3. Does That Even Make Sense?
The second son of Duke Castiel had died in the night. If it had been murder, I could so easily have landed on the list of suspects — after all, the man had been planning to make my life a misery, which meant that as far as any investigator was concerned, my motive was more than sufficient.
But the ducal residence had announced the cause of death as heart failure, adding that there had been no poison, nor even the slightest evidence of an intruder. And so I'd assumed nothing would ever tie me to that place again.
"Thank you for agreeing so graciously despite such an unpleasant matter, Young Lord Heizen."
"Not at all. I'm perfectly fine, so think nothing of it. And if I may borrow this occasion, allow me to offer the deepest condolences of House Fahrenheit. May the departed's final journey be a peaceful one."
"Thank you, truly. Let us head inside."
Which raised the question of why, exactly, I was visiting the Castiel Ducal Residence at this very moment.
'Damn Church of White Flame.'
To explain, I'd have to rewind a few days.
"Young Master. A guest has come to see the family."
"A guest? Who?"
"A guest whom you, Young Master, will absolutely despise."
"Don't tell me... the Church of White Flame?"
At Alia's small nod, all I could do was press a hand to my forehead.
The Church of White Flame. The largest religious order on the continent. It never ostracized other faiths and was remarkably open by nature, had never once clashed with the nobility, and enjoyed relations as smooth as could be. On top of that, its many charitable works had made it enormously popular among the common people as well.
"For all these reasons, many people follow the White Flame Church, or at the very least regard it favorably even without any religious devotion. Not you, of course, Young Master."
"Just because everyone else loves it doesn't mean I have to, too."
Nine out of ten religious organizations that appear in games and novels are corrupt. As a reader and gamer from South Korea, I knew that fact all too well.
'Which is why, at one point, I'd even considered digging for evidence of the White Flame Church's corruption....'
I had a decent pile of money saved by then, so I tried hiring people to gather information. But in under a month, I quietly gave up. The projected expenses were one thing, but everyone's faith in the church ran far too deep — whenever I asked whether anyone had a single bad word to say about the White Flame, the mood would turn strange in a way I couldn't quite explain.
'But the walkthrough clearly said the church was the root of all evil!'
There had to be something. In a world designed by a Korean, if there's a church, something is definitely being hidden!
"People really are strange creatures. Don't they know the saying? The brighter the light, the deeper the shadow."
"If any believers heard that, they'd take serious offense."
"What, would they brand me a witch and burn me at the stake?"
"So you dreamed of being a woman, Young Master. Not a bad dream, honestly."
While I was busy trading banter with Alia, someone appeared at the edge of the garden. Pure white robes, a brightly blazing flame emblazoned across the chest, a serene smile resting on his lips and his hands folded in quiet respect. The people from the White Flame Church had, sure enough, come to see me in the flesh.
"May Solaris be with you. It is a pleasure to meet you, Brother Heizen Fahrenheit. I am Bram, a Priest of Dawn in service to the church."
"Welcome, Priest Bram. You honor House Fahrenheit with your visit."
"First, allow me to apologize for calling on you so abruptly. The matter was so urgent that we explained ourselves to your father, the Count, and came straight down here."
"If the church has urgent business, then of course it must be obliged, whatever it may be. What seems to be the problem?"
Instead of answering, Priest Bram simply wore that amiable smile of his. Then his gaze drifted, ever so slightly, past my shoulder — and I caught on.
"If this is about my maid, you needn't worry. She has spent a long time at my side. She can be trusted."
"If you say so, then very well."
Priest Bram slipped quietly to one side, and the figure behind him — an Attendant Priest, by the look of him — stepped forward and held something out.
"And this is?"
"A journal recorded by the church's investigators."
Taking the notebook in hand, I read through what was written inside.
"..."
'That goddamn moron bastard of the ducal house. Even dead, he finds a way to make my life difficult.'
'I earnestly pray the dead fool drops straight into hell.'
Tap.
As I set the notebook down, Priest Bram spoke in a grave voice.
"As you have seen, a trace of evil aura — faint, but unmistakable — was discovered on the second son of Duke Castiel."
"So black magic or a curse may have been involved in his death. But hasn't the ducal residence already flatly denied any foul play?"
"Our priests found it near his heart just as they were preparing to escort the deceased on his final journey. Any later, and we might never have found it at all. Fortune was truly on our side."
Now I understood why a priest of the White Flame Church had come looking for me. Duke Castiel's second son had died a victim of black magic or a curse. It was plainly murder, and so they were rounding up everyone who might plausibly have held a motive.
'And I was on that list of suspects.'
It also made immediate sense why the church had moved instead of the ducal family.
"As you well know, Brother, evil aura reacts when the one who used it draws near."
"So you're asking me to go to the ducal residence in person and prove my innocence of any connection to it."
"It grieves me deeply to press an innocent man as though he were a criminal. We are well aware that you are one who even built an orphanage for children in need. But evil aura is precisely that dangerous a thing, and so we must humbly ask for your understanding."
Priest Bram fidgeted with his hands, coiled tight with tension. He seemed convinced I would take grave offense and push back.
"Why on earth would you need my permission for something like that, Priest Bram?"
"Brother Heizen?"
"There's nothing to prepare. Let us head to the Castiel Ducal Residence at once."
"Ah...!"
At my words, the priests looked flustered and impressed in equal measure. I was innocence itself — not one thread of shame to hide from the heavens. This wasn't Korea, where merely cooperating with an investigation got you treated like the culprit.
