This time, Mark contacted officials from the Ministry of Health in the state where Berlin was located. After a brief investigation, the official got back to him and said:

“Yes, the individual you asked about, Simon Enke, underwent surgery in the neurosurgery department of Berlin University approximately three months ago. The patient was kept under observation for a period after the operation, and it was recorded that he did not experience epileptic seizures. However, potential complications related to the surgery were also noted in his observation report.”

“What do you mean by complications?” Mark asked, but he didn’t receive a clear answer.

“There’s no specific information about that in the system. But the medications he’s been prescribed are a type of anticonvulsant that suppress neuronal activity. Which indicates that the patient has experienced some sort of neurological complication.”

Mark and Süleyman felt like a team that had made it to the finals—players who believed the match for the trophy was being needlessly prolonged. It wouldn’t take long to reach the doctor listed in the system.

The neurosurgery resident on duty at the university hospital delivered the decisive line:

“The patient you’re asking about developed alien hand syndrome after surgery.”

Hearing the word alien, Süleyman nearly cracked a joke: “Alien? The man was born and raised German. Why are you being racist?” but managed to restrain himself.

His partner asked, “What is this syndrome? Could you explain it?”

“There was a tumor in the patient’s frontal lobe. When removing such tumors, surgeons slightly widen the margin to prevent recurrence. This inevitably damages the frontal lobe.

“The frontal lobe is responsible for many bodily functions. One of them is controlling the activity of the lateral lobes that trigger motor functions. In other words, it prevents unnecessary, involuntary muscular movements that would result from random neuronal firing.

“Because the neurons responsible for this function in Simon Enke’s frontal lobe were damaged, his left arm moves involuntarily and uncontrollably. Unfortunately, there is no cure.”

The Demon Hunters had now uncovered the truth behind the false messiah’s claim that he punished those who refused to submit or donate.

Two questions remained in their minds:

1.     Did the surgeon knowingly cause this complication?

2.     If not deliberate, how did Madman learn about the complication and exploit it so quickly?

Mark couldn’t simply ask the surgeon those questions. If the doctor had harmed the patient intentionally—and even if he hadn’t profited from it—he would deny it to avoid discrediting the institution, violating patient confidentiality, and possibly losing his job.

In fact, the hospital representative hadn’t wanted to talk at all at first. It was only after Mark subtly implied that withholding information from a police investigation could result in an official report against him that he was able to extract anything useful.

With Teresa’s suggestion—she had helped them solve several mysterious cases before, especially the incident in Italy—they decided to consult a neurosurgeon named Mary. Demon Hunters were usually reluctant to seek outside help; the more specialists explained their fields, the more ignorant they felt in comparison. But they were compelled to do so if they wanted answers.

After describing Simon Enke’s post-surgical condition, they asked whether a doctor could deliberately cause such a complication. Mary answered immediately and directly:

“No.”

“The frontal lobe is responsible for reasoning, recognition, memory, motor inhibition—as in the case you described—and countless functions that medicine has identified and many more it hasn’t.

“We don’t even know whether there are distinct regions within the frontal lobe dedicated to specific tasks, whether the neurons responsible are scattered or clustered, or whether a single neuron can perform multiple functions.

“For that reason, even if a surgeon wanted to, they could not intentionally cause alien hand syndrome. Not even by removing the entire frontal lobe.

“Because even though we say certain regions perform certain functions, we’ve found that other neurons can fulfill similar roles elsewhere. For example, we say memory is located in the hippocampus—but there are neurons in other parts of the brain that also handle memory.”

After that explanation, the Demon Hunters crossed the operating surgeon off their list of suspects. Now they moved on to their second question.

Mark didn’t believe that Madman had orchestrated the condition itself—but he was certain that somehow he had inserted himself into the process and exploited it.

To solve the second question, a new one formed in his mind:

“Who informed Madman about Simon’s postoperative condition?”

The suspects were obvious: the surgical team at Berlin University Hospital, or anyone with authorization to view his medical records.

