Chapter 586
"Meow."
-Meow!
I was not sure why she's been playing this prank lately.
She kept opening her mouth wide and pretends to swallow my face.
Did she not know that from a cat's perspective, this was terrifying?
Regardless of whether it felt strange or not, it was just scary!
I'm glad she didn't bother with meaningless things like patrolling the Imperial Capital.
But, it was getting scary that she didn't seem to have anything else on her mind other than playing with the cat all day.
Ellen mumbled while lying face down on the bed, with me at the head of the bed.
Fortunately, Ellen hasn't been spacing out lately, which was nice.
I was glad that animal therapy seemed to be very effective.
"You're so cute."
Hmm.
You're not too bad yourself.
Of course, even so, when Ellen looked out the window at the still falling snow, her expression darkened.
It was coming down terribly.
There was nothing Ellen can do when the snow covered everything in the world. After all, snow was not a monster.
There was nothing a hero can do in a snowstorm.
So all that was left to do is rest.
After lazing around for a while, Ellen got up and hugged me.
Hmm.
Was it already lunchtime?
This must be what it meant for time to melt away.
Lunchtime.
Heinrich and Louise had finished their walk and were sitting in the banquet hall, eating in time.
However, the atmosphere was slightly different than usual.
Not the atmosphere between the two, but the atmosphere in the banquet hall.
“Students who wish to support the Imperial Capital snow removal work, please sign up and report to the dormitory teacher.”
The servants were announcing this to those entering the banquet hall.
The snow removal work must be overflowing all over the Imperial Capital.
Although it was not compulsory, there was a sense of responsibility and a sense of mission for those with power.
So, the place was crowded with students signing up.
Superhumans covered in blue flames of mana were not wielding swords and spears but shovels, clearing snow off the Imperial Capital.
Of course, there were not only superhumans but also magic majors and supernaturals. If they were to be mobilized for the Imperial Capital snow removal, they could provide significant help.
Wait a minute.
Ellen stopped eating and glanced at the bustling area of snow removal volunteers.
…She could do it, but.
A hero clearing snow.
"Ah, Ellen."
Heinrich pretended to notice when Ellen sat down with some food nearby. Louise von Schwarz was cutting a sausage next to him.
"Are you going to help clear the snow?"
"There's nothing else to do, so."
It was not a dangerous job, but…
Do you know that clearing snow can make you hate snow?
No, it seemed that she already hated it enough.
"If you want to do it, go ahead. There's no rule saying that using your abilities won't help. Who knows, there might be a good way if you think about it."
"Ah… Yes, sister."
It seemed that Louise had no intention of forcing Heinrich's actions and was already halfway to granting permission.
Right now, the snow falling on the Imperial Capital was the most urgent issue.
If the situation became too serious, I might consider contacting Liana.
Still, everyone had something they could do that helped people and wasn't dangerous, rather than just resting. That's why the usually quiet atmosphere was slightly exciting.
A considerable number of them were nobles and the cream of the crop from the Empire.
Faced with a crisis known as the Gate Incident, they fought for the sake of humanity.
No matter their origin, no matter how they were raised, their experiences had instilled within them the belief that they must use their power for the sake of others.
That was why, whether they were of noble birth or a commoner, they believed they had to take action when people were dying due to the snow.
While their thoughts seemed grand, in the end, they were filled with sadness.
Suddenly.
From somewhere.
There was a smell...like smoke.
There was a smell of smoke.
What was it?
Looking around, I couldn't help but find the source of the odor.
Ludwig.
"Ludwig...?"
Heinrich narrowed his eyes as he looked at Ludwig.
The smell of smoke was apparent, and he looked battered.
"Guys..."
Ludwig slowly approached Ellen and Heinrich.
"Help me..."
"Hey, what happened to you? Did something happen?"
Heinrich got up from his seat, and the others stared blankly at the disheveled Ludwig.
"Just...once..."
Ludwig mumbled blankly.
"Can you help...?"
He looked completely out of it, as if he had gone through something incredibly traumatic.
As it was clear that Ludwig had gone through a harrowing ordeal, Heinrich, Ellen, and Louise quickly finished their meal.
Exiting the banquet hall, they headed to the B-class dormitory lobby.
"First, you need to wash up. Are you injured anywhere?"
"No, I'm not hurt... I'm not hurt... yeah... I'm not hurt..."
As if broken, Ludwig repeated the same phrase, and Louise grabbed his shoulder.
"Go wash up first. Cool your head, change your clothes, and then we'll talk. Got it?"
"Yes... Commander..."
At the gentle but stern words of Louise, Ludwig nodded slowly, his face pale.
We all watched in a daze as Ludwig stumbled to his room.
"What happened to him? What on earth did he go through?"
"...I don't know."
"It seems like he was at a fire scene..."
Ellen, holding me, looked worriedly at Ludwig's room.
