As the faller had just crashed down, two young Priests in their twenties and thirties immediately rushed over to perform the Illumination Art for the rescue. But alas, this ultimately proved futile.
Arlen's response was very swift.
The moment he realized that the deceased might have been assassinated, he had everyone distance themselves from the Priests trying to save the faller and the body, and he immediately dispatched men to seal off the staircases. He also ordered the waiters, who were stopped on the second floor due to the staircase being sealed, to immediately close all the windows on the second floor to prevent anyone from escaping in the confusion.
"Please remain calm and stay where you are. The Supervisory Bureau will arrive within ten minutes."
Arlen's voice, low and clear, resonated throughout the entire building. As a characteristic of the Path of Authority, his voice could become very loud.
Although his voice did not contain the power of the Path of Authority to control the minds of others, his composure and calmness also suppressed the slight stir of tension and chaos.
After that, Arlen picked up the phone on the counter. He began to dial.
However, he did not call the Supervisory Bureau directly, but instead called his father. Arlen briefly recounted the incident that had occurred at the White Ballet Shoes Club and asked him to report the case on his behalf. He particularly pointed out the fact that "Princess Isabel is also here today".
Aiwass and a few others had not had the chance to go to the second floor, so they were stopped on the first floor before the stairs were sealed.
He just quietly stayed by Arlen's side.
But what surprised Aiwass somewhat was that he actually did not have anything particular to remind him of.
Because he completely skipped the plot, Aiwass did not know that this Half-Elf senior with the long face was so outstanding. Faced with the emergency, Arlen was stunned for a brief moment, but he quickly came to his senses.
Considering that Arlen, as a Half-Elf, was only just 21 years old, he indeed had a talent in this area.
With such a talent, yet so frail... It could only be said that his mind indeed was not on the power of the Transcendents.
However, Arlen actually also had the confidence to be willful.
After all, he was not the eldest son but the third son. Moreover, as a Half-Elf, he could easily live to be 140 or 150 years old. In Arlen's natural lifespan of over a hundred years, only one-seventh or one-eighth had passed. He still had plenty of time to grow and regret—if he did not die, that is.
The phone call made by the Minister of Justice was obviously very significant.
Arlen said ten minutes... but actually, just over five minutes had passed when a large group of people burst through the door, stirring up a wave of low exclamations.
They wore black helmets resembling those of a knight and black, divided leather armor, with one pistol and one short sword strapped on either side of their waists. Just the first wave entering the door numbered over twenty people, instantly crowding the first-floor hall.
They moved through the crowd, formed a human wall, and surrounded the scene. Following them, two Inspectors came in, wearing white gloves and black suits.
Then, the heavy sound of boots colliding with the floor came from outside the door.
An almost fully armed old Knight clad in silver-white plate armor, without his helmet, walked in from the wide-open door.
He had a head of disheveled short hair, turned greyish-white due to age, and sharp, dark blue eyes. His tan, dark skin bore visible scars, which subtly exuded a faint silver-white glow.
To the surprise of many, the old Knight carried a pure white two-handed sword on his back, shimmering with a dim glow.
It looked nothing like a modern weapon, and certainly not like something to be used in a city.
Upon entering, the old Knight's eagle-like gaze swept around and quickly found Isabel.
"Greetings, Princess Isabel."
As soon as the old Knight entered, he immediately half-knelt, emitting an old and steady voice: "By the Silver-Crowned Dragon above, I shall ensure your safety."
Among the Inspectors and Supervisory teams, several also half-knelt to salute. A ritual inherently mysterious and powerful, this half-kneel was an exclusive ceremonial gesture of Knights, representing submission to the royal Authority, seeking power, strength, and protection from a higher presence.
Only the Knight Family could perform this ritual towards the royal family; others at most could bow. The ones performing the ritual could faintly sense the mood, intention, and health of the royal they saluted, and confirm whether the person was of true royal blood.
Isabel did not recognize him and could only nod politely to the old Knight and respond softly, "Thank you... please, everyone, rise."
