This chapter is sponsored by The Bitch in the Fantasy World Patrons:
• Adventurer GrimV
• Adventurer The orc warrior 261
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11:51 a.m.
Interrogation Meeting Room, Temple of Priests building, She'kel Village.
Wind, Vivian, Pablo, Ronan, Zola, Janis and Manuel were all seated at the long table.
"Everyone," Wind said.
Everyone stopped what they were doing and focused on him.
"Before we take a short break between 12:00-1:00 p.m., I would like to clarify some things to make sure that everyone here is on the same page.
"At 1:00-1:45 p.m., we would be interviewing Brother Micaiah.
"And while we're doing that, Brother Lieutenant Janis would be preparing the carriages to head over to the temporary residence of Brother Avalon, where we would interview him between 2:00-3:00 p.m.
"Meanwhile, Sister Lieutenant Zola, along with the help of Councilor Manuel, would be preparing our entourage to head over to the estate mansion of the Hortus family, where we would interview Brother Jeremiah's parents: Brother Javan and Sister Neah, from 4:00-5:30 p.m.
"And then after that, we would return here to interview Brother Jeremiah from 6:00-7:00 p.m.
"Are there any questions or any suggestions?"
Everyone looked at each other for a moment, and then Vivian raised her hand.
"I have a question."
Wind nodded.
"Sister."
"I can understand us going to the estate mansion of the Hortus family. However, what I don't understand is why do we also need to head over to Brother Avalon's temporary residence. Is he unstable as well, that it would be risky to interview him here?"
"Brother Avalon is a special guest not only to the Hortus family, but in the entire She'kel Village and he's a retired veteran who's already in his late 60s."
"For what specific reason?"
"That he want to be interviewed at his temporary residence?"
"Yes."
"He has earned that right."
"I see," Vivian said and then paused for a moment. "And who would be our other companions when heading over to the estate mansion of the Hortus family?"
"The same people from last time when we went over to the estate mansion of the Nummi family."
***
12:13 p.m.
Ka-cha!
Vivian opened a door and entered her room.
Ku-chud.
Voo-ooo-ooo-oom!
The moment she closed the door, removed her boots and placed them on the side, she immediately turned into a blur.
By the time she stopped turning into a blur, she already had her full-mask and a silver flask on top of her makeup desk, her cloak, gloves and stockings on the bed, and she was standing inside her bathroom-toilet next to the toilet seat while holding something with a tissue paper.
Although it was "technically" a tissue paper, compared to the tissue papers from her original world, the one on her hand was too rough.
My God…
I must've smelled so bad back there…
The thing wrapped with a tissue paper was her blood-soaked napkin and underwear.
[Enchant Lightning].
Pscht!
The tissue paper along with the napkin and underwear, was burned into shreds and the remaining pieces fell into the toilet seat.
Wsssh!
She deactivated her spell and then flashed the toilet seat.
Just this morning at the Interrogation Meeting Room, I've already wiped, changed and destroyed 2 underwears…
And also re-sprayed myself with cologne twice…
Wsssh…!
She removed her long-sleeved and fit turtleneck short dress and bra, and then hung them on the hooks at the back of the door before stepping into the shower to take a half-bath.
Once she was done showering, she stepped outside of bathroom-toilet wet and naked, and then went over to her cabinet to grab a bathrobe. After that, she went over to her make-up desk, sat down, opened a drawer, took out 4 packs of Menstral Powder and poured them into the silver flask.
This fucking Menstral Powder is barely working…
I still have a bit of a headache, lower back and abdominal pain, and I'm still bleeding…!
An image of Wind flashed inside her head.
And that fucking pushover wants us to go around the village to interview people…!
What the fuck was he even thinking…?!
Brother Avalon earned that right…?!
Just admit that he demanded it because of what you've done with the Nummi family…!
"What did he said last time? People would be more open in sharing information if you interrogate them with kindness?"
She shook her head.
