"Vice-Chancellor, why are you so worked up? Did I say something wrong?" Danzo asked.
"Sir Danzo, are you accusing me of stealing that wealth?.... Anyway, whatever article you're blabbering about, I don't give a shite! And forget about administering soul search." Bobby responded calmly, and he further added, "If you wish to find those whatever wealth you're talking about. Why don't you start soul-searching those criminals and ain't no criminal for you to administer soul-search on me?"
Hearing the words of Danzo Tempest, even the crowd was persuaded to think that perhaps Agent Loki had stolen those hauls and hid them somewhere.
But it was equally reasonable to them, as Agent Loki did nothing wrong. So, administering a soul-search was like treating him like an accused and it was highly unethical, too.
So, on hearing his words, some ?soldiers down the podium shouted, "Yes, he's right. Why don't you do the soul-searching on those sinners instead?"
And a senior officer even raised a question directed at Danzo Tempest: "Are you doing this because your lofty noble families have some vendetta against Agent Loki?"
"Yeah, stop this bullshit already. We all know where this is coming from." Another lady soldier yelled from within the crowd.
Danzo and the other eight councilors furrowed their brows, displeasing. They almost thought they had cornered Loki by using the crowd, but it turned out it was just their wishful thinking.
"Sir Danzo Tempest, this is my last warning. If you ever insist on accusing me one more time, then I'm going to complain at headquarters against you for excessive exercising of your power. And here is my last friendly advice," Bobby said calmly, and he bellowed, "Stop barking at the wrong tree!"
And the crowd also shouted in tandem, "Hell to the yeah! Stop barking at the wrong tree!"
"Hahaha, yes, do your soul-searching for those criminals, not my agent." Vice-Chancellor Kuppo yelped. while bursting into a peal of booming laughter. "Hee-hee-hee, Danzo, what're you waiting for? But let me give you a hint. You can add up all your missing clues after you soul-searched them. Let's see if you can spout any more nonsense and make yourself a complete joke."
Danzo lost his coolness for the first time and he glared at Bobby. He then walked toward the fourteen captives. And all those 8 councilors from the four noble families also went, following ?him.
Danzo cast a spell as he began an incantation as he made a series of hand seals and he shouted, "Soul-Searching Technique, activate!" The pure white Angelic Grace energy that had been expelled out of his palms turned into a spherical white mass with multiple symbols on it.
He touched the head of Faf with the white spherical ball of multiple symbols in his hand, which eventually entered through his forehead. And then Danzo shut his eyes and started reviewing Faf's memories.
The other eight counselors also cast the same soul-searching skill and began observing the memories of eight captives of their choosing.
An hour later, Danzo Tempest opened his eyes, and the other eights also opened their eyes, deactivating the Soul-Searching skill.
"Check the remaining five, too?" Danzo Tempest ordered with an indifferent tone.
Five councilors picked each of the remaining five captives and began searching their souls, observing their memories.
Just like before, it took at least an hour for them to complete observing their memories.
The nine councilors then communicated telepathically while reporting to Danzo Tempest.
"Senior Danzo, I didn't find even a speck of single dirt to pin any blame on this obnoxious bastard." Rhea Winchester said.
"Yes, mine too. About our earlier accusation, it turns out Aur conned those fourteen and ran away. And in desperation, those fourteen came to the Arid Archipelago Island and even started aiming at the military personnel as their targets and killed them." A councilor from the Griffin Noble family added.
Then the other six councilors reported the same thing to Danzo.
Danzo Tempest pondered deeply and responded to them. "I agree. It seems we can do nothing to this bastard after all… But there is still something missing from the memories of these fourteen."
"I don't quite get it. What's it, senior Danzo?" Rhea Winchester asked telepathically.
"It was about Yvon Tempest's disappearance! Clearly, he went after this bastard, Loki, to kill him. Actually, I'm the one who convinces him to take the job. And I know for sure that his last location is from his angelic soul before it mysteriously disappeared, pinpointed to the Arid Archipelago Island." Danzo Tempest replied, explaining patiently.
"If these fourteen didn't kill him, then there's only one person who has the highest possibility of killing him." Rhea Winchester said telepathically as she glanced at Bobby. But then she noticed ?Bobby had been smirking at her all the time, and it startled her. It was as if he knew what they were talking about.
"Rhea, you all right?" Danzo Tempest asked, seeing her reaction.
"Ah-um, nothing! I just thought of something. Nothing important." Rhea Winchester replied as she shook her head, thinking it was impossible to snoop in the telepathic communications of a group of people.
"Alright, after analyzing thoroughly, I come to some plausible theories. One, I am completely sure that this brat has the blood of Yvon Tempest in his hands. But the timing didn't fit. See, in the record Loki submitted, he said that he arrived on the island five days before the time of capturing the captives, but Yvon Tempest reached the Island 10 days before and none of these 14 captives had any memories of him which were not possible at all. As his angelic soul disappeared on the same day. This comes to the theory that Loki had been on the island for at least 10 days and he killed him the moment Yvon arrived on the island."
He then further explained, "But another problem arises here. Because killing Yvon will cause a lot of commotion since he's not an easy target. But on the contrary, these 14 captives still didn't have any memories of the commotion of that very day. I think something is missing here…. Um, forget it. Even if we expose this truth, there's no way to prove it considering that there will come counter questions on why Yvon Tempest the Level 10 was doing on an Island assigned only for Level 9 Mission.
And we get what we came for. This bastard is the person who killed Yvon Tempest. Alright, let's leave this place. There is no meaning to stay here any longer."
Then nine, under the lead of Danzo Tempest, saluted Vice-Chancellor Kuppo, and they quickly flew away, leaving the scene in shame.
"Wow, dude, that guy named Danzo has a powerful sense of deduction. He almost got it all right except for the part where you reprogrammed all of their memories.
And they knew ?you were the one responsible for Yvon Tempest's death. Hee-hee-hee," Cynthia's chorus rang in Bobby's head as they had been listening to their conversation using the system in his head all this time.
"This is even better. They don't have the guts to expose their findings to the public. And since they knew ?I had killed an energy level 30 elite, they would send stronger opponents, yeah? Kéké-heeheehee!" Bobby responded telepathically in his head as he laughed weirdly.
Updated from fr𝒆ewebnov𝒆l.(c)om