Ludwig soon washed up, changed his clothes, and returned to the lobby.
He still didn't seem completely at ease.
Ludwig was so distraught that he stammered as he explained the situation. He wasn't very articulate to begin with, but after experiencing something major, his words were even more tangled.
"Raid?"
"Uh... people... they set fire to the church where the priestess was... they looted... and killed everyone in the church..."
Ellen, Louise, and Heinrich couldn't help but widen their eyes.
"By the time I got there, it was too late. Everyone was dead. The church was on fire. I tried to find the priestess, but she was already... brutally... murdered... and the building collapsed..."
Ludwig was trapped under the collapsing building, but a superhuman like him wouldn't die from that.
Ludwig managed to escape from the collapsing temple, along with the body of Rowan.
Then, he watched as the arriving security forces and mages put out the fire to control the situation.
After investigating Ludwig, the security forces realized he wasn't involved and let him go.
The reason the smell of smoke was so strong on him was because he had rushed into the fire scene.
In the end, Ludwig could only return to the temple without being able to do anything.
"This can't... This can't be right. What did the priestess do wrong? It wasn't the priestess who did something wrong. What did the church people do to deserve this? People were talking as if it was a good thing that the fire broke out and that the dead were better off. This can't be right."
Anger could be felt in Ludwig's eyes.
"I... I don't know. I can't help but think that such things shouldn't happen. And..."
Ludwig looked at Ellen and Heinrich as he spoke.
"I understand that the people who did this must be punished. But how to find those people... I have no idea."
Ludwig muttered blankly.
"I saw the people who pillaged the temple and fled. I want to find them. I want to ask them why they did such a thing. Why they had to do that... I want to at least ask. They were trying to save people, they were good people. Why did they have to kill them...?"
Ludwig had even seen the culprits himself. However, he had no authority to investigate, and even if he did, he didn't believe he could catch them.
"I'm sorry. I know I don't have any right to ask this of you, but I can't do it..."
Sorrow, frustration, and anger swirled in Ludwig's expression and gaze.
Ludwig had neither power nor strength, and he didn't think he could solve it.
That's why he returned to the temple to seek help.
Someone who had power, strength, and wisdom might be able to help him.
There was only one person who came to mind for Ludwig.
"Can you help me... just once?"
Of course, there was no one else but Ellen Artorius.
Ellen nodded her head as if it was a matter of course, looking at the desperate expression on Ludwig's face.
"Yes, I'll help you."
Feeling guilty towards Ludwig, Ellen naturally couldn't refuse his request.
The arson, murder, and looting that occurred in the church of Tu’an.
Ludwig asked Ellen for help, and without hesitation, Ellen agreed to help.
Louise and Heinrich didn't answer immediately, but they quietly listened to Ludwig's words.
Ludwig explained what he had witnessed as much as he could.
"The priestess told me. There were people who desecrated the church and those who tried to set it on fire. Maybe... the people who did such things joined forces and caused this. That's what I think."
Hatred towards Tu’an and Als' faith occasionally led to attacks on churches.
Defacing and desecrating the church was common, and sometimes there were people who tried to set it on fire.
And that arson attempt had turned into an actual incident.
"Are you sure that everyone inside the temple is dead?"
At Ellen's question, Ludwig nodded his head.
"I didn't see anyone alive when I entered the temple."
Ellen, who had agreed to help, remained calm and composed.
"And you're saying this was done by 'ordinary' people?"
"I saw people looting the temple and leaving. They seemed to be saying things like food was better than these items. No, I didn't just think I heard it, I definitely heard it. Clearly."
Hearing Ludwig's words, Ellen, who had been contemplating for a moment, calmly spoke while looking at him.
"There are many priests who aren't particularly exceptional in their physical abilities. But a high-ranking Archbishop... Is it possible for them to be killed by ordinary people?"
Exactly.
That's the problem.
No matter how much resentment fuels the attackers, is it possible for an Archbishop and everyone in the temple to be killed?
I had the same thoughts as Ellen.
However, Ludwig shook his head at Ellen's words.
"I had that thought too. But if Priestess Rowan had been capable of fighting, she wouldn't have needed me as a bodyguard in the first place. And if something happened during the purification process... I would have fled with the priestess."
There's a point to Ludwig's words.
If Archbishop Rowan had the ability to fight for herself, there would have been no reason to employ Ludwig as a bodyguard. There's no reason for someone who can protect themselves to do so.
"Also, the church wasn't that big. I think... there were no holy knights. There were no corpses wearing armor either..."
The number of priests was extremely low, and the majority of the combat-capable forces were with the allied army. Furthermore, this wasn't the headquarters of the Holy Knights Order but rather an individual church of the Five Great Religions in the Empire, and it was small in scale.
It's understandable that there wasn't a single holy knight present.
