The detective is dead, I did it.

Chapter 55 A Request from Her Majesty the Queen

Seeing Charlotte's trust in Leon so much, Lina said nothing more, but instead held up two fingers.

Two things.

Her nails were trimmed very short, with no decorations on the tips, but her long and well-maintained hands were so captivating that one couldn't help but take a second look.

Charlotte leaned back in her chair, legs crossed, white hair falling over her shoulders. She slightly raised her chin, gesturing for Lina to continue.

"The first thing," Lina said, bringing up a finger and switching her tone from casual to businesslike, "is that the association has agreed to the royal family's request. Armed detectives will be sent to Ireland soon to assist the army in suppressing the rebellion."

Charlotte's calm expression changed noticeably, and she frowned slightly, saying, "Didn't President Irene Adler refuse last time?"

She spoke a little faster than usual, and her fingers tapped lightly on the armrest of the chair, clearly a subtle gesture bordering on urgency.

"I remember very clearly that when the royal family first made this request last November, the chairman mentioned it in his reply."

"The Detective Association's responsibilities are limited to the British mainland and the Channel Islands. Overseas military operations are not authorized by the charter, especially such acts of suppressing peasant uprisings."

Li Ang also looked at Vice President Lina with curiosity.

I just discussed the Ireland issue with the detective this morning, and she swore that it had nothing to do with the association.

How come there's suddenly a connection now?

And isn't it a bit odd to send detectives to suppress peasant uprisings?

"I did refuse."

Lina spread her hands, her posture helpless yet composed, as if she were talking about something she herself was powerless to change.

As she moved, her long, black hair slipped down her shoulders, revealing a small silver stud earring on her earlobe that glittered in the sunlight.

"There's nothing we can do. Her Majesty the Queen came in person, accompanied by the First Princess. The Chairman can write a direct refusal in the letter, but when the Queen herself is sitting in the living room having tea, she can't just use the same excuse again."

Two hundred years ago, the king's power was significantly reduced once, and during the first demonic upheaval, detectives stepped forward.

It can be said that the authority of the royal family at this time was far less than before.

However, due respect must still be shown, especially when Her Majesty the Queen and the eldest princess personally come to make the request. Even President Eileen has to hesitate repeatedly.

"Besides, Her Highness the Eldest Princess has known the Chairman since childhood, and with Her Majesty the Queen's personal request, it would be difficult to refuse."

Charlotte remained silent for a moment, as if processing the news.

"So what does the president plan to do?"

"Of course she agreed. After all, Her Majesty the Queen has said things like 'for the sake of the people of Britain,' so she had no better reason to refuse."

Lina tucked her other finger in, crossed her hands on her knees, and changed her posture from relaxed to more formal and upright.

Li Ang sat quietly in a chair to the side, listening intently.

He didn't want to interrupt in this situation, but after hearing that armed detectives had gone to Ireland to assist the army in suppressing the rebellion, he couldn't help but speak up.

"Shouldn't detectives only be responsible for solving cases and catching demons and cultists? What's the point of helping the military suppress them?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Lina and Charlotte both turned their gazes to him.

"Theoretically speaking, detectives wouldn't do this kind of thing, especially when it involves the military actions of other countries," Charlotte said first.

"The association's bylaws clearly state that the primary duty of detectives is to maintain public safety within Britain, handle supernatural events, and apprehend criminals with superpowers."

"Going abroad, taking up arms, and fighting for the military are not on any page of the charter."

Charlotte paused after speaking, her tone becoming much more serious, even carrying a hint of sarcasm.

"But rules are rules, and reality is reality. Even seemingly omnipotent detectives always have to do many things against their conscience."

Lina picked up the conversation, her tone becoming lighter, as if she were trying to smooth things over.

"But it depends on the situation. The situation in Ireland is no longer a simple rebellion."

"Cults have infiltrated the rebels, and supernatural forces have been involved in several key battles that the army cannot deal with."

"Guns can kill people, but they can't kill monsters possessed by the power of evil gods. So the royal family had no choice but to turn to the association."

Since Li Ang wasn't kicked out in the first place, Lina simply told him the whole story.

"It's not that the detective wants to go to the battlefield, it's that something has appeared on the battlefield that only the detective can deal with."

