Has Mr. Shenshang submitted the manuscript today?

"Shelley..." Charles was in a daze for a while, and the folds of his white gloves were getting dust little by little, "Is this the truth?"

"I'm afraid that's the case, Charles." Shelley tried to move his neck, but found that the bone and groove were surprisingly dry, "Charles...you?"

Charles was at a loss like a newborn child, who had just poked his head out of the warm womb before being thrown into the Dead Sea, murmuring in a daze, "I don't know..."

"you……"

Charles turned his head suddenly, his eyes were foggy and unable to see through the light, "Shelley, I swear to you, I swear to you with all my life and soul, I have no impression of this."

He gritted his teeth, "It's true. I promise you, I will never lie to you, never, never. But... I feel like everything I say now is a joke."

He covered his head in pain, as if some blunt instrument was tearing his nerves, "Why, why is this? Why am I such a sinful villain!"

"..." Shelley watched the black-gold lion growl on the ground with such force as to tear his scalp, he was silent for a moment, then squatted down, and smoothed the temples of this sluggish big cat, "Okay Yes, I don't mean not to believe you."

A little spark flickered on the obsidian.

He gently put the misplaced strands of black hair back where they should have been, his voice calm and firm, "I know you better than I know myself."

"My dear Charles, I am more convinced than you are that you are not."

"You are so brave, smart and gifted, people bow down for your godlike majesty, but I," he smiled, and the clear sky cleared from her eyes, "always for your mortal She shed tears of pity and hesitation."

"If you are like this, you can't commit such a crime." Shelley stood up, stretched out his hand and pulled Charles up, "Go and check, maybe we missed something."

……

"Charles, look at this." Shelley pulled out a scroll that resembled a family tree from the interlayer. The bronzing handwriting on it was like a tree crown with lush branches and leaves, spreading from the header to the end of the page. It's heavy.

"Emperor David, Queen Natia Vida, Prince Truman, Halifax... This is the original list of immortals! These names are followed by a long list of names, which should be their reincarnation identities!"

"I saw Queen Percy! She is... Dame Stephanie! She is the founder of court etiquette!"

Charles spoke hastily, with sharp eyes, "Quick, Shelley, take a look, where is my name."

They looked at the scroll over and over until it was turned upside down, but the name "Charles" disappeared as if it had never appeared before.

"How come... there is no my name." Charles asked empty-handedly with his fingers clenched white.

"Sure enough, it's exactly what I thought. Charles, you are the true holder of the "root brand", and you are the child truly selected by the source." Shelley chuckled lightly, rubbing four fingers between his fingers, restraining himself. I couldn't help laughing.

"What do you mean? Shelley, what are you talking about? Why can't I understand? Isn't 'root branding' a hoax?"

"Their brand is, of course, but not yours, my little Charles."

"You were born branded, a natural, wellspring gift. Your soul was tinged with gold in Specchio, and the artificial royals had to include you in their circle. You are innocent. "

"Huh?" Charles opened his mouth unconsciously, the lines on his face were clearly visible, "Am I innocent?"

"Yes, I'm sure. I will defend your innocence to the death." In the darkness, the oath of a friend ignited a lamp, turning the cold into warmth.

"So, Charles, knowing all this, what are you going to do?"

"I..." He gasped twice, "Do I have any other choice?"

The wildfire burns endlessly, and the spark will never fall. If I can't bury the lingering breath in the tomb in this monstrous flame, I am willing to sink together with the shackles and the remnant body.

—————————————————————

"The counterattack has officially started! These two people are very decent!" Yosano Akiko, who finished the free clinic, added with a smile, "I didn't expect that Shen Shangjun's idea was like this."

"Actually, this article was originally intended to be a story on the battlefield, using the reverse-growing child as a weapon."

"This contrast is a bit big... The original story sounds really bad."

"Speaking of children," Kunikida put down the document in his hand, "Recently, more than a dozen children in Yokohama have disappeared, not only in Yokohama, but all over Japan. Although the number is not large, the difficulty is that there are almost no traces, no There was no trace of the omen either. The police have been tracking it down for a while, and they asked us for help today."

"It looks like some kind of human trafficker organization is haunting."

"It feels like there is some supernatural power," Kamisami frowned, "Do the missing children have any common characteristics, Mr. Kunikida?"

"No. The missing children have almost nothing in common. They are all healthy and intelligent children."

"There hasn't been any child trafficking recently?"

