Chapter 278 : Afterbirth Cult

Inside the private box of the Soaring Theater, Byron, whose crimes had just been exposed by the detective, fell to his knees, his emotions spiraling out of control. Clenching his fists, he loudly confessed his motives to the surrounding police officers.

In Byron’s account, he had always been a playboy, constantly flirting with women and using his wealth to frequently change girlfriends, often indulging in nightclubs and brothels.

During one performance, Byron became infatuated with Adèle, a star dancer. However, despite his status and wealth, getting close to Adèle proved difficult. So, Byron decided to start with the other dancers around Adèle, hoping to learn about her preferences and habits through them before making his move. The target he chose was none other than Maria.

By becoming Maria’s patron, Byron seduced her. Under his manipulation, Maria, who was naturally flirtatious, fell in love with him. They often met in secret, including during the intermission of this performance, where they had arranged to meet in the restroom.

Byron had intended to use Maria as a stepping stone to get closer to Adèle. However, to his surprise, Maria became clingy. When Byron tried to leave her, Maria refused to let go, demanding that he marry her and threatening to expose his various misdeeds if he refused. The two argued in the restroom over these issues, and in a fit of rage, Byron killed Maria.

"It’s all that bitch’s fault... If she hadn’t been so clingy, I wouldn’t have done it. It’s all her fault... We were just having fun, but she had to bring up marriage. It’s her fault. If she hadn’t pushed me, I wouldn’t have... I wouldn’t have..."

Kneeling on the ground, Byron trembled as he muttered these words. Around him, Douglas and the other police officers silently watched.

This was a classic crime of passion! Including Douglas, the police present quickly concluded that this was a typical case of love turning to murder. They had seen similar situations before.

"Indulging in lust will eventually trap you in it. We should all follow the teachings of the Holy Mother, remaining faithful to each other and respecting love and marriage."

Seeing this scene, Ed summarized, and Douglas nodded in agreement.

"Ah... Brother Ed is right. People like you, who play with others’ emotions, will eventually get caught in your own games. I didn’t expect Brother Ed to not only be skilled at solving cases but also well-versed in the Holy Scriptures."

Douglas praised Ed, patting him on the shoulder, his tone much friendlier than before, which made Dorothy feel a bit uncomfortable.

“He’s calling him ‘Brother Ed’ now... This officer’s attitude changed pretty quickly.”

"Haha, you flatter me, Officer. As a detective, it’s necessary to know a little bit about everything," Ed replied modestly. Then he turned to Byron and asked another question.

"Now, there’s one more question, Mr. Byron. After killing Miss Maria, why did you use blood writing to frame Miss Adèle?"

Ed finished his question and silently stared at Byron, who was still kneeling on the ground. After a moment of silence, Byron spoke again.

"It was out of resentment... After killing Maria, I realized that Adèle was even further out of my reach. I had killed for her, and she didn’t even know I existed... I truly loved her, but she had never even glanced at me. I felt like I would never win her heart, and it was eating away at me.”

"So, I started to hate her. I wanted to bring her down, to brand her as a murderer, to make her less dazzling! To make her pay for ignoring me!"

Byron passionately recounted his story of love turning to hatred, leaving the police officers present deeply moved.

"Hmph, a lunatic driven by emotions. Even I haven’t seen someone like you before. Take him away!"

At Douglas’s command, the surrounding police officers swarmed in, grabbing Byron and dragging him away. After Byron was taken out of the private box, Douglas turned to Ed with a wide smile.

"Haha, Brother Ed, I didn’t expect you to solve this case within the given time. Your observational and deductive skills are truly impressive," Douglas praised Ed.

Solving such a high-profile case so quickly would earn him a share of the credit, regardless of whether the police had played a major role in the investigation.

"It’s nothing. I was able to solve the case so smoothly thanks to your trust and cooperation, Officer."

