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Sea Sand Bar was roped off with bright red tape, and the Knights were guarding all the doors.
Anyone passing by this area didn't even dare to take a second look; they hurried away as fast as they could. In the Holy Kingdom, when the church's knights and red caution tape appear together, it only means one thing—Tainted Miasma pollution.
Good news, though—the small area roped off and the few knights on the scene meant it wasn't a huge deal.
-Inside Sand Sea Bar.
"So, Mr. Renji, let me confirm one more time," said a member of the Knight Squad, reading from his notes.
"At 4:16 p.m., gang members from Callewa's organization barged into Sea Sand Bar on Belon Street. Their leader claimed to be an Eclipse and tried to extort protection money from the owner. During the handover, the leader lost control and turned into a monster, attacking everyone indiscriminately. To save yourselves, you and the gang worked together and killed the monster. Is that correct?"
He looked up at Renji, a young man dressed in a brown suit with a clean, handsome face.
"Do you have any corrections or additions to my notes?"
"No, you've got it all. I've told you everything I saw. So, can we go now? Honestly, this place gives me the creeps."
The knight looked at Renji with understanding and said .
"I'm sorry, Mr. Renji, but we'll need you to cooperate with us a bit longer."
"Fine, but please hurry."
"Don't worry, we'll let you know as soon as our investigation is complete."
The knight gave Renji a salute, tapping his chest, and quickly left to report to their team leader overseeing this incident.
As Renji watched the knight leave, he began to think.
These so-called knights weren't the armor-wearing, sword-carrying types.
They were more like an armed force set up by the church.
If you had to make a comparison, Renji saw them as something like city cops—wearing uniform gray suits, carrying handguns, and wearing cross pins.
The Holy Kingdom, as the name suggests, is completely ruled by the church, which essentially acts as the government.
But like Eileen first told him, Blackhole Plains is a bit different. It's got its own history and location that let it be more independent. The church doesn't fully control it; it's more like gang territory.
But no matter where they are or who's in charge, the church has a duty to keep the peace. When pollution happens, they're the first to get people together to clean it up, stop it from spreading, and help anyone who's hurt.
That's the first rule written down by the goddess "Suthia" in the holy book when the kingdom was founded.
And for hundreds of years, that's what the church has been doing.
No one dares go against it.
At least, not openly.
"Here you go, Captain Durin. This is what Renji, one of the people who made it out of the bar, had to say," said a young knight, running up to a middle-aged guy and giving him some paperwork.
From the way the young knight addressed him and the extra stripes on his uniform, it was clear this "Durin" was the leader of the Knight Squad for this case.
But Durin didn't seem too bothered. He waved off the young knight's report, not even glancing at it.
"Just tell me, is it any different from what others have said?" Durin asked, looking sideways.
"Not really. Apart from some minor details, everyone at the bar pretty much said the same thing," the young knight replied.
"Hmm," Durin snorted, as if he'd expected this. "So what's your take on this pollution incident, Tamic?"
The young knight, Tamic, stood up straight before sharing his analysis.
"First off, like you've always said, I didn't rush to the scene. Instead, I talked to a few people who left the bar before everything went down. From what they said, at least the first half of the story seems true: Callewa's gang came into the bar and tried to get protection money."
Durin interrupted, "Okay, but when you say 'at least the first half,' you mean you have doubts about the rest?"
"Yes, Captain Durin, and big ones," Tamic nodded.
"Go on, what's bothering you?"
"I have three major concerns," Tamic began. "First, according to the survivors, they teamed up with the gang to fight the out-of-control Eclipse. But when we look at the bodies, it's only the gang members who are dead. No one from the bar got hurt. How does that add up?"
"Maybe they just got lucky, or maybe the gang members were closest to their boss, so they were the first to go," Durin countered.
"That could be possible" Tamic said, "but that brings me to my second point. When we checked the gang's bodies, they mostly had their throats cut. That doesn't look like the work of a rampaging monster."
"And finally, my third big concern is about Mr. Renji and his companion," Tamic continued.
"They claim they missed the chance to leave the bar because they were scared, but something about them just doesn't vibe with the whole scene here."
"So they stick out like a sore thumb?"
"Exactly, Captain!" Tamic nodded, looking excited.
"So, you've got a pretty clear picture in your head about what went down?"
Durin asked, patting his pocket for a cigarette and then realizing he didn't have any.
"Damn,"
Tamic didn't notice his captain's small actions and went on with his conclusion.
"Captain, here's what I think happened. Callewa's gang showed up to extort money, but something went sideways. They clashed with some third party inside the bar. The gang got their butts kicked, and their boss probably lost control because he was cornered, turning into a monster. But even then, they managed to kill him."
After laying out his thoughts, Tamic looked nervously at his captain and mentor, Durin, one of the most skilled knights in the area.
"You're on the right track. I think you've got it," Durin said, giving Tamic a nod of approval.
Feeling amped, Tamic immediately asked, "So should I round up some people to arrest that couple?"
After all, in his theory, this "third party" was pretty clear. Just two people managed to wipe out an entire gang and even killed a Miasma Monster. All signs point to one thing.
Those two are also Eclipses!
Too bad.
Before Tamic could even step out, a rough, calloused hand grabbed him by the collar and pulled him back.
"Captain?" Tamic looked back, puzzled, at Durin's stubble-covered face.
"Tamic, you've got the investigation skills down, so it's time you learn the next important skill to be a great knight."
"And that is?"
"How to stay alive,"
Durin said, ignoring the confused look on Tamic's face. He walked away, heading toward a young man not too far off.