33. Clue

With superhuman senses operating at full capacity, the entire world changed colors in Lann's perspective.

The corner of the cabin wall emitted the scent of ghouls, marked in bright red in Lann's vision, indicating the entrance point of the creatures—a tunnel.

Gloved hands manipulated the scattered meat chunks, brain analyzing every cut's information.

"The fatal wound is the punctured heart. Although half of the heart has been gnawed by the ghoul, the knife wound still remains. A sharp double-edged dagger... good quality, interesting."

The young man muttered to himself, which helped him clarify his thoughts.

The skill of [Trace Detection] was insufficient, but after watching two thousand episodes of Conan, how could it be a waste?

"The angle of the weapon piercing the heart... Mentos, does it match my thoughts?"

The intelligence in his mind responded to Lann's whispered murmur.

"Based on human model simulation, this dagger indeed entered the heart upwards from the third left rib, and it rotated around thirty degrees inside the body to ensure a fatal hit."

"Aha." The young man raised an eyebrow, "Steady and accurate, yet ruthless. A seasoned expert."

If it were an inexperienced person, they'd gasp for air, hands shaking, and vision rapidly narrowing during a first fight.

This person's technique suggests not only a combat veteran but also an experienced killer capable of watching the victim's dying process closely.

Lann dug through the mess and found the shoes the victim was wearing.

Fortunately, the three ghouls weren't so hungry as to chew tanned leather, otherwise, these shoes wouldn't even remain.

"Judging from the shoe size... the victim was approximately 170 centimeters tall."

Height assessment cannot rely on the upper body since most people's upper bodies are the same length. The legs are where the height gap originates.

After painstakingly gathering this information, Lann finally understood why this was undeniably a "cannibal case".

The young man held a segment of the upper arm bone, fingers brushing over the stark white bone.

"Tooth marks, not from ghouls, but human."

Furthermore, the killer first skinned the victim's upper arm, possibly even slicing off a large chunk of flesh.

Only by using the human jaw's opening can one bite deeply into the upper arm, piercing the bone.

Before the ghouls "processed" the body, this wound must have been even more shocking.

"Animal."

Lann calmly stated the conclusion.

This tone wasn't a resentful curse, but a statement of fact.

The killer, in their self-awareness, no longer considered themselves human.

With no more useful information, Lann grabbed some blood-free soil from the ground to clean his hands and rose from a crouch, heading outside.

Now, Philip Strong's team members, alerted by the noise of battle, lined up outside the cabin.

As the captain and the highest-ranking individual, the broad-built Philip was swearing loudly.

"Are you idiots all crawling out of a ghoul's belly?!"

While he was cursing, no one in the team dared to meet his eyes, even though he was rubbing his forehead due to a hangover.

"The body! Our only evidence! Clue! Left here unattended? Eaten by ghouls?! Have you forgotten how to keep watch since leaving the military?!"

He paced around the team, growing angrier with each word.

They were a group of veterans, just returned from the Temeria forces supporting Hidaris' royal restoration, serving the local lord upon returning home.

And now, seeing the task nearly botched!

Thinking of this, Philip finally grabbed the armor collar of a soldier, pulling him close.

"Too afraid to spend the night with a rotten corpse? Would you rather become that rotten corpse yourself?! Speak!"

No one dared to respond.

The authority is overwhelming in the army rank.

Yet, even rebel students exist, let alone a group of soldiers.

A timid voice emerged from the silent team.

"If you ask me, this is the demon hunter's fault. People say demon hunters bring bad luck, and they're spot on. The body was fine days ago, but he comes and..."

"Hey! Show some respect!" York, the Long Halberd Soldier, immediately countered.

"Demon hunters aren't related to curses; he's our hired help. You dare slander your own ally?"

Lann stepped out from the room, having overheard the conversation.

But such remarks now couldn't even breach his defenses.

Thus, he simply nodded to York, who spoke up for him.

At this moment, Philip released the soldier, adjusting his helmet with a solemn expression as he approached Lann.

"I'm sorry we failed to secure the clues. These idiots have grown too negligent."

He began with a self-examination and then rubbed his hands, casting expectant eyes toward Lann.

"But York said you might still find clues among those remains... Is it true?"

"How should I put it?" The young man rubbed dirt off his hands, as if involuntarily grinding his teeth at the indoor chaos.

"It's quite shattered."

"Oh." Philip visibly disappointed, yet the result was unsurprising.

If one could gather three or four clues from a ghoul-gnawed corpse, demon hunters might as well serve as priests in the Divine Hall.

It's better to consult them than pray.

Well, the task from the knight went astray.

Feeling disheartened, Philip waved his hand at his comrades, preparing to return to Crow's Nest to report.

"But some information is there."

Hm?!

The tall and burly officer turned swiftly, clutching his steel helmet.

"The killer stands around 160 centimeters tall, weighs 60 kilograms, a skilled assassin with a well-made double-edged dagger... I reckon he's reached a stage of eating only human flesh, unable to consume anything else, and was very hungry when killing this person."

The young man dusted his hands while calmly sharing the results of his investigation.

Philip initially felt ecstatic, believing his task had hope!

Yet, as Lann's description grew detailed, his expression turned hesitant.

With scarce clues already spoiled by ghouls... could really this much be inferred?

Is this lad trying to fool us for cash?

Unhurriedly narrating, Lann seemed even to consider his doubts.

"That guy has eaten many people, even when killing this farming victim, he specifically peeled off his skin for texture and cleanliness. Yet his first bite reached the bone... he was too hungry. Owning such a dagger, adept at slipping between bone seams without losing even iron shards, one could dine well whether temporarily pawned or anywhere. So undoubtedly, he now eats only human flesh."

Clear logic dispelled Philip's entire doubts.

The soldiers behind him, including the already witnessed-outstanding York under such unprecedented logic, widened their mouths like hungry carp awaiting feed.

"Moreover, he may be an outsider." Rarely hesitant, Lann spoke.

After all, he claimed to be an outsider yesterday, feeling somewhat apprehensive.

Deserving of his rank, Philip immediately sensed this.

"What's this notion, Demon Hunter Master?"

"Because as an outsider, he's unaware of Dunham's significance, leading him to commit murder here."

In Auridon, Bernie already told Lann about Dunham's situation.

Though it's a place of collective beliefs, it's essentially the intersection of several roads.

Under the Meretelli Goddess' doctrine, people worship her three statues there, the Goddess' three embodiments.

The statues depict a carefree girl, a motherly pregnant woman, and a bent old hag.

Offering meager food and wealth, troubled passersby take some.

Later, once able, they repay by similarly offering to Meretelli.

Therefore, outside ritual times, Dunham holds little special.

So uninformed outsiders might risk immediate murder there.