The Bizarre Detective Agency

Chapter 22

No matter what…

Lu Li grabbed the flintlock pistol, got to his feet, and surveyed the chaos around him, with debris strewn across the floor.

…One ghost had been dealt with.

A leather holster separated his hand from the engraved patterns on the gun. The sensation of the gun becoming stronger wasn’t an illusion. With an evil spirit vanquished under its barrel, the rose patterns etched into the flintlock’s body had blossomed slightly.

Perhaps, after resolving the gallery incident, he could ask Hades about it.

Rustle rustle—

A strange sound faintly emanated from downstairs. Deciding not to clean up Benjamin’s office, Lu Li stepped over the shattered mess on the floor, picked up the oil lamp left in the corner, and glanced at the statue in the opposite corner before heading out.

Bang.

The door closed softly behind him, cutting off the last bit of light and plunging the disordered room into pitch-black silence.

In the now-quiet room, the statue remained surprisingly still—perhaps it had been frightened?

Having shaken off the statue’s pursuit, Lu Li returned to the ground floor, where the strange noise was coming from the darkness ahead. Holding the oil lamp, he made his way toward the source of the sound.

As he approached, the silhouette of a figure emerging from a painting came into view.

Madame Anlef’s Daughter.

This was the painting mentioned in the letter, and also its title.

Predictably, the letter had gotten something wrong again. It had only mentioned that the girl in the painting would come to life after nightfall—it hadn’t said she could climb out of the painting.

Half of the body emerging from the painting looked eerily alive. Her gothic dress was pure white, pristine, unlike the dull, grayish tones of the painting. She seemed stuck in the frame, panting and struggling as though trying to climb out of the canvas.

Lu Li quietly observed her, his right hand slowly lifting his coat and reaching behind him. He had repositioned the gun holster to his lower back for better accessibility and concealment.

After having successfully dealt with one ghost and tangibly benefitting from it, Lu Li was no longer as reluctant to interact with ghosts.

As his hand gripped the pistol, the struggling girl finally noticed him. She raised her head, her gaze meeting Lu Li’s dark eyes.

A faint blush crept up her pale neck, spreading to her delicate features. Even under the dim light of the oil lamp, it was unmistakable.

Leaning against the frame, the girl brushed a strand of hair from her forehead and gave a deliberately graceful smile. “Hi, could you help me?”

If one ignored the fact that she was stuck in a painting, with her face flushed red, she might have passed for an elegant, aristocratic young lady.

Before Lu Li could respond, the painting suddenly wobbled, as though unable to bear its weight, and fell from the wall.

“Ah—”

Smack—

Her exclamation was abruptly cut off as the painting crashed to the floor with a sharp, oddly painful thud.

“…”

Lu Li remained silent.

Under his watchful gaze, the painting lay still for several seconds before suddenly rising upright.

Yes, rising upright. A pair of pale, delicate feet appeared at the bottom of the frame, followed by a snow-white lace pleated dress.

Two hands emerged from either side of the frame, gripping it like someone pulling off a sweater. The girl stood in place, extracting herself from the painting by pulling it off over her head. R?

“Phew~”

Her hair spilled from the edges of the frame, falling loosely around her doll-like, flushed face.

The girl let out a soft sigh, then casually tossed the painting aside as if discarding trash. She floated over to stand in front of Lu Li.

“I’ll forgive you for not helping me~ Huh? A new face. What happened to Leona, that little girl? Did she quit out of fear? Just call me Anna.”

Without giving Lu Li a chance to say a word, the girl began chattering with a clear, lively voice.

“Yes, I’m the new night guard,” Lu Li said, finally speaking up.

He chose not to reveal his occupation. This ghost—if she could be called that—seemed easy to get along with, but revealing himself as an exorcist would complicate matters.

“You don’t look scared at all. Did Leona tell you about me? Or was it that fat Benjamin?”

“You know Benjamin?”

“He bought this gallery from my mother. Of course I know him.”

“You’re Madame Anlef’s daughter?”

“Uh-huh.”

Anna tilted her head proudly, revealing her smooth, pale chin.

Things were more complicated than he had expected. Almost instinctively, Lu Li began connecting the dots, mentally sketching out a potential conspiracy.

“How did you die?”

“Didn’t anyone teach you not to ask ghosts how they died?”

“No,” Lu Li replied.

All he’d been told was not to ask women their age.

“Well, now you know.”

“Alright.”

Lu Li nodded and didn’t press further. After all, it wasn’t relevant to his investigation.

Returning to his thoughts, he suddenly realized Anna’s face was now very close to his. Her pale cheeks, tinged with pink, made it nearly impossible to associate her charming smile with anything undead.

“Hey, are you really not afraid at all?” she asked, narrowing her eyes slightly. Under the oil lamp’s glow, her clear, sparkling eyes were hard to discern.

“Why should I be afraid?” Lu Li tilted his head slightly, genuinely puzzled.

“I’m a ghost!”

“But you’re very cute.”

Anna recoiled as if shocked, floating backward. Her gaze shifted evasively, and the blush on her cheeks deepened. “W-what the heck… Has the gallery really fallen so far that they’re hiring guys like you, all smooth-talking and shameless?”

“Hmph… Don’t think you can get away with flattery. I—”

Her rambling was interrupted by an ill-timed voice in her ear.

“If there’s nothing else, carry on. I have things to deal with,” Lu Li said, cutting her off. Confirming that this ghost had no ill intentions, he turned to leave.

“Eh? What are you going to do?”

“Investigate something.”

“What kind of something?”

“Something about the other two ghosts in the gallery.”

A sudden silence fell behind him.

As Lu Li took a few steps, a hesitant voice called out softly.

“Can we not provoke them…?”

Even ghosts could fear other ghosts, it seemed.

“That’s why I said I’m going—I didn’t say I was bringing you.” Lu Li kept walking without looking back.

“Besides, I’ve already lured the two ghosts away. The upstairs is empty.”

Anna instinctively floated after him, exclaiming, “L-lured them away?!”

“Yes.”

Her gaze on Lu Li’s back grew increasingly odd. “Do you have some kind of plan? Stealing something? Setting a fire?”

Her tone carried no hostility or suspicion, only curiosity. It seemed that even if Lu Li were planning such things, she wouldn’t mind.

“I’m just curious, trying to figure out how they died,” Lu Li replied.

“Ohhh~~~”

“Do you know their names?” he asked. If Anna knew, it would save him a lot of trouble.

“Athena Leslie, and I think the other one’s named Ruth…? I don’t know her last name.”

Mentally cross-referencing the employee ledger, Lu Li confirmed the first name matched, but the second didn’t ring any bells—it hadn’t appeared in the records.

“I don’t recall anyone named Ruth ever working here.”

“Of course you wouldn’t. She wasn’t an employee.”

Lu Li stopped in his tracks, turning to Anna with a slight frown. “She wasn’t an employee?”

“Yup!”

“Then why is she here?”

“Because she was killed by someone who used to work here.”

Anna tilted her head thoughtfully.

“That person’s name was James Campbell.”

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