Chapter 78: Clues

  Clovis followed cautiously behind Commander Roland into the small grove. the Royal Capital Guards who had arrived first were ordered to stand guard outside.

  He estimated that Modo, that idiot, should have finished his business long ago, yet none of his men had returned. Clovis immediately ordered the Royal Capital Guards to search everywhere, but the result was completely unexpected.

  He had already concocted a flawless, perfectly reasonable story about losing his seal, ready to be told at the right place, at the right time, in the right way. Coupled with the well-known temper and character of Lord Chancellor, anyone hearing such a story would naturally associate it with the vile act of that profligate young master stealing the seal to forge documents for personal revenge. For such an accident, it was generally difficult to assign blame. Clovis had learned these little tricks well from Duke Mrak.

  But in terms of mental cultivation, he was clearly still far behind. The single largest, most baffling casualty in the history of the Paladin Order had occurred under his command, within his own unit. Crucially, his primary real objective seemed to have failed. His expression now was a mix of shock, anger, shame, and unease.

  Fortunately, Commander Roland didn't notice his disciple's complex emotions. He carefully examined all the traces on the ground and the corpses.

  As the most elite core force of the Imperial Army, the Paladin Order was rarely called upon, but when they were needed, it was always for the most critical moments or the most brutal and arduous battles. Yet even so, this force of less than a thousand had never suffered significant casualties in battles against tens of thousands of enemies and heretics. Once, a statistic was made: when facing this supremely elite unit, heretics and enemies had to sacrifice an average of over eleven hundred heads in exchange for the life of one valiant Paladin.

  And here lay twelve corpses, but not ten thousand enemies dead here. In fact, the enemy didn't even seem to have lost a single fingernail. Commander Roland's expression was grim.

  Probably out of respect for the Paladins, the first unit to arrive had carefully gathered the mutilated, separated bodies of the swordsmen, pieced them together, and covered them with white cloths. Roland looked at the neatly arranged corpses and the trampled, chaotic footprints on the ground, frowning as he asked: "Which was the first unit to arrive here?"

  Clovis replied: "The fourth squad of the Royal Capital Guards."

  "Relieve their commander of duty." Roland's tone held no anger or dissatisfaction; it was calm and flat, as if merely reading a document. "Discovering such a major incident yet failing to secure the scene, even allowing his troops to enter and trample all traces into chaos. Since he's so fond of showing his respect, let him guard the palace gates and salute all day."

  Clovis bowed his head and answered: "Yes."

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

  "Because only those men were in the headquarters at the time. Presumably, he didn't dare linger longer to gather more," Clovis answered. The reality, of course, was due to his own covert manipulation; too many participants would have been inconvenient. Besides, twelve Paladin Order swordsmen plus one mage were more than enough to kill even a Wyvern.

  "Fortunately." Roland's refined eyes flashed with the cold glint of an eagle or vulture. He said coldly, "If he had taken all your men away, you wouldn't need to be a captain anymore."

  Cold sweat broke out on Clovis's forehead.

  Roland looked towards the grove, which was beginning to thaw. It was early summer, and all frozen objects were slowly starting to melt. Condensed moisture in the air, along with melting ice, formed trickling streams. Against the lingering chill of this magically created frozen world, one could still feel a hint of coldness.

  "The opponent must be a very powerful mage." Roland's voice was colder than the woods before him.

  "A mage?" Clovis was skeptical. That fellow might know some magic, but it certainly wouldn't earn the evaluation of "very powerful" from the Empire's number one swordsman.

  Commander Roland pointed at the frozen forest. "Do you know what kind of magic could freeze a grove like this purely, without damaging anything?"

  Clovis also looked carefully at the woods, thought for a moment, then hesitantly shook his head and said, "It seems like no magic at all."

