The Inquisition Office was an organization in the Okam Empire similar to the joint police force Velis had known in her previous life on Blue Star.
The difference, however, was that although the Inquisition Office had subdivided departments, its overall authority was immense.
In the Okam Empire, the Inquisition Office served as the enforcer of its laws, yet their actions often operated beyond the bounds of imperial law.
Its ranks, from highest to lowest, were: Inquisitor, Chief Inquisitor, Chief Director, Deputy Director, Senior Inspector, Junior Inspector, and finally, regular personnel.
Rewinding to an hour earlier…
Having endured two assassination attempts in a single day, Velis sat in the carriage leaving her palace, squinting at the night scenery of the Imperial City.
The lights were dazzling. After Grand Sage Bourvil Hadru had invented Illumination, this Basic magic array had been continuously improved upon and utilized by later generations.
Eventually, it became widely applied throughout the entire Vistoria Continent.
Everywhere, the Illumination magic array was inscribed, then supplemented with other magic arrays, to create various lighting fixtures.
From their effect, they were no different from the various lights on Blue Star before Velis had crossed over.
And this Imperial City before her had gathered the most顶级 tier of lighting facilities within the entire Empire.
The lights blazed brilliantly, shining as bright as day.
Yet, this kind of radiant scene could not shatter the darkness in Velis’s heart in the slightest.
“Stop.”
Suddenly, Velis called out to the coachman.
“Your Highness!”
Seeing Velis step out of the carriage, the coachman hastily bowed.
Velis glanced at him, then looked at the guards who had hurriedly followed her out this time.
“You all continue on. When you reach the Great Princess’s palace, report my arrival and then return. During this time, if anyone dares to leave the formation or make a commotion, kill them without mercy! That is an order!”
As Velis’s icy command fell, the guards showed surprise on their faces, puzzled as to what this Princess intended to do.
Having endured two assassination attempts in a single day, by all logic, they should now be using heavy troops for her protection.
Yet this Princess had actually ordered them to go on ahead?
However, looking at Velis’s grim expression, no one in the ranks stepped forward to object. The captain leading them froze for a few seconds, then saluted Velis.
“Yes, Your Highness!”
Without question, he led the guard unit away.
Velis watched them depart, then turned and entered the carriage.
“Turn around. We’re going to the Inquisition Office.”
The coachman did not dare to be negligent. He pulled the reins and reversed direction, heading down another grand avenue of the Imperial City.
The entire Imperial City covered a vast area. Because of the city walls built around it, it looked more like a city within a city.
Its roads crisscrossed, wide and majestic.
The carriage wheels rolled over the bluestone bricks, emitting faint sounds, flanked by countless imposing and solemn palaces and mansions.
Within those lived the great figures who controlled all aspects of power, economy, culture, law, and so on across the Empire, along with their families and dependents.
Velis did not linger, urging the coachman to hurry along.
Velis was uncertain how many among the guard unit that had just escorted her were enemies, but one thing she could be sure of was that at least the majority of the soldiers were loyal to the royal family.
The enemy’s infiltration seemed to seep through every crack, but replacing the entire guard unit was absolutely unrealistic.
“What I need to do now is race against time… before someone leaks my whereabouts, I must make the first move.”
Velis murmured to herself, yet felt deeply weary inside. At the same time, an uncontrollable killing intent spread through her entire body.
Although the Imperial City was vast, the Inquisition Office was easy to find.
Before long, the carriage came to an abrupt halt.
Someone arriving at the Inquisition Office’s gates in the middle of the night prompted the soldiers on duty to immediately come over for questioning.
When Velis stepped down, the entire group knelt prostrate on the ground.
As they were about to shout their greetings, Velis waved her hand to stop them.
“Keep quiet. Which of you officials is on duty tonight? Go report my arrival, and send a unit to Douque Palace.”
Velis walked forward, and immediately an official came rushing out from within the Inquisition Office, shouting.
“Your Highness! Your Highness! Deputy Director—Normankov, at your command. This humble one wonders, what brings Your Highness here in the dead of night?”
