Chapter 95 - 20. Witch Research Association
Chapter 95 of "Demi-human Girls Completion Manual" starts with unexpected events: Chapter 95: 20. Witch Research AssociationMr. Fisher looked over the case file and quickly made... Find out more!
Chapter 95: 20. Witch Research AssociationMr. Fisher looked over the case file and quickly made his way to the crime scene on Karen Street.
Karen Street’s number three apartment directly faced the street outside. The window of a room above was completely shattered, exposing the ceiling inside. A section of the external electric rail was twisted and bent as if it were a twisted iron rod, clearly the result of Gravity Magic. Several transportation workers were busy dismantling the damaged section of rail for repair.
The entrance to the three apartments was cordoned off by the police, while the residents above protested why the Nali police force was disrupting their lives. Under Chief Leola’s lead, Fisher quickly reached the crime scene on the second floor; the door was open, revealing a very messy room inside.
Facing the balcony, there was a thick pool of blood on the sofa which had completely dried up after several days. The body had been removed by the police, but other items remained untouched.
"The victim didn’t have a job, but according to police intelligence, he had been working underground in Nali for a long time, providing intermediary and information selling services for various gangs and foreign forces... Mr. Fisher, the trace of the resonance is over here."
After magic is cast, the place where the emblem moves the World Resonance leaves a very clear Trace. Such traces are invisible to the naked eye and require special magic or instruments to be seen. They can generally last about half a month, and some High Ring magic can even last several months, indicating that the manipulation of the world’s rules by magic is substantial.
In the room, several spots on the floor had three metal rods emitting magical light stuck into them. This device was called a resonance detector, an instrument used by the police to confirm magical crimes. Under the illumination of brilliant light, it allowed the World Resonance to be made visible.
Many of these were traces left when the deceased tried to use magic in defense, identified by scholars from the Magic Association. The only one they couldn’t identify was the one near the windowsill. Fisher crouched down, looking at the three rods in the center displaying ripples like folded space, from which a hint of purple light faintly emerged, and within that purple light, a trace of white was faintly visible.
Fisher studied the magic for a long while before suddenly speaking out,
"Four-Ring Magic, ’Radiant Blade’..."
"Radiant Blade? Impossible, the resonance of this magic greatly differs from the Radiant Blade, and the effect is not what Radiant Blade should have. Both experts from the Magic Association unanimously believe this magic must be Six Ring or higher."
Chief Leola turned and looked at the cracks running from the floor to the ceiling above, speaking thus to Fisher.
Fisher sighed then reached down and pulled the rods from the ground. In the view of several police officers, he moved the rods upwards but discovered the resonance extended upwards all the way to the edge of the windowsill.
"The two men are right and wrong too; at least their theoretical knowledge is sound. They know that different species, due to different Magic Circuits, will release different traces of magic, and they also recognized that the caster of this magic differs from humans."
"Are you saying, this magic was truly cast by a demi-human?"
"No, it was cast by a human. ’Radiant Blade’ used the version from the Middle Ages. In theory, its power should not match the modern enhanced version, but the caster’s Magic Power made up for this. If he used the modern version of Radiant Blade, the two experts might predict it being Seven Ring or higher."
Fisher set down the detection device, concluding decisively,
"The killer is from the Witch Research Association."
"The Witch Research Association? That cult organization? But Nali previously reviewed cases involving the Witch Research Association and never encountered such magic."
"That’s because the people involved before were not of a high enough level. The person this time is no ordinary individual; likely they are an Artificial Witch..."
Different from modern magic, the shelf life of Medieval Magic is very short. Generally, the effects that come out will last no more than four days, so the enchanter must have personally come to Nali.
"Artificial Witch?"
The others were unclear about the background of the Witch Research Association, but how could Fisher, a man who had long been searching for the "Undead Witch," not know?
This organization was notorious in Nali and Schwali because they often kidnapped people under the pretext of searching for witches. The suspects were often young females, and there were frequent cases of them abducting women in rural and suburban areas. However, these were only minor disturbances caused by branches.
Having been to Kado, Fisher had heard they were cultivating a product named "Artificial Witch," because they believed witches to be envoys of the Mother Goddess, hoping to approach the Mother Goddess by assimilating into witches and listening to Her teachings. But at the time, it was only a rumor, and it was unknown whether they had succeeded.
But the magic characteristic of the Witch Research Association could all be matched; they favored using Medieval Magic, similar to the magical fluctuations of witches... If Fisher had not truly seen what witch magic looked like, he might have been deceived by the counterfeit present here.
"The project the Witch Research Association is researching involves transforming humans into witches to communicate with the Mother Goddess. If this case is related to the Witch Research Association, you might want to look back into some of the intelligence the victim was handling."
Fisher stood up, looking around, seeming to find that this was the only magic released by the intruder. The outside tracks had been damaged by the victim’s use of Gravity Magic, indicating that after being struck by the Radiant Blade, the victim was able to resist for a period. Was it possible that he left some evidence behind?
"Chief Leola! Chief Leola! The forensics department has news!"
Just as Fisher was pondering, a police officer, panting and flustered, ran up from downstairs, holding a still-warm black and white photograph in his hand, apparently the result examined by the department.
"What happened?"
"The forensics department found a piece of cloth in the victim’s stomach, with some content written on it. They asked me to bring it back to you."
Chief Leola took the photo, her frown deepening, then with a complicated expression, she looked towards Fisher, who was observing the blood-stained sofa,
"Mr. Fisher, it appears your deduction might be correct, please take a look."
Fisher took the photo she handed over; in the center of the photo was a cloth piece spread out, the soaked and dilated text was somewhat distorted, and it read,
"The ’Undead Witch’ has escaped from the research association."