Ashford took a deep breath, stopped, closed the door, walked back to the seat he was sitting in just now, and looked at Ciel, saying, “You are investigating people from the Redemption Society?”

Ashford was a professor at the Redemption Society. It was impossible for him to just leave without resolving this matter.

“Please calm down, Professor Ashford. Before that, I need you to answer a few questions for me.”

Ciel beckoned to Tara, then looked at Professor Ashford and said, “Are you planning to protect Adele?”

Is she doubting me?

Is that transcendent maid a “Listener” or an “Ascetic”?

Glancing at Lucy, whose hands were already tucked into the outer pockets of her uniform, Ashford took a deep breath.

It seems, if I don’t answer the questions, it won’t be easy to walk out of here safely...

But fortunately, the other party is from Deton Group. They seek wealth, not lives.

He looked at Ciel again and said, “Yes.”

Ciel: “Those three ‘Physicians’, did you place any restrictions or warnings on them?”

Professor Ashford was aware of the danger of that plant and wanted to take Adele to Ansu City to avoid trouble. So he definitely knew he had to keep those three “Physicians” under control.

“Two are my students. And one is a ‘Physician’ from the Berren City branch. I have told them to keep silent about this matter.”

Ashford replied.

Ciel looked at Tara, and Tara looked at Ciel, but only shook her head, confirming that the other party was not lying.

“Who is missing?”

Ciel spoke, asking Tara.

“Fred Hopkins... Others are still searching. If he is still in Berren City, he can be found today, Lord Ciel.”

Tara slightly bowed, replying respectfully.

“It’s him...?”

Ashford’s expression changed slightly.

This expression was caught by Ciel. She looked at Ashford and asked, “Professor, could you please explain? Who exactly is this Fred?”

“He... is essentially a student of my student. A graduate student, Fred. After I came to Berren City, I promoted him to assistant lecturer.”

Ashford said.

A student of Ashford’s student?

Ashford’s student... was Sherlon, the Tier 2 “Plague Doctor” who almost caused a “dehydration syndrome” outbreak. And Sherlon’s student was from the same batch of “Physicians” as Adele, essentially Adele’s classmate.

And now, that student of Sherlon’s is missing at this critical juncture...

Ciel’s mind raced.

Sherlon’s contact with Kitty was when Kitty secretly had him use a sealed artifact to cause a “dehydration syndrome” outbreak in front of the Clock Tower Church, attempting to kill most of the followers of the Church of the Savior Goddess in Berren City to undermine the authority of the Church of the Savior Goddess here.

In Kitty’s spiritual notes, this point was clearly recorded. Ciel followed the clues to Deton Manor, triggering a series of subsequent events.

But there was indeed this one suspicious point in between.

How did Kitty contact Sherlon and know so clearly about his academic stagnation and ambition for quick results, even to the extent of wanting to change his potion path...

Kitty didn’t even brainwash Sherlon to make him a follower. Was she really that confident that Sherlon would help her? What was the basis?

But if we assume that a student under Sherlon was from the Society of Merriment...

The Society of Merriment, after all, has people on the “Poison Master” path. If there are people on the “Poison Master” path, there will definitely be people on the “Physician” path. They would choose paths that are easier to complete for conversion.

Even the perpetrator of the North Ansu Great Famine could be a Tier 4 “Poison Master” from the Society of Merriment.

Based on this assumption, all the previous doubts are resolved...

“One last question,”

Ciel looked at Ashford and slowly said, “Are you from the Society of Merriment?”

The moment Lucy heard this, she clenched the revolver hidden in the pocket of her coat. And Tara also took a step forward, subtly blocking Ciel.

“I am not from the Society of Merriment...”

Ashford’s eyebrows twitched violently. He had a bad premonition.

“Not a lie, Lord Ciel.” Tara confirmed.

“You are not, so it must be Assistant Lecturer Hopkins.”

Ciel looked at Ashford and said slowly:

“He is from the Society of Merriment. He instigated your student Sherlon to help people from the Divine Advent Church kill followers of the Church of the Savior Goddess and spread disease to convert them into ‘Source of Cholera’.”

“This indirectly led to the Deton Manor sacrifice case... Professor Ashford, the source of all this chaos comes from the internal oversight failure within the Redemption Society.”

“Commissioner Lucy, I think you can start writing the concluding statement for this investigation.”

Lucy glanced at Ciel in surprise, secretly admiring her.

As expected of a mysterious organization...

The intelligence they possessed was actually more than what she had found after investigating for so long. She herself had only just followed the clues to Sherlon, but this matter involved the secret transaction between that Miss Roswell and the Clock Tower Church, making the investigation difficult to continue.

This time, with Ciel’s words, the blame for this matter was completely shifted to the Redemption Society and the Society of Merriment... If they pursued it further, they could even extort a large compensation from the Redemption Society.

Lucy was once again certain that she had absolutely joined the right organization.

As long as she worked hard, there would definitely be many opportunities and wealth waiting for her in the future!

At this moment, Ashford was holding the brim of his hat, his thoughts in disarray.

His student had done something like spreading a plague, which already made Ashford feel remorse and guilt. And the source of all this was actually from the Society of Merriment, from a mere graduate student...

And he himself, without knowing it, had promoted him to assistant lecturer. The purpose was to fill the vacancy after Lecturer Sherlon died...

“The person has not been found. This is all your baseless speculation and conjecture, Miss Ciel.”

Ashford lowered the hand holding the brim of his hat and slowly spoke, his voice somewhat hoarse, “But I am willing to cooperate with Deton Group’s investigation, capture Fred... Hopkins, and question him thoroughly.”

“I shall take my leave now.”

The three of them watched Professor Ashford’s figure walk away into the distance.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by lotustale.com