Septus 2, 3023 A.M., day of Satur, 9:01 a.m.
Vivian along with 5 other trainees were walking on a street while being led by a male Gold Cloak Inquisitor named Craft.
As for Vivian's period, it already went away two days ago. Ever since she was interrogated by Blanch, the only places she went to were her room, the classroom, and the shops to buy food and supplies.
She also did some training inside her room. But since she was on high alert in case they would arrest her, she always made sure to keep half of her mana and she also didn't buff her [Halo] with [Greater Origin Enchant].
Vivian and company continued walking until they reached a building and entered. Upon entering the building, the Inquisitor led them to a room that looked like a lounging area that had food and drinks, and a private bathroom and toilet.
Craft turned to them.
"Since there are six of you and Inquisitors work with others on the field, I will allow you to group yourself by two. But if you prefer to work on your own, then that's your choice.
"It's one pair or person at a time and you will only have 2 hours to complete the Final Practical Exam. So some of you will have to wait here while the others are taking the exam."
The trainees looked at each other.
A male trainee approached Vivian.
"Excuse me, sister. Mind if you want to be partners?"
"Sure."
"I'm Crusader Blade."
"Crusader Heliza."
In the end, out of the six trainees, only four partnered up with each other, while the remaining two went solo.
"So who would like to go first?" asked the Inquisitor. "Once you're done taking the exam, you're not allowed to come back to this room. Also, while waiting inside this room for your turn, you're not allowed to leave this room."
One of the trainees who decided to go solo stepped forward.
"I would like to go first, Brother Inquisitor!"
No one protested.
"Okay, follow me," Craft said and then exited the room with the trainee, leaving the rest inside the room.
"Since they set up this food and drinks right here and the exam lasts for 2 hours each, we might as well partake in these," a male trainee said as he went over to the table to grab some drink. "It's a crime there isn't a server to serve us."
Everyone observed him and waited for him to drink to see if there was anything suspicious about the food. After confirming he was fine, the rest decided to sit down at the sofas but no one other than him partake in the food.
"Sister Crusader Heliza," Crusader Blade, Vivian's partner, called.
"Yes?"
"What are your thoughts about the situation?"
"I have no idea."
"Same here. But do you think there's a possibility that we will also be graded on who takes the initiative and who doesn't?"
"Maybe. But just like I said earlier, I have no idea."
"I think we should volunteer next to take the exam."
Vivian thought about it for a moment.
"Okay."
She looked at the rest of the trainees.
Out of the remaining five trainees, only three carried weapons. Vivian was one of the people who didn't carry any weapons.
"I'll be on the corner training. Call me if you think about anything important," said Vivian.
She grabbed a chair and went over to the corner of the room.
Crack!
She broke one of her fingers and the sound caused everyone to turn to her.
[Heal].
A faint yellow light enveloped her body.
"I guess that's one way to kill some time," one of the trainees said.
As for the others, they made a mental note about Vivian.
A battle freak who is more suited to the Infantry Division. And if it turns out that she's also smart, it would be a terrifying combination.
***
Two hours later.
The door opened and Craft entered.
"Who's next?"
Crusader Blade immediately stepped in and saluted.
"Brother Inquisitor, my partner and I would like to volunteer next."
No one inside the room protested.
Earlier, they discussed among each other who was next. But thanks to Blade's persuasion and the impression that Vivian imprinted inside their heads, they decided to let them go first.
"Follow me."
***
Vivian, Blade and Craft were standing in front of a three-story building called Nora's Inn. From their vantage point, it looked like the building had three rooms on each floor and each had a window which was all closed and there was also a human dummy made out of wood wearing clothes lying on the street in front of them.
"Assume that dummy there is a human and is dead," said Craft.
"Your goal is to assess what was the victim's cause of death.
"There are people around the area whom you could ask but you're not allowed to use [Halo] and [Resurrection].
"You have 2 hours to finish this exam and you may begin now."
Craft then went over to a bench on the side and sat down.
Vivian and Blade looked at each other before heading over to the human dummy.
"Do you think we're allowed to touch it, Sister Crusader?" asked Blade.
"I think," Vivian said before kneeling down on one knee and moving the body. "The clothes have no blood."
"Poison?" asked Blade.
Vivian pressed her mask near the body.
Sniff.
Sniff.
"I can smell a faint scent of beer or some kind of alcohol."
Blade knelt down on one knee and pressed his mask near the body as well.
Sniff.
Sniff.
"There's also a faint scent of cologne."
"Are you sure it's a cologne, not from laundry soap?"
"Yes, I've smelled this cologne before. I can't remember the name though."
Vivian checked the pockets of the dummy and all she found were some coins and a pen.
"A pen? Is he some kind of writer, merchant or something?" asked Blade.
Vivian checked the hem of the dummy's sleeves but found nothing.
"I don't know. But at least with his clothes, we can assume that he's neither poor nor rich, just right in between."
Blade nodded.
"I agree."
Vivian got up and looked around her surroundings.
The street looked like any normal street. There were rows of buildings on each side of the street, people were walking around going about their day, and a homeless man was sleeping on the side of the street with a bottle of liquor beside him.
There's homeless here…?
I never expected that…
So even in a place like this there' s useless people like that…
She returned her gaze to Blade.
"I have two theories."
"What are they?"
Vivian turned to the three-story inn called Nora's Inn in front of them.
Aside from each floor appearing to have three rooms with a single closed window on each room, the building also had a flat rooftop.
"My first theory is that this person was drunk and jumped off the rooftop. However, this is only a dummy so we can't actually see if there are any broken bones. But the neck of the dummy seems to be slightly bent."
"The neck of the dummy is slightly bent?"
"Check it yourself."
Blade inspected the dummy.
