Chapter 49: Clue

Claudius cautiously followed Captain Roland into the small grove. The first arriving guards from the capital were ordered to stand watch outside.

He estimated that the fool Modo should have finished by now, but he had yet to see his subordinates return. Claudius immediately ordered the guards to search the area, but the outcome was completely unexpected.

He had long since prepared a seamless and reasonable story about a lost seal, ready to present it at the right place and time. Coupled with the well-known temperament of the Prime Minister's son, anyone hearing such a story would naturally associate the reckless young man with the despicable act of stealing seals to forge documents for personal revenge. In the case of such an accident, it was generally hard to place blame. Claudius had indeed learned these little tricks from Duke Murak.

However, it was obvious that he was still lacking in spiritual cultivation. Since the establishment of the Knights Templar, the greatest and most inexplicable casualties had occurred among his own ranks. The key was that his greatest real purpose seemed to have failed. His expression was a mix of shock, anger, shame, and unease.

Fortunately, Captain Roland did not notice the complex emotions of his disciple; he was carefully examining all the traces on the ground and the corpses.

As the core force of the imperial army, the Knights Templar was rarely called upon in ordinary times, but when they were needed, it was always at the most critical moments or during the most brutal and arduous battles. Even so, this force of fewer than a thousand had never suffered significant casualties while fighting against tens of thousands of enemies and heretics. It was once statistically shown that to take down one of these elite troops, heretics and enemies would have to lose an average of over 1,100 heads.

Yet here lay twelve corpses, without a single enemy dead on the spot, and it even seemed that the enemies had not lost a single nail. Captain Roland's expression was grim.

Out of respect for the holy knights, the first unit that arrived here had carefully gathered the dismembered corpses of the swordsmen and covered them with white cloth. Captain Roland looked at these neatly arranged bodies, then at the chaotic footprints on the ground, and frowned, asking, "Which unit was the first to arrive here?"

Claudius replied, "The Fourth Squad of the Capital Guards."

"Dismiss the squad leader." Captain Roland's tone was devoid of anger or dissatisfaction; it was calm and flat, as if he were merely reading a decree. "To discover such a significant incident and not secure the scene, allowing the troops to come in and completely destroy all evidence. Since he enjoys expressing his respect so much, let him stand at the city gate and bow every day."

Claudius bowed his head in response, "Understood."

Roland looked at the bodies on the ground and asked, "Why did the person who stole your seal and forged documents only summon twelve men?"

"Because those were the only ones available at headquarters at the time. Perhaps he didn't dare to linger and gather more men," Claudius replied. However, the reality was that it was due to his covert maneuvering; having too many people involved would not be convenient. Moreover, twelve knights, along with a mage, were more than enough to handle even a wivern.

"Fortunately." The hawk-like cold light flashed in Captain Roland's refined eyes as he said coldly, "If he had taken all your men, you wouldn't need to be captain anymore."

Claudius broke out in a cold sweat.

Roland gazed at the grove that was beginning to thaw. It was early summer, and everything that had been frozen was slowly starting to thaw. The moisture in the air condensed, merging with the melting ice to form tiny streams flowing out. Even in the lingering chill of this magically created icy world, one could still feel a slight chill.

"The opponent must be a formidable mage," Roland's voice was colder than the grove before him.

"A mage?" Claudius was skeptical. That guy might use some magic, but he certainly wouldn't be rated as 'formidable' by the empire's top expert.

Captain Roland pointed at the icy forest. "Do you know what kind of magic can freeze an entire grove without harming anything?"

Claudius studied the grove carefully and hesitated before shaking his head. "It seems... there's no magic at all."

As a squad leader of the Knights Templar and a disciple of the empire's top swordsman, even though he did not know how to use magic, he was well-versed in the level, casting time, attack power, and effects of every spell in each system. Any attacking magic, regardless of how strong its freezing effect, was merely an added effect; the most crucial aspect should be the damage caused by the ice. Yet before him was a grove that was purely frozen, with no signs of destruction. In his memory, it seemed there was indeed no magic capable of causing such a strange scene.

"There is." Captain Roland replied lightly. "Desperate magic."

"Desperate magic?" Claudius did not understand.

"No casting techniques, not even using any spells—only a water mage who has exhausted all his fundamental magical power in one go could create such an effect." Captain Roland pointed at the mage's corpse and asked Claudius, "Do you know how high your subordinate's magical level is?"

"Before being assigned to my team, he was a senior water magic teacher at the Magic Academy, which means... he must rank among the top fifty in the empire."

"What kind of opponent could make a senior mage in the empire's top fifty abandon using spells and merely expend all his magical power in a desperate gamble?" Captain Roland looked at the mage's corpse. The corpse's hand was still frozen to his face, the expression frozen in shock, panic, resentment, and despair. "It could only be a mage of a vastly different level, who made him lack the confidence to even retaliate with spells. In the end, this opponent didn't confront him head-on with his decades of cultivation but used some unknown method to make him strike himself. This opponent, despite having an absolute advantage, remained neither arrogant nor impatient, using the most efficient and cleverest methods..." Captain Roland sighed heavily. His face, which usually bore the look of a scholar, now revealed a predatory, leopard-like expression. "This is a true master."

