"Commander, were the Obelisk Sorcerers able to retrieve any piece of evidence from the wreckage?" Ilya asked as she stepped on the piles of ashes that welcomed them.
"Rather than pieces of evidence, the Sorcerers took whichever items that weren't swallowed by the fire. All of which you'll see now is irrelevant to the case. Regardless, that's according to them."
"I see. Why do you think the Obelisk decided to seize the lead for this investigation?"
Though she had raised the query, Ilya wasn't in need of an answer. They all knew the reason, and it made the situation all the more perilous.
For a long while, the three of them did their own search.
Ruefully as the wreckage, they didn't discover anything that was worth commencing an investigation from.
Silverwares, painting frames, columns of treated lumbers, enormous shards of glass, the Obelisk Sorcerers truly abandoned insignificant objects. Far from disappointed, Ilya was glad to know that the sorcerers were quick to gather all the valuables.
'If I don't find anything here, then it's just a matter of negotiating with the Obelisk. I doubt that they'll chase me out, considering I am in the know of what they've been wanting for a long time.'
Ilya scarfed down the laugh that was threatening to spill out of her lips. She stopped on her tracks and looked down to her grimy feet. The Lady was only wearing a pair of flats, so there was a bit of regret inside of her. Even her white dress had turned into a different colour.
"Lady Gertrude, would you prefer if I utilize my Rahichna to separate the ashes among the debris?" Commander Halkias said, pulling Ilya out of her musings.
Without glancing at the man, Ilya shook her head.
"Even if you're able to preserve the position of every single element within the remnants, we won't have enough time to remove your Manna trail. The Obelisk Sorcerers won't be lenient if they are made aware of our intrusion."
"Fair enough, though I believe we're done searching the surface."
Those words compelled Ilya to give the Commander a look. She shook her head and uttered, "Before that, let's visit the cottage. The vault you're pertaining to is where the Empress had hidden her fraudulent treasures, right?"
Commander Halkias nodded as he approached Ilya. Seeing the two, Count Schatten joined them right in the middle of the wreckage that was the mansion.
"I am not familiar with the Hamlin Estate. Do the two of you perhaps know where that cottage is?" Ilya queried, roaming her gaze around the area.
Nearly all of the infrastructures were burned to the ground or lost their foundations, thus everything was out in the open. The territory was wide, so there were areas that wouldn't be seen on the horizon alone.
Thankfully, Ilya had an ability to see things from afar as if she was in front of them. Nevertheless, she couldn't make use of the full potential yet, at least not in that condition.
"If I recall correctly, it's by the northeast." Halkias answered, pointing his finger in the said direction, "Half of the children's bones are still there. Let's hurry."
Commander Halkias led the way, the two walking an arm's length away from him. Along their walk, the three dug through the piles upon piles of ashes with merely their gazes. They also paid attention to the burned-down establishments outside of the estate.
At that point, Ilya felt an itch down her throat. The joints in her hands stiffened, and so did their jaw. She started grinding her teeth, trying to scratch the uncomfortable sensation that rose up to her mouth. After a few seconds, she stopped walking and stared at the back of Halkias' head.
The man sensed her piercing gaze which beleaguered him to turn around. He met the woman's eyes as he inquired "Are you curious about something? Do ask."
"Where did the fire originate, Halkias? As I saw last night, it's from within the Hamlin Estate. But where exactly?"
"I figured you would ask that. Though the Obelisk didn't disclose that information. However, I managed to conduct an investigation of my own while they're preoccupied. The remnants of the explosive device were located inside the fountain at the back garden of the mansion."
"Fountain?"
Halkias raised his hand and pointed at the area that they just passed by.
"See those cement rubbles? They're parts of the fountain. The Obelisk took some of them."
Ilya wordlessly nodded her head and began to walk again. As she pulled ahead of them, the two men simply sighed and followed her lead.
In the wake of several minutes, the three reached the ruins of the small cottage. The darkened slabs of wood, piled up on top of each other, obstructed their view of the ground where they supposed the bones were.
Before Ilya could even say something, Commander Halkias and Count Schatten stepped forward and started displacing the slabs. Of course, they made sure to bear in mind the precise placing of every slab and bits, so as to preserve the scene of the crime.
To reduce the possibility of getting caught, the two men used pure brute force. Although Ilya wanted to help, she was certain that they would only find her bothersome. While she was waiting for them to finish, Ilya laid her eyes on the lake separating the estate and the neighboring district.
Because of the lake, the fire wasn't carried over to the aforementioned district. However, the lake was now polluted with debris and ashes. Dead fishes, birds, and other animals were floating on the surface as well.
"What a waste of a pristine lake." Ilya muttered, "I doubt that the Emperor would leave it in that st-- hmm?"
Ilya knitted her brows as she spotted a ripple arising from the lake. She closed her eyes tightly, and once she opened them, she blinked a few times.
However, she wasn't being betrayed by her vision. The small ripple was followed by another. And another. The Lady glanced at her companions to inform them, but they were still busy. Hence, she went and checked on her own.
Ilya had just taken a few steps when she stopped all of a sudden. Her eyes began to widen as she witnessed something emerging out of the waters.