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“Did you say I was killed by a priest?”

The signatures of the Imperial Army Combat Magicians have been confirmed.

“We detected divine resonance. We applied the testing paper to the wounds left on the corpse, and that was the result.”

“…Damn. Who verified it?”

“Sir Martinez personally conducted the examination. Everyone witnessed it.”

Francesca monotonously continued her explanation.

“We had three magicians from our side, including myself and Sir Martinez, summoned from the elemental and sorcery departments, plus the three from the Secretariat. On the cult’s side, Sir Pereyti, a healing priest, and an Inquisition Officer were present as observers.”

“Is the Imperial Army aware of this?”

“Of course. All the executives over there witnessed the autopsy.”

Suddenly, a monstrous attack began.

The combat magicians who had departed from the division in support of the rift were found dead in a secluded valley before reaching their destination.

The suspect is a priest. Coincidentally, there were cult priests near the rift.

Now, what will happen is anyone’s guess. Everything is shrouded in darkness.

One thing is certain.

“…Where is everyone?”

The comfortable times have all passed.

—

Episode 12 – The Strongest Magician in History

When a person is filled with anger to the brim, they often become calm instead.

Just like a charcoal burning down to nothing rather than a roaring campfire, people silently suppress their fury instead of raising their voices.

It is only when the boiling anger, like magma, reaches its breaking point that they erupt, much like a volcano.

The scene at the autopsy site was not far from what I had expected.

“……”

“……”

The people gathered at the scene were divided into exactly three groups.

Priests from the cult in black robes, soldiers of the Kien Empire in uniforms, and magicians from the Magic Tower in capes. Each group huddled together according to their affiliation.

Perhaps it was the red attachments associated with the Imperial Army’s conquest or their expressionless faces, but today, the red of the uniforms seemed particularly intense.

Black priestly robes and red military uniforms.

A clear contrast of red and black.

After I fell into this town, I had once thought about becoming a priest or a soldier, like a gift from my French friend—a book by Stendhal.

But to my surprise, I found myself resigning to my old role as an Information Officer.

It seems I can’t escape my old habits, even if I tried.

“So you were all here.”

“……”

I felt like I was crawling into a den of wolves as I squeezed between the three groups of people.

Francesca, who had come to inform us, was, of course, joined by Lucia and Camila.

With a senior official from the Magic Tower and a saint of the cult present, those from the Magic Tower and the cult maintained their decorum, but the scowls directed at the upper echelons of the opposing side were far from kind.

I quietly whispered to Lucia and Francesca.

“The situation isn’t looking good, so it might be better to keep some distance. It doesn’t concern me as a foreigner, but the two of you standing together isn’t the best sight right now.”

“…I understand.”

“That’s right.”

The two naturally distanced themselves and returned to their respective places.

Familiar with such gatherings, Francesca managed her expressions quite well, yet Lucia’s face was rigid, clearly indicating her discomfort.

The faces of the cult and Magic Tower members darkened, while the Imperial soldiers took a step back to gauge the atmosphere on both sides.

The tension in the air hinted that if things continued like this, someone might end up with blood on their hands, so I resolved to take the initiative before matters escalated unnecessarily.

“This may take a while, but it seems unsuitable for a discussion in this situation.”

I began to speak, feeling like I was tightrope walking on high tension wires.

“Shall we change locations?”

—

In this region, there are broadly two methods for resolving conflicts.

One involves constructive dialogue to narrow differences, while the other is simply smashing one’s opponent’s head until only one viewpoint remains.

The latter is often referred to as a duel.

Most countries legally prohibit dueling, but in private matters, where the courts can’t easily intervene, it’s commonplace to settle disputes this way, often among those involved in romantic entanglements.

However, conducting a duel over a public matter is impossible—especially if it relates to diplomatic affairs.

Thus, I proposed a civilized and gentlemanly conversation to exchange our opinions.

Regardless of how angry one might be, causing a ruckus in a foreign territory—especially in a military facility—is a significant diplomatic faux pas.

Whether they’re priests or magicians, there’s no reason for the Imperial soldiers, the landlord, to see guests bleed on their territory.

Moreover, given that the landlord has tanks, it’s best to avoid bloodshed.