  As a captain of the Paladin Order and disciple of the Empire's top swordsman, even though he couldn't use magic himself, he knew the level, casting time, attack power, and effects of every spell in every system inside out. In any attack spell, even the strongest freezing effect was secondary; the primary purpose should be the damage caused by the ice. Yet this grove before him was simply frozen, with no signs of destruction. In his memory, it seemed no magic could cause such a strange scene.

  "There is," Commander Roland said flatly. "Desperation magic."

  "Desperation magic?" Clovis was puzzled.

  "Without casting technique, without even using any spell, only a water mage completely expending their most fundamental magical power in one go could cause such a result." Roland pointed at the mage's corpse and asked Clovis. "Do you know how high your subordinate's magical level was?"

  "Before being transferred to my unit, he was a senior water magic instructor at the Magic Academy. That means—ranked within the top fifty in the Empire, at least."

  "What kind of opponent could make a senior mage, ranked in the Empire's top fifty, abandon using spells and instead pour out all their magical power in one desperate gamble?" Roland looked at the mage's corpse. The corpse's hand was still frozen to its face, its expression still filled with shock, panic, unwillingness, and despair. "Only an opponent whose power level was so vastly superior that he had no confidence in even engaging with spells. And in the end, that opponent didn't even clash head-on with his decades of cultivation, but instead, with effortless ease, used some unknown method to make him strike himself. This opponent, despite having absolute advantage, was neither arrogant nor impatient, but avoided the strong to attack the weak, using the most efficient and cunning method..." Roland sighed deeply. His face was scholarly, but now it held the predatory intensity of a hunting leopard. "This is a true master."

  Master. This word completely surpassed the evaluation of "very powerful." A dragon or a Behemoth could be very powerful, but would never be a "master." And this was from the mouth of the Empire's number one swordsman.

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  Clovis knew his dozen or so subordinates hadn't died unjustly.

  "You said that person mobilized troops to deal with one individual?" Commander Roland looked at Clovis and asked.

  "That's purely speculation," Clovis answered, lowering his head. "Everyone in the capital knows about the feud between that person and my cousin who stole my seal. My cousin has always been narrow-minded and reckless. During the last hunt, he led the Royal Guards to ambush him. That's why I made this guess."

  Commander Roland looked coldly at his disciple. "You're referring to that person, the cleric under Bishop Ronis, aren't you?"

  "Yes." Clovis didn't dare raise his head.

  Commander Roland's gaze fell upon his disciple. It wasn't particularly sharp, but Clovis felt as if he'd been frozen by the mage's desperate ice spell, a chill seeping into his very marrow.

  Commander Roland finally just sighed and said nothing. Compared to these matters, analyzing the true situation of this somewhat bizarre battle was more important. It was certain that this scene, at the very least, couldn't have been created by that cleric.

  He crouched down to carefully examine the swordsmen's corpses, first noticing the strangest one. Its lower body was frozen stiff in a leaping posture, but its head was missing. The muscles at the neck break were mangled, but the bones had separated at the joint, seemingly not cut by a blade but twisted off. Although the left hand had been picked up and reattached out of respect by the guards, the break was clearly also twisted off. The right hand, however, looked nothing like a hand; it was at least half its original length, limp and twisted like a snake, the bones inside undoubtedly shattered into fragments.

  Commander Roland frowned. Even with his discernment, he couldn't tell what kind of attack this swordsman had suffered to result in such a bizarre death. His gaze swept over the other corpses, his frown deepening.

  He reached out to turn over a corpse, but the moment his hand touched the surface, a large patch of muscle collapsed and fell away, like rotten wood that had long lost all vitality. Seeing this strange change, Roland's brow furrowed into a tight knot. He stood up, took a deep breath, and said to Clovis: "There should be another corpse. Find it."

  "There are exactly twelve men here," Clovis reminded him.

  "No, there should be thirteen. There's also the corpse of your cousin, Lord Chancellor. Since he believed he could definitely kill his opponent, he must have come here too. And since the opponent could kill all twelve of your subordinates, they absolutely wouldn't have spared him."

  Clovis puzzledly scanned the surrounding woods. The guards had already checked the area thoroughly; they wouldn't have left a corpse for him to discover.

