"Searching for someone to blame is just a pain."
- Gojo Satoru
...
Barbara walked to the left side of the basement wall and reached out to touch it, her eyes focused.
"If I remember correctly, based on the structure and size of this mansion, there should be quite a bit of space behind this wall."
Thump!
Thump!
Thump!
Bang!
Barbara pressed her ear against the wall and tapped it a few times with her hand.
While knocking, she kept moving her position on the wall, and she suddenly heard a change in the tapping sound.
"This sound... something isn't right!"
At this moment, she was sure a secret room was hidden behind this wall.
Why would Dean create a secret room in his own basement?
Barbara's eyes sparkled with curiosity as she began searching for the switch to enter the secret room.
"The structure of this secret room isn't too complicated, so the entrance switch shouldn't be too far away."
She moved her body so that she was just opposite the part where the strange sound was coming from, then extended her hand to continue touching the wall.
After a few minutes like this.
Click!
Suddenly, Barbara's eyes lit up as if her fingers had touched a triggering mechanism, and a different mechanical sound was heard.
With a strong push, the part of the wall she was pressing against sank inside completely.
Soon after, the wall in front of her began to vibrate slightly.
With a rumbling sound, the wall opened to both sides, revealing an opening just big enough for a person to enter.
The space behind the path was pitch black, and it was impossible to see what was inside.
"Hmm, quite a clichéd design, but it does make things easier for me."
Barbara looked at the entrance to the secret room with a bored expression.
"Let's see what secrets are hidden inside... Wait, what!"
As Barbara stepped into the secret room, holding a flashlight, her pupils instantly shrank at the sight before her.
...
On the other side, Wayne Manor
In the low-key, luxurious dining room, Dean, Dick, and Alfred sat together at the table, enjoying a delicious dinner.
Even though the dishes on the table were unfamiliar, Dean was still enjoying his meal.
As they say, the food of the rich is indeed different from what normal people eat.
"How does it taste, Mr. Sutton? Do you like the food?"
Alfred asked with a smile.
"It's delicious, you're the best chef I've ever seen, Mr. Pennyworth. Honestly, I'm even thinking of finding a butler like you for myself."
Dean complimented him after wiping his mouth with a napkin.
"But my house is not as big as Wayne Manor, and I can manage it well on my own."
"You flatter me, Mr. Sutton."
Alfred responded humbly to Dean's praise.
"I don't mean to interfere with your life, but I want you to know that the role of a butler is not just about working chores and tasks."
"They can also be a trusted family member who is always there for you."
"I agree with you, Mr. Pennyworth. It's obvious that you are a trusted family member of the Wayne family."
Dean nodded and suddenly had a thought.
Perhaps I should find myself an assistant...
"I'm full,"
At this moment, Dick put down his knife and fork and looked at the others.
"Have you finished? Dean, when can we start the magic lessons?"
"Dick, I know you're excited, but hold on a moment."
Dean replied, also finishing his meal and putting down his utensils.
"I need to ask you a few questions before I start teaching you. They will determine what type of magic I will teach you and the final performance."
Dean talked in a serious way, but his mind was on something else.
'It's been almost three hours since school ended, and Dick hasn't asked me any specific questions. He's acting like a typical teenager who really wants to learn magic to impress girls. Why hasn't he asked me anything about Phantom Thief?'
Dean thought that Dick would slowly drop a hint or even intentionally ask some sensitive questions to test his reaction.
But from start to finish, Dick remained calm, and he didn't ask anything other than about learning magic.
Dean couldn't help but feel that something was off.
'Could it be that he really just wants to learn magic? That's impossible—absolutely impossible! It doesn't match Robin's identity. He and Batgirl have already begun to suspect my identity. It's impossible that he's not doing anything at all...'
Thinking of this, Dean suddenly had a realization. He had almost forgotten Batgirl.
Originally, Dean thought that Dick was the only one testing him, but now it seemed that Dick's task was only to keep him occupied.
Since Batgirl is not here, she could only be in one place.
At this point, Dean finally connected the dots.
'No wonder Dick mysteriously invited me to Wayne Manor, it was all to distract me so that Batgirl could check his house.'
After thinking about this, Dean didn't panic because he had expected this situation and had made arrangements at home in advance.
'Batgirl, Barbara Gordon, can you see the truth behind the illusion?'
...
Meanwhile, at Sutton Manor, in the secret underground room.
The secret room was not too big, and it was filled with dust.
Judging by the thickness of the dust, it seemed like no one had been in there for about half a year.
The room was full of old pieces of furniture, like wardrobes and closets.
Obviously, Dean had no use for a closet.
As Batgirl approached the dressing table, she noticed that there were no skincare products on it.
Instead, there was a black-and-white photograph standing upright.
The photograph showed a couple, and above it were the words "Dear parents."
Besides this photograph, there were several pictures of the Sutton couple hanging on the walls of the secret room.
For a moment, Batgirl's expression became extremely complicated. Her face showed a mix of heaviness, relief, and guilt.
She knew what the old furniture and decorations in the secret room were.
They were all memories that the Sutton family had left behind.
Barbara was not surprised that Dean had specially built a secret room to keep his parents' belongings, as she had seen even crazier things before.
As the saying goes, seeing objects reminds one of memories.
If these items were placed openly in the house, it would easily trigger unpleasant memories and keep them drowning in the sadness of their parents' passing.
Dean put these items together in the secret room and came in to look at them once a year or every six months.
There was nothing wrong with this, and it was a good thing for Dean's mental health.
"It seems like I made a mistake, Phantom Thief is not Dean after all."
Barbara looked down at the footprints on the dusty floor and sighed.
"Now I need to think about how to solve this problem..."
...
A/N: Guys, we didn't get to 1100 power stone, so I will give you all a chance that if we reach 400 power stone WITHIN the day, I will release additional chapter.
patreon.com/Sothisq
You can find up to 20 advance chapters at my patreon.