“According to international law and diplomatic conventions, this case clearly falls under the jurisdiction of the Kien Empire. Furthermore, since this place was established after lengthy negotiations among diplomats from various countries, I believe a calm atmosphere for dialogue is essential, both to understand each other’s positions and to clear up any misunderstandings.”

“……”

“Isn’t it inappropriate to discuss opinions while standing in the open? We need to deal with the bodies lying here too.”

I subtly hinted that the gentlemen present shouldn’t raise their voices when they lack investigative powers, and that they should please intervene before any swords get drawn.

In addition, the corpses of the Imperial Army magicians were still laid out. They had been temporarily moved outside for examination, but raising one’s voice in front of the deceased was disrespectful in any culture.

Fortunately, my persuasion seemed effective.

The priest and magician, who had been ready to tear each other apart, stepped back, and the Imperial soldiers asked to return and wait while they arranged a meeting room.

That was well and good.

The problem arose because, unlike the kindly diplomats I had met over the past few months, the gathered gentry here were utterly clueless about diplomacy.

And that issue became glaringly obvious as soon as the meeting commenced.

“It was definitely a priest who killed them. It’s 100 percent certain. There’s no question about it.”

“……”

The statement came from a magician of the Magic Tower who seized the floor to share his opinion about the autopsy results.

The magician leaned back in his chair, waving his hands dismissively as if questioning why anyone needed to ask such an obvious question.

“The testing papers developed by the sorcery department are flawless. They’re widely used not only in the Kingdom of Abas and the Republic of Patalia but also throughout the Mauritania Continent and the investigative agencies of the East. The margin of error draws close to zero, so there’s no room for doubt.”

The boastful magician wore a cape adorned with the sorcery department’s insignia.

To an outsider, it might seem he was rambling under the influence of his own department, but this was undeniable fact. After all, the testing papers employed by forensic experts in Abas to detect magic or divinity at crime scenes originated from the Magic Tower’s sorcery department.

But saying the right thing too often becomes annoying, and speaking the truth can even lead to defamation.

**-Bang!**

Someone slammed their hand on the table from across the magician.

“The ones who catch criminals are not forensic experts but investigators! Even if divine energy was detected from the corpse, that doesn’t prove the cult’s priest is the culprit!”

The voice raised belonged to a priest.

He appeared somewhat young, but given that he was seated at such a meeting, he seemed to possess a high degree of divine suitability or deep faith that even the old-timers in the cult acknowledged.

Of course, what he said wasn’t wrong.

It’s the investigators, not forensic experts, who arrest criminals. The National Forensic Service inspects the scene and performs autopsies, but ultimately, it’s the police who locate the criminals. Thus, the priest’s statement was accurate.

That’s a reasonable assertion.

But sometimes emotion can surpass rationality.

“I can understand that, but just because we agree doesn’t mean the cult’s priests are off the suspect list. Honestly, who else here knows how to handle divine energy but priests?”

“So you’re saying we killed the Imperial soldiers?”

“To be precise, it was the combat magicians affiliated with the Imperial Army. Yes.”

The religious devotee clenched his fists tightly, veins bulging on the back of his hands, visibly preparing for a fight.

I didn’t expect a calm and intellectual discussion, but I honestly didn’t foresee it getting this chaotic.

Unrefined statements that would leave diplomats in shock were flying back and forth.

Noticing the escalating tensions, the Imperial military executives had vanished, leaving behind a few dazed junior officers in the meeting room.

Those officers, surrounded by foreign languages, blinked in confusion, utterly lost.

“Ha….”

I pressed my temple while scanning my surroundings. The atmosphere was charged with hostility as the religious devotee and magician glared at each other. In the middle of it all, I spotted Pereyti and Martinez.

The highest-ranking among them, Pereyti and Martinez were attempting to calm the religious devotee and magician yelling at each other.

Normally, Francesca and Lucia would be intervening, but,

“Where did they go?”

Both had quietly slipped out before the meeting started.

I poured some mineral water into my bitter stomach as I tried to defuse the situation.

“Everyone, let’s all calm down. Please quiet down. Yes. Sir Pereyti?”

