Chapter 15: Secrets
It was an arrowhead forged from Myles silver—a rare magical metal. Besides sharing the properties of ordinary metals, its unparalleled rigid magical strength made it a target for warriors and alchemists across the continent. Yet Myles silver was extremely scarce, usually found only near silver mines, and it was difficult to obtain even in small quantities. Moreover, even if one acquired Myles silver ore, ordinary alchemists could not refine it. Refining this magical metal required special furnaces and fuels, and to purify it to a high degree, magical fire spells had to be used. This process also allowed the metal to inherit the characteristics of the spells used for purification, enhancing its power further.
Whether it was a crossbow arrow or a bow arrow, such weapons were unlikely to be used by magicians. On the continent, those who had reached the level of magi were highly respected, regardless of whether they practiced dark magic, elemental magic, or light magic. They valued their honor greatly and would never resort to despicable acts like assassination with bows or crossbows. Only assassins or killers would do such things. Onia also believed that even if the knights within the kingdom were dissatisfied with the Light Church and Mage Malon, they would unlikely use such methods against him. Yet in a place like Versailles, filled with powerful individuals, he had merely returned to Jazair for a matter, only to encounter such serious problems. If he couldn’t uncover any clues, it truly left him dissatisfied.
Who exactly did Malon come here to see? What kind of person was he that he could come here so boldly? This question troubled the great mage of the Light Church deeply.
“Lord Teyz, I think it’s unlikely that someone as peculiar as a messenger would come to Versailles to deliver a message to Malon without being noticed. Could it be that neither the royal guards nor the soldiers on patrol detected anything?” Onia changed his way of asking, as directly questioning the other party without any evidence was somewhat rude.
“I’m truly sorry. We have thoroughly checked all those who entered or left Versailles and found no one matching or similar to the description given by the guards. The soldiers guarding the area also reported no suspicious individuals entering Versailles during that time.” The Minister of Internal Affairs was also embarrassed, as it was hard to explain how a court mage could be killed right under their noses with no clues at all.
“Does Lord Taze mean the murderer is hiding among the guests at Vansel?” The mage in white robes’ eyes gleamed sharply as his tone grew more incisive.
“Lord Onia, there are hundreds of guests at Vansel, not to mention the countless people around its outskirts. I can’t determine where the murderer might come from. If a killer truly intended to assassinate Melon, he should be able to easily bypass the guards’ perimeter defenses, especially since the murderer in question seems to possess high magical skills—perhaps even be a mage. I’ve already sent people to investigate, but I can’t guarantee a satisfactory outcome.” The chief administrator spoke carefully, knowing this matter was far from trivial. If it sparked suspicion or dissatisfaction among the relevant parties, it could lead to serious consequences.
The mage in white robes said nothing more, recognizing the truth in what the other man had said. Vansel, originally the private hunting estate of the king of the Kingdom of Nicocia, had evolved over decades into a small town centered around it. Beyond the estate itself, various service industries had flourished—restaurants, inns, banks, clothing stores, jewelry shops, pawnshops, casinos, brothels, and more. With nobles, merchants, and dignitaries from across the kingdom and even the continent, it had become a microcosm of the capital city of Jazair.
Finding such a murderer among so many people was indeed no easy task. If the killer arrived suddenly and vanished after the crime, it would be difficult to gather any useful clues. As time passed, people’s memories would fade, and they would soon forget trivial matters from days ago. Completing investigations of all relevant individuals within days was simply impossible and could lead to many unnecessary troubles. Moreover, Onia had a hunch that the murderer of Melon wasn’t a professional killer but rather one of the guests at Vansel’s estate. Of course, there was no evidence for this, but Onia trusted his intuition.
“Lord Tez, I think it would be more convenient for our Light Church to investigate this incident. After all, Mage Malon is one of our members, and the person who killed him must be a magician with dark attributes. I believe that by following this lead, we will eventually find the murderer.” The man in white politely declined the Interior Minister’s suggestion. Initially, he had only wanted the Interior Minister to handle it alone, but the shrewd Tez brought in another court mage, who happened not to belong to the Light Church. The Interior Minister’s cunning greatly displeased the man in white, but he couldn’t refuse. Such incidents that damaged the Light Church’s reputation should be kept to a minimum, regardless of whether the murderer could be caught or not.
“Oh, Lord Onia’s point makes sense as well. However, if any suspicious individuals are found within the kingdom, please inform the local interior departments as soon as possible. After all, such incidents happening in Vansel is certainly not a honorable thing for either the kingdom or the Light Church. I also hope to see a final resolution.” Duke Tez had already expressed the unspoken implications, which changed the man in white’s opinion further—though he had been dissatisfied with Tez bringing in outsiders to investigate the scene.
Within three days, he received two messages via space transmission. The old man in white sat quietly on a simple wooden chair, deep in thought. Malon’s letter was brief, mentioning that he had discovered something strange without specifying what. The second letter, however, reported that Malon had been murdered by a practitioner of dark magic. At this thought, a shadow crossed the old man’s rosy cheeks. He felt that a storm was approaching—originally believing the world would proceed according to his understanding, but it seemed that even a slight deviation had changed everything, taking it beyond his control. Even he, who was usually confident, found it impossible to predict where things would lead.
Although Malon wasn’t a superpower, as a senior mage and a court mage skilled in offensive magic, being killed by a practitioner of dark magic using fire spells was practically a miracle. It was not only an insult to the Light Church but also a provocation to the entire church! The old man in white didn’t agree with Onia’s doubts about the incident, but he did agree with her suggestion—that someone in the Kingdom of Nicocia might take this opportunity to attack the Light Church, and caution was needed.
Logically, he should not tolerate such things happening, but now he had more important matters to attend to. With this thought, the old man in white glanced deliberately or inadvertently toward the west. That person’s condition seemed to have improved somewhat. Could being illuminated by the sacred light truly possess the power to turn the tide? It was a difficult question to answer, and for now, the only option seemed to be to wait patiently. Fortunately, Onia’s abilities were sufficient to handle the various challenges within the Kingdom of Nicossia, but it would be better to have two knights to assist. After some thought, a faint blue glow flashed in the old man’s deep eyes.
The old man stood up and gazed at the blue sky. Matters in the north did not seem to be progressing as he had planned. Everything he had devised was starting to deviate from its course, though not by much. A mysterious smile touched his lips as he pulled a set of magic scrolls from the bookshelf. With a slight twist of his fingers, the scrolls floated in the air, rapidly unfolding and expanding. A dazzling white light radiated from them and shot through the sky.