"Complete horseshit!"
She then moved her butt a bit and sat at the edge of her chair.
[Mana Tail].
A 3-meter-long demonic tail made out of mana appeared behind her lower back. She grabbed a jug of water under the desk using her tail, and then poured some water into the silver flask.
Wissh, wassh, wissh, wassh!
As she closed the silver flask and shook it, she returned the jug of water under her desk using her tail before deactivating it.
I would need 2 flasks…
I would also need to carry a purse for my napkins and extra underwears…
"That fucking pushover selfish sexist idiot…!
"Does he even care that I have my period even though I already told him about it…?!
"I swear to the God of Light…
"If some fuck-shit happens again, I'm seriously fucking going wild…!"
Gulp, gulp, gulp…
She drank all of the liquid inside the silver flask and then refilled it once again.
Yeah…
I'll bring 3 flasks just to be sure…
I mean…
I am bringing a purse…
Might as well take advantage of it…
Vivian originally thought about using a belt pouch. However, she found out that it was too much of a hassle. Not only does she need to wear it, but once she's in the toilet to wipe herself and change her napkin and underwear, she had to remove the belt pouch.
***
1:03 p.m.
Ka-cha!
The door opened, and it was Ronan, accompanied by a White Cloak Priest in his mid-20s with short orange hair. The Priest had a worried expression on his face as he looked around his surroundings.
Ronan gestured his hand over to the vacant three-person sofa in the lounging area where Wind, Vivian and Pablo were seated.
"Please take a seat over there."
The Priest quickly stood in attention as if he had just got electrocuted and then saluted.
"Y-Yes, Brother High Lieutenant…!" he said and then headed over to the lounging area.
When he got there, he saluted once again.
"B-Brother Inquisitor, Sister Inquisitor, and Lord Councilor...!"
Wind nodded.
"Thank you for answering our summons and coming here. Please take a seat."
The Priest looked around his surroundings for a moment once again before sitting down.
"Before we start, brother, would you like a glass of water or wine?" Wind asked.
The Priest let out a wry smile on his worried expression as he waved his hand.
"Thank you, but I'm fine, Brother Inquisitor…"
"As you wish," Wind said and nodded. "I am Brother Inquisitor Wind, this is Sister Inquisitor Monad, and this is Lord Councilor Pablo. May we ask you to introduce yourself?"
"I am Brother Micaiah, I'm from the Holy Chapter Temple, I'm part of the Infantry Division, and my rank is Lieutenant…"
"I see," Wind said and then checked his notes.
"Brother Inquisitor…"
Wind stopped what he was doing and returned his gaze to Micaiah.
Micaiah maintained the direction of his face on Wind but his eyes glanced at Vivian and Pablo for a moment before returning them to Wind.
"May I speak with you in private…?"
"May I ask what the reason is?"
Micaiah placed his hands over his eyes and then rubbed his eyes and forehead for a moment.
"Please, it's very important…"
"Does it have anything to do with the case?"
Micaiah secretly glanced at Vivian and Pablo for a moment and then swallowed.
"Yes…"
"If it's about the case, I can guarantee you that whatever information you want to share with me, Sister Inquisitor Monad and Lord Councilor Pablo are neutral. They won't do anything that could be viewed or seen as biased, because they are both highly qualified professionals."
Micaiah lowered his head.
"Please… It's not that I doubt their qualifications… I just… I just want to feel comfortable…"
Wind looked at Vivian and Pablo.
"I don't mind if he only wants to talk to you as long as we get the necessary information," Vivian said.
Pablo scratched the side of his face.
"As the Lord Councilor, it is my duty to oversee a fair interview. However, it's also my duty to protect the well-being of the interviewee. If Priest Micaiah truly has something important that he wants to share and is only comfortable sharing it to you, then I wouldn't mind."
Wind gave a slight bow to Vivian and Pablo.
"Thank you for being very understanding, Sister Inquisitor, Lord Councilor."
