“Late last night, Master suddenly told me to prepare the carriage and horses, and insisted on going to the Church Square. Once we arrived, he ordered me to leave, even saying there was no need to pick him up later… I’m telling the truth, I really don’t know anything else!”
The Butler was dragged back for questioning, but in the end, this was all they managed to get out of him.
A great noble had died in the Royal City—and in such a sensational manner.
The incident caused a huge stir among the upper echelons.
The Royal Family offered their condolences and took the lead in organizing an Investigation Group, with the square-jawed Maken at the helm, tasked with thoroughly investigating the assassination of Taidin.
Celes, who happened to be present through the process, became a member of the Investigation Group as well.
“According to the Butler’s testimony, at midnight last night, Taidin took a carriage to the Church Square. He was still alive at that time. The next morning, he was found dead in the center of the square, with multiple fatal wounds on his body.”
An official gave a brief overview of the case.
As for some of the more sensitive details—like how Taidin sent someone to ‘find’ a girl, who then escaped on the way, and how he couldn’t hold back his urges late at night and insisted on going out for relief…
These were not easy to discuss openly.
But everyone was handed a Case File, and the full details were recorded inside.
“I suggest we find the girl who escaped. She only ran away after being brought into the Royal City, so she’s probably still somewhere in the city,” the same official proposed.
“There’s a high chance she’s involved in this matter.”
Everyone in the Investigation Group looked toward the Chief.
Maken, seated at the head, didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he carefully flipped through the Case File again, his gaze settling on [Crime Scene: Church Square].
“Did the Butler, while acting as Coachman, actually see Taidin’s condition during the ride?”
The official was momentarily stunned, then stood up and said, “I’ll go ask right away.”
About ten minutes later, he returned and shook his head at the group.
“After 10 o’clock, the Butler never actually saw Taidin again. Even the later instructions to prepare the carriage were given only by voice—he never saw him in person.”
The members of the Investigation Group were puzzled; only a few seemed thoughtful.
“What does this mean?”
Maken still didn’t answer. He simply drew an × over [Crime Scene] in the Case File with his pen.
“Proceed with a standard investigation. As for the girl who escaped midway, search for her with all your might,” he ordered.
“Understood.”
The group all stood and began to carry out their respective tasks.
Since she was only nominally part of the group, Celes had no real duties.
After listening in, she returned to the Bonfire Camp.
***
By now it was already noon.
Lunch was ready at the Camp, and the girls were all waiting for her.
“Celes, we all heard about that big incident,” Vina was the first to ask.
“What are the higher-ups saying?”
The little witch always loved hearing about these things—the bigger the mess, the more excited she became, and everyone knew it.
Celes glanced at the corner of the table.
At some point, Zero had already returned, eating with her head down as if she didn’t care about any of it.
Celes hesitated for a moment before finally shaking her head.
“The higher-ups are still investigating. I was only there to listen in. Even if there’s any progress, I won’t be the first to know.”
“Eh~ Why’s it like that? You should try to get more involved~”
Leah moved her fork to her lips, but then set it down, her expression troubled.
“I really regret looking at the scene. I’ve lost my appetite.”
“No kidding. I heard it was gruesome. Too bad I didn’t get to see.”
Vina stabbed a piece of steak and chewed, “I wonder how the killer did it. Taidin didn’t even have a chance to fight back, and no one noticed despite all those wounds.”
Leah put her utensils down completely.
“Can we not talk about this?”
“Why not? What’s there to avoid?”
Vina retorted.
“He bullied men and women and did all sorts of evil. Now that he’s dead, suddenly we have to respect the dead?”
“I’m just saying, maybe not during lunch…”
At that moment, Zero, who had been quietly eating, suddenly spoke up in a low voice, “Do you think, since Taidin did so many bad things, dying on the Sun Disk at the Bright Church Plaza was retribution? Was it Divine Punishment?”
As soon as she finished, the entire room fell silent. Everyone’s eyes turned to her.
“W-what is it?”
Zero looked a little nervous.
Leah’s gaze was tinged with something strange and sympathetic.
“Everyone knows that Light never delivers Divine Punishment. It only grants Blessings to the devout.”
If you want to bask in the sun, go outside.
If you don’t, just stay home and avoid it.
The sun’s not going to shine through your house and roast you to death.
That’s the Church of Light for you—a group with a heart for support, pure healers through and through.
If they had even a bit of offensive power, the secular authorities would have seen them as a threat long ago.
There’s no way they’d have such a lofty status today.
“I—I didn’t know. So that’s how it is.”
Zero tried to laugh it off, hoping to get past the subject.
But she realized everyone was still staring at her.
“Aren’t you all going to eat?”
No one else said a word. After half a minute, Celes set her expression and said, “Zero, why did you kill Taidin?”
Zero trembled slightly.
“Why… are you suddenly asking that?”
At that moment, Vina raised both hands, her face full of helplessness.
“Alright, alright, I admit it. I was the one who suggested it.”
“You?”
“Yeah, me. I dropped some hints to Zero, like if Taidin was dealt with, the higher-ups wouldn’t target Ella anymore.”
Ella was stunned, she hadn’t expected to be involved at all.
“How could you do that!”
Celes stood up, glaring at her.
“Do you know what you’ve done? You did this on purpose!”
“I was really curious about Zero. I wanted to know where she came from and see what she’s really capable of. When the opportunity came, I just took it~”
Vina replied with a grin.
Bang!
Celes slammed the table, making all the bowls rattle.
“All for your own curiosity?!”
Vina’s smile disappeared.
She stood up and glared back.
“So what if it was? Yes, my motives were bad, but didn’t Taidin deserve to die? As long as it was done cleanly, what’s the problem?”
The tension in the room instantly skyrocketed.
Zero twisted her fingers anxiously, her face flushing and paling by turns.
She didn’t dare look at Ella or anyone else.
“And you, Zero! Why did you act on your own? I already said I’d find a way to handle this. Why couldn’t you wait?”
“This time, you really went too far,” Leah added her opinion.
“Killing someone and then dumping the body at the Church—were you trying to make it look like Divine Punishment?”
“Sorry…”
“Don’t just apologize! What’s wrong with dumping him at the Church?”
Vina changed targets.
“Let me ask you, according to the Church of Light’s teachings on promoting good and punishing evil, didn’t Taidin deserve to die? What would the Goddess of Light think?”
Leah had just stood up to say something, but at that, she sat back down, mumbling, “…I have no objection.”
Celes was trembling with anger.
“Taidin deserved to die, but not at our hands! Vina, you acted on a whim and did something like this, without caring about the consequences. Do you even see us as your companions?!”
“And what about you? Do you see us as companions?” the little witch shot back. “Mentor Luosi always talks to you alone. Everything goes through you. You never tell us why we’re together or what our future holds. Have you ever treated us as companions?”
“I…”
“Stop it, both of you, please stop fighting.”
Zero looked miserable.
“I won’t drag everyone down. If I’m found out, I’ll withdraw…”
Celes slammed the table again, her anger and anxiety plain.
“Don’t talk about quitting!!”
The Hero Squad’s second internal crisis had arrived.