Chapter 4: The Tiger-Headed Magistrate

County Magistrate's Office Hall.
County Magistrate Zaire Mabre sat in the chair, his eyes dazed, wearing a pair of oversized boots.
In the hall were two stools.
On each stool sat a young woman in her early twenties, both dressed in green dresses and looking identical, like twins.
Three groups of government officers gathered nearby, staring wide-eyed at the two women.
The two women in green were named Camila, the magistrate's daughter. She had yet to marry and had originally been staying in the rear residence, but now, mysteriously, there was another one exactly like her.
With two identical daughters, Zaire had no way to tell who was real.
No matter how he questioned them, he couldn't find a flaw. If he pushed too hard, both Camilas would start crying.
Moreover, they would cry at the same time. It was so eerie and resembled something from a ghost story.
With no other choice, Zaire had the government officers watch his two daughters and sent for Adrian.
Though Adrian was a coroner, everyone in Sephton Town knew of his skills.
After all, this was the man who could hunt demons!
Sephton Town, though remote and located on the border of the Juyeoda Empire, was surrounded by desolate mountains, which should have made it a prime location for demons.
Yet, Sephton Town had been safe for years, with few demonic incidents. Even the people from nearby major towns envied them.
If Sephton Town had more to offer, more wealthy families might have moved there by now.
Seeing Adrian arrive, Zaire brightened up.
"Adrian! Help me figure out which one is my real daughter!"
The government officers around relaxed upon seeing Adrian as if they had taken a calming pill.
Juliana followed behind Adrian, her gaze flickering as she saw the two identical girls, lingering a moment longer on the one on the right.
Adrian glanced at the girls casually and said, "They're both alive."
Zaire, Isaac, Zayden, and all the government officers froze.
Of course, they were alive!
The problem was which one was fake!
Isaac, wringing his hands in anxiety, said, "Adrian, look carefully. One of these two Camila's must be fake. They look exactly alike—it must be a demon! You're an expert in dealing with demons—can't you tell?"
"I can't," Adrian said, "The ones I kill are all furry. I can't handle demons that take on human form—I can't see through them."
"What are we supposed to do then!" Isaac replied in despair.
"How about we use an old method!" Zayden suggested, "Starve them for seven days and nights. Whoever can't stand it is Camila. Demons aren't afraid of hunger!"
Isaac scolded, "What kind of terrible idea is that! Seven days would kill a human! What's the point of finding out if they're already dead!"
Zaire sighed. "Is there really no other way? My poor daughter..."
"I have a way." Adrian's words gave them a glimmer of hope.
Everyone turned to him with anticipation.
"Tell us!" Zaire urged.
"To tell which one is the real Camila, it's not difficult. You just need to check her left hip."
Adrian's suggestion left everyone in the room stunned again. The government officers glanced at one another in confusion.
They didn't know whether Adrian's method would work, but they didn't mind witnessing the scene.
"Are you sure about this?" Isaac asked anxiously.
The magistrate was his boss, and if anything went wrong, he would bear the brunt of the fallout.
Zaire asked suspiciously, "Are you confident you can tell the difference?"
"Absolutely." Adrian nodded.
Zaire gritted his teeth and ordered, "Everyone out! All the men, get out and wait outside!"
The government officers left in disappointment, and Zayden kept glancing back, reluctant.
Even Isaac left, and the hall's main door was closed.
Only the two Camilas, Zaire, Adrian, and Juliana were left inside.
Juliana, being a woman, did not need to leave for such matters.
Zaire asked Adrian doubtfully, "Why the left hip?"
Adrian replied, "Two days ago, Camila bumped into a table corner while bathing. There's a bruise on her left hip that she might even know about."
"I see... but how did you know that?" Zaire asked in surprise.
"I saw it by chance." Adrian's face remained expressionless as he spoke.
Juliana couldn't help but chuckle softly.
With no other choice, Zaire gestured for Adrian to proceed.
Adrian pointed to the Camila on the left and said, "You first."
The girl looked embarrassed and reluctant, but she turned around, loosening her belt and exposing the area Adrian needed to see.
After a quick look, Adrian declared, "No bruise. There's no need to check the other one. You're the fake."
"I'm not!" the girl cried. "I'm real! Father, please look at me carefully—I'm your daughter!"
She moved to rush forward, but Adrian blocked her with the sheath.
"The real Camila may leave. You better not move, or I'll kill you right now."
The cold sheath caused the exposed girl to collapse in tears, sobbing helplessly.
The Camila on the right rushed out of the hall, escorted back to the residence by government officers.
Then, Isaac, Zayden, and the other officers burst in, their weapons pointed at the weeping fake Camila.
"You demon! How dare you come to the government to cause trouble! Today is the day you die!"
"It's time for your death! Prepare to be slain!"
The officers shouted, but none made a move, and they all stood behind Adrian.
Zayden, holding his blade cautiously, said, "Adrian, take the lead. I'll back you up—don’t let the demon escape!"
Just when everyone thought Adrian would strike down the demon, he simply lowered the sheath and sat down.