A master. This term completely transcended the evaluation of 'formidable.' A dragon or a behemoth could be formidable, but they would certainly not be termed a 'master.' Moreover, this was the 'master' according to the empire's top swordsman.

Claudius knew that the deaths of his dozen or so subordinates could not be considered unjust.

"You say that the person summoned the troops to deal with a single individual?" Captain Roland looked at Claudius and asked.

"Um... that's purely a guess." Claudius lowered his head in reply. "The conflict between that person and my cousin, who stole my seal, is well known, and my cousin is inherently narrow-minded and willful. Last time during the hunt, he led the Royal Guard to ambush him, which is why I made this guess."

Captain Roland coldly looked at his disciple and said, "You mean that person is the priest under Bishop Ronis?"

"Yes." Claudius did not even dare to raise his head.

Captain Roland's gaze settled on his disciple, and though it was not particularly sharp, Claudius felt as if he had been caught in the ice magic used by that mage, chilling him to the bone.

Captain Roland finally sighed and said nothing more. Compared to these matters, it was more important to analyze the true nature of this somewhat bizarre battle. It was certain that this scene could not have been produced by that priest.

He crouched down to carefully examine the corpses of the swordsmen, immediately noticing the most peculiar one. The lower half of the body was frozen in a leaping position, but the head was already missing. The neck's severed muscles were incomplete, and the bones seemed to have dislocated from the joints, as if not cut by blades but twisted off. One left hand, though picked up and pieced back together by the guards out of respect, still showed signs of having been twisted off. The right hand, however, looked nothing like a hand—at least it was a third longer than before, twisting like a snake, with its bones undoubtedly shattered into fragments.

Captain Roland frowned. Even with his keen eyes, he could not discern what kind of attack this swordsman had suffered to result in such a strange death. His gaze swept over the other corpses, and his frown deepened.

He reached out to turn over a corpse, but as soon as his hand touched its exterior, a large area of flesh completely collapsed and fell off, as if it were decayed wood that had long since lost all vitality. Watching this strange change, Captain Roland's frown tightened into a knot. He stood up, took a deep breath, and said to Claudius, "There should be another corpse; find it."

"There are exactly twelve people here," Claudius reminded him.

"No, there should be thirteen. There's also your cousin, the Prime Minister's son. Since he thought he could definitely kill the opponent, he must have also come here, and since the opponent was capable of killing all twelve of your subordinates, he would not have spared him either."

Claudius, confused, carefully looked around the grove. The guards had already thoroughly checked the area; they would never leave a corpse just lying around for him to discover.

But after walking a few steps, he suddenly noticed something under a tree not far away that looked somewhat familiar: a clump of hair styled into a small braid. He walked over and found some scattered teeth, some broken nails, pieces of clothing that had been corroded into rags, and some small objects on the ground. Since these looked like just a pile of garbage, the royal guards didn't pay any attention. Claudius stared at these pitiful remnants in shock and turned to Captain Roland, saying, "It seems to be here…"

Captain Roland walked over, watched, squatted down, rubbed a bit of dirt from the ground between his fingers, and smelled it. His brow relaxed, but his expression became as ugly as the mud. He stood up and was silent for a moment before saying to Claudius, "Go summon Bishop Ronis... No, it would be too much trouble for His Grace the Bishop; let's first ask High Priest Kusburt to come."

High Priest Kusburt soon arrived, led by Claudius. After examining the few mutated corpses, he said, "This appears to be a spell that combines dark magic and body manipulation. It temporarily releases all the life force and energy from the corpse, giving it immense fighting power during that short time. This kind of mixed magic is quite difficult to perform; even a high-level mage would need a complex incantation to cast it." He paused, and his already ancient face became even grimmer. "The one who studies and uses such evil magic must be a necromancer. Hmph, they dare to roam near the capital. If I catch them, I will make them pay."

Unfortunately, he didn't know that the person using this spell was casting it as casually as yawning; otherwise, his expression would be even worse.

Captain Roland nodded, pointing at the hair over there, saying, "Just as I guessed. From the traces of soil, it seems that another person was melted away by a powerful corrosive magic, leaving not even a bone behind... This technique truly belongs to a necromancer."

High Priest Kusburt suddenly turned to Captain Roland, saying, "With the news of a necromancer, we should have reported it to our Magic Academy first. How could your Holy Knights act so rashly?" His tone was aggressive, as this reckless action completely disregarded the status of the Magic Academy and cost him the chance to deal with the necromancers.

"It's like this..." Claudius explained his 'guess.'

"It's that guy again!" After hearing Claudius's words, the high priest's face looked as ugly as a toilet rag. "He always has more problems than solutions. Now he's actually involved with necromancers." Perhaps his accumulated anger and dissatisfaction suddenly erupted on his face; he seemed certain that Asa's bad behavior was ironclad evidence of collusion with necromancers. He said to Captain Roland, "Let's report this situation directly to the Bishop."

Claudius didn't go with them. He returned to the Duke's mansion to tell the Duke about this 'accident.' He knew that even if he didn't say anything, the Duke would find out in due time.

