Halkias was beginning to become weary of waiting, coupled with the fact that he was standing beside an uncommunicative companion. Aside from calling for more men to assist the ones assigned at the mansion, he had been watching his men dig for nearly ten minutes.
Truth be told, he would've been digging with them if not for their vehement request that he stand idly. The knights and soldiers couldn't bear to let their Commander partake of such a trivial task. Thus, bringing Halkias to his present predicament.
His left foot ceaselessly drummed the ground of ashes as he surveyed his men. At that point, he heard a shout coming from one of them.
"Commander! Come and see this! We've come to a breakthrough."
Halkias nodded his head, muttering, "Finally, why did you all take so long?"
Right then, Halkias briskly walked towards the area where they discovered the bodies of the woman and the young man. Only, he had to walk a little further where his men had gathered.
When they saw their Commander, the men of the Third Order opened up one section of their encirclement for him.
"What are you all looking at?"
Halkias didn't need an answer once he entered the circle.
No, he didn't want to be answered. He could sense another headache striking him again if someone made the situation clear to him.
For a brief moment, Halkias observed what his men had extracted from the mountains of ashes. Lamentably for him, he was able to identify each and every one of the corpses.
"Duke Brahm Gertrude, Duchess Sorsiana Hamlin-Gertrude, Marquis Horen Gertrude, Lady Ophelia Hamlin-Gertrude," He muttered, barely breathing in between names.
What bothered Halkias wasn't the identity of the corpses. The presence of holes on their chests was what aggravated him. Not to mention the three cardiac organs that were bunched at the Duke's feet.
"Sir Reverend!" Halkias roared, "It seems that we have our suspect!"
From that point on, the entire Third Order was commanded to hasten the search for evidence. Meanwhile, the bodies of the Gertrude Family were covered with clean blankets and transported to a nearby hospital using carriages.
The intact bodies of the members of the Gertrude Family and their unusual cause of death greatly interested the Obelisk sorcerer. Hence, he asked Halkias for permission to accompany their bodies to the hospital. Of course, Halkias had no reason to reject the request. This time, the sorcerer would go as himself rather than in Reverend's appearance.
Reverend, after changing identities with the sorcerer, shortly joined his comrades.
On the other hand, Halkias remained in the scene of the crime to oversee the operation. He took it upon himself to search through the ashes even no matter how many objections were raised.
As luck would have it, the smoke had cleared off, allowing them to conduct their search more efficiently. Despite how bleak their search was looking, the men of the Third Order diligently explored every nook and cranny they happened upon. Though, it would take them half a day at least, by virtue of just how big the Gertrude estate was.
"I believe it's safe to use my Rahichna now. We've discovered the most important pieces of evidence after all." Halkias muttered to himself, though Reverend happened to hear him.
"Yes, I concur, Commander. Look at you. You're only twenty-three years of age, yet you give the impression that you're already in your fifties with those lines on your face."
"Your statement is highly irrelevant, Sir Reverend." Halkias replied without giving the young knight a glance. "Inform the others to get a secure hold on the ground. I'll make it quick."
"Understood, Commander."
Reverend then gave a salute and proceeded to summon some men to deliver the message. In the intervening time, Halkias sought a spot that wasn't covered with many ashes. In due time, he found an area a short walk away from where he was standing. He immediately made his way towards it.
However, halfway into his walk, he stepped on something rigid. He looked down to where he was stepping on, tapping his foot twice on that very spot thereafter. Confirming that it wasn't his imagination, Halkias started to dig.
"What is this?" Halkias uttered as soon as he saw a wooden surface.
He picked it up and dusted the ashes off of it.
"A box?" Halkias then opened the box, "There's nothing in here."
As opposed to disappointed, Halkias was intrigued by his discovery. The fact alone that the box survived the fire when the mansion didn't was a testament to its durability. There was also a potentiality that it had something to do with the incident itself.
"Sir Reverend, come here."
Reverend approached Halkias in a haste. His gaze fell immediately on the box that his Commander was holding.
"What is it, Commander? And what is that box?"
"I don't know but I'll be imploring you to hold it on my behalf."
Halkias handed over the box to the young knight. As he did so, he leaned in on Reverend's ear and whispered, "Make sure that the sorcerers of the Obelisk won't find out about this box. If they discover it, I'll cut your head off."
Reverend knew better than considering Halkias' words as a jest. The sinking feeling upon hearing the threat amplified his fear.
"I will act in accordance with your order, Commander Halkias."
Without further ado, Reverend absconded the area to give Halkias room to manoeuvre. Second of all, he didn't wish to stay with his Commander when he's that solemn.
Halkias, who had rooted his footing, slowly closed his eyes as he heaved a long sigh. Having a Rahichna whose main element was the wind, the most efficient way for Halkias to gather Manna was through breathing.
"Rahichna, Custos Venti, cuir an gniomh"
Because of the ashes, no one was able to see the magical array that Halkias was carving on the dirt. Halkias was planning on drawing an array as wide as the area of the whole Gertrude estate, so it would take him a bit of time to finish. During this stage, his concentration should not be interrupted. Otherwise, he would have to start from scratch once more.
Succeeding nearly five minutes of pure silence, Halkias finished carving the array. He subsequently opened his eyes and took a deep breath for the uncountable time in a row. The moment he completed his preparations, Halkias brought down his incantation.
"Zemlya Vetra"