The crowd was confused.
Letting their guard down before a demon could lead to an attack!
Juliana spoke softly. "This Camila is real. The one before was the fake."
It was like a lightbulb going off in everyone's mind.
Now they understood—Adrian had used a trick to lure the demon into revealing itself.
Isaac raised his thumb. "Adrian, you're incredible! If you had acted here, Camila would have been in danger, and even the magistrate might have been harmed! Now that the demon's gone back to the residence, you can fight without worry."
Zayden and the other officers looked at Adrian with admiration, their thumbs held high.
The Camila on the ground, finally understanding what was going on, fainted in a mix of grief and relief.
Isaac quickly called for maids to take Camila to a safe place.
Adrian grinned, then said to Juliana, "You guessed right. If you want to see how it ends, follow me to slay the demon."
Juliana looked into Adrian's deep eyes, paused, and then shook her head. "I'll stay here. I just want to know the truth."
Adrian nodded, took his blade, and strode toward the residence.
Isaac, Zayden, and the government officers followed at a distance, maintaining a distance away to avoid getting caught up in the fight.
In the hall, Juliana sat quietly but her eyes held a gloominess that no one else could see.
Zaire paced slowly in the hall, his footsteps heavy.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
After several steps, Zaire stopped behind Juliana.
The sound of his footsteps ceased.
"Lady Juliana, you should have gone with them. Staying here is far more dangerous," Zaire said, his figure hidden in the shadows. His lips slowly curled into a sinister smile.
Whoosh!
A fierce wind blew, and the hall's wide-open door slammed shut.
The room dimmed instantly.
"Dangerous places are sometimes the safest," Juliana replied without turning her head. "I've never been to Sephton Town, so if you recognize me, you can't be the magistrate."
"You're clever. Since that's the case, you should know you shouldn't have stayed. Because staying means certain death! Hehehe!"
With a twisted grin, Zaire's figure began to swell and distort in the shadows.
A foul stench swept over Juliana from behind.
Her eyes flickered as she stood up slowly.
"I can't see through the twin mystery, but I can tell this is a trap set for me. I want to know—who ordered you to kill me?"
As she turned around, the figure in front of her was no longer Magistrate Zaire—it was a humanoid monster with a tiger's head!
Its mouth was wide open, and its fangs clashed as it spoke.
"Why don't you ask the King of Hell after you die? He might be in a good mood and tell you the truth. For now, you shall become my prey!"
The tiger-headed monster leaped, its foul jaws snapping at Juliana's white throat.
Juliana stood still.
She knew there was no escape.
And she knew help would come.
Crack!
Just as the tiger-headed monster was about to bite down, a shadow burst through the door.
It was a blade!
A pitch-black blade!
It slashed the tiger head in two!
Bang!
The door burst open, and Adrian returned.
The monster's head and half its body were split open, falling to the ground—yet no blood flowed. The wound looked like stone. It was eerily unnatural.
The split tiger head stared at Adrian, its two eyes moving in unison.
A raspy voice came from it.
"As expected of Cogniles County's strongest demon hunter. How did you see through me? I concealed my demonic aura perfectly—you shouldn't have noticed."
Adrian chuckled, glancing at the tiger demon. "Stubby Feet wearing big shoes—how could I not notice such an obvious flaw? I'm not blind. Next time, reveal your true form. I'll skin you then!"
"Hehehe! The next time we meet, you're going down."
The two halves of the tiger's head stopped moving and gradually solidified into stone, which Adrian crushed underfoot.
Juliana's calm demeanor finally softened, and she let out a sigh of relief.
"Your spiritual sense... can it also see through a puppet body?" Adrian sheathed his blade.
"Not exactly. I could see the ghost enslaved to the fake Camila, but you gave me two hints," Juliana said softly. "First, the magistrate's nickname is Stubby Feet, yet today he wore oversized boots. It was suspicious. Second, you invited me to slay the demon, but you said that if I wanted to know the result, I should follow. And what I wanted to know wasn't just the result—it was the truth."
"You're smart and courageous, but such people often don't live long," Adrian said, holding his blade. "If I hadn't returned just now, you would have died horribly."
Juliana replied softly, "I knew you'd come back because you also wanted to know the truth."
"Trying to read minds is boring. No one likes having their thoughts seen through," Adrian said.
"It's not reading minds—it's a shared understanding," Juliana replied.
"You must be well-educated—you sure know how to speak sweetly. Unfortunately, the tiger demon used a puppet, so we can't learn the truth," Adrian said.
"Though I don't know who was behind the tiger demon, I do know its target was me," Juliana's voice grew more somber, and the shadow in her eyes deepened.
"I was wondering why that demon would come after me. Normally, we mind our own business. That creature was powerful—fighting it would be risky for me. Let's go our separate ways from now on," Adrian said.
"Do you know the tiger demon's background?" Juliana asked, somewhat intrigued.
"Taika, an aged demon from Felsled Mountain," Adrian said, pausing, "Seventh rank."
The words "seventh rank" wiped the curiosity from Juliana's face, leaving only a chill.