"The royal family needs someone to deal with those cultists and supernatural threats, and in all of Britain, the only organization capable of handling these is the Detective Guild."

"Furthermore, detectives are, in any case, a group of people with superpowers. In the eyes of ordinary people, using them solely to catch criminals and cultists is a waste of their talents."

Li Ang didn't respond, because the reason Lina came up with seemed perfect.

He recalled the life alchemy magic circle in the basement of the Viscount's mansion. Although Helena wasn't a witch, the magic she unleashed still constituted a case of superpowers.

Imagine if such a thing appeared on the battlefield, between the positions of two opposing armies, ordinary soldiers would have absolutely no chance of resisting.

Moreover, Li Ang also thought of the ordinary people in London.

If someone with extraordinary power stood in front of them and said, "I'm only responsible for catching murderers," they would probably think that person was wasting their talent.

Just like he'd heard people discussing in recent years that detectives should take over from the military and become the protectors of all of Britain.

These remarks are even showing signs of escalating.

"By the way," Charlotte suddenly changed the subject when she saw that Li Ang didn't reply, "I heard that Sakura Empire has already officially incorporated detectives into the military. I wonder how they convinced those detectives."

Cherry blossoms?

Li Ang's ears twitched slightly.

In this era and in this context, it seems that only one country could come up with such a name.

But at this moment, he was unsure whether the "Sakura Empire" in this world was the same as the one in his memory.

After all, the Ming Dynasty still exists, and the Embroidered Uniform Guard is still called the Embroidered Uniform Guard. History has diverged at its root, and he can no longer apply his original understanding to it.

So he tentatively began, "You wouldn't be referring to..., would you?"

"That island nation opposite the Ming Dynasty," Charlotte replied casually. "Compared to the Ming Dynasty and the Sakura Empire, Britain's use of detectives is already quite conservative."

Although she didn't explain in detail, Li Ang immediately realized what she meant.

Lina added, her tone carrying a subtle quality, somewhere between感慨 (gǎnkǎi, a feeling of deep emotion) and 幸 (xìngxìng, a feeling of relief or joy).

"At least we haven't been using detectives as expendable resources. On the Sakura Empire side, low-ranking armed detectives are treated no differently than ordinary soldiers in the army; they go to the battlefield when they're supposed to, and they're cannon fodder when they're supposed to."

"The Ming Dynasty was slightly better off, as the Embroidered Uniform Guard system was independent of the army, but it was still subject to the military's command during wartime."

Li Ang did not refute it. He thought about it and realized that it made perfect sense.

In the other two countries on this continent, people with abilities have long been used as war machines.

They did all sorts of dirty and tiring work, from going to the battlefield to carrying out assassinations, suppressing rebellions, and gathering intelligence.

If Britain only sees it as a detective story, with a group of people with superpowers searching for cats and dogs, catching thieves, and investigating adultery in the streets and alleys of London, it does seem like an overly idealized role-playing game.

However, this also depends on the type of ability.

Take himself as an example. If he didn't have a dual sequence and was just a single-sequence reasoning detective, you can't expect him to use his ability to provide clues to find the enemy's weaknesses on the battlefield, can you?

The scene was too beautiful for Li Ang to imagine.

"But I don't think they call them detectives in the Sakura Empire..." Charlotte said, looking down and thinking hard.

"The Ming Dynasty's Embroidered Uniform Guard, the Supreme God of the Sakura Empire. However, I've heard that that country is considering abolishing this title."

Charlotte did not continue the conversation on this topic.

She straightened up, her blue eyes looking directly at Lina, her gaze shifting from the relaxed atmosphere of their earlier casual conversation back to a focused attention on business.

"When will we depart? How many people will we send?"

"One week later," Lina said, taking another sip of her tea, and calmly announced a number, "The Third Branch and the Seventh Branch will be transferred in their entirety."

"All the armed detectives from both branches, from the branch leaders to the new recruits, were wiped out. Margaret Lothian and Emma McDonald personally led the teams."

The city of London was divided into ten districts by the Detective Guild, each with an armed detective branch stationed there.

These armed detectives are responsible for supernatural crimes throughout London, as well as for eradicating cultists hiding in the gutter.