The newcomer wore a formal uniform of black and white. Black represented the Empire’s power, and white represented justice.
Only by wielding the power of justice could the Empire enjoy lasting peace and stability.
This was the principle and goal established at the Inquisition Office’s founding.
And every person within the Inquisition Office wore a White Lotus emblem on their chest, symbolizing purity rising unstained from the mud, serving the Inquisition Office of light and justice.
For each additional petal on the White Lotus, it signified that the person’s rank within the Inquisition Office had risen one level.
From a single petal for those without rank, to the highest Inquisitor—seven blooming petals.
One could tell a person’s rank in the Inquisition Office at a glance.
Yet this White Lotus, symbolizing integrity and impartiality, seemed somewhat ironic in Velis’s eyes now.
As for this Normankov before her, he was somewhat handsome, with well-defined features and short hair, appearing capable and shrewd.
At this moment, he was humbly awaiting Velis’s orders.
“Deputy Director.” Velis let out a cold snort. “Someone bypassed the Imperial City and came to my palace to attempt assassination… What the hell are you people in the Inquisition Office doing?”
Hearing this, Normankov broke out in cold sweat, prostrating himself even lower: “Please forgive us, Your Highness! We will send people to investigate immediately!”
“Enough. Just do as I say.” Velis narrowed her eyes, killing intent spilling from her gaze.
===
Before long, Velis’s figure reappeared outside Douque Palace.
Listening closely to these few people whispering among themselves about escaping, she couldn’t help but step forward.
“Is that so? I’m afraid none of you will be going anywhere tonight…”
Mana surged within her hands along with her anger. Before Velis even made a move, the Inquisition Office personnel lying in ambush swarmed forward and apprehended the several people before her.
Meanwhile, the Inquisition Office personnel who had come to Douque Palace earlier to conduct a casual investigation now emerged, leading a group of trembling maids and guards.
“Your Highness, no one else has fled from other locations, but we cannot rule out the possibility that spies still remain among them!”
Velis merely gave the maids an indifferent glance and said, “Enough. Let’s go.”
====
At this very moment…
Velis sat inside an ornate interrogation room within the Inquisition Office, leisurely crossing her elegant legs.
This was the place the Inquisition Office used to interrogate prisoners.
Calling it ornate was because of the various torture instruments it contained, which even gave Velis a shiver when she looked at them.
If these were used on a person…
“Your Highness the Princess, everything is ready.”
Deputy Director Normankov looked at the several bound people before him, chuckling slyly.
No matter how the outside world wildly spread rumors of this fairy-like Princess’s infamy, here, within the thousand-meter radius encompassed by this interrogation room…
There weren’t many people who were any better than Velis.
Regardless of whether their actions held moral justification, in terms of methods and results alone, there was probably no difference.
“Your Highness! Your Highness, we’ve been wronged! We truly have no connection to those villains!”
The steward, along with several maids who had once personally attended to Velis, wailed inside the interrogation room. Now, they all wore shackles.
“Oh? So I misheard?” Velis asked with a hint of amusement.
“Yes, Your Highness must have misheard! How could we possibly have any connection to that assassin?”
A maid was covered in snot and tears, whether from fear or the pain of being falsely accused, it was hard to tell.
“Your Highness! Even if you don’t consider our merits, think of our years of devoted service!”
“We have served Your Highness faithfully all these years without complaint. Have we ever once made you angry? Your Highness, give us another chance. We truly are not accomplices of the assassin.”
“If Your Highness investigates clearly and releases us, we would be willing to serve you like beasts of burden for the rest of our lives, repaying your great kindness!”
But Velis couldn’t be bothered to listen any further.
“Begin. I want results by morning. If they don’t talk, don’t let them die comfortably…”
With that, Velis turned and left. She had no interest in observing here.
“Yes! Your Highness the Princess!”
Normankov saluted the departing Velis, then turned and stared at the several people before him with a cold, sinister smile.
“Hehehe… You dared to assassinate the Imperial Princess? I hope you toys will let me play with you for a good long while…”