"You're right. Everything seems to be anatomically correct aside from the neck."
"So either the Inquisitory Division made an accidental mistake or this is something deliberate."
"And your second theory?"
Vivian turned her head away and looked around her surroundings.
"My second theory is that this person was poisoned by a needle or ate something poisonous. However, again, since this is a dummy, we can't see any foam on their mouth and we also can't actually see if there are any punctured wounds on the body. But we could try to open its body and see the contents inside."
Knock.
Knock.
Blade knocked on the dummy's body.
"It's not hallow."
Vivian nodded.
"I see."
"So the likely cause of death was from jumping off from a roof?"
"I think. But I don't think they gave us 2 hours to solve a case this easily."
"You're right."
"You ask around the area and I will ask the people inside this inn. Let's meet here after 30 minutes."
"Okay."
They both split.
***
Vivian entered the inn and noticed a woman wearing a mask without any sun symbol on the forehead sitting behind a reception desk.
"Hi, excuse me."
"Praise the God of Light that you're finally here, Honored Crusader…!" the woman suddenly said, causing Vivian to be slightly taken aback by the sudden outburst. "One of our customers who was renting room 3-C committed suicide by jumping off of his room window and broke his neck upon landing…!"
Huh…?
Is this it…?
Is this the answer…?
Like, is this how easy the exam is…?
Vivian looked around to see if there were other people around.
There's no one here…
She turned to the exit.
Blade will come back after 30 minutes…
She returned her gaze to the innkeeper.
"How do you know the victim broke his neck?"
As far as she was concerned, the human dummy was made out of wood.
"It's obvious from the injuries of the body…!"
Vivian recalled the dummy's oddly shaped neck which was slightly bent.
Maybe that's it…?
"Oh, I see. May I check the room?"
"Of course, Honored Crusader…! I promise that I haven't touched anything inside the room ever since I discovered Juiles' body…!"
Juiles…?
The dummy has a name…?
And wow…
This woman is really putting the effort in acting…
***
A door opened and Vivian and the innkeeper entered a room.
Vivian swept her gaze around and a dark expression appeared on her face.
The dummy has a better room than me…
The room was small but it was bigger compared to her room back at the dormitory. There was a one-person bed, a desk with a stack of papers and pens on top of it, a cabinet, and a closed window.
No bathroom or toilet though…
She glanced at the stack of papers on top of the desk and went over to read the contents.
"Juiles was some kind of a poet, Honored Crusader…" said the innkeeper.
Vivian turned to the innkeeper.
"A poet?"
"H-He goes to a tavern three buildings down every night because he believes that alcohol allows him to think deeper in writing poetry… But if you ask me, I think he just loves alcohol a bit too much…"
Vivian returned her gaze to the stack of papers and read a few lines.
A human dummy alcoholic poet…
She turned away and continued inspecting the room when suddenly her brows knitted together.
The window is closed…?
She turned to the innkeeper.
"Is this really the victim's room?"
"Yes, Honored Crusader," the innkeeper said and then pointed at the plate on plastered on the door.
3-C.
Vivian went over to the window and opened it before sticking her head outside.
There were two windows below her, one on each floor, and there was the human dummy lying down on the street.
The position of that human dummy aligns with the position if I were to jump from this window…
She pulled her head back and closed the window.
"When was the victim's body discovered and who discovered it?"
"Around 6:00 a.m… And it was I who discovered it when I went outside to sweep at the main entrance…"
"No one else spotted the body?"
"Other people did… But they thought Juiles was just passed out drunk as usual..."
"Passed out drunk as usual?"
The innkeeper nodded.
"As I mentioned earlier, he goes to a tavern three buildings down every night because he believes that alcohol allows him to think deeply in writing poetry. And in the morning, when I go out to sweep at the main entrance, I would find him there passed out drunk as usual and would have to help him to his room."
"Is it a common occurrence for the victim to be passed out drunk in front of the main entrance of the inn or are there other places he passes out drunk as well?"
"As far as I know, it's only at the main entrance."
"Was there a time he didn't pass out in front of the main entrance and managed to sleep in his room?"
"A few times, like maybe 1-2 times a week."
"So not every night?"
"Yes. In fact, last night he came home around 10:00 p.m. which was quite early. Usually, he would come home around 3:00 a.m. when I'm already asleep."
"What time does this inn closes?"
"Around 10:00 p.m."
"And who's in charge here?"
"I am. I am the owner of this inn and I have two part-time employees at the moment."
"Where are they?"
"I don't know exactly where. Maybe at their home or working somewhere else. One only comes here every morning around pass 6:00 to take out of the trash. Meanwhile, the other only comes whenever some repairs in the building need to be done.
"When was the last time that the second employee came here?"
"Two weeks ago. There was a problem with one of the windows in the kitchen so I had it fixed."
"How long has the victim been staying here?"
"About a month."
"Does he have any companions in this room?"
"No."
"How about family, friends, acquaintances or workmates?"
"In the entire month that Juiles has been staying here, I've never seen him talk to other people other than the ones at the tavern. During the day, he stays inside this room to sleep and write, and then at night he goes to the tavern. That's his daily schedule."
"Are there other tenants in this building?"
The innkeeper shook her head.
"No, just him."
"Do you know any other reason why the victim drinks aside from believing the alcohol helps him write poetry?"
"Other than my suspicion of him being addicted to alcohol, nothing."
"Was the victim a successful poet?"
The innkeeper nodded.
"Yes, he was."
Vivian glanced at the closed window before returning her gaze to the innkeeper.
"Is there a room below this room?"
"Yes, room 2-C."
"May I check it?"
"Of course, Honored Crusader. Please follow me."
The innkeeper turned around and headed for the stairs.
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Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed this chapter!
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