Pereyti, seated near the head of the table, hurled some reprimands at the yelling religious devotees. Martinez, on the opposite side, gestured for the shouting magician to be quiet.

Once the noise in the chaotic meeting room subsided, Pereyti finally opened his mouth. He usually spoke with cheerful laughter, but now his voice was serious.

“I regret meeting under such circumstances, but… may I ask one thing first?”

Pereyti directed a question at Martinez.

“Is the test result truly reliable?”

At this inquiry regarding the reliability of the tests, the magician from the sorcery department, who had been loud from the start, flared up.

But before the magician could even open his mouth, Martinez preemptively responded to the question.

“Indeed.”

He added his commentary to the test results. The aura of arrogance he had slightly diminished, indicating that he was taking things seriously.

“Generally speaking, magical energy leaves unique traces, similar to fingerprints, depending on the user. Even among magicians who studied together in the same school, the nature and form of their magical energy cannot be identical. The investigative agencies refer to such traces as magic signatures.”

“……”

“I am not particularly knowledgeable about the divine, so I cannot say if that definition applies in this case. However, the test papers only serve to detect traces of magic and divinity in a rudimentary manner and are not precise enough to determine their forms or characteristics. It’s similar to comparing a microscope with a magnifying glass. Of course, we cannot overlook the variables.”

“What do you mean by variables?”

“There are many variables. The magical or divine energy left on the corpse might have evaporated or transformed… or perhaps it became contaminated due to inadequate preservation of the scene. Didn’t the healing priest, the first to witness the scene, recognize the Imperial magicians as wounded and try to heal their injuries?”

“That’s correct.”

Pereyti nodded.

“Thus, it’s possible that the magical energy left on the corpse was diluted by the divine energy during that process.”

Unlike the other magicians, who were sulking, Martinez remained objective and spoke only of the facts, keeping his personal opinions to himself.

“So, for an accurate investigation, we need to transport the body to a facility equipped with specialized equipment….”

“Sir Martinez.”

Someone cut off Martinez’s speech.

Martinez furrowed his brow for a moment, perhaps feeling annoyed by the interruption.

“—”

“I cannot agree with that opinion,” said an old man, a wizard clad in a cape, directing his words at Martinez.

“Is there really a need to waste time on such unnecessary disputes? No matter how much you bicker, the fact remains that divinity was found in the corpse.”

A priest, rather grim-looking, interjected almost in protest to the wizard’s statement.

“Are you implying that we are the culprits?”

“Who else could it be?”

“That’s the funniest thing I’ve heard all year.”

The priest scoffed.

But the wizard stood his ground.

“Isn’t the causation of the incident painfully clear?”

“Thinking that only the clerics deal with divinity is a typical misunderstanding.”

The priest looked the wizard square in the eyes. From the whispers of the cult members around, it appeared that the one conversing with the wizard was not just an ordinary priest, but rather an Inquisition Officer.

The eerie combination of the wizard and Inquisition Officer started giving rise to sinister thoughts.

He opened his mouth to retort the wizard with sarcasm.

“Heretics and pagans handle divinity too. Of course, ignorant fools wouldn’t know that.”

As the saying goes, “Beautiful words bring about a beautiful journey.” Seeing the Inquisition Officer’s mocking demeanor, I worried about what the wizard might say next.

For a moment, I thought of stepping in to halt the conversation, but regrettably, I was too late. Before I could even start, someone from the Magic Tower threw a remark at the Inquisition Officer.

“Is there any guarantee that that heretic or pagan isn’t part of the cult?”

At that moment, a chilling silence enveloped the meeting room. Then, moments later—

“YOU FOOL!”

The Inquisition Officer’s furious shout erupted, veins bulging from his neck.

This was an unexpected situation that neither I nor Pereyti nor Martinez could prevent.

The surrounding priests restrained the Inquisition Officer, who was about to throw his chair aside to stand up. Both priests and knights attempted to calm him down, even those Inquisition Officers at the back hurriedly scrambled forward from their seats.

Despite the insistence of everyone around him, the Inquisition Officer, turning red with rage, twisted his body and shouted at the top of his lungs.

“Shut that mouth if you want to die peacefully!”

Several men, including the knights and Inquisition Officers, tried to hold him back, but the Inquisition Officer shook off their grips and flailed, ready to run.