Mark knew that, like most criminals, Madman would not use a phone registered in his own name. He obtained the number of the phone Madman actively used for his hotel arrangements and other affairs—and began tracing who he had contacted through it.

According to the call records, there was no one on the list who lived in Berlin. Mark searched for a new lead. He stared at the names without purpose, until one caught his eye. He tried to summon the memory, but couldn’t. He asked Süleyman where they knew the name Helga Stainer from.

The young Demon Hunters proved that his confidence in his own memory was justified.

“She’s the nurse who worked alongside the doctor who did Simon’s routine check-ups. I remember her badge.”

This time, they didn’t just pull Helga’s call records—they also checked her financial activity. And there it was: an unmistakable detail, impossible to overlook. A large sum of money—an amount she would have needed years to earn—had been transferred into her account.

It didn’t belong to a health institution or any official body. When they investigated the account holder, they realized they had reached the endgame. It belonged to the man closest to Madman, the one who handled his finances.

Mark was a cautious officer who anticipated every possible complication. To avoid unnecessary risk, he pushed Helga toward confession.

“Ma’am, you can’t get away with this. There is a large sum of money you cannot explain. The transfer was made by the assistant of the fraud who calls himself the Messiah,” he said—adding a few strategic lies.

“We have already uncovered not just your transaction, but also the transfers between him and the volunteers he used in his shows. If you cooperate, you can get away with minimal punishment, and your career will remain intact.”

The woman took the bait. The redness in her face showed she was lying at first, but she quickly gave in and told them everything.

“I knew Simon had gone to Berlin for surgery. After the operation, he came back to our clinic. The report said he needed follow-up monitoring, and that postoperative tests indicated a possibility of developing alien hand syndrome.

“The muscle contractions and sudden, intermittent tremors in his left hand were early signs of the condition. But the syndrome hadn’t manifested yet, and he had no idea.

“The doctors there didn’t tell him anything—probably thinking the complication might not occur. And since he hadn’t suffered any epileptic seizures afterward, he believed he’d recovered.”

Because the postoperative report listed the Latin term for alien hand syndrome—and because it contained many other words he couldn’t understand—Simon had no idea of the danger it indicated. In fact, this might have been a tactic by the university hospital. In a potential lawsuit, if Simon claimed that he had never been informed or warned, the hospital could simply point to the Latin text and avoid liability.

After reading Simon’s report, an article I once read came to mind. It said that the “random volunteers” magicians bring on stage are often actually their own people.

So I came up with a trick of my own:

If the man known as the Messiah cursed him before any symptoms appeared—
and then, when the symptoms did emerge, Simon’s left arm began behaving strangely and uncontrollably—
what an extraordinary advertisement it would be.

And considering that Simon’s mother was known throughout the town as a walking newspaper, the Messiah would gain the publicity he could never have dreamed of.

It was essential that the doctor I worked with never learned Simon had developed alien hand syndrome. So I prevented Simon from meeting him, using various excuses.

Besides, Simon must have believed he was cursed, because after a while, he stopped coming altogether.”

Mark raised his hand, stopping Helga.

“Hold on. Are you telling me you always knew the man calling himself the Messiah was a fraud? Even though nearly the entire town believed in him?”

The woman burst into such a loud laughter that even her eighth tooth was visible.

“Who in their right mind would believe such nonsense? Only the ignorant—or those pretending to be ignorant—would believe him.”

“Why do you say that? According to both Muslim and Christian tradition, the Messiah will descend to earth before the end times.”

Helga replied with a faint smile.

“I’m not some devoted believer. But if the real Messiah truly descended to earth, I’m sure he wouldn’t treat people with favoritism, wouldn’t divide or discriminate, and—most importantly—wouldn’t exploit faith for personal gain. From what I understand, the essence for believers is to have faith in God and serve Him. This man won’t be the first or the last to claim he’s the Messiah.”

“Well then, if you knew this man was a fraud, why did you cooperate with him to fool these people? Why did you take illicit, dirty money?”

