Fortunately, Caroline had the sense to heed Schwarz's warning, and so everyone resorted to the second-best option, which was simply interrogating them in a more normal fashion. After getting the guards to head into the guardhouse for separate interrogations by her personal troops, Caroline rubbed her nose and motioned for Claud and the others to follow her into a lonely corner.
She looked around at everyone. "So, what do you guys think? There is proof that the city guards have been partially controlled or affected by some skill that targets the mind, and I haven't quite forgotten Absolute Domination skill just yet."
Claud thought for a moment. Quite a few city guards had been affected by the same skill, which meant that there had been a concerted effort to subvert the guards there.
No one would put in this much hard work for no good reason, after all.
"We should ask the hypnotised guards," said Schwarz. "If the enemy put in this much effort to turn them against the city, there must have been some goal in mind. At the same time, asking the unaffected guards about any odd obsessions by the hypnotised fellows might yield more clues too."
Claud nodded. Since Schwarz had said everything he had thought about, there wasn't much of a point in doing anything else. Besides, since they didn't know what the exact skill used on these guards were, having too many preconceived notions might just misdirect the investigation.
"The hole in the city walls definitely is important to the culprit, though," said Lily. "Why else would he try to stop Claud from walking around the walls?"
"It must have been important enough for the culprit to risk the chance of being caught too," said Dia. "What were the chances of Claud noticing it, had nothing happened to him?"
Claud was suddenly aware of the fact that the others were staring at him, and he placed a thoughtful expression on his face.
"I would have noticed the oddity, yes," Claud replied. "Even before we arrived at the scene itself, I had already noticed the sentries doing a really sloppy job. Furthermore, that pyramid of barrels wasn't there yesterday; if they were, I would definitely have investigated.
"Did you check the city walls from the outside?" Caroline asked. "Or do you usually just check it from the inside?"
"Only from the inside," Claud replied.
"I see. Well, unless there exists a skill that can make a hole in the city walls with a single use, it is safe to say that the enemy had been making that hole over the past few days. It's also possible that the culprit had been using his or her skills on the city guards in that same period too." Caroline closed her eyes. "Anyone who enters and leaves the city every day for the past few days is therefore a suspect."
"That's a lot of people."
"Yes, but I'm betting we'll be able to flush out quite a lot of people from this batch," said Caroline. "This is my city. No one makes holes in my walls and gets away with it."
Claud couldn't help but feel that there was something off about that statement, but he couldn't quite pinpoint the issue. After mulling about it for a moment, he shrugged it off and watched as she returned to her personal troops.
"Quite the character, isn't she?" Schwarz muttered.
"Yeah, the way she called this place her city was kinda inspiring," Dia replied. "A solid head on her shoulders too. Where did she come from anyway?"
"She came from a city that has been hitting the headlines recently," Claud replied. "Lostfon."
"She's apparently from the Lostfon family itself too," Lily added.
"Hmm. Well, that does explain about the expansion of trade between the two cities recently, although Nightfall's marital affairs had been painstakingly concealed from the public eye in general," Schwarz replied. "I knew that guy had a fiancée, but I didn't know who she was or her background."
"Alright, enough chatting," Claud replied. "We should head over before she gets angry at the sight of us slacking off."
Mana pulsed outwards from the guardhouse as they approached it, forcing everyone back by a step or two. A horrified scream followed a moment later, and before they could run over to see what had happened, the door of the guardhouse came apart as a bloody body smashed through it.
Caroline stepped out a moment later, her body surrounded by a rippling blue barrier.
"What happened here?" Schwarz asked.
"Someone tried to kill me," Caroline replied casually, before tossing a knife onto the ground. "He bounced off my mana barrier. Nice try, but maybe he should at least do some proper research on his target. Men. Tie him up and bring him back into the dungeons. Make sure he has no secrets left by the time I return."
The few remaining personal troops around her saluted, before carrying the unconscious, blood-soaked man away.
"My apologies," said Schwarz. "Our negligence…"
"No, not your fault," Caroline replied, her voice as light-hearted as five minutes ago. "Things like this are going to be a lot more common in the months to come, so do prepare yourself. Aran did tell you about what to expect, no?"
"Up to and including assassinations, eh?" Schwarz nodded. "He did tell us what to expect."
Claud could almost hear the unspoken second sentence that followed — that he didn't give them, the Moon Lords, a choice in whether they should participate in this chaos. Of course, the way Schwarz phrased it back then, when he explained the ins and the outs of the events that day, wasn't as forthcoming as the way Claud phrased it, but the gist remained the same.
They didn't have a choice.
"Good. Keep up your excellent work." She paused for a moment, and her head tilted to one side. "Ah. They're coming. The four of you…follow me to the city gates. As the city's mistress, I must be escorted at all times when facing people of a certain stature."
She issued a few more orders, before gesturing for Claud and the others to follow her. Since the guardhouse was right next to the city gate, they didn't really need to walk far, but for some reason, Caroline took the chance to arrange her clothes.
"Is it the inquisitors of the White Church?" Claud found himself asking.
"Yes. You've right. It is precisely them," Caroline replied. "Right. You four should get rid of their lingering stench, lest our visitors faint on the spot."
Her nose scrunched up a moment later, and Claud watched on with amusement as Lily made a sad face. Pulling out his Refresher — a better one that the one he used to have prior to joining the Moon Lords — he activated it, before passing it on the others for their own use too.
"Is that better?" Schwarz asked.
"Much better, yes." Caroline smirked. "If you still feel embarrassed, hand me one of those bottles. I'll dump it on them by accident somehow."
"Surely you jest."
"I am. Dumping bottles of liquid on visitors is not very diplomatic behaviour," Caroline replied. "In that case, I will just arrange for an accident that won't be traced back to us."
Claud wanted to know how she intended to do such a thing, since it was good reference material for anyone hoping to do dark deeds without being discovered. Unfortunately, Caroline didn't see it fit to share any of her intended plans with them, and Claud didn't want to be perceived as being too nosy about her thoughts.
That label would not do him any justice whatsoever.
"They're coming," said Dia. "Look sharp!"
A heartbeat later, three people dressed in the purest of white stepped through the city gates. There was something otherworldly about these three people; they had a unique air to them, as if they didn't quite belong in this world itself.
Time seemed to freeze as their leader, a petite young woman, locked eyes with Caroline.
"You must be Countess Nightfall." The woman smiled, but the only emotion Claud could gather from that expression was an infinite pity, as if the people before her were people who were suffering inconceivable agonies. "I am Clarissa, the Holy Daughter of the White God. I have come at the request of Deacon Gates, to investigate the death of the Lord's Blessed. We thank you for your hospitality."
"Please, do call me Caroline." She nodded her head in return. "We will cooperate with your investigations to the fullest."
The woman's smile remained constant, but the light in her eyes shifted slightly. "We thank you for your cooperation. Let us talk in a more secluded location, while my guards carry out the initial inspection."
"That will do. My escorts will lead the way." Caroline glanced at Claud and Lily, before turning back to her conversation partner. "We have a residence fitting of your stature; we can have a discussion about the Spear of Fate's passing there. Please, follow me."
"Very well."
Casting another glance at Claud, Caroline turned away from them and led the imposing young woman away by the hand.
Claud cleared his throat and glanced at the two men that had accompanied their mistress. "If there is nothing else, we will lead you to the crime scene."
The man on the right nodded. "Please do."