To be a good prime minister, I first became the leader of a secret religion.

Chapter 42 Extension

The Viscountess's nightgown hem twitched imperceptibly.

But she stood very steadily, and Winston imagined what lay beneath her skirt—without a single lewd thought, purely out of scientific rigor—but to no avail.

It's clear that the information Margaret revealed had a great impact on her; however, to some extent, this impact was not limited to friend or foe, and Eileen was just as shocked as Winston.

Fortunately, the well-informed transmigrator was the first to recover. Taking advantage of the Viscountess's unstable emotions, Winston immediately activated [Whisperer] and pressed her for answers:

"Is what Mr. Douglas said true? Madam, do you have anything to explain?"

Viscountess: "I...you...you're courting death! Do you think Charles is someone to be trifled with?!"

Winston snapped, "Stop beating around the bush! I only want a definite answer: 'Yes' or 'No'!"

The woman, nicknamed "White Spider," took a deep breath.

"That's right, we hired Mr. Roland Douglas, but don't overthink it, we didn't imprison or harm anyone... The 'woman' in the basement that Douglas mentioned isn't actually a person."

Winston looked around and asked directly, "Is it a mutant?"

Eileen and the Viscountess both paled. The latter gritted her teeth and shut her mouth, fighting against the urge to confide in her. Eileen, however, had gradually lowered her guard against Winston over the course of their daily interactions and blurted out:

"You know about 'Aliens'?!"

Did the Queen not only send down a divine oracle, but also impart knowledge to the Prime Minister?

But this doesn't make sense! First of all, Winston's head was still intact and hadn't exploded into a bunch of worms. Secondly, when did Queen Victoria ever "favor" any human being?

In Eileen's view, there is no such thing as a "favored one of the ancient gods" in this world. The most profound "favor" He left for Great Britain was merely a cold, piercing gaze that lasted only a few seconds and occurred several years later.

The changing times and the course of history are no more worthy of the Queen's attention than a spark exploding in the hearth. Yet, insignificant humanity, with its fabricated love and cruelty, continues to carve scars deep within civilization.

……

Even amidst the unknown events, Winston found their attitude somewhat amusing: "Is this some kind of difficult knowledge to acquire? With a certain amount of curiosity and a few ways to obtain knowledge, one will understand it sooner or later."

Eileen snapped out of her reverie, pulling herself out of the long-accumulated feelings of pain and emptiness. After briefly analyzing Winston's words, she suddenly realized and said:

"Yes, you graduated from Cambridge!"

These days, the value of a college degree is undeniable.

Not to mention that Winston also studied at Cambridge University. In which fields was Cambridge far ahead in the 19th century?

The answer is mathematics, classics, and theology.

It all made sense. Eileen's heart sank back into her stomach, and she said to Winston, "Thank goodness you're alright."

Winston didn't understand.

The viscountess on the other side didn't understand either. Her physical exhaustion made her increasingly impatient with this unexpected conversation. When Winston looked over again, she said:

"I don't care who you are, police officer or investigator—there's a mutant being locked up in the basement of this house. Charlie has been curious about these strange things since he was a child, and this curiosity has led to countless behaviors that others can't understand, including but not limited to catching a mutant and locking it up."

Winston recalled something: "I remember you saying that the Viscount kept a sick pet in the basement that needed care."

"That's it."

The Viscountess slumped her thin shoulders and said wearily.

"But it wasn't actually sick, it was an escape—Charlie said the alchemy in the basement was gradually losing its power, so someone had to keep an eye on it. He didn't have time, I wasn't feeling well, and the maids were all timid. So when Roland Douglas said tonight that he was looking for a job, Charlie and I thought hiring him to watch over that alien creature might be a good idea..."

"...You mean, this creature called the Alien can occasionally escape from the basement?"

Margaret asked hesitantly, "What are its distinguishing features?"

"I don't know, and I'm not interested in these things," the Viscountess said. "However, Charlie seemed to have mentioned... 'extension'? I don't know what that means. That's all I can tell you. If you have any further questions, please go upstairs and ask the Viscount himself."

After saying that, she slowly retreated into the shadows and went to her bedroom to rest with several of her personal maids.

Winston glanced at her skirt one last time and said to Eileen and Margaret, "I think it's necessary to go to the basement to check on Mr. Douglas. If you also want to go, you can go ahead first. I still have some things to take care of."

Eileen nodded and led Margaret Lisa away at the top of the stairs.

After Winston had waited until they were all out of sight, he turned to look at the Viscount's maid, who was crouching in front of the attic door, hugging her knees and trembling.

"Enid," he called, "come down, it's all over now."

Under the influence of the Whisperer, Enid slowly stood up, her legs swaying, and walked little by little to him.

Winston tentatively placed his hand on her shoulder, imagining the person in front of him was his junior, letting the warmth of his body transfer to her through his palm: "It's alright, it's alright."

As he gently comforted her, Enid swayed more and more violently. Finally, she could no longer bear the agonizing fear and threw herself into Winston's arms, sobbing silently, her face streaked with tears and snot.

Winston patted her back rhythmically, looking at her tender shoulders with a touch of pity and reluctance, but mostly with coldness.

While the skill's effects were still active, he said to the girl:

"Be brave, child, I need you to do something for me."

……

Fifteen minutes later, Winston arrived near the basement.

Eileen is teaching Margaret some strange things:

"...My mother told me that the most basic principle when encountering danger is not to touch unknown objects, not to respond to calls from unknown sources, and not to act alone. It is highly inadvisable to abandon your companions and stay behind like my friend did. In addition, you should prepare at least two timekeeping methods and at least two light sources, and always observe whether there are any unreasonable proportions in the room..."

After her explanation came to an end, Winston hurriedly asked:

"Have you seen Roland Douglas?"

"No," Margaret Lisa replied, "He clearly told me he was going to have a trial shift tonight, so why isn't he here?"

"We need to think in the worst-case scenario," Winston said sternly. "Prepare to protect yourselves, ladies."

He walked to the entrance to the basement first, and after a moment's thought, he reached out and pressed down on the door.

A warm sensation, like that of animal skin, came from my fingertips.