SSS Demon King System: The Rise of a Dying Extra-Chapter 18: Cornering the Predator. (1)

The slash was clean.

A precise cut straight to the neck, ignoring the armor of coats that protected the rest of its body.

There was no resistance.

The cut was too clean.

The silhouette felt something was out of place, something didn’t add up.

What it had cut, wasn’t human.

Upon realizing this, the figure understood it had to get out of there; but it was too late, there was no escape.

"It was the maid!" said a voice, as the room door opened.

The figure turned, seeing how its prey, the one who was supposed to be in bed, was now at the door, looking smugly.

"I really didn’t want to believe it, but it seems I was right," the boy sighed while lowering his gaze. "Was it really you, Lucia?"

Not many would have noticed; in fact, it would have been difficult for anyone to recognize.

Lucia wore a black suit that covered practically her entire body, while a face mask partially covered her face.

Her dark hair was pulled back in a ponytail, and her gaze looked different, sharper, darker.

"So you knew," the woman said, while sitting down.

Her legs crossed while her body relaxed, looking at the boy, trying to discover what had given her away.

"Well, it was a hunch, I really wasn’t sure," the boy crossed his arms while leaning his back against the wall. "I always suspected that Clarinda’s matter was different from the attempt to assassinate me. After all, what did she gain by killing me? She could keep stealing even if I was alive."

It wasn’t just that.

The main reason he knew Clarinda wasn’t the assassin, was that the system itself never notified him that he had completed the mission.

"It was obvious she wasn’t the assassin, while you were the most suspicious after her," the boy continued.

It was true; Lloyd had always found it strange that Lucia was in the same area where he was drowning.

Though, that also raised other questions, like: why did she save him then?

Lloyd could only theorize.

Perhaps she wanted to make it look like a suicide, but if she had left him dying on the shore, that deception would have been exposed.

However, if she saved him, she could deflect suspicion from herself to plan a new scheme.

"Really? Why did you suspect me? I’ve always considered myself a good actress," she said with some curiosity.

"You see, precisely because of your good acting, I didn’t want to suspect you," the young man clarified, and it was true, even the thoughts he read from her were hardly incriminating, in fact, they made her look innocent. "So, I decided to change my way of thinking. I tried to get into the assassin’s mind, instead of suspecting everyone."

That was true, it was the key, and the reason he got so far.

"You see, first I isolated both cases: murder and theft were different events. But, that didn’t mean they weren’t related. It was then that I realized that, surely, the assassin was also aware of the theft," he separated from the wall, while starting to walk around the room. "If the assassin was someone infiltrated, they would most likely seek to be informed of everything that happens in the mansion. Now, what would happen if the assassin discovers Clarinda’s fraud? Simple, they’d see an opportunity!"

The woman raised an eyebrow at that; she didn’t know what the boy was talking about.

"You see, the reason they haven’t assassinated me before, is surely Sebastian," he explained, after all, the butler was very strong. "So the only way to kill me is for him to be busy with something else."

The woman nodded at that statement, confirming Lloyd was right.

"So, I just had to do the obvious: knowing my condition, the assassin would know how important that pendant is for my health, so they decided to steal it. Knowing how rare it is and Sebastian’s attitude, it was plausible he would leave immediately to find a replacement," the young man cleared his throat, and continued his talk. "Sebastian would be away, and the assassin would have someone to pin it on. Knowing the culprits of the theft, the assassin would have a perfect alibi."

The woman leaned forward, now expectant.

He wasn’t entirely correct, but he was still an incredible detective.

"But, that was their very mistake. You see, in her confession, Clarinda made it very clear: she had only stolen goods that weren’t used, valuable objects gathering dust, in her own words," he said. "However, my pendant didn’t meet those characteristics. It’s a bit unnecessary to mention, but I literally need it to live. Moreover, Clarinda herself didn’t seem to be lying when she said she didn’t recognize the pendant, which also proves she never had interest in me."

Lloyd was able to confirm Clarinda had no knowledge of that object thanks to the eye of envy.

"I see, but why did that give me away?" the woman asked quite intrigued.

"Well, with Sebastian back and investigating the case, surely the assassin felt somewhat cornered, so they decided to divert the evidence. They had the pendant, so they left it as incriminating evidence in the room; but for that they had to know I already had a clue about the theft case. How could they know? Well, you were the one who picked me up from the garden, so you could surely deduce who I was investigating."

Ironically, Lloyd hadn’t reached that conclusion right away; first he remembered Lucia’s fragrance.

Surely that aroma had stuck to her when she entered Clarinda’s room.

"Well, that’s a half-truth," she said while standing up. "The truth is, I had no idea those two were plotting something. However, I discovered it the same night you did."

That left Lloyd confused.

He believed Lucia was a very calculating woman and also very prudent, so not only did everything fit, but it also explained why she hadn’t killed him yet.

"You see, it’s true I felt cornered. At first I wanted to make your death look like a suicide, since that way my cover wouldn’t become dangerous," she explained. "However, not only was I rushed, but I also felt I was running out of time."

By saying that, she had admitted she was hired by others.

It was somewhat obvious in a sense, but having confirmation never hurt.

"So that same night I decided to kill you, but, you were lucky, you weren’t in your room and I had to look for you. When I found you, I also witnessed ’that encounter,’ and I decided it was better to improvise a plan."

"I see," the boy nodded.

Perhaps he had overestimated his enemy, though he reached the same result anyway.

But still, if that was true, there were still some mysteries to solve.

What had really happened?