With a smile, Ed responded to Douglas. After that, Douglas and Ed began to chat, with Douglas continuously expressing his goodwill, a stark contrast to his earlier attitude.

"Alright, now we need to take the suspect back to the station. Since the real culprit has been caught, there’s no need to keep this under wraps anymore. Brother Ed, you can look forward to tomorrow’s newspapers."

After exchanging a few more words with Ed, Douglas left. After seeing off the police, Dorothy quickly controlled Ed to leave the scene. Soon, he arrived at a familiar door, opened it, and entered Adèle’s room. She was sitting on the sofa, smiling as she watched Ed walk in.

"Well, well, the great detective has returned. Thank you for clearing my name," Adèle said, looking at Ed. After examining him for a moment, she continued.

"I never expected that Mr. Ed, not only are you an excellent detective, but you’re also quite skilled at writing scripts and acting. If you ever find detective work too difficult, you could come work for me. I think you’d make a great screenwriter or actor."

Adèle spoke with a playful tone, and hearing her words, Ed raised an eyebrow and replied.

"It seems Miss Adèle is quite aware of what happened over there..."

"Of course, this is my territory after all. I have my ways of knowing things. I saw the little play you all put on earlier.”

"I must say, the criminal you controlled played his part very well. A lunatic driven by emotions... a very interesting character. His final lines almost moved me. If someone truly felt that strongly about me, I might actually respond. Don’t you think so, Detective~"

With a teasing expression, Adèle looked at Ed, seemingly hinting that he might harbor similar feelings. However, Ed remained calm in his response.

"Given Miss Adèle’s charm, I believe there are many who feel that way. I simply put myself in their shoes to act out the role. Empathy is an essential skill for a detective."

Ed’s words subtly rejected Adèle’s teasing. Seeing that Ed remained unmoved, Adèle didn’t show any displeasure but instead continued with a light laugh.

"Yes, there are many such people... It’s a pity that you’re not among them, Detective."

As she spoke, Adèle took another sip of her tea. After finishing, she finally returned to the main topic and asked Ed.

"Now, let’s get back to business. The police have taken that flesh puppet Byron to the station. What do you plan to do next? You can’t keep controlling him forever, can you?"

"Of course not. Soon, Byron will ’commit suicide’ in the police carriage on the way to the station. In a state of utter despair, the murderer will use poison hidden on his body to end his life. Such a death fits his true cause of death, doesn’t it?"

Ed replied casually. Hearing his words, Adèle, holding her glass, responded.

"Quite thorough, Detective. I’m glad you’re on our side tonight…”

"Alright~ We owe you a lot this time. Didn’t you have questions for me? Ask them now, and I’ll do my best to answer."

Adèle spoke to Ed, having previously promised to answer his questions if he helped uncover the real culprit. After thinking for a moment, Ed asked his first question.

"These Wolf Blood Society members, after failing to assassinate you, turned to tarnishing your reputation. For a Beyonder like you, is such mundane reputation really that important?"

"It is indeed important, because it involves my spiritual accumulation. This isn’t just a mundane matter," Adèle replied nonchalantly. Hearing her words, Dorothy felt a slight surprise and then controlled Ed to ask.

"Spiritual accumulation? You rely on reputation for spiritual accumulation?"

"To be precise, it’s not reputation but performance—desire. The primary method I use to accumulate spirituality is the Desire Dance Method. Simply put, it’s a way to gather Chalice by collecting desires.”

"The spiritual expression of Chalice is the primal desires of living beings, particularly appetite and lust. The gathering of desires can generate Chalice. When I perform on stage, I become the target of these desires. As the audience’s desires converge on me, my spirituality grows."

Adèle explained, and Dorothy immediately understood the principle.

“The gathering of desires can generate Chalice, so becoming the target of such desires allows one to accumulate Chalice? So that’s how it works.”

