"Thief"

Ebner had previously mentioned to Xio that he would bring the Forsaken One to attend the Daily Observer's ball. Seeing her businesslike manner, he didn't think much of it and walked forward with Judy to register their identities.

Xio looked at Judy's signature and silently said "Roman." Then, she handed the two of them to a colleague behind her to lead them into the headquarters of the Daily Observer.

This building had a total of five floors, and the ball venue was set up in the hall on the first floor. Thus, the two of them saw rows of neatly arranged seats as soon as they entered, as well as the distinguished guests who had already arrived.

Among them, women were mainly dressed in two types. One type of dress was either gorgeous or dark, but both were bold and open. One could see a large patch of white on the chest and the arms on the sides. The other type of dress was fresh and rather conservative. Even the chain bones could be vaguely seen and were even covered.

In the Loen Kingdom, this meant the difference between a married and unmarried woman. A widow and a divorced woman could choose both types of clothing, but the former would try to have a darker color.

Apart from these, Ebner also saw glittering necklaces, exquisite earrings, and all sorts of precious accessories on the ladies. Compared to the ball held by his teacher and himself in the public dance hall, the guests here were clearly more imposing.

After entering the hall, Judy greeted Ebner and left alone to find the mission target.

Ebner, on the other hand, looked around and realized that there were very few people he knew. He only had a slight impression of the senior inspectors of the Police Department. He had seen them when he was a student of deduction working with his teacher, so he was not familiar with them.

At this moment, a voice came from the entrance. Many guests looked over and smiled as they walked over.

Ebner looked over curiously. Then he saw a middle-aged gentleman in an olive-green army officer's uniform with an orange-red ribbon and a few medals on his chest walk in with his wife.

In the Loen Kingdom, active or retired officers liked to wear military uniforms at balls.

And besides, that lady was a girl in a sky-blue dress. Her eyes were rather arrogant, and there was a hint of annoyance between her brows.

Ebner didn't recognize who it was. He only vaguely heard the people who went over say "Mr. Senator".

"That's Member of Parliament Macht. He used to serve the military and joined politics after retiring from the military. He started from Backlund and became a member of the kingdom's House of Commons. He's a believer of the Evernight Goddess and a member of the New Party. He supports the improvement of the atmosphere. Beside him is his wife, Riana. She comes from a family of lawyers and provides her husband with plenty of resources. She's also a believer of the Evernight Goddess."

At this moment, Reporter Mike walked over from behind Ebner. Seeing his confusion, he introduced him happily.

Ebner and this old friend of his who had bragged about how a famous detective had gone deep into the tiger's den to rescue a teenage girl greeted him before looking at the door again.

Member of Parliament Macht? The unlucky person whose entire family had been made into a Monocle Monster by Amon, scaring their daughter to the point of nearly losing her mind?

Then, that arrogant girl is Hazel, who was accepted as a student by the Jacob family's rat demigod?

Thinking of this, Ebner could not help but look at the young lady with dark green wavy hair and bright brown eyes. But at this moment, the young lady suspected to be Hai Rou Er suddenly turned her head back to the door and frowned slightly.

Ebner looked in the direction of her gaze and saw Fors, who was dressed in an exquisite blue and white gown with intricate lace borders, walk-in.

She was first shocked by the crowd that was blocking the door to welcome Macht. Only when she realized that these people weren't here to rush her manuscript did she heave a sigh of relief. Following that, she looked around for a while and found a long table with food before walking over briskly.

During this period, Hazel's gaze remained fixed on Fors, never leaving her.

Upon seeing this, Ebner frowned. He remembered that Hazel had a Beyonder item that could help her sense and steal something "valuable." Could she be paying so much attention to Fors because she had her eyes on the bracelet that could "travel?"

Perhaps it was because Ebner had been staring at Hazel for a long time, but this made Reporter Mike misunderstand. He smiled and patted Ebner on the shoulder. He said with a smile, "That's Member of Parliament Macht's daughter, Miss Hazel. She's a girl with high standards. Many confident gentlemen have encountered obstacles in her life. If you wish to pursue her, you have to be mentally prepared."

Ebner recovered from his shock and replied with a smile, "I can't match up to the daughter of a member of the House of Commons. Reporter Mike, you sure know how to joke."

"You can't have such a mentality. Young people need to be motivated. How can you not even dare to pursue her? Besides, you are Backlund's hero. How can you not have the courage to pursue a girl you like?" Reporter Mike was already very familiar with Ebner and could joke around, so he encouraged him with a smile.

Keep your voice down. I don't want to be in the headlines of the tabloids because of gossip… Ebner lampooned inwardly, but on the surface, he deliberately looked at Fors, who had already walked to the food area. He said to Reporter Mike beside him, "I think I have a new goal. Excuse me, Mike."

…

Fors came to a long table and reached out for her favorite desserts. However, due to the complicated structure of her gown, she tripped over the corner of her skirt…

"It's over…" Fors tried her best to adjust her center of gravity, but it was as though she had lost her balance and failed.

Seeing that she was about to collapse on the long table filled with food, Fors felt vexed. It was a small matter if she embarrassed herself, but if she ruined the gown Father Xio had left for her, it would truly be a sin. When the time came, although Xio wouldn't say anything on the surface, she would definitely feel terrible.

At this critical moment, Fors suddenly felt a strong arm wrap around her. She hurriedly used this external force to adjust her center of gravity and regain her footing.

"Thank you," Fors thanked sincerely before looking up at the person. To her surprise, she realized that Ebner had pulled her back to prevent her from embarrassing herself.

At this moment, Miss Hazel, who wasn't far away, pouted in disappointment. She stopped in her tracks.

"Ebner, why are you here?" Fors asked with widened eyes.

"Because I became a Hero, I've recently become a popular figure in the Daily Observer. Isn't it normal for me to be invited? Why didn't Xio tell you?" Ebner appeared to be joking, but he secretly signaled Fors with his eyes to let her follow him.

Fors immediately understood. Her eyes darted around as she revealed a smile. "Xio won't reveal any information about her friend unless she obtains her friend's approval."

Next, she deliberately chatted with Ebner for a while, and then they walked together to a remote corner of the hall.

Hazel, who had been paying attention to Fors, wanted to chase after the two when she saw them disappear from her sight, but her mother happened to ask her to greet other guests…

Helpless, Hazel could only brush them off. She secretly decided that when the ball began, she would invite the man to dance. No… she should wait for the man to invite her to dance without rejecting him. Then, she would casually ask him about the girl's identity.

…

On the other side, Fors, who had come to a corner, didn't have the chance to ask Ebner what urgent matters he had to discuss at the ball when she heard him say,

"Fors, you've been targeted by a thief… It's best if you switch houses with Xio when you return, lest you encounter a thief at night."