It seemed even the wizards were taken aback, as they feared he might leap at the wizard and tear him apart. Some of them stood up in surprise, and one even seemed to prepare for a fight, twitching his lips.

At that moment, as panic and anger mixed with noise, a tension thick enough to burst encased the meeting room.

“Enough.”

A voice broke through the disarray, calming the chaos.

“Saint…!”

“Step back.”

It was Lucia.

Having left the room before the meeting even commenced, she appeared in the meeting room without making a sound.

The cult’s priests were left dumbfounded by Lucia’s sudden arrival. It seemed even those trying to hold back the Inquisition Officer were taken aback.

With the grip of those who had been blocking him loosening, the Inquisition Officer shook off their hands effortlessly. Free from the restraint of the knights and the Inquisition Officers, he strode towards Lucia and knelt before her.

“Saint! They dared to speak irreverently…!”

“I asked you to step back. Don’t make me repeat myself.”

Lucia admonished the Inquisition Officer in a firm voice. Perhaps hindered by not being able to oppose the saint, the Inquisition Officer bowed his head heavily and retreated without further comment.

As she met the gazes directed at her, she calmly announced, “I just spoke to Saint Veronica about everything that has occurred here. Fortunately, she is currently with the Pope and the bishops, so they have been informed as well.”

Lucia, looking at the cult’s priests, added briefly, “So don’t make any mistakes.”

As if that statement served as a signal, both the priests and the furious Inquisition Officer stopped their rampage.

“Oh? It was definitely noisy a moment ago, but it’s quite different now….”

As the door opened, Francesca appeared from behind Lucia, holding a communication magical tool. With a gentle tone, she called out to Martinez.

“Lord Martinez.”

“Yes, what is it?”

“The Oracle has issued orders.”

The administrator from the Magic Tower Secretariat spoke to the leader of the dispatched personnel from the Secretariat.

“They’ve asked to manage the situation so that people don’t act recklessly for the time being. This isn’t an issue we should interfere with; it’s best solved back home. Do you understand what that means?”

“Yes.”

“Good.”

Francesca smiled as if satisfied and exchanged glances with me, who wore a gloomy expression. After a beat, a playful smile crept onto her face.

“Saint, it doesn’t seem like today is our day. How about we take a moment to cool our heads?”

Lucia sighed softly.

“Let’s do that.”

*

As the Military Government Headquarters was about to report in, Lucia and Francesca communicated news to their respective cults and the Magic Tower.

As was expected, both the Empire and the cult were thrown into chaos.

—”A wizard was killed by a priest?”

It had been over a decade since a cleric had officially killed a wizard.

Other than the heretical interrogations conducted in the shadows, no priest had killed a wizard or vice versa for nearly ten years.

The cult and the Magic Tower took this incident very seriously.

—”Honestly, I hardly believe it. Is it really true? Lucia didn’t just get drunk and start babbling, did she?”

“There’s no evidence yet that the priest killed him, but it’s true that divinity was detected in the corpse.”

Divinity was detected in the corpse of an elite battle magician of the Imperial Army.

The location of death was near the Rift, a national critical facility. Moreover, the Rift was under attack by monsters at that time. The wizards had gone to assist and had unfortunately been murdered.

Everything seemed serious, and when combined, it became a ticking time bomb.

Naturally, the cult denied the allegations, but the Magic Tower looked increasingly doubtful.

The Empire’s thoughts were anyone’s guess.

—”Besides that, what’s this about monsters?”

“I came looking for Francesca at the Rift, but suddenly a horde of Corpse Spiders attacked us. They were massive, crushing carriages like it was nothing. So, we worked together with Camila, Francesca, the knight from that side, and the battle magicians from the Magic Tower to take them down. By the way, the Imperial wizards were killed while supporting efforts.”

—”I was having a great time fleecing suckers at the gambling den when suddenly the Pope and those old geezers showed up, which irritated me. And now I’m faced with this out of the blue! Even God takes a rest on weekends; why are there so many accidents occurring?”

“Um, why is the Saint gambling in a den, scamming people?”

Veronica jumped up upon receiving Lucia’s contact.

