With the departure of the Bishop. The unrest around the statue starts to dissolve. They took all the bodies with them. People began to return to their homes. While it was now just Lowell, her group, and then us.
The Commander of the Guard had left. She left to make a report to the governor. Whilst the Commander left to deal with the looming threat that had gotten even bigger. He had taken a few of the mages that Lowell had brought with him.
It looks like they were going to reinforce the wall with more defense spells. Also, they planned to check and see if they could find traces of black magic. In an attempt to see if any mages had gotten into the city.
The working conclusion that everyone had come to was that a mage was most likely responsible for the deaths. Especially with how everything was laid out and precisely done.
At this point, my mouth was on fire. I wanted blood and I now had to deal with Lowell. She was not that fond of me to put it simply.
Now that she had lost her granddaughter it seems that she was even more on edge. Her eyes had been burning a hole in my forehead practically. It was safe to say that she was suspecting me as the number one culprit.
But I did not have a hand in it. It seems like this test was trying to frame me as the villain to say the least. Almost all the odds are stacked against me. However, it wanted me to preserve under this adversity by somehow finding the culprit that was responsible for this all.
Not that I had any idea who had done it…
I was just as lost as everyone else!
"Where the hell were you?" She growls at me.
Her hands were knotted into a fist that was resting atop the table. A magic barrier had been erected to block out the sound from our conversation. Of course, that was at the behest of Odd. She probably would not have spared spreading the fact that I was a Vampire if it was not for him.
I am positive that she wanted to form a squad to kill me. Even though there was no evidence that I had a hand in this. That probably did not matter to her at this point in time.
"I was at the Guildhall. If you do not believe me. I have two adventurers that I was dining with," I told her evenly.
Sitting across from her I had a clear view of her. Her orange eyes are practically smoldering with rage. Nothing was going to make her happy unless she had blood.
"Cheap story. This has Vampire written all over it! I should execute you on the spot!" She scoffs as she snaps her fingers.
The mages at her side all step forward.
I prepared a knife.
The task is given never said that I would be penalized if I killed anyone. It had only given me a task to prepare the city guards and soldiers. Killing her might make it more difficult to fulfill the task of saving the city for Theodora.
However, she had never specifically indicated that I needed to save the city. She just wanted to enlist my help to accomplish or try to accomplish that task. Other than those stipulations�� there were none.
Smirking, I was ready to spill some blood if necessary.
One of the mages launched a small fireball towards me. It was burning a bright blue it was one a higher level than the ones that the goblins had shot at me. This was more concentrated.
Standing with inhuman speed. I switched the dagger out for the Odachi that I had. Raising my arm, I open the sheath and drag the sword out of it.
The heat of the fireball licks my face. I slide it in half. The flames fan the side of my body and I point the sword towards the mage. It was not a great distance and my sword easily reached his throat.
With the excess fire diverted behind me, the tent caught fire.
"Enough," Odd snaps as his voice booms.
Wind expanded from his body and smothering the flames in wind. Before it could completely burn the tent to the ground.
The sword that I had at the throat of the mage did not waver. The mage was a man with fire hair and red eyes. His mouth was quivering.
Mages are inherently weak physically. It was a magic-based class that was strong in long rage offensive capabilities.
Defiantly not something that I wanted as a class. It would be stronger, but generally, you would specialize in an element. Much like this mage in front of me.
"Lowell, you have no evidence that Hollis committed this ritual," Odd says evenly.
Lowell scoffs and leans back in her chair. Acting as if there was not a sword pointed at her subordinates' neck.
"I honestly have no idea why you're favoring her like this! She was a past servant of the Black God. How can we believe that she does not serve him anymore?" She snaps while glaring at Odd.
"You are not thinking clearly. I have been following her for the whole evening. If she had done anything that was a threat to us or the people here. I would have killed her myself," he says rolling his eyes.
Glancing towards him, I felt fear crawl up my spine. He had been following me the whole night��
I hadn't even noticed that someone was following me.
Just what sort of monster was he? I was starting to suspect him more and more.
Lowell opens her mouth to speak but stops. She inspects him a bit more and then lets out a sigh. Snapping her fingers again the mages step back, except for the one I have at sword point.
"Hollis," Odd says.
I look towards him. His green eyes are gentle but firm.
"Remove your sword," he says evenly. He said it in a way that leads me to believe that it was not a command but rather a suggestion.
Looking back to the mage, I press the blade closer pricking his skin a little bit. Blood dribbles slightly but I remove my Odachi.
Flipping the long blade around. I slide the blade back into its sheath and sit back down. With my sword at my side. My right hand coiled around the sheath.
Nodding his head, he looks between me and Lowell.
"We are wasting time fighting among ourselves. The trail on the culprit is growing cold. You should act more like one of the four guardians," he sneers at her.
Lowell's face twists into a dirty scowl. If looks could kill, then he would be dead at least ten times over, to say the least.
Controlling her facial features, she closes her eyes and looks back at him.
"My mages have already scanned the area. It does not appear that they were killed here with magic. If anything, they were probably brought here and displayed. As for the two women that were pulled from the wings, they were most likely killed at the scene of the ritual," she quips shortly.
"We should look into the daily activities of the girls," a mage speaks up.
"That will take far too long. With the looming threat of the Goblin invasion. We'll be strapped for time and resources," I speak up.
The glare that I received was venomous.
"There no quick way to go about this search," Odd says.
The silence weighs heavy in the air.
There had to be some way to figure get an idea of who might be responsible for the death. Biting my lip, I try to think of a solution.
"We could have half my mage work on something. Even if we have to prepare, we cannot have an internal threat on top of an external threat," Lowell presses.
"That somewhat viable, but we need more barriers to be put up. We might see a gladiator or champion among the goblins with the sight of this ritual. The wall can't be allowed to fall," Odd leaning on his hands.
"What about enlisting the guards?"
"That wouldn't work either."
I ignored them.
All of a sudden an idea came to mind.
「'Blood Controller'」
It might be possible to that trace the source of the blood. But I never tried to use it to locate any blood. However, that did not mean it would not be possible to test it out.
Not to mention the fact that I had the 「The Hermit」. It had that on skill 「The Lamp of Truth」.
That could turn out to be really convenient. Now time for the big question! Do I share this information with these two? Or rather, do I investigate on my own?