Then the old Knight stood up and moved beside Isabel. Only then did the Inspectors begin to investigate the deceased and start to collect the scattered documents on the ground.
And all the people in the club were now casting their eyes towards Isabel.
Although Isabel had been standing at the door for quite some time, and many people had noticed her, she was not the first to arrive. Some people were already inside, deeply engrossed in conversation and had not noticed Isabel at the door.
Isabel had a quarter of elf blood in her veins, and although she appeared young, she was over one meter sixty in height. Even if a passerby saw the back of a blonde girl, unless they could see her face clearly, most people would not immediately associate her with the kingdom's only surviving princess.
After all, Isabel also had to wear a uniform at school, and there were too many blonde girls at the Royal Law University.
The outfit that Isabel was wearing at that moment was similar to the one Hayna wore for the first time when she visited Moriarty Manor—a blue and white uniform, which was not the attire of the Supervisory Bureau but the school uniform of the Royal Law University.
The girls' school uniform consisted of a white long-sleeve shirt with a dark blue vest-skirt on the outside, while the boys' school blazer was a dark blue suit. The only difference between different departments was the color of the tie, and what they all had in common was the emblem of the Royal Law University on the left chest.
Princess Isabel had never entered the White Ballet Shoes Club before.
Coincidentally, on the day she arrived, a life was lost in the club.
You should know, since the establishment of the White Ballet Shoes Club over forty years ago, not a single life had been lost there before!
Even though there were occasional brawls, there had never been serious injuries, let alone such a blatant assassination!
Two priests used Illumination Art immediately but still could not bring the victim back. This was definitely a murder involving profound Transcendent powers!
Could this be a failed assassination attempt against the princess? Or was it that her entry into the White Ballet Shoes Club caused some kind of misunderstanding? Or is it... merely a coincidence?
Since most people were not very familiar with the deceased, whispers started spreading through the crowd.
"I am the Director of the Supervisory Bureau from the Red Queen District."
The old Knight said sternly with a straight face, "Your Highness, you can call me Gordon. Chief Inspector Edward is also on his way. The First Aerial Cavalry Brigade has already surrounded the club building, and no one will be able to escape in the chaos."
—Just one person had died, and both the Director and the Chief Inspector of the Supervisory Bureau had immediately rushed over themselves. Continue your adventure with мѵʟ
This efficiency was definitely not the result of normal protocol following an alarm. It was all because Princess Isabel happened to be at the scene.
Arlen was the one who reacted quickly.
When he saw the dark golden blade without a handle, he immediately realized that this case was beyond his authority, which led him to have the Minister of Justice personally inform the Director of the Supervisory Bureau in the Red Queen District.
A dagger might have been one thing, but this type of thin blade without a hilt was unquestionably an exotic Weapon.
Although it was unclear how it was used, the user must have undergone special training.
In other words, a professional assassin.
And their White Ballet Shoes Club would not let anyone in without the "Crystal Ballet Shoes" badge.
That is to say, a professional assassin mingled into a politically connected Association, which had strict admission restrictions, on an occasion frequented by the only princess left in Avalon.
If Arlen didn't handle this situation well, the entire club might be implicated. Everyone might have to undergo interrogation and secret investigations by the Supervisory Court... Even his father could be entangled in this.
Considering such a scenario, Arlen decided to dial his father directly.
—This is the situation, so now it is up to you to deal with it, old man.
The effect was significant.
Although it was not known whether the assassin was still inside or had silently escaped, reinforcements—more than enough for their needs—began to converge towards the White Ballet Shoes Club.
Aiwass even thought that the Director Kent from the White Queen District might have received a phone call and started to dispatch people this way. Perhaps Sherlock had been notified as well... after all, he was Director Kent's designated backbone, an external thought process.
At that moment, an anxious Inspector ran over, "The identity of the deceased has been ascertained!"
"—He is Lord Drost's chief personal secretary, Sir Raff!"
Hearing this, Lily, who had been standing quietly behind Aiwass, suddenly widened her eyes.