Old Hagelberry from the Hagelberry family heard the news of his cousin’s death from the military at five o’clock this morning.
Poor Keders, may his lord have mercy on him.
That was all Hagelberry could do since he and Keders had different beliefs. He could only bless his cousin, hoping for salvation and a human death. More often than not, these were but vain hopes.
But according to the military’s messenger, Lord Malin had performed the final Purification for his cousin, which was fortunate. Old Hagelberry was sincerely grateful to that Lord,
As the military’s young representatives, Jon of the Svenson family and Link walked toward the hall, Hagelberry could hear an argument inside.
Standing outside were many representatives from the Church, including several members of the Benevolent Church, which piqued his curiosity.
As a group of three was entering the hall, they passed by an old nun from the Church. By the time they entered the hall, Hagelberry turned his head and saw the Assistant Priest from the Benevolent Church following them in.
Hagelberry surveyed the hall curiously.
His Majesty, King Manheim, sat there without sorrow or joy, which was a good sign.
The Prime Minister, the rotund Paul Sanders, was in tears, which was also good.
Next to him sat his wife, Isabella Ailan, with red eyes from prolonged crying. Hagelberry felt compelled to give a standing ovation to the hero who could evoke tears from the notoriously stingy family.
The earlier argument must have been between Assistant Priest Rondo of the Church of the Goddess of Harvest and that miser from the Ailan family.
"Greetings, Your Majesty," said the Assistant Priest, who had already made his way to the center. He bowed to the Queen, "Do you have any questions for me?"
Queen Manheim signaled that someone else would question the Assistant Priest on her behalf, as today she sat slightly askew—elbow resting on the throne’s armrest, chin cradled in her hand.
A bit impolite, but given the Queen’s status, this minor rudeness was overlooked by all.
"Last night, what time did Lord Malin arrive at your place?" asked Sigran Ailan, head of the current Ailan family, also with red-rimmed eyes.
He seemed to have cried too, which made Hagelberry prick up his ears, hoping to catch a delightful tale.
As for Lord Malin... Ha, who needs to worry about Lord Malin? He is a legendary Mage, after all.
"I’m not sure. We were distributing dark bread at nineteen hours. I asked Nun Eileen, and she said when the Lord arrived, she had checked the bread barrel and confirmed there was only one piece left. It must have been around nineteen thirty. If what Nun Eileen said differs from my version, it must be because she is old and forgetful," replied the Assistant Priest from the Benevolent Church with measured and well-argued justification.
Asking about Lord Malin’s whereabouts? This piqued Hagelberry’s interest. He glanced at the two young Svensons and noticed they were exchanging words.
Hmm... Does the military have any clue about this riddle?
This made old Hagelberry even more curious, what kind of charade were these fellows playing?
"After Lord Malin left, did you see him interacting with a carriage?" Duke Sigran continued his questioning.
"No, I was in the manor. At that moment, Lord Malin had brought back Duke Keders’s ashes. I held them and placed them in Duke Keders’s bedroom. When I came out, I heard that a carriage had caught fire on the road. By the time I ran out, the carriage had already burned to its frame," the Assistant Priest from the Benevolent Church replied appropriately and convincingly.
"Thank you, Mr. Assistant Priest," Duke Sigran said after realizing he might not learn anything valuable from the Assistant Priest. He then turned to address the court Mage: "Honorable court Mage, you are an expert in Spell Formations, do you believe this was the flame of a Spell Formation, or an accidental natural ignition?"
"The entire carriage burned to ashes in less than half a minute, clearly unnatural. Moreover, I am incapable of such a rapid combustion," replied the near-legendary court Mage coldly, showing no interest in getting involved.
No one dared to fault the lady. When Queen Manheim was young, it was she who saved Manheim at the cost of not being able to ascend to legendary status.
So Sigran closed his mouth once more, then unwillingly looked toward the Church faction: "Why hasn’t Malin arrived yet!"
Hagelberry raised his eyebrows—a carriage on fire, someone died?
The old man thought for a moment, then decided to humbly ask his longtime friend beside him: "What’s all this about?"
"You weren’t aware? Last night, the Prime Minister Sanders’s second son and Sigran’s second daughter were involved in a carriage accident. Both young people and the guards responsible for their safety died," replied Hagelberry’s old friend, the half-human Thomas Sixfinger, in a hushed voice: "The crime scene had an extremely high concentration of fire elements, the work of at least a legendary Caster."
"Then how did Malin get implicated in this, just because he was nearby when it happened?" Hagelberry exclaimed in astonishment—were the Ailan family and the Sanders family out of their minds? Just because Malin happened to be near, he was deemed the murderer?
What a joke, even if he did do it, what could they do, demand his life in return?
"Who gave you the courage! To address the noble Duke of Rongma, husband of Queen Farol, by his name! Sigran, you brazen transgressor!" someone from the Church faction stood up, it was indeed the Assistant Priest from the Church of the Goddess of Harvest.