I Refused To Be Reincarnated

After the skirmish, Julius's curiosity and intuition drove him to investigate further. Discreetly, he explored the surroundings before deciding to search and examine the djinn's carcasses to find clues.

Using the shadows as covers to hide his movements, he sneaked through the camp like a ghost.

After reaching the area where the djinns appeared, he looked for any unusual markings on the grass, disturbances in the soil, or traces of magic residue in the air.

However, before he could sift through the place, he frowned as he heard a rustle nearby. Rising his head, he then noticed a human silhouette escaping the scene in a hurry.

His heart drummed against his chest as he sensed the scrambling figure might hold crucial information. Determination burning in his eyes, he pursued it at top speed, making the wind whip against his elegant clothes and his hair flutter under the moonlight.

In less than a second, he caught up with the individual, tackling him to the ground and ready to end his life immediately if he tried to do anything unusual.

The person shivered in fright at Julius' display of strength, unable to believe that the young boy was so much stronger than him. Despite his efforts, his movements were sealed, and he realised only death would await him if he didn't clarify the situation.

"Wait, Julius! It's me, Louise!"

Her panicked voice echoed in his ears as he noticed the cold sweat dripping from her forehead. A calculative light flashed in his eyes as he assumed his detective outfit in his mind and began a questioning session.

"Tell me, Louise. Why have you been attracting monsters to the carriage?" He asked, his tone solemn and threatening. After all, the entire mess was indeed set up by someone, and he might have caught the culprit, or so he hoped.

"What? No! I didn't do it. Please believe me," she pleaded, her eyes trembling in shock and her heart in dread.

"Why did you escape the moment you felt my presence?" He pressed on, raising his brow in suspicion, clearly unconvinced by her shaky defense.

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"I can't believe the beast attacks we suffered were a coincidence. So, I left the camp to investigate. That's when you arrived and startled me. I quickly escaped because I feared the culprit returned to erase his tracks," she explained, trying to sound convincing as she forced a smile.

"Then why did you react so weirdly this morning, and why were you looking at the carriage in the middle of the battle?"

He finally questioned her about the suspicious behavior he noticed, unable to trust her before she offered him a reasonable explanation.

A red tinge crept on her face upon hearing him as she coughed in embarrassment. Did she really have to answer? Somehow she felt she would die of shame if she did. Unfortunately, she couldn't refuse either.

"I-I... Hum... I saw you kill the lizard yesterday... You were really impressive and... cool... I kind of became your fan!

Ahh! I said it," Louise revealed, avoiding Julius' eyes as her face turned beat-red.

Simultaneously, Julius squinted at her in bewilderment, failing to understand what she was saying. Did he end up with a fan just because he showed off a bit?

Sighing in disappointment, he released her and stood up, thinking with a frown. From what she said, she didn't seem to be the culprit. After all, her shame looked way too genuine to be faked. Of course, he didn't believe her solely because of her bizarre statement.

Unlike knights and guards who focused solely on muscles, he enhanced his entire body harmoniously as a cultivator. Throughout their discussion, he scrutinised her facial expressions, noting even the slightest changes before coming to his current conclusion.

"Did you find any clue before I interrupted you?" Julius extended his hand to help her up, asking with the idea of working with her.

"I didn't, but I believe a traitor is hiding amidst the escort," she revealed, doing her best to sound serious despite her still reddened face.

Julius nodded, acknowledging the theory. After all, he could only think about three scenarios. In the first one, a traitor indeed infiltrated their escorts and acted against Asha for personal gains or revenge.

In the second, a third party -potentially a rival noble faction- aimed to get rid of the couple and disguise their death as an accident.

In the third scenario he imagined, Arun's poor joke turned out to be correct all along: a mysterious entity really cursed Asha. However, he didn't really believe this scenario could be the right one, to be honest.

After sorting his thoughts, he asked, "Do you have any suspects in mind?"

"That's what frustrates me the most. I have no idea who it might be. I can logically remove you, Arun, and his two knights from the list of suspects since the attacks started long before we met. I can also remove myself and the young lady, leaving only my two fellow guards. But I have been with them most of the time and can guarantee they did nothing suspicious..."

She detailed her understanding of the situation, scratching her head in frustration. Nothing made sense, and the enigma seemed unresolvable. Not only did she fail to find any relevant clues, but could even testify in the suspects' favor and give them an alibi to defend themselves.

Meanwhile, Julius pondered, a deep frown knitting his brows. Those attacks seemed to become more mysterious by the second, and he was tempted to consider the third scenario.

'Think, Julius. How would big brother solve this case?'

Remembering Adam's teachings, he tried to think logically but out of the box.

'Louise's analysis is sound. We're only left with two possible suspects... but what if the culprit plays around that fact to mislead us? I can't be sure about anything for now, but after a few days of observation, I know I can deduce who did it!' He thought, confident he would catch the scoundrel.

With nothing more to do here and a plan in mind, he made his way back to the camp, leaving Louise to investigate on her own.

As the campfire's cracking sound filled his ears, he couldn't help but cast a cursory glance at every person present.

Asha's two guards tended to the horses, ensuring they were well-fed by the carriages. Meanwhile, the clinking noise of metal echoed as Idiot One helped the wounded Idiot Two move to his sleeping place, a gentle smile stretching his lips.

In the meantime, Asha and Arun sat by the fire. While the young lady spoke with enthusiasm, his fiancé nodded from time to time, his dull eyes fixing the dancing flames.

Despite the normalcy of the escort members, Julius' eyes glimmered in understanding. Now that he had started to think outside the box, some illogical events found logical explanations. After all, someone looked highly suspicious. Like a chameleon, he had disguised himself as a perfectly normal individual. But despite his efforts, Julius' discerning eyes and determination would discover him.

'I hope I'm wrong, though...' He thought, planning to wait a day or two to confirm his suspicions and confront the culprit.