Vivian simply nodded.
Pablo, on the other hand, held out his hand.
"Please, you don't have to go that far, Priest Inquisitor. I'm simply doing my duties."
Wind returned his focus on Micaiah.
"Brother Micaiah, would you like to go to another room?"
Micaiah raised his head and met Wind's gaze.
"If it's possible, I want to be in an open and wide space where I can see all of my surroundings… I know it sounds weird, but it's something of a habit that I've learned to adapt during my many Field Missions at Sab'bia Desert…"
Wind nodded.
"As you wish."
***
1:28 p.m.
Vivian and Pablo were in the Meeting Room assigned to them to conduct the interviews, and they were still at their seats.
Although they weren't talking, Pablo tried to make a bit of conversation earlier. Unfortunately, Vivian would only answer questions. And after a couple of one-sided exchanges, Pablo gave up.
Ka-cha!
A door opened, and it was Wind and Micaiah, who finally came back. They made their way to the lounging area where Vivian and Pablo were and sat in the same seats from earlier.
"Brother Micaiah, I want you to tell Sister Inquisitor Monad and Lord Councilor Pablo what you told me. And just like I promised, no one would know this information came from you."
Micaiah slowly nodded.
"At the night of Septus 20, around 8:30 or 9:00 p.m., Brother Jeremiah confronted Brother Emmanuel here in She'kel Village about his relationship with Sister Bithiah.
"I accompanied Brother Jeremiah, but I hid a few meters away in an alley in case things got out of hand -- a battle tactic that we learned during our time in the Infantry Division.
"Brother Emmanuel was also with someone, but I don't know her name, but her face was familiar, and I believe she was from the Verglas Chapter Temple -- she was quite beautiful."
"Where exactly did Brother Jeremiah confronted Brother Emmanuel?" Wind asked.
"It was on 13th Street, in front of a restaurant called Malia's Restaurant. Brother Emmanuel and the Sister just stepped out of the restaurant and were about to board a carriage when Brother Jeremiah rushed over to confront him -- we were following them but we didn't want to cause any scene, so we waited until there wouldn't be that many people once we, or Brother Jeremiah, confronted Brother Emmanuel."
Micaiah looked at Wind and the others to see if they had other questions. When they didn't, he continued.
"I was too far to hear their conversation, and there was no shouting and crying involved. However, all I knew was that Brother Jeremiah simply wanted to confront Brother Emmanuel about Sister Bithiah.
"Their discussion barely even lasted 3 minutes before Brother Jeremiah turned away and started walking, while Brother Emmanuel and the Sister he was with boarded the carriage.
"Brother Jeremiah didn't even go back to me or acknowledge me, he simply walked back to his family's house. But I remember getting a glimpse of his face: It was completely void of emotion."
"Brother," Wind said. "I just want to confirm: You, Brother Jeremiah, Sister Bithiah and Brother Emmanuel all signed up for the Holy Crusade on Janus of this year and ended your contracts on the last week of Junus this year, correct?"
Micaiah nodded.
"Yes."
"And then from the month of Julus to present, all of you were here training and taking a break before signing up for the Holy Crusade once again next year, correct?"
"That was the plan, at least for Brother Jeremiah and I."
"Do you know when did Brother Jeremiah found out about Sister Bithiah and Brother Emmanuel?"
Micaiah shook his head.
"There have always been rumors about Sister Bithiah being seen 'close' with other men. However, Brother Jeremiah would just ignore them and not say anything, so I don't exactly know when. But if I were to make a guess, it would be this year, because this is the first time I've seen him actually confront someone who is rumored to be 'close' with Sister Bithiah."
"Prior to this interview that we're having right now, the Branch Chapter Temple and the Orion Kingdom launched an investigation about the True Death murder case of Sister Bithiah and they interviewed you, correct?"
A pained expression flashed across Micaiah's face as he slowly nodded.