Helga shook her head from side to side. She began speaking in a whisper, but ended in a shout:

“I was exhausted. All my life, I stood against frauds. I warned people. And what happened? I became the villain—while the frauds deceiving everyone became heroes!”

“And who are these frauds?”

“Which one should I start with? The one who stole public funds in a medical contract? The one who sold heaven for money? The one who practiced medicine with a fake diploma? Or the hospital administration that invented diseases just to charge more?

“It’s just like that Turkish proverb—you get kicked out of nine villages, and nothing ever happens to them.”

The look that passed between Mark and Süleyman said everything.

They understood that the woman’s patience had burned out after witnessing a society indifferent to honesty and complacent toward justice. She had, as if saying “damn this love I have for humanity,” reprogrammed herself.

She now embraced the same belief society lived by: life is a fight.

And if things turned upside down one day and the powerful she sided with were accused, she already had her defense prepared:

“I’m so sorry. I’m the victim. The gang tricked me too. They transferred money into my account to frame me.”

Mark was trying to reach the woman’s long-buried idealism—in other words, to revive the withered seed of goodness that still existed in her nature. With the patience that acts as a magical, positive energy, he breathed into her the compassion and tolerance that, in Christian belief, the true Messiah breathed into humanity.

He reminded her of the hardships she had endured, the slanders she had suffered. For human beings, a mother is the most precious being of all. And if that mother is among the most sacred women humanity has ever known—one who spent her life in a house of worship, whose sustenance was brought down by angels by God’s command—then consider the vile accusations hurled at that chaste saint, the mother of the Messiah and of all believers.

He reminded her of the fate of those who warned their communities of wrongdoing. He spoke of how Daniel was imprisoned, how Zechariah was sawn in two, and how many prophets were forced to leave their homelands. Then he added:

“And remember Jonah, who abandoned his people when they ignored the message of equality taught by divine unity. And despite slander, insult, and public persecution, did not the sun of compassion teach its disciples to turn the other cheek—showing humanity the boundlessness of mercy?”

Mark paused for a moment. A thought crossed his mind—“We’re police officers; psychologists or clergy should be saying these things, not us.”

But another voice in his mind countered: “Nonsense. Every individual is responsible for preventing crime. You don’t escape accountability by leaving everything to teachers, clergy, and judges. Don’t stop—continue.”

Through her tears, the woman replied:

“My heart died because of those frauds who deceived people using his name—and because of the modern pagans who’ve always held hatred toward the Messiah. Hearing you speak of him with no personal gain has brought me back to who I used to be.”

Then she added:

“There are a few more things I can help you with.”

“God knows you are a good person. Perhaps the righteous deeds you once did—your efforts to benefit society—protected you. Maybe, in a twist of fate, this task that began with the bad intention of helping a fraud is now being used to serve a far greater good: exposing a deceiver who has misled thousands. Sometimes prayers are answered in ways we don’t expect—in forms of goodness we never asked for.”

“How else can you help us?” Mark asked, bringing the conversation back to the main issue.

“I believe there is another person whose condition is similar to Simon’s.”

“I think there are not just one, but at least five,” Mark replied, glancing at Süleyman. “Remember the day Madman humiliated you? There were five volunteers you could have chosen.”

The moment the memory returned, Süleyman’s face flushed red—likely due to the negative neurons firing at the recollection. Thankfully, the woman continued before the mood worsened.

“I was negotiating payment with that bald guy who does Madman’s dirty work. At some point, he stepped away because he received a phone call, and spoke quietly on the balcony of the next room. My window was slightly open, so I could hear fragments of the conversation.

“I couldn’t hear the caller’s name, nor exactly what he was asking for. But he mentioned that the surgery wouldn't be as difficult as expected, that there were others like him, and that the surgeon performing it was a professor—very experienced. He also said they would supply some anticonvulsant drugs themselves.”

“From what you heard, it sounds like Madman’s team is performing surgeries on people for their own purposes,” Mark said.

“And considering anticonvulsants are used in neurological disorders, it suggests they’re performing some kind of brain surgery,” Süleyman added.

The nurse nodded, confirming their interpretation.