"This is also the strangest point." Kunikida squeezed the center of his brows, his tone faintly anxious, "Without the latest transaction records, we don't even know what they are doing with these children."

"This……"

"Kunikida, leave this case to Xiaogami and me, you don't have to worry about it." Edogawa Ranpo said suddenly, a green light flashed in his eyes.He raised the brim of his hat, "God, come on, get ready, pack your bags and follow me to Kumamoto Prefecture."

"Ugh?"

Kunikida looked at Ranpo hesitantly, "Mr. Ranpo, didn't the president say..."

"I will explain to the president."

He glanced at Shenshang Shuo, who was in a daze on the spot, not keeping up with the rhythm at all.His eyes were gentle and clean, like drizzle brushing across the river, dizzying a little ripple.

Don't you even realize it yourself?

"Oh, what a worrying little god. But those who can do more work, as the world's No.1 detective, I can do a little better. Remember to make up for my new dessert when I come back!"

"Yes?"

"Use an affirmative affirmative!"

……

Yokohama to Kumamoto Prefecture No. [-] train.

"Mr. Ranpo..."

"It's so troublesome, it's so troublesome. Attendance is the most troublesome thing. It's stuffy and hot. I want to drink ice pop soda." Mr. Ranbu, who didn't wear a hat, looked round and round, with a sensuality of baby fat.

"Although I don't agree with cold drinks in this season, it's really too stuffy in the carriage." Shen Shangshuo wiped his sweat, fanned the air between the two of them with a fan, held the soda bottle with his left hand, and controlled Seeing the surface air around the bottle turn into ice, "No, Mr. Ranpo, the ice is ready."

"It's a very practical ability." Ranbu shook the marbles in the bottle contentedly, and the beautiful water blue showed beautiful laser lines under the reflection of the waves, "That's right, it can help you in summer. I'll freeze the safe too!"

"Safe box? Is that the box you put your snacks in?"

"That's it. In the summer, the snacks will go bad if you can't finish them, super-hateful."

"I'll help." Shen Shangshuo nodded and agreed, "But why don't you put it in the refrigerator?"

There is no point in asking this after you promise, God Lord.

"Of course it's because the refrigerator can't hold it! Didn't the little God even think of this?"

"I'm the one asking too much." God squeezed his knuckles and wiped off the water stains left by the melting ice for Luanbu, "Mr. Luanbu, there is still a long way to go, why don't you rest for a while."

……

It was almost dusk when the two arrived at the pre-booked hotel.The setting sun envelops the mountain gently, the hazy flame softens the outline of the mountain, and the shallow afterglow settles on the mountain peak, making the mountain not like a mountain, but more like a misty mist.

"Mr. Ranpo... Are you still investigating today?" Shen Shangshuo hesitated to ask, it was getting late, and the risk of investigating now would be higher, but those children...

"Don't worry, my god! Just follow Ranpo-sama step by step!" Edogawa Ranpo waved his hands nonchalantly, "Let's go eat first, I'm so hungry!"

"Ah."

……

"I can't tell, the night market here is quite lively!" Luanbu held a meatball in his mouth, happily tiptoed, and vaguely recommended, "God, try this meatball, it's made with red bean filling, it's delicious! "

He held the bamboo stick and stretched it forward, and the only remaining red bean ball on it was crystal clear under the orange firelight.

"Hmm——" Shenshang Shuo tilted his head, leaned closer to Ranbu's hand, and swallowed it in small mouthfuls. The glutinous rice's skin was slightly hot, and inside was filled with red bean-flavored filling. overflowing.

“Isn’t it delicious!”

"Well, it tastes delicious."

"Sure enough, Master Ranpo has the best eyesight!" The squint-eyed young man raised his chin and grabbed Shenshang Shuo's index finger, "Go over there and have a look, there seems to be a..." restaurant.

"Ah!!!" A shrill female voice cut through the warmth and tranquility at this moment, and the paper signboard froze amidst the screams, as if even the dry wind around it had stopped for a moment.

"There's a monster!!!" At the end of the street ahead, a black figure staggered towards him, with an apron around her waist vaguely seen, she almost rushed out in a rampage, with a slightly fat body It was as funny as a ball, and it slammed into the shelves on both sides with a bang, and all kinds of food splashed all over the floor.

Is this a bowling ball?The tense Shenshang Shuo lost his mind for a while, shook his head, and shook off this ridiculous idea.At the same time, he slid forward with his right foot, turned his body, and protected Edogawa Ranpo behind him with one hand.