"Thank you, Brother Heizen. I truly did not expect you to consent so readily."
"If I'm innocent, then I simply go and prove it, no? Was that the wrong answer?"
"Not at all. We were merely surprised by how graciously you agreed. You cannot imagine how many prepared apologies we had ready."
"Hearing that makes me want to get angry after all."
"Hahaha! What a hearty brother you are — and quite the joker, too!"
I wanted to snap back that it was no joke, but dead serious. A church priest barging in unannounced and commanding me to prove my own innocence — if it hadn't been for the Castiel affair, I'd have thrown every last one of them off the estate.
"Then we shall await you below."
Priest Bram left the room with his attendants in tow.
"Young Master."
Alia, who had been standing behind me, fixed me with an icy stare.
"'Nothing to prepare,' was it."
"Sorry."
"Of course there's nothing for you to prepare. I'm the one who has to prepare everything."
"Really. I'm sorry."
"Employer or no, Young Master, this is going too far."
From Alia's point of view, she had every right to be furious — an unannounced night shift, followed by overtime on top of it, all sprung on her out of nowhere. And I knew exactly one legitimate way to soothe that kind of anger.
"Alia."
"Flashing that self-proclaimed devastating smile of yours won't work on me."
"I'll double your performance bonus."
"Then I, Alia, shall prepare everything with the utmost speed for your sake, Young Master."
And that, in full, was how I came to be visiting the Castiel Ducal Residence.
'I'd even prepared a magical recording, just in case they decided to treat me like a criminal on the way there.'
Priest Bram had treated me with impeccable courtesy the entire journey. He was the one escorting me in, yet he didn't give off even the faintest air of suspicion.
'No. Don't be fooled. I can't let my guard down. This is clearly some sinister scheme of the church's!'
Whatever masks they wore, I would never let it slide. Resolving myself, and then resolving myself all over again, I met Duke Castiel.
"Welcome, Heizen Fahrenheit."
"It is an honor to be in your presence, Your Grace, Duke Castiel. Before anything else, please accept my deepest condolences. My father likewise asked that I convey his sympathies to you without fail."
"Tell him I am grateful."
By the sound of it, dozens of suspects had already passed through the second son's chambers — which meant all of them stood a good chance of having held a motive for murder.
'Just how many people did that bastard piss off, exactly?'
The second son's room flaunted a luxury beyond all reason. It was impossible to tell whether this was a bedchamber someone actually lived in or a treasure vault.
"Brother Heizen, would you come this way, please?"
A church priest who had arrived ahead of us beckoned me aside. On his chest, unlike Priest Bram's blazing flame, was stamped a burning chalice.
'A Holy Radiance Priest. An ordained priest holding the authority to summon Heresy Inquisitors.'
What manner of lunatic could have murdered the Duke's second son, of all people — and left behind evil aura, the very thing the White Flame Church hunted for with eyes ablaze?
"We will begin."
Pure white divine power flowed from his hands and wrapped itself around me. I hadn't done a single thing wrong, yet being investigated in the flesh was nerve-racking all the same.
"...Forgive me, Brother. Please excuse our suspicion and our discourtesy."
The result, as expected: perfect innocence, without so much as a mote of dust to point to. The Holy Radiance Priest bowed his head low and offered his apology.
"I am truly sorry, Brother Heizen. Should you wish to lodge a formal protest with the church over this matter, we will accept it gladly."
Priest Bram, who had brought me here, added his apology with evident sincerity — they apologized so profusely that, if anything, I was the one growing embarrassed. I told them all was well and made to escape the ducal residence as quickly as I could.
"Brother Bram. It seems a change of approach is called for."
"That again, Brother?"
"I offer this counsel because, for all your suspicion of everyone, you never touch the most important point of all."
"These are parents who have lost their child. What you are saying would drive a nail into their hearts."
A disquieting exchange was passing back and forth between Priest Bram and the Holy Radiance Priest.
"That the evil aura manifested at the heart means he most likely fell victim to black magic or witchcraft. But the reverse cannot be ruled out either — the deceased himself may have dabbled in black magic or witchcraft."
"Brother! Mind your words! This is the Castiel Ducal Residence!"
'The second son might have been involved with the evil aura?'
'It... doesn't seem entirely impossible, actually.'
I bore no particular grudge against the Castiel Ducal Family. But thanks to the second son, a smidgen of resentment had indeed taken root — and I, who had absolutely nothing, not even a smidgen, to do with any evil aura, had been hauled all the way out here. Innocent, pure, squeaky-clean, and good-hearted me, no less!
"If it isn't too much of an intrusion."
So I figured a few words here couldn't hurt, right?
"Just hypothetically. Truly hypothetically. If what the Holy Radiance Priest over there says is correct, then I believe the evidence for it won't be far away."
"Brother Heizen?"
"People have a need for control, you see. They only feel at ease when evidence of something lies where they can see it, held in their own grasp."
Of course, I hadn't forgotten those words — not for a second.
"Not that this means the deceased ever used the evil aura, of course. If the examination is finished, I'll be taking my leave."
I beat a hasty retreat from the room before anyone could drag me any deeper.
"Young Master."
"Oh — hey, Alia."
"Do you truly suspect the second son?"
"Beats me. Honestly."
"Then what you just said..."
"I never said for certain that he'd used black magic or witchcraft. All I said was that if the priests intended to suspect the deceased, the evidence might well be close at hand."
I'd only thrown that out because being summoned here in the first place felt so unjust. What could the Duke's second son possibly lack in life, that he'd go committing something that insane?
"...What is this."