Having snuck into the gambling den on Sunday, away from the eyes of her attendants to score big, she was caught red-handed by the Pope upon his arrival and had just started receiving a scolding (which she humorously referred to as nonsense) when she was hit with Lucia’s call.

Upon hearing the full details, the cult declared a state of emergency. The Magic Tower was quick to follow suit after receiving the report from Francesca.

“The Oracle is taking this murder case very seriously. They will unofficially propose a joint investigation through the embassy.”

Naturally, there were no diplomatic missions to call embassies between the Magic Tower and the Empire, as they did not officially recognize each other’s states.

However, much like Taiwan and China, they maintained informal diplomatic relations through an office managed not by their Foreign Offices but rather by their Tourism Departments, meant for the purpose of tourism, so people just referred to it as an embassy out of convenience.

In any case, it seemed the Magic Tower had decided internally to propose a joint investigation to the Empire.

I passed the information to Francesca and provided the details she needed.

“The cult seems to be leaning towards requesting a rigorous investigation. Since they’re still gauging the situation, they might change their stance if the Magic Tower proposes a joint investigation to the Empire.”

“We’ll keep that in mind, Colonel.”

As things escalated, not only were the cult and the Magic Tower on edge, but the tension of the scene was tight as well.

Previously, the priests and wizards shared reluctant pleasantries when they crossed paths, but now they wouldn’t even make eye contact— a ridiculous sight considering that the National Affairs Council and the Oracle had commanded them to remain calm, but preventing small-scale clashes was another matter altogether.

The worsening situation in the Northern Regions was troubling not only for the cult and the Magic Tower but also for the Empire.

While resentment was expected, it was quite a headache for the Empire as tensions flared between the cult and the Magic Tower due to this sudden murder incident.

Ultimately, to prevent a violent clash between the two sides, the Empire government ordered the Military Government Headquarters to ensure that the activities of the Knights Order and the Magic Battalion do not overlap. Of course, the Rift could not be an exception.

The Military Government Headquarters decided to exclude the Knights Order and Magic Battalion from operations to quell the remaining monsters and instead use nearby units. They formally sent a request for the retreat of the Knights Order and Magic Battalion.

The Knights Order and Magic Battalion complied without dispute, having had an already uncomfortable coexistence. Given the recent murder incident, it was not surprising the atmosphere had turned dire.

Martinez led the Magic Battalion down from the Rift first, and shortly after, Pereyti, commanding the Knights Order, departed the Rift as well.

For reference, both Francesca and Lucia followed along behind the Magic Battalion and Knights Order.

Despite their late return, they managed to exchange greetings at the hotel, but given the tense atmosphere, they tentatively agreed to stay apart for a while.

In the empty lodge, Camila, watching the two part ways with an unknown handkerchief, remarked, “It’s just like Romeo and Juliet….”

I didn’t know Shakespeare, but I felt a strong urge to toss Camila aside.

The situation was quite dire, yet it wasn’t entirely bleak.

“The embassy contacted us, Camila. They’re planning to transport the bodies of the Imperial Army magicians for an autopsy. The Magic Department investigators are on their way.”

“If they conduct an autopsy, definite evidence should emerge, right?”

“Exactly.”

The Empire decided to conduct autopsies on the bodies of the battle magicians. The bodies were to be kept by the unit defending the Rift and were to be handed over once the Magic Department investigators arrived.

If they performed the autopsy, it would clarify the cause of death, along with whether the so-called wizards had truly been murdered by the priests.

Then, one of two scenarios would be confirmed.

Either all these worries were just a misunderstanding turned into a farce.

Or a shocking truth that would plunge everyone into confusion would be revealed.

Regardless of the outcome, someone would have to bear the consequences.

“Let’s head out too. There’s nothing good to be gained by lingering here.”

“Do we not need to assist with the recovery of the bodies?”

“We’ve already taken care of that. Let’s go to the hotel.”

I quietly led Camila away from the Rift.

If only we hadn’t had to face that outcome at all.

The Magic Department investigators escorting the Imperial Army were ambushed by thugs.

And every one of the corpses of the Imperial magic users they transported was burnt to ashes.

This all happened on the day the Magic Department investigators were supposed to receive the corpses from the Rift.

 

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