Turning

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Chapter 364

Robel seemed to feel that the siblings of the Baron had become the targets, but there didn’t appear to be a specific reason for the murder that occurred today.

"I believe the main intent was to show an example that the mansion's security was breached, to disgrace the Baron and the Tain family. If that's not the case, then…”

"Then what?"

"If they knew that the Cavalry was staying at the Baron’s mansion, they might have wanted to sow discord. In the meantime, they could do whatever they wanted. They were capable enough to do just that."

Though his words were mixed with strong personal emotion, they were not overly absurd.

'Utilizing a method to identify the culprit as an Awakener, they might have intended to cause confusion between the Tain family and the Cavalry... The possibility was there. More precisely, they probably aimed to hinder the Cavalry.'

Nahan had already met Yuder and Kishiar in the Great Sarain Forest. If Nathan Zuckerman, who sensed something odd during the visit to the Red Deer Consortium building and missed something, was right, the probability that Nahan already knew where the Cavalry members were was high. It wasn't exactly a secret that the Cavalry was staying at Baron Willhem’s mansion, even though it wasn’t widely known.

'Through the conversation we had when we met in the Great Sarain Forest, he knew Kishiar was interested in Tain family’s illegal trade business... Was this a preemptive strike at this point?'

It was something he might have done. Of course, he probably didn’t anticipate that Yuder would discover Robel and both would end up in prison following a chase.

'But something still feels missing.'

A sensation he felt when he saw the corpse. The fog-like doubt he felt while Baron Willhem and Kishiar were talking remained unresolved, still vague.

'What could it be? What am I missing right now? ...Will I be able to find out more from Kishiar’s information?'

As Yuder remained silent and lost in thought, Robel continued his story. He spoke of the two initial explosion incidents in Tainu, revealing that while they had infiltrated the Red Deer Consortium building, the actual invasion was done by himself and his colleagues. He wore a sullen expression as he spoke.

"We were planning to secretly rescue Marty and others there while Nahan's guys were in another... But nobody was there. Now that I think about it, it feels like I got tangled up with Nahan somehow."

He seemed to carry significant guilt at the fact that soldiers were injured in the explosion caused by his colleague while fleeing. Since he never attacked or killed anyone and just wanted to live quietly, it was understandable.

Yuder shifted the subject before Robel's eyes could darken further.

"Regarding Nahan's side attacking the Red Deer Consortium building, do you recall anything else? Anything at all will do."

"Um... To be exact, it was actually a person named Ershi who led that. Nahan was just helping under the pretext of aiding her revenge. I heard Nahan helped because Ershi targeted the place."

"I've encountered that person before."

"Ah. Then, by any chance... Were you the Cavalry member who almost cut off Nahan's arm?"

Yuder shook his head.

"I didn’t do that. But... his arm was almost cut off?"

He had thought that Nahan must have been quite injured since Kishiar had intervened and there was a lot of blood, but he did not know he had inflicted such a major wound on Nahan.

“He said he was seriously injured while protecting Ershi. It's a little surprising and disappointing that it wasn't you. Anyway, Ershi had targeted the Red Deer Consortium building and went there with Nahan and a few others. They brought back many bundles of paper. Nahan examined them for a while. I don't know what happened after, since I had a big argument and left the place when he almost finished reading them."

The fact that Nahan's side had robbed the secret vault of the Red Deer Consortium, which had been speculated, was now revealed to be true. What content did those documents hold? Perhaps the actions that Ershi and Nahan were undertaking now were related to them. Yuder memorized this information well.

"There's nothing else I can think of for now. I'll tell you if I remember anything else."

Robel was extremely cooperative. Perhaps it was because something more precious than his life was at stake, he was more unreserved in speaking than even the Gayle and Doyle brothers within the Cavalry.

'They seemed disheveled but always kept their mouths shut about the group's secrets or the sage. What if I ask Robel?'

Although it could be a good opportunity to find out about the sage, urgent matters were at hand, so that part was postponed for now.

"Over there! Commander Phil has arrived, so be on your feet. He will come up for investigation as soon as the conversation with the Cavalry is over."

A soldier shouted from beyond the dark prison bars. It seemed that the time for the investigation had finally come. Robel was startled and then nervously swallowed his dry saliva.

"… What should I do during the investigation?"

"You didn't make any false confessions before I came, did you?"