  But after walking a few steps, he suddenly spotted something familiar-looking under a nearby tree—a lock of hair, braided. He walked over and found the ground scattered with some teeth, fragments of fingernails, clothes corroded into rags, and some small items. Because it looked like just a pile of garbage, the guards had paid it no mind. Clovis stared dumbfounded at these pitiful remains, then turned to Commander Roland and said: "It seems to be here..."

  Roland walked over, looked, crouched down, and rubbed a bit of the soil between his fingers, bringing it to his nose to sniff. His brow relaxed, but his face became as ugly as the mud. He stood up, silent for a moment, then said to Clovis: "Go invite Bishop Ronis. No, better not trouble His Grace the Bishop for this. Go fetch Grand Cleric Cuthbert first."

  Grand Cleric Cuthbert arrived soon after, led by Clovis. After examining the mutated corpses, he said: "This should be a necromancy combined with body manipulation magic. It forces all life force and energy within the corpse to erupt in a short time, granting the corpse immense combat power. This fusion spell is very difficult; even a senior mage would require complex incantations to cast it." He paused, his originally古朴 face darkening further. "Anyone who researches and uses such evil magic must be a Necromancer. Hmph, daring to appear near the capital. If I encounter them, I'll make them pay dearly."

  Unfortunately, he didn't know the person who cast this spell did so as casually as yawning, or his face would have turned even uglier.

  Commander Roland nodded, pointing towards the hair. "Just as I judged. From the traces in the soil there, another person was melted alive by a massive corrosive spell, leaving not even bones behind. This is indeed a technique unique to Necromancers."

  Grand Cleric Cuthbert abruptly turned to Roland. "News of a Necromancer should be reported to us at the Magic Academy first! How could your Paladin Order act so rashly?" His tone was aggressive, as if this rash action, which completely disregarded the Magic Academy's status, had also robbed him of the chance to teach the Necromancers a lesson.

  "This is how it happened..." Clovis recounted his "guess."

  "That fellow again!" After hearing Clovis out, the Grand Cleric's face was as ugly as a rag from a latrine. "He's involved in nine out of ten troubles. This time he's actually mixed up with Necromancers!" It seemed pent-up anger and dissatisfaction suddenly surfaced on his face. He seemed convinced that Ethan's vile conduct was ironclad proof of collusion with Necromancers. He said to Roland, "Let's go directly report this to His Grace the Bishop."

  Clovis didn't go with them. He returned to the Duke's mansion and relayed this "accident" to the Duke. He knew that even if he didn't say anything, the Duke had his own ways of finding out.

  After listening, the Duke didn't even think before smiling: "You certainly lost your seal at the right time. The arrangement was also well done."

  "I'm sorry. I decided this on the spur of the moment and didn't have time to inform you. I acted on my own initiative." Clovis was a bit flustered. Tricks that could fool others were like child's play before the Duke, and he didn't dare hide anything. "Because I felt this matter was entirely beneficial to us. If he had really been killed, we would have eliminated one threat, and my uncle Chancellor's position would definitely be lost. And even if it failed like now, we are completely uninvolved."

  "Enough." The Duke raised his hand to signal his son-in-law not to panic. "You remembered my words well and acted accordingly. Though the motivation was perhaps a bit emotional, you handled it well. The more conflicts and chaos there is in the current situation, the more opportunities it creates for those of us standing in the shadows."

  The Duke's assessment immediately brought joy to Clovis's face, his voice tinged with elation: "Colluding with Necromancers—that's a crime worthy of the stake! Even Bishop Ronis..."

  "Don't get excited. Nothing will happen." The Duke's flat conclusion instantly crushed Clovis's excitement.

  At the Magic Academy, Bishop Ronis frowned after hearing the report from Grand Cleric Cuthbert and Commander Roland. "Is there such a thing?"

