Chapter 104:
Testing
"Rebecca?" Aiden was slightly surprised.
Rebecca's face also froze for a moment, then she sighed as if realizing her own outburst, "I'm sorry, I raised my voice too much. But Priscilla is an important prisoner we worked hard to capture. It feels a bit... wrong to let her die so easily. You wouldn't just let her die like that, right?"
"Of course not, why would you think that?" Aiden sighed, preparing to explain, "Actually..."
But he suddenly stopped mid-sentence.
Since their first encounter, he had sensed a vague sense of unease and restlessness in Rebecca's facial expressions and behaviorhis professional instincts were still intact to that extent.
A probing thought emerged in his mind, and after a brief moment of contemplation, he spoke, "Actually, we have already taken emergency measures, and her condition is quite stable. The hospital has been contacted, so you can rest assured."
"I see." Rebecca seemed visibly relieved.
After a brief silence, Aidan called out to her, "Rebecca."
"What's the matter?"
"Do you have any recollection of this thing?" Aiden suddenly took out the diamond-shaped black crystal from his pocket and stared intently at Rebecca's face.
In an instant, he caught Rebecca's slightly widened eyes and subtle changes in her pupils.
"This thing, I..." Rebecca paused briefly and then replied, "I seem to have some impression..."
"Oh?"
"But I can't recall it." Rebecca shook her head again, "But there is a faint sense of dj vu. What exactly is this?"
Aiden stared at Rebecca's face. He had lied about contacting the hospital and suddenly presented the evidence because he had become slightly suspicious.
Just as he saw the other party take out this thing without any mental preparation, he did indeed perceive the shock in the other person's heart from the subtle change in their expression.
If Rebecca were to claim at this moment that she had no idea what this thing was, he would be certain that she was lying.
However, Rebecca's current response could still be considered plausible. She didn't recognize this thing but had a sense of familiarity, which could somewhat explain her earlier facial expression.
He couldn't probe anything, but that sense of unease still lingered.
"This thing does have something to do with you, but it involves some confidential matters. I can't disclose it for now..." Aiden vaguely replied, "I will hand this thing over to the Inquisition Bureau later. You can learn more when you go there."
"It's confidential... alright, I understand," Rebecca showed no intention of delving deeper into it, "So, are you going to hand it over now?"
"No, I can't leave the prison for the time being," Aiden calmly answered.
Priscilla's condition had just stabilized, and it was necessary to observe her for a few more hours. During this period, he needed to stay in the prison.
"In that case, let me help you deliver it to the Bureau," Rebecca suddenly proposed.
"No, that wouldn't follow the procedure."
"What procedure is not being followed? I am, after all, also an inquisitor..."
"But not at the moment. You're currently on rest, and this isn't an urgent matter. Don't casually exceed your authority, Rebecca," Aiden reminded.
"But..."
Rebecca seemed to want to persist.
"It's not necessary to be so insistent," Aiden raised an eyebrow in doubt.
"No..." Rebecca paused, "I just feel that this thing... might become a clue for me to regain my memories."
"No need to worry, I will hand this thing over tomorrow. I will handle Priscilla's situation properly. For now, you should go back," Aiden decisively began to see her off.
After a moment of silence, Rebecca finally relented, "Alright, thank you then..."
"Alright, take care."
After watching Rebecca leave the room, Aiden's gaze remained fixated on her until she was out of sight.
A few minutes later, Aiden returned to his office and once again examined the pendant.
Rebecca's sudden visit had heightened his sense of unease compared to when they first met in the morning.
Based on the probing just now, regardless of whether Rebecca was telling the truth or lying, there was one thing that could be determined - Rebecca had indeed seen this "Proof of the Great Witch."
In other words, Priscilla must have forcibly swallowed this item when she was cornered by Rebecca and, affected by varying degrees of memory loss magic, the incident remained hidden until Priscilla fell ill in prison - this was currently the most plausible explanation.
But why did Priscilla swallow this item? Was it to prevent the Proof of the Great Witch from falling into the hands of the Inquisition Bureau?
Something doesn't quite add up...
This action itself has no meaning whatsoever. Even if Rebecca forgot about the pendant due to memory loss magic, once she fell into the control of the Inquisition Bureau, the pendant would eventually be discovered.
A fugitive of Priscilla's caliber being taken into the custody of the Inquisition Bureau would undoubtedly involve thorough body examinations, including rectal inspections. If the pendant wasn't stuck in the digestive system, it would be expelled from the body soon - making it easily discovered by the bureau.
The fact that the Inquisition Bureau has yet to find it is mainly because the pendant is lodged inside Priscilla. Of course, this also led to her suffering today. Once she falls ill, whether it be the bureau or the prison responsible for providing treatment, they will eventually discover this pendant hidden within her. Even in the event of her death, during the investigation into the cause of death, it would be exposed through autopsy.
From this perspective, swallowing the pendant into the stomach seems more like protecting the pendant and handing it over to the Inquisition as a gift...
Priscilla, the Great Witch, couldn't have not considered this possibility and let herself suffer for nothing, right?
Or perhaps, at that time, she simply didn't have the composure to think about this and impulsively swallowed it?
After thinking for a while, Aiden ultimately decided to temporarily set aside his thoughts on this matter. It would be more appropriate to report this to the muscular old man at the Inquisition, as both Rebecca's abnormal behavior and this piece of evidence fall under their jurisdiction. His responsibility lies with this prison and its inmates, but for now, he must wait for Priscilla's condition to stabilize.
With that in mind, he prepared to put the pendant back into his pocket.
However, at that moment, the pendant suddenly trembled unnaturally in his fingertips.
Aiden stopped and stared at the pendant in his hand.
The gray mist sealed within the pendant suddenly burst out and swallowed him whole.
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