Halkias and the rest of the Order of Ghealach spent an entire night cleaning up the Gertrude Estate. They also had to remove the barrier surrounding it. The task required the knights to break the barrier without causing a ruckus, making their job all the more arduous. Thereafter, they had to gather as many ashes as they could as requested by the Court of Justice.
Reverend squinted his eyes as he looked at the bright sun towering over the continent. He was quick to avert his gaze, but he could still feel the lingering heat of the sun on skin. He was tired from moving around, being the prospective Vice-Commander of the Order.
Aside from being the messenger of the Commander, he had to command the knights and soldiers on the scene in the absence of Halkias. The Commander was summoned by the Imperial Palace to keep them informed.
It's safe to say that the members of the Order of Ghealach were starting to become exhausted. They could still carry on with their duties. However, they would appreciate it if the nobles didn't come and go, only to bother the men of the Third Order.
Unfortunately for the nobles, the men of the order wouldn't raise a single complaint lest giving them an opportunity to scrutinize their Commander.
Having had enough of staying under the Sun, Reverend quickly entered the Huntingtton Palace. He walked straight towards Halkias' office, arriving no less than a couple of minutes later. He knocked twice on the door and helped himself in right away.
"Commander, the clean up has just finished. After this, I will be paying a visit to the hospital to check on the bodies of the victims." Reverend announced as he closed the door behind him.
Meanwhile, Halkias' hand didn't stop for a single second as he wrote the report for the incident. There were already two one-inch piles of parchments beside him, and they would only continue to increase. He had to get the documents ready before the proceedings in the Court of Justice began.
One of his responsibilities was to list the names of all the staff employed by the Dukedom and their background information. There was also the issue of the legality of the properties of the Gertrude Family.
Regrettably for him, most of the documents regarding the internal affairs of the Gertrude Dukedom were burned to ashes. It would've saved him a great deal of time if they managed to procure some.
"No, do not bother visiting the hospital. A few sorcerers from the Obelisk will be procuring the bodies later." Halkias said, casting a brief glance at Reverend before resuming his work.
On the other hand, Reverend was a bit bemused at his Commander's answer.
"Why is that, if I may ask? Didn't the Emperor command you to take over the bodies?"
"At first, His Majesty did give me full possession of everything that is connected to the incident. However, the Obelisk struck a deal with His Majesty. They wanted to conduct an experimentation on the bodies to see if they can extract something out of them. Once they're done, they have to return the bodies in the condition that they were found."
Truth be told, Halkias tried to reject the request from the Obelisk. However, the Emperor himself laid down the verdict, thus putting Halkias in a more perilous situation. He had to keep the matter hidden from the eyes of the Court of Justice for as long as possible.
Reverend knew what position his Commander was in. Not only was he being pressured from all sides, but he also had to maintain harmony among them. Halkias wasn't the sort of person who had the patience to go through such procedures.
With that in mind, Halkias was indubitably on the verge of exercising his temperament. Reverend, or anyone for that matter, had to be wary of what they would say in front of Halkias from that point on.
"I understand, Commander. I'll order our men to erect a temporary barricade around the scene of the incident. I'll make them return once they're done. As for--"
Interrupting Reverend's speech was the sound of the door creaking open. He turned around to see the unprecedented visitor and was in for a surprise. Reverend immediately gave a salute ahead of his greeting.
"Vice-Commander Varea Chequer, what brings you here today?"
Instead of responding to Reverend, Dame Chequer made sure to address Halkias first.
"Commander Halkias, Vohladfinus." She uttered as she saluted.
"Yes, what brings you here?"
"I was sent by the Commander to acquire the documents. She was ordered by the Emperor to take over the documentations to allow you to rest."
"Is that so?" Halkias replied rather nonchalantly.
Even if the duty of documenting was taken away from him, he wouldn't use his free time to rest. There were a lot of things that he had to sort out on his own. Still, he couldn't pass up the chance of lessening his workload, so he hastily put down his fountain pen and stood up.
Halkias pointed at the piles of parchments on his table and spoke, "This, this, and this, you can bring them back to your headquarters. There are more details to write. I haven't jotted down even a quarter of what is required."
"Duly noted, Commander."
With a nod, Halkias began to make his way out of his office, leaving Reverend and Chequer to shrug their shoulders.
Halkias' feet moved as if they had their own minds. Soon, they brought him to a place that he had been wanting to visit ever since earlier.
'It won't be of any harm if I visit now. The jurisdiction of the bodies is still on the Third Order.' He thought all the while heaving a shallow sigh.
He proceeded to enter the hospital, prompting most people to stop what they're doing to greet him. Vatar Halkias was the heir-apparent of the Ducal family of Halkias. Above that, he was one of the Commanders of the Empire's knightage.
With his tall stature and lean body; chiselled face riddled with well-endowed features such as his thin lips and downturned eyes filled with turquoise-blue irises; brunette hair styled in an undercut; Halkias was one of the most-sought bachelors within the Empire. No wonder he could garner everyone's attention as easily as showing up.
Halkias didn't have to ask where the bodies of the Gertrude family were kept. Reverend had already informed him beforehand.
As he was about to take a turn, someone bumped into him, making the other person fall to the ground. The nurse looked up, and to her shock, it was Halkias. Withal, it wasn't the right time for her to stay on the floor. She quickly took a stand and bowed at the man.
"Your Grace, please hurry to the private room on the sixth floor." She half whispered, half shrieked, "One of the victims had regained consciousness!"