Inside Big-Bearded Mike's residence, six Investigators surrounded a body sprawled on the floor, observing it closely.
"There's no doubt about it; this is a message she left for us." A sturdy, middle-aged Investigator took out a pipe and held it between his lips.
A dazzling opal Church badge, inlaid with blue-gold light, hung on his chest—a symbol of status only those at the Third Tier or higher could possess.
"What is her goal? Just this? Killing an ordinary person for us to see? If you ask me, she's in league with that Devotee!" A slightly younger Investigator spoke up, sounding somewhat indignant; he also wore an opal badge on his chest.
"We can't just make wild guesses like that; she must have some purpose... Gather all the clues. Notify the Church's Legend Team for a meeting tonight." The middle-aged Investigator waved his hand and left with his pipe in his mouth, continuing to mutter indistinctly, "Ibiza, Devotee, Church of Hope..."
"Does this need to be reported in the newspapers?" the young Investigator interrupted. "A serial killer appearing in Ibiza might cause panic here."
"It's fine, report it. The more people who know about this, the harder it will be for her to hide."
"Understood."
The camera was wound, magnesium powder poured, one hand pressed the shutter, and the other operated the flint-wheel trigger. A flash of white light burst forth, and the cover photo for the urgent editions of the major newspapers was ready... In the Iviza West District, at the central fountain square.
"Ah... I'm exhausted."
A young girl sat by the edge of a fountain that had been dry for an unknown amount of time. Although she wore dirt-resistant black robes, she still spread a piece of white cloth she carried with her under her bottom first.
"I've been walking for half the day and barely seen any people. Those on the streets are either thugs or Investigators..." Syl sighed helplessly. "Is the entire district's population working in the factories?"
In the entire West District, aside from the vibrating roar of machinery and the black smoke belching from small factory chimneys, almost no residents were to be seen. Only the occasional freight carriage passed by.
It felt to Syl as if the entire Ivisa District was merely a workplace—the West District for high-intensity labor, and the South District as a resting place for the laborers.
This exploitation was far too severe... Once born in the Ivisa District, one was bound to it for life. Aside from attending the Church of Hope school in Upper Ibiza, there was almost no way out.
But even if the Church waived tuition, they didn't accept people without limit. A school's capacity was restricted, and not every family could afford to lose a laborer.
The longer she stayed in the Ivisa District, the more oppressed Syl felt. She truly felt an urge to smash all those labor-exploiting factories to pieces.
Syl took off the glasses perched on the bridge of her nose and wiped them slightly with her sleeve. Wearing glasses for a long time had already left a small red mark on her fair nose, and it felt slightly indented to the touch.
At this moment, Syl needed to find her next target, but she had to wait to see the feedback before deciding whether to act.
Simply killing one Mike was far from enough. Those fat-headed factory owners who only knew how to exploit, along with their masters behind the scenes, were Syl's primary targets.
Furthermore, according to what Baron Baro Bonsandi had said before, although he controlled most of the factories, the final funds did not flow to him; he was merely a shield.
"Anyway, let's head to the West District's Church of the Goddess of Hope first... and see if I can snag a free lunch." Looking through the windows of the West District's bakeries and small restaurants, the food inside didn't look appetizing at all.
It could only be described as barely enough to fill one's stomach.
To avoid torturing her stomach, Syl decided to go to the Church for a meal.
Syl stood up, patted her white cloth, and tucked it back into her wide sleeve.
Following the main road, Syl walked toward the South District. Ibiza's Church of Hope was built not far from Buer Street.
As Syl walked, she saw workers gradually emerging from some buildings; it seemed the factories' break time had arrived.
The originally deserted streets were quickly crowded with people. The air everywhere was thick with the smell of sour sweat and a faint body odor. People in the Ivisa District weren't as luxurious as those in other areas; they couldn't afford to shower and change clothes every day.
Fortunately, Syl had left early and wasn't squeezed into the most crowded square. She was a step ahead of the crowd, though she had to occasionally watch out for running children to prevent them from bumping into her.
Just then, a conversation reached Syl's ears.
It was inevitable for discussions to arise on streets that were becoming increasingly noisy, but the topic they were discussing piqued Syl's interest.
"Your Highness Jane... are we really going to do this? Go and give Frank a beating?
...That miser Frank will definitely call the police! We'll all be dragged back!"
A young girl was nervously saying something to another tall girl nearby, completely unaware that someone else was around.
"Are you just going to watch them get bullied? Dammit!" A voice that was pleasant but slightly irritable sounded from the side. "I can't stand it. He actually dared to lash civilians for no reason; he must pay the price!"
Syl turned her head slightly and looked at the two girls beside her.
Then, Syl saw a well-proportioned girl, about 172cm tall and around sixteen or seventeen years old, who happened to look in her direction.
The tall, slender girl wore a black vest and jacket, with a gray cloak bearing the Church's emblem draped over her shoulders. Her burgundy curly hair was tied at the neck with a ribbon and hung behind her.
The most impressive thing wasn't her high nose bridge or thin lips, but those eyes with fiery red pupils and thin, sword-like eyebrows.
The bit of dust on her face didn't diminish her heroic spirit and beauty; instead, it added a sense of wildness to her.
It was a different kind of heroic air from the Joker's. The Joker's was more sinister, while this girl's had a more radiant feeling.
The girl froze for a moment after seeing Syl, then frowned. "What are you looking at?"
She saw her?
Syl was quite surprised because the girl in front of her showed no signs of having Spiritual Sight active.
"Uh..." Syl was choked by the question and didn't know how to answer for a moment. She weighed her words and said to the slightly irritable lady, "Maybe because you're quite beautiful?"
Such blunt words made the curly-haired girl freeze. Even as irritable as she was, she had never heard such a response.
But the brown-haired girl next to her let out a small gasp upon seeing Syl. "Your Highness Jane, she... she is Her Excellency the Saintess of Hope!"
"Saintess?" The girl called Jane looked at Syl curiously. This Saintess of Hope didn't seem as boring as the other saintesses.
Jane took off her right glove, reached out toward Syl, and smiled. "Hello, I'm Jane. A Saintess of Justice."
"Your Highness... watch your wording... use the Church's greeting..." the girl beside her whispered, tugging weakly at Jane's cloak to remind her.
Saintess of Justice?
Syl remembered the old newspapers she had flipped through when she was bored at night. This Saintess of Justice seemed to be a regular in the papers.
"Hello, I'm Syl. A Saintess of Hope." Syl also smiled and introduced herself using the same format as the Saintess of Justice.
She also took off her glove and shook Jane's hand.
It was icy cool and surprisingly soft.
"Hahaha, I like it!" Seeing Syl's response, Jane seemed very happy. She squeezed Syl's hand firmly and asked warmly, "Want to come with me to beat up an idiot?"
"Your Highness Jane..." The girl on the side looked like she was about to cry seeing her saintess like this...