The shabby church was in a state where it could be attacked by bandits, and it's not impossible for everyone to be killed.
Bandits could have invaded the church, killed the priests and believers, and set fire to it.
It's not an entirely impossible scenario. It's just highly unlikely, considering how much the faiths of Tu’an and Als are persecuted in the Empire.
Ludwig seemed to find it hard to bear that people's anger was being directed at innocent individuals in such a way.
"As you said, if this was the work of bandits, neither the guards nor the Holy Knights Order could catch all the culprits. The same goes for me."
Ellen doesn't have any special abilities either.
"Is that so..."
Ludwig thought that if it was someone other than himself, someone smarter, there might be a better way, so he sought Ellen's help.
However, if this was a bandit attack and looting of the church, there's nothing to be found, even if it's Ellen.
Ellen seemed to be lost in thought, silently considering the possibility that if what Ludwig said was true, she might not know either.
In such a situation, Louise von Schwarz silently looked at Ludwig.
It was clear that Louise had a great fondness for Ludwig's good-hearted nature, and just yesterday she had received his help.
Therefore, it was evident that she wanted to help Ludwig in any way she could during his struggle.
"There are a few issues we need to clarify, though I don't know the details."
"What kind of...?"
"We have to think about this incident in three stages."
Louise counts on her fingers.
"Murder."
"Arson."
"And looting."
"This incident can be divided into these three stages."
"So, the most important thing is the order."
"Whether murder comes first, arson comes first, or looting comes first. We need to clarify the attackers' initial purpose."
Louise breaks the case down into segments.
"There's a possibility that plunder was the motive. If they attacked the temple for that reason, they must have been discovered by the priests during the looting and killed them. In that case, it would have started with theft. When the theft was discovered, they killed the priests and later set the fire. I don't see a clear reason for arson, though."
Louise continued speaking slowly.
"Murder could have been the motive. If so, they attacked the temple, killed the priests, and then looted the empty temple. Perhaps they didn't want to leave the temple's belongings behind. The arson could be an expression of their anger, in its own way."
Heinrich was also listening attentively to Louise's words.
"The possibility of arson as the main motive is very low. If they set the fire, the priests would have escaped the temple. But, Ludwig, you said that all the priests were dead when you entered the temple. That means the arson must have happened after the murder."
The discussion about the order and purpose of the events.
Arson was ranked lower in priority.
Her words suggested that the motive was either plunder or murder, and arson wasn't the main goal. Ludwig seemed to lose his nerve at this.
"Why is the order important?"
"It's important," said Louise.
"Because the murderer, the plunderer, and the arsonist might all be different people."
Louise looked at Ellen.
It seemed like she wanted to know if Ellen understood the meaning.
"You mean that these three events could have happened at different times, by different people."
"Exactly."
Louise was suggesting that the events, which seemed to be a single incident, might have actually been caused by different people.
"Even if it was the work of bandits, the ones who killed the priests, stole the items, and set the fire could all be different, and the time when these events occurred could also be different."
"And,"
"Like you said, Ludwig, even if the temple's security was weak. I think this is the right way of thinking."
"No matter how many bandits there are, or how incapable the priests are in battle,"
"The likelihood of a high-ranking priest like an archbishop being killed by bandits seems very low."
Both Louise and Ellen seemed to think that this incident was not an ordinary one.
In the end, sitting and talking wouldn't change anything.
"Let's go to the scene."
That's what Ellen said.
The crucial difference between Ludwig and Ellen.
In the land of humans, there was no door that remained closed before the name of Ellen Artorius.
This holds true for the guards and the Holy Knights as well.
"Um... Sister,"
Heinrich cautiously addressed Louise.
With her usual stern expression, Louise looked at Heinrich. This person, who seemed utterly cold-hearted at first glance, ultimately killed her two siblings for Heinrich's sake.
It's hard to fathom how terrible she must feel about Heinrich and how much guilt she carries.
"It's a matter of helping a friend, so there's no reason for me not to do it. Besides, I could use a little action myself."
Both Heinrich and Louise have come to take a break.
They haven't come with a political purpose.
"Of course, if it's deemed dangerous, we'll have to stop."
Louise said this while looking at Ludwig.
"So, I'll come along too."
It seemed that, regardless of whether she was helping or not, she intended to make everyone back off if the situation was deemed dangerous. From her perspective, there was no reason to stand by and watch Heinrich get involved in something risky.
"Th-thank you..."
Ludwig's expression became flustered when, following Ellen, an unexpected person also offered to help.
What was this?
The situation was getting bigger.
For some reason, this matter didn’t seem like it will end ordinarily.
The people gathered here suddenly became involved in a suspicious affair.
Somehow, he had a feeling that the outcome wouldn't be very good.
Although he had a strong urge to stop it, as a cat, he could only meow and couldn't say anything else.
******Donation Status 25/30******