The Duke, upon hearing this, immediately smiled and said, "Your stamp falling is quite timely. The arrangement is quite good."

"I'm sorry. I didn't have time to notify you due to the last-minute decision, and acted on my own accord," Claudius said, a bit flustered. The tricks that could fool others were as trivial as a child's plaything in front of the Duke, and he dared not hide anything. "Because I think this matter is entirely beneficial for us. If we really killed him, we'd eliminate a hidden danger, and my uncle, the Prime Minister, would definitely lose his position. And even if we fail like now, we are completely out of the picture…"

"Alright." The Duke raised his hand, signaling his son-in-law not to panic. "You remember what I said clearly; things should go this way. Although the motivation is somewhat emotional, it was indeed handled well. In the current situation, the more contradictions there are, the more chaotic things become, which is increasingly advantageous for us who are standing behind."

This comment from the Duke immediately made Claudius's spirits rise, his voice filled with excitement: "Colluding with necromancers is a crime worthy of the pyre, even Bishop Ronis would…"

"Don't get too excited; nothing will happen," the Duke concluded indifferently, dampening Claudius's enthusiasm.

In the Magic Academy, after Bishop Ronis listened to the reports from the high priest and Captain Roland, he frowned. "Is this really happening?"

"We can assure you it was definitely the work of a necromancer. If the ones who came weren't the ones they were waiting for, the ambushing swordsmen would never have acted," the high priest lowered his voice, emphasizing the seriousness of the situation. "This all indicates that the cleric may have some connection with the necromancer... No, it's not just a possibility; there's definitely a problem."

Bishop Ronis frowned and slowly shook his head. "That's impossible…"

But High Priest Kusburt nodded firmly, saying, "But the evidence is in front of us, so we cannot doubt it. I think we should investigate. Let's send someone to capture him now…"

Bishop Ronis interrupted the high priest, asking, "When did the swordsmen encounter the necromancer?"

"From the corpses, it seems it happened this morning…"

Bishop Ronis looked at the high priest and said gently, "This morning, he was alone with me in my study discussing some theological matters, so he is absolutely unrelated."

High Priest Kusburt was immediately choked. After a while, he managed to reply, "But weren't you alone in the study?"

"I called him secretly; you just didn't notice," Bishop Ronis waved his hand, suppressing what the high priest wanted to say. "This incident must be mere coincidence. The appearance of a necromancer near the capital should not be made public to avoid causing panic. His Majesty was quite scared last time; we should conduct a private investigation and be on guard. Alright, you can go arrange things. I'm tired and need to rest."

After exiting the cathedral, High Priest Kusburt expressed his extreme dissatisfaction with the Bishop's obvious bias, angrily saying, "This is too much. Ever since that kid appeared out of nowhere, the Bishop has completely changed. Not only does he frequently interfere in political matters, but he also promotes that completely incompetent fellow to high priest. This time it's clearly a cover-up; if it were another matter, it could be understandable, but this is related to necromancers."

Captain Roland remained silent, lost in thought.

High Priest Kusburt suddenly fell silent from his agitation, considering for a moment before glancing at Captain Roland, and said with a tentative sigh, "What will happen to the future of the Magic Academy if this continues? The Bishop seems to be getting old…"

Captain Roland's eyes flashed with a sharpness that forced the latter half of the high priest's words back.

Upon seeing Captain Roland return at the Holy Knights Headquarters, Claudius realized the Duke's words were indeed correct.

"Twenty years ago, the turmoil across the eastern continent and the civil war in the empire were all quelled by Bishop Ronis. His reputation and position are absolutely unshakeable, both in the Church and the Empire. Since he is dedicated to nurturing that fellow, he will naturally cover for him. Without any real evidence, no matter what the issue is, with his prestige and status, he can easily deal with it."

"But this is related to necromancers after all; even the Bishop wouldn't condone such behavior to that extent."

"Necromancers, huh…" The Duke smiled slightly, recalling something from the past. "I believe the Bishop understands the situation better than anyone else. However, it's not appropriate for me to intervene. Even if this matter were exposed, I wouldn't know what kind of effect it would have, so it's best to remain still for now." The Duke thought for a moment, chuckling with a friendly and warm demeanor. He said to Claudius, "Go help your master find out the truth. It would be best if you could find some witnesses or evidence for him or others. Although even if proven, it wouldn't be decisive, but it would still be good to give our esteemed Bishop a little trouble. After all, the more chaotic the situation, the more advantageous it is for us, as long as we don't expose ourselves. Try to stir up the conflict more secretly; it mustn't be tidied up."

"I understand," Claudius replied with determination.

After returning from the Magic Academy, Captain Roland found Claudius. Just as the Duke predicted, he had a task for Claudius.

"I found this on a thorn bush in the woods." Captain Roland took out a few threads of fabric, pink and red satin. "This seems to be from a woman's clothing, but there's no woman's corpse at the scene. Investigate this carefully in secret." He urged strongly, "Remember to investigate quietly, and regardless of what you find, don't make it known. You mustn't let Bishop Ronis be troubled; just report back to me quietly."

"Understood." Claudius took the few delightful threads and nodded in agreement.