  "We can guarantee it was definitely the work of a Necromancer. If the person they were waiting for hadn't arrived, those ambushing swordsmen would never have acted." The Grand Cleric lowered his voice, emphasizing the seriousness. "This all suggests that cleric might have some connection with the Necromancers... No, it's not 'might,' it's definitely problematic."

  Bishop Ronis frowned, slowly shaking his head. "I don't think so?"

  But Grand Cleric Cuthbert was firm, nodding. "But the facts are before us; we can't help but believe it. I think we should investigate. Let's send someone to bring him in now."

  Bishop Ronis interrupted the Grand Cleric. "Approximately when did the swordsmen engage the Necromancer?"

  "Judging from the corpses, probably this morning."

  Bishop Ronis looked at the Grand Cleric and said softly, "This morning, he was alone with me in my study discussing some theological matters. So he's absolutely not involved."

  Cuthbert was instantly choked up. After a long moment, he recovered and said, "But weren't you alone in your study?"

  "I summoned him discreetly; you just didn't notice." Bishop Ronis waved his hand, cutting off whatever else the Grand Cleric wanted to say. "This must just be a coincidence. The appearance of a Necromancer near the capital—let's not make this public to avoid panic. His Majesty was quite frightened last time. We'll investigate and increase vigilance privately. That's all. You two go make the arrangements. I'm tired; I need to rest."

  After leaving the cathedral, Grand Cleric Cuthbert expressed extreme dissatisfaction with the Bishop's obvious bias. He said indignantly: "This is too much! Ever since that fellow appeared out of nowhere, the Bishop has completely changed. Not only does he frequently interfere in politics, but he also wants to promote that utterly undisciplined fellow to Grand Cleric. And this time it's blatant protection! Other matters might be excusable, but this involves Necromancers!"

  Commander Roland remained silent, lost in thought.

  Suddenly, Cuthbert fell silent from his agitation. After a moment's consideration, he glanced at Roland beside him and sighed with a probing tone: "Where will the Magic Academy's future go if this continues? His Grace the Bishop seems to be getting old."

  Commander Roland's gaze flashed sharply, cutting off the latter half of the Grand Cleric's sentence.

  Back at Paladin Order headquarters, seeing Roland return, Clovis knew the Duke's words had been correct.

  "Twenty years ago, Bishop Ronis single-handedly quelled the turmoil across the entire Eastern Continent and the civil war within the Empire. His prestige and status are absolutely unshakable, both within the Church and the Empire. Since he is committed to elevating that fellow, he will naturally provide cover for him. Without concrete evidence, no matter what happens, his authority and position will allow him to handle it with ease."

  "But this involves Necromancers! Even the Bishop wouldn't go so far as to indulge him to this extent, would he?"

  "Necromancers, you say..." The Duke smiled faintly, recalling a past incident. "I believe His Grace the Bishop probably understands what that's about better than anyone. However, it's not convenient for me to get involved. Even if this gets out, I don't know what effect it would have. It's best to remain inactive for now." The Duke thought for a moment, then chuckled, a sound both amiable and kind. He said to Clovis: "Go assist your master well. Help him uncover the truth. It would be best if you could find some witnesses or physical evidence for him or others. Even if proven, it might not be decisive, but causing our respected Bishop a little trouble would be good. After all, the more chaotic the situation, the better it is for us. As long as we don't expose ourselves, you should secretly try to stir up the conflict, make it bigger, and more unmanageable."

  "I understand." Clovis answered with fighting spirit.

  After returning from the Magic Academy, Commander Roland found Clovis. Just as the Duke had predicted, he had a task for him.

  "I found this on a thorn bush in the woods." Roland took out a few strands of thread, pink and red satin threads. "These seem to be from a woman's dress, but there's no female corpse at the scene. Investigate this discreetly." He emphasized forcefully: "Remember, investigate secretly. And no matter what you discover, do not make it public. Don't cause trouble for Bishop Ronis. Just report back to me quietly."

  "Yes." Clovis took the few lovely threads and nodded in agreement.