Chapter 14: Murder

Duke Taze scanned the clearing carefully with a gloomy expression. In the distance, guard knights holding torches could be faintly seen. The royal guards had sealed off the entire area. Several magic lanterns floated in the air. Aside from the Minister of Internal Affairs, there were only two other middle-aged men dressed as magicians at the scene.

In terms of appearance, the older man wore a pure white mage robe, with a uniquely designed silver brooch in the shape of a soaring three-headed holy angel pinned to his left chest. Black thread was used to embroider several Udin letters on the lower edge of his robe, which appeared somewhat blurred from a distance. The other man also wore a mage robe, but his eyes were a very ordinary brownish-yellow, and his outfit had no markings indicating his identity. However, the large staff in his hand was quite unique—the magic crystal at its tip had a hazy earthy yellow color, with seven eyes arranged in a distinctive pattern resembling constellations on the circular crystal cap. Only he himself might know the secrets behind it.

“Lord Taze, when was it that Master Melon’s disappearance was noticed?” The white-robed mage had clear, bright eyes, and his complexion appeared especially fair under the light of the magic lanterns, with a hint of melancholy that made it hard to believe he was the chief archmage of the Light Church stationed in the court of the Kingdom of Nicossia.

“Lord Onia, it seems to have happened after dinner last evening. According to the guards, Mage Melon received a letter, but he didn’t reveal its contents to anyone. After dinner, he went out alone and refused the guards’ company,” said the Minister of Internal Affairs cautiously. Over the past few years, relations between the Light Church and the kingdom had been deteriorating. Although the court’s chief mage still invited representatives from the Light Church by tradition, the proportion of non-Light Church magicians among the court’s own magicians was increasing, which had caused dissatisfaction among the Light Church.

Lord Onia, the strongest mage in the kingdom of Nicossia, was this unassuming middle-aged man. Aside from his amber-colored eyes, which seemed to hold a strange quality, nothing about him suggested the presence of a powerful mage. With a gaze that seemed to pierce through one’s heart, the white-robed man nodded slightly. “Lord Taze means that Mage Melon’s tragic death is related to that mysterious letter? I wonder if the guards recognized the sender or saw their appearance clearly?”

Shaking his head with some regret, Duke Tez said thoughtfully, “It’s truly disappointing. Both guards only saw a man wearing a black cloak. His voice seemed to have been altered by magic, and he spoke just two short sentences. According to them, the man seemed intent on hiding his face, so they couldn’t see his true appearance.”

Nodding, the mage in white said nothing more and turned to another man who had been observing the surroundings, calling out loudly, “Mr. Kren, what’s your opinion on this matter?”

The burly man in a tan mage robe took his gaze off the huge crack in the ground and turned around. “Mr. Onia, it seems this place has been the site of an extremely fierce battle. Although a day and night have passed, the aura of magic here remains very strong. As you can probably tell, the person who killed Lord Melon is no ordinary individual. I can’t say much else, but regarding this crack, I’m certain that the opponent has at least one advanced mage skilled in earth magic. Look at this crack—the soil drawn out is already three meters deep. The force used to create it could pierce three meters deep in an instant—this isn’t something an ordinary mage could do. Also, look at the dust and powder scattered around; it’s concentrated in several areas, likely scattered during Lord Melon’s counterattack, but it hasn’t fully dispersed. This also proves that the opponent’s magical prowess is quite advanced.”

“Mr. Kren, it seems you’ve forgotten one thing—there’s a strong dark aura here, and I’m sure there’s also a necrotic aura. Look at those two piles of whitened ashes; they’re the result of the Holy Fire of our Light Church. These must be two necrotic creatures. Lord Melon’s enemies likely included a dark mage. Moreover, although Lord Melon appeared to die from an attack of fire magic on the surface, he was himself a master of fire magic—yet he died from it. There’s something strange about this. I still can’t figure out who Lord Melon offended to the point that they would devise such a scheme to kill him. Normally, practitioners of dark magic wouldn’t easily provoke people from our Light Church, especially here in Vansel, where there are both royal guard knights and court mages.” The man in white analyzed things very accurately, but his subsequent words seemed to imply more than they said.

Standing aside, the Chief Minister overheard such insinuating words from the court’s top mage and felt a stir in his heart. Could it be that the suspect was pointing at the kingdom itself? It seemed absurd, but given the circumstances, it wasn’t surprising that suspicion arose. Around Vansel, in addition to the royal guard cavalry escorting him, there was also a group of knights from the Fire Shadow Knights Order responsible for his protection.

Although the Fire Shadow Knights couldn’t compare to the Lightning Knights of the Light Church or the Templar Knights, these knights were not only of noble birth but also had received proper knightly training. What was most remarkable was that they were selected from among the top mid-to-senior officers of the guard cavalry and further trained in basic magical skills, acquiring a certain level of magical expertise. According to their instructors, a few of them already reached the level of mages, while most had the skills of magic scholars. In short, they were the elite among the kingdom’s noble knights—equipped with outstanding combat skills, battle experience, and magical abilities, sufficient to handle any situation alone.

Due to differing loyalties, the court mages from the Light Church had always had some tension with the Fire Shadow Knights. Yet Duke Tez absolutely did not believe that this conflict could escalate to the point of mutual destruction.

“Mr. Onia, it seems there’s some misunderstanding. Do you really think someone from within our ranks could have done this?” Duke Tez asked seriously. In matters concerning the entire kingdom, carelessness could lead to serious trouble, so Tez had to take it seriously.

To be honest, Onia was also puzzled. He was well aware of Malon’s strength—even three or five Fire Shadow Knights might not be able to defeat him, unless they launched a surprise attack under special circumstances. But why would Malon come to such a remote place without any companions? That was suspicious, unless Malon was convinced of his absolute ability to succeed in this encounter. But then, what to explain about this arrowhead found among Malon’s ashes?

If it had been just a duel between mages, such an object would never have been on Malon. Moreover, Onia had taken it personally from Malon’s ribs, indicating that Malon must have suffered this ambush before ultimately failing and dying. Onia gently twisted the arrowhead in his fingers, pondering it carefully.