Each branch leader is an armed detective of Sequence 5, who all possess considerable strength.

In response to the royal family's request, the association has now dispatched one-fifth of its personnel to Ireland, a truly impressive lineup.

Even Li Ang was somewhat shocked when he heard this.

Two branches, one-fifth. This number may not sound like much, but considering the proportion of Sequence 5, the percentage of this diversion is far more shocking than the number itself.

"They were transferred there too?" Charlotte frowned.

She certainly recognized those two names; they were the heads of the Third and Seventh Branches, both Sequence 5 armed detectives, considered veterans in London's armed detective circle.

Moreover, both of them have impressive resumes, having handled numerous major cases and each commanding dozens of armed detectives. Including support staff, their total workforce could be over a thousand.

It's no small matter to transfer both of them, along with their branch, away now.

"What will happen to the security while they're gone?"

Ireland is not far from London, but it's not close either.

Traveling by boat and on horseback would take at least a week. Besides, the fighting over there is so fierce that it won't be resolved in less than half a year.

During this period, if any problems arise in the jurisdiction of these two branches, such as cultists taking the opportunity to cause trouble, or superpowered criminals taking advantage of the situation, who will take care of it?

"We'll just have to trouble the other branches."

"Sequence 5 armed detectives are a rare resource even in all of Britain," Charlotte said calmly, but her question was sharp. "What if they don't come back after being sent to Ireland?"

"You're overthinking it. These mere cultists can't cause any real trouble."

"That would be best. So, what do you want me to do?"

Charlotte naturally understood that Lina was willing to tell her these things because she must have something to ask of her.

"I hope to get your help."

The "you" she was referring to was naturally the group of detectives behind Charlotte.

Although their combat abilities are only average, they are still stronger than most ordinary people, thanks to their special abilities.

Picking up a weapon and barely managing to act as a low-level armed detective isn't out of the question; at least it's much more reliable than those bunch of good-for-nothings in the Public Security Department.

Nowadays, there aren't enough armed detectives, so we have to rely on detective detectives to fill the gap.

"While you may not be able to fight tough battles, you can still manage to guard your territory and handle small-scale supernatural crimes."

Lina had no other choice but to swallow her pride and approach Charlotte.

The number of armed detectives was already insufficient, and some were even dispatched to other cities, leaving London's daily security situation extremely strained.

Now, in response to Her Majesty the Queen's call, one-fifth of the workforce has been diverted, which is still insufficient.

Charlotte pondered to herself, knowing that Lina was telling the truth.

Those Sequence 7 and Sequence 8 detectives do rely on armed detectives for protection, but that's because of their different job roles, not because they are actually powerless.

When the time comes, everyone can stand up and easily take down several adults.

Not to mention those high-ranking detectives, it wouldn't be difficult for them to cosplay as Li Ang with a knife.

"I can't guarantee that," Charlotte said, her brow still furrowed. "At most, I can only try to persuade them. You know those people; they're always being called trash by the armed detectives. If you send them to help someone else, they'll definitely curse you out."

"That's enough." Lina didn't press further.

What she needed was not Charlotte's assurance, but her attitude.

Charlotte is one of the most representative figures in detective fiction; her name is a household name in the entire detective community.

Once she agrees, even if the other detectives are unwilling, they will cooperate to some extent out of respect for the name "Sherlock Holmes".

As for why Charlotte was chosen as the "lobbyist," the reason is quite simple.

Of all the detectives, she was the only one whose relationship with armed detectives wasn't so strained.

Those old-school detectives look down on armed detectives, thinking they are just brutes with slightly stronger fighting skills.

Those armed detectives, on the other hand, felt that detectives who only knew how to talk were useless.

The cracks on both sides didn't form overnight, nor can they be healed overnight.

But Charlotte was different. She never took sides. She only stood by herself.

Seeing Charlotte nod, Lina changed the subject to the second matter.

"In addition, the investigation into the Viscount's case is nearing its end."

She opened the folder she carried with her and handed it to Charlotte.

"That witch is very cooperative and has confessed everything she was supposed to. On Judgment Day, you and your assistant will need to be present to provide some testimony."

"I have no objection." Charlotte immediately agreed and turned to look at Li Ang.

Me too.