“This Desire Dance Method seems similar to the Torture Method of the Eight-Spired Nest. The spiritual expression of Shadow is fear, so being feared or becoming the target of fear allows one to accumulate Shadow. For Chalice, it’s desire, particularly appetite and lust.”

Dorothy thought to herself. From this perspective, reputation was indeed crucial for Adèle. The impact of the murder case might prevent her from performing as she used to. Being labeled a "murderer" would undoubtedly cause her popularity to plummet, severely affecting her spiritual accumulation.

"Gathering the audience’s desires to nourish Chalice? That’s quite interesting, Miss Adèle. With your popularity and sold-out performances, your spiritual accumulation must be quite fast."

Dorothy controlled Ed to probe further, and Adèle’s response was straightforward.

"Of course. With my current popularity, the spirituality gained from performances far surpasses what I’d get from consuming people. No wonder those guys targeted this."

Adèle replied casually, and Dorothy continued with her next question.

"Then, my next question: What exactly is your society? What grievances do you have with the Afterbirth Cult’s Wolf Blood Society? Why are they so determined to target you?"

"What grievances? Heh, Detective, you’re not one of us Chalice Beyonders, are you? It seems you don’t know that in this era of blood feasts, Chalice Beyonders don’t need a reason to hate each other. To a Chalice Beyonder who follows the Blood Feast Method, the most delicious feast is always another Chalice Beyonder."

Adèle spoke with a serious tone, and hearing her words, Dorothy felt a chill. According to this, the Wolf Blood Society coveted Adèle’s body—specifically, in a culinary sense.

𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

"A few years ago, the Wolf Blood Society launched a surprise attack on all other Chalice societies in Tivian, nearly wiping them out. The remnants of these societies banded together to form a new society, which is us—the Crimson Heart. I’m considered an important member here, and I’ve caused them quite a bit of trouble. Many of them would love to see me served on a platter."

Adèle continued, and her words reminded Dorothy of what Mossance had said earlier—that under the threat of the Afterbirth Cult’s Wolf Blood Society, many Chalice societies that didn’t primarily practice the Blood Feast Method had united. It seemed this was the Crimson Heart.

"From what you’re saying, the Wolf Blood Society has quite a presence in Tivian..."

Ed remarked, and Adèle nodded in agreement.

"Of course. Not just in Tivian, but throughout Pritt, the Wolf Blood Society has influence. Among the three major factions of the Afterbirth Cult, the Wolf Blood Society is the most powerful in Pritt."

"Three major factions of the Afterbirth Cult? So, there are other organizations like the Wolf Blood Society within the cult?"

Hearing Adèle’s words, Dorothy frowned. She controlled Ed to ask seriously, and Adèle gave Ed a surprised look.

"You didn’t know? It seems your knowledge of the mysticism world still needs some improvement, Detective. In that case, let me give you a quick lesson."

Facing Ed, Adèle raised three fingers and began to explain.

"The Afterbirth Cult was originally a cult that worshipped the Mother of Chalice. However, since the Mother of Chalice has not given any divine decrees since the beginning of this era, the cult’s actual worship has shifted to her many divine offspring. Among these offspring, there are three most powerful beings who have reached the level of true gods.”

"They are: the Lord of Beasts, the King of Gluttony and Hunting, the Eternal Hunger, the Wild Sovereign, Gluttonous Wolf. The Embodiment of Fury, the God of Tides and Waves, the Eternal Thirst revered by all sailors, Abyssal Serpent. And the Wings of Plague, the Symbol of Sickness and Decay, the Eternal Filth, the Carrion God, Plague Vulture.”

"Gluttonous Wolf, Abyssal Serpent, and Plague Vulture... They correspond to the three branches of Chalice: the Beast Branch (main Chalice, auxiliary Shadow), the Torrent Branch (main Chalice, auxiliary Lantern), and the Plague Branch (main Chalice, auxiliary Silence). These three are the primary objects of worship in the current Afterbirth Cult."