagerly, asking,
"What's Chris Row 'doing'?"
The Pope leaned forward, and Catherine replied in a playful tone,
"Sir Chris? I heard he's resting at home."
That's what the government, or rather, Chris's family, the Count Row family, announced about Chris's situation. Of course, both Catherine and Edgar knew it was a lie. They didn't know where Chris had gone, but they were aware that the government was secretly looking for him because they took the situation seriously.
After all, they had come to ask Catherine and the others if they knew anything about Chris. They didn't, but the investigators told them to report to the Royal Palace if they saw him.
Soon after, news spread that Chris was resting at home. Catherine could tell that was a lie.
But the Pope in front of her probably didn't know that. He looked disappointed at the obvious answer Catherine gave,
"I see. That makes sense."
...and clearly slumps his shoulders.
(He doesn't know anything. But he cares about Chris... just as I thought.)
In Catherine's mind, everything about the incident connected perfectly.
"If you're worried, should I go check on him?"
That must have sounded like good news to the Pope. But for Catherine, it was just a way to leave this place quickly. She had learned what she wanted to know. She didn't need to deal with the Pope anymore.
The Pope's face lit up at her suggestion, asking, "Will you go?"
"Yes, then──."
Catherine gracefully curtsied and left the Pope's private room.
Her steps naturally quickened as she headed home. She hurried through the hallway, barely greeting the followers, and jumped into her carriage.
"I'm going home."
Catherine couldn't hold back her smile as she called out to the coachman and the carriage started moving. Looking out the window, she saw a huge crowd gathered at a corner of the main street.
She was curious about what was happening, but right now, that wasn't her focus.
(Even though there wasn't a rebellion from the Marquis family...)
She suddenly had a brilliant idea to take down the higher-ups in the Church. A smile naturally appeared on her face as she noticed Elizabeth staring blankly at the carriage.
(Oh, what a coincidence. But this time, I'm going to win. I'll crush the Church.)
With a sly grin, Catherine glanced at Elizabeth before turning her attention back inside the carriage, focusing on her plan again.
There was no doubt that Chris and the Pope were in cahoots. And Chris was involved in the Crown Prince assassination scandal. His behavior was different from the game.
(There's no doubt. That old man brainwashed Chris to come directly for the kill.)
Catherine believed the truth behind the events was like this.
The Pope, wanting to take over the country, brainwashed Chris to actively support Elizabeth's exile. By causing a rebellion from the Marquis family and weakening the nation, he planned to seize control.
Now that that plan had failed, he decided to take direct action by using the brainwashed Chris to assassinate the Crown Prince. She didn't know how he planned to take the country after that. But just before the assassination, Chris's brainwashing wore off.
That's why Chris had been acting so strangely.
(Perfect. Just as I thought.)
Catherine's guess was slightly off, but in a way, it matched the plan that Lucian and the others had drawn up. She planned to report this to the kingdom's government and work with them to take down the Church's higher-ups. By the time she had everything figured out, Catherine arrived home.
She quickly got out of the carriage, eager to submit her request to meet the king... or so she thought.
"Milady. A messenger has come from the Royal Palace."
"A messenger? From the Royal Palace?"
Catherine was confused as a messenger appeared before her, accompanied by a knight.
"Lady Catherine Evans. You are to be taken to the Royal Palace as an important witness in the recent Crown Prince assassination attempt."
Catherine couldn't help but exclaim, "Huh? Why?" but the messenger didn't answer. He just told the knight, "Take her respectfully."
The government had quickly secured Catherine under the guise of "protection," cutting off her contact with the Church. Since Catherine and Chris were going to be key players for the government, securing Catherine was a top priority.
There was no guarantee that the Church wouldn't harm Catherine if they sensed the government's movements.
Catherine's parents had already been informed and had given their approval.
This was the government's way of showing kindness, but for the famous detective Catherine, it was a huge hassle. Still, she couldn't go against the government's decision or her parents...
So, the famous detective Catherine was placed under house arrest in a room at the Royal Palace, all under the name of "protection."
"Fine. I'll just tell Edgar directly."
As she was taken away in the carriage, Catherine pouted, but she wouldn't find out until later that she had been named as a sacrifice and that Liz was the one who helped her.
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