"Yes…"
"How come there was no mention about this on their reports?"
"I don't know… I mean, I don't know about Brother Jeremiah, Brother Emmanuel and also that Sister that Brother Emmanuel was with... At that time, when I was being interviewed, my mind was in a state of panic… Also, I figured that maybe Brother Jeremiah, Brother Emmanuel and that Sister may have already mentioned it…
"But I swear to the God of Light…! I really swear that I had no idea that Brother Jeremiah would do what he did…! He didn't even acknowledge or talk to me that night after he confronted Brother Emmanuel and we didn't talk after that…"
"Can you describe to us the woman that Brother Emmanuel was with?" Wind asked.
Micaiah thought about it for a moment.
"I don't know her name, but her face is familiar and I believe she was from the Verglas Kingdom. She had white skin, she had long gray hair, she's about the same age as Brother Jeremiah, Sister Bithiah and I, she's about 5'10 or 5'11 but I'm not sure if she was wearing heels, and she was quite beautiful. And oh, she's a White Cloak. I remember seeing her back in Basic Training a couple of years ago, that's why her face seemed familiar, and I know for sure she's not part of the Infantry Division or else I would've seen her there. That's all I know."
"What's the build of her body?"
"Slender or thin."
"Have you spoken to Brother Emmanuel or Sister Bithiah before Brother Jeremiah did what he did?"
Micaiah shook his head.
"No."
"What did you do after that night?"
"I continued staying at Brother Jeremiah's home for a bit. But since he refused to come out of his room, after a few days, I paid my respects to Brother Jeremiah's family and then returned to the Holy City -- my family is from there and I was born and raised there."
Wind nodded.
"I see."
"Brother Inquisitor, tell me honestly, what's going to happen to me…?"
"Assuming everything you said is true, at the moment, nothing."
"Would I be listed as one of the murderers…?"
"Like I said, assuming everything you said is true, at the moment, nothing."
"Would I have to testify at the trial…? My family and I can't afford to be involved in this case, it would ruin my family's reputation… My family is only a Low-Tier Noble Priest Family… And the only reason I even came here was to train with Brother Jeremiah, not to be involved in some True Death murder case of a Sister…"
"Again, assuming everything you said is true, nothing is going to happen to you. Also, since you're giving us a very vital piece of information about the case, I will say this to you: If what you said is indeed true and it could be confirmed through Brother Jeremiah, Brother Emmanuel and the Sister you mentioned, there's a very high chance you won't have to testify in the trial."
Micaiah lowered his head.
"Thank you, Brother Inquisitor…! I pray to the God of Light that would happen because my family truly can't afford to be involved in such a case…!"
***
1:48 p.m.
Wind, Vivian and Pablo were still at the Interrogation Meeting Room and sitting on their usual seats.
As for the rest of their companions, Ronan was still outside escorting Micaiah, Janis was preparing the carriage to head over to the temporary residence of Avalon, and Zola and Manuel were preparing their carriages and other companions for the time they would head over to the estate mansion of the Hortus family.
"What do you both plan to do now? I believe that was quite a breakthrough, assuming what he said was true," Pablo said.
Wind stared at his notes for a moment.
"Just like you said, that is assuming Brother Micaiah was telling the truth. And to confirm it, we would do 3 ways:
"One - Check the flight and entry records of those who visited She'kel Village ever since Brother Emmanuel returned from his last Holy Crusade, and also interview the staff of Malia's Restaurant to find out the identity of that Sister.
"Two - Ask Brother Jeremiah during our interview with him.
"And three - Ask Brother Emmanuel."
"So we would still continue interviewing the scheduled recipients for this afternoon?" Pablo said.
Wind nodded.
"Yes."
Knock, knock.
There was a knock on the door.
Ka-cha!
It opened and it was Ronan.
"The carriage to head over to Brother Avalon's temporary residence is ready. Brother Lieutenant Janis is waiting below."
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Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed this chapter!
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