"I didn't. If I had, I wouldn't be in this state. Of course, they seemed to have already marked me as guilty, regardless of what I said."

"That'll do. I knew you were an Awakener and tried to arrest you as an intruder, and you were only startled by the sudden situation and stumbled while fleeing. Finding the body was a coincidence, and none of us killed them. Just remember that fact. No need to say anything else."

"…Strangely, that's not a lie at all."

Relieved, Robel moved his battered face with difficulty and smiled.

Soon, soldiers came to fetch them. Yuder further examined the prison structure as he came out. Although it was a more monotonous structure than other prisons he had been in, it was certainly robust.

"To see you again like this."

Knight Commander Jeymer Phil said with a scowl as he saw Yuder again. Yuder ignored him and examined the faces of Ever and his colleagues beside her. There was an extra face that wasn't there before. Pruelle Van Taine was sitting next to the Knight Commander and faintly smiled as he saw Yuder.

"Oh, assistant Aile. I couldn't stand still, feeling sorry for having you go through this trouble while visiting my cat. I decided to help with the investigation by conveying what I remember."

"…So you have."

Yuder suspected that Kishiar had sent him but silently nodded his head. In the solemn atmosphere, the Knight Commander stood up and gave an order.

"Seat them."

The soldiers tried to make Robel and Yuder kneel. Robel complied obediently, but Yuder did not.

"Is it the rule of the Tainu Knight to treat those who came for the investigation as criminals? Or do you lack chairs?"

At his retort, confusion and incredulity fluttered over the faces of the Knights standing around.

"Yuder is right. The Commander only said that Yuder was sent for cooperation in the investigation. Such treatment from the start is unpleasant."

"Ha, it's outrageous."

Ever, with a cold face, sent support, and Jeymer Phil finally ordered a chair to be brought. That alone caused the tense atmosphere to ease in an instant.

The investigation was much more chaotic than Yuder had anticipated. Jeymer Phil and the Tainu Knights insisted that either Yuder or Robel could be the perpetrator since the criminal was an Awakener, but they were unable to present any evidence or logical reasoning. On the other hand, Yuder had witnesses from the Cavalry, able to describe the ability that killed Baron Willhem's sibling and spouse, and what Yuder had been doing that day.

"I went up to the room with Sir Aile, to meet the cat at my request after the meal. He was with me all the time until he saw the servant and ran off," Pruelle said, taking a relaxed seat. Jeymer Phil, who had been continuously pressing Yuder and Robel, clamped his mouth shut.

"And before I came here, I heard from Duke Peletta that it's certain the Fayfe and Nellisabel couple were murdered outside the mansion and then moved to the basement. Bloodstained mud on their clothes and shoes was found outside, you know."

Yuder realized that Pruelle's words were information being conveyed to him by Kishiar. Pruelle met his gaze and faintly nodded as if confirming his thoughts.

Commander Jeymer Phil inquired among his subordinate Knights if the words were true, but the response was that they were unable to confirm as communication with the Knights at the mansion was not smooth.

"Then, since both this servant and I were inside the mansion all along, we cannot be the culprits."

After hearing the coordinated statements from Yuder and Robel, the Knight Commander's face turned sour. Everyone was complicating the matter, which would have been easier if they could simply pin the blame on Yuder or Robel. It was enough to make him angry.

"Duke Peletta and the Cavalry have conveyed that the real culprits are those who killed the Tainu Knights in the Great Sarain Forest, but frankly, it's hard to believe that those bastards came in, killed people, and left without doing anything else. The joint investigation continues, so we'll reconvene for a second inquiry in a day."

In the end, the investigation concluded without any clear resolution. Before Yuder was returned to prison, Emun covertly handed him something while pretending to greet him.

"The Commander sent this. Take it."

"..."

Yuder felt something inside the small cloth bag. He hid it in his formal sleeve.

"Are you not scared of the prison?"

"I'm fine."

"What about the cold? The floor is bare there."

"That's fine too."

Yuder's colleagues sighed at his response, patting his shoulder.

"Don't ever endure if someone says something. It won't be a problem for you."

"I plan on it."

Yuder was taken back to the prison. After the soldiers were gone, he opened the bag and found a small bottle of holy water, effective for wound healing, and a red heating stone that briefly aided in maintaining body temperature.

"..."

Until that moment, he had been perfectly fine, but seeing those items made him feel oddly moved.

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