Staring at the bloody and brutal scene before him, Char fell into silence for a long, long time.
Impaled by a spear through the chest, the head crushed.
Such a familiar sight.
Ten years ago, he died in the hands of that Black Armored Knight in the same manner.
The same method, the same annihilation of humanity. It seemed that the gruesome reality was proclaiming to him what fate awaited those who opposed them.
Executioners?
No, they were a group of cold-blooded beasts!
Char took a deep breath, took a few steps forward, and prepared to examine the corpse.
Judging from the state of the body and the flies swarming around the wounds, the person had been dead for several days.
In other words, the letter sent to the academy couldn't have come from Arin's hands.
After all, these people were capable of reconstructing Char's state before his death, making it highly likely that they had recognized his true identity—the orphan of disaster from Lundy City.
And judging from the timeline, the cause of everything might be the highly publicized duel that took place earlier.
Perhaps it was at that time when Char, revealing his true strength to everyone for the first time, drew their attention.
At the age of 16, he was a Five-Star Great Knight, awakening the embryonic form of the king's knight Force Field, and possessing mysterious abilities that allowed him to temporarily reach the level of a Transcendent Knight.
Unprecedented and peerless, to say the least.
Char took a deep breath, his mind filled with various thoughts.
He had many informants, but only Arin encountered such a situation. This indicated that he might have truly discovered some clues, touched the limits of those people.
However, with his death, everything became unknown.
After searching for so many years, finally obtaining a slight lead, only to witness it being severed before his eyes.
This feeling was truly unbearable.
"I will definitely avenge you."
Looking at Arin's body, Char pressed his right hand firmly against his chest and solemnly bowed to it, his expression devoid of emotion.
As if sensing the sincerity of his vow, the headless corpse's hand, which had been tightly gripping its stomach, suddenly lost its strength and softly fell to its side.
Char froze.
He suddenly sensed something unusual.
Why did Arin tightly hold that position before his death, not even letting go when his spine was severed by the spear?
Char immediately took two steps forward, stepping onto the dilapidated and dirty bed. His gaze moved upward, to the broken half of the chin, where a dark hole extended down the esophagus, straight to the stomach.
Without much thought, Char raised his hand and condensed a small droplet of black liquid, controlling the Ember to flow into the depths of the corpse's esophagus.
Although it was a liquid, one of the characteristics of this ancient artifact was that it would never be contaminated by any impurities. Therefore, Char controlled it without any psychological burden, carefully searching within the corpse's stomach.
Soon, there was a result.
Accompanied by the convergence of the black liquid, it surged out of the esophagus like venom. Char's eyes instantly lit up.
In front of him appeared a mass of paper wrapped in solidified wax.
He really left something behind!
After wiping it slightly, Char separated the wax and unfolded the relatively well-preserved paper inside.
As expected, it was densely written with numerous sloppy handwriting, as if done in a hurry.
Lit by the moonlight that streamed in from outside, Char began to read it carefully.
"When you read this letter, I'm probably already dead."
"I thought it was just a regular commissioned task, finding enemies for that kid, but damn, it unexpectedly involved a major noble family!"
"If you, Char, see this letter, you better give me a knock on the head!"
"Hehe, of course, if I'm still alive, it's a different story. I'll make you take me to the most expensive brothel on Main Street in Minden and let me taste the flavor of dwarf girls."
"Alright, time is running short, so I'll make it brief."
"If you have the chance, you must investigate Count Violet's mansion. If my guess is correct, there's definitely something hidden beneath that estate!"
"It was there that I encountered a mysterious person wearing a black robe. I accidentally noticed the sun emblem embroidered on his chest, just as you described. After leaving there, I became the target of relentless pursuit!"
"The assassins are from the Night Shadow Society. Based on my speculation, they definitely have intricate connections with that mysterious organization."
"Beware of the Black Mask!"
"Oh, by the way, Countess Violet has a damn huge chest, like two melons."
"Hahaha, just kidding. I barely escaped a chase not long ago, so my mind is a bit scattered. These are the only useful clues that came to mind for now."
"If I'm really dead, don't dwell on it too much. After all, I'm alone and vulnerable, wandering in the capital city, living on the edge of a knife, prepared to die at any moment."
"After all, that's just how things are in this world."
"Damn, this is so messed up."
After silently reading the final letter, Char's thumb unknowingly sank deep into the paper, creating deep creases.
"Yeah, this is so damn messed up," he murmured softly, echoing the sentiment.
After bowing once again to Arin's body, Char placed the letter into the pocket on his chest.
Count Violet.
Although the title itself may seem far from the Grand Duke Algier Althia, another member of the Round Table Twelve Nobles, in reality, Count Violet is a separate branch of the family.
The current head of the Violet main family is the renowned Duke Lautossos.
As the eldest son of the Duke of Violet, this Count had earned numerous military achievements during the war era over a decade ago, leveraging his family background. He was repeatedly promoted beyond his peers and obtained the title of count within a few short years.
To Char's surprise, it turned out that this Count had some connection with the "Sun."
Moreover, it seemed to be a significant and intertwined relationship.
As he pondered, Char began walking towards the door.
However, to his utter astonishment, at that moment, a frantic cry for help echoed from a nearby alley.
"Murder! Someone's been killed!"
Char furrowed his brow, intending to use the "Veil of Concealment" to escape the scene, but then he heard a dense and heavy sound of footsteps approaching.
A group of security guards who happened to be patrolling nearby quickly rushed into the alley, with the lead knight in full armor immediately locking his gaze onto Char.
This was the capital city, the upper district, unlike the chaotic lower district. The level of security and scrutiny of extraordinary abilities was much higher here. After all, it was a city where countless nobles and dignitaries resided, and being cautious was never excessive.
Char pondered for a moment and decided not to rashly flee from the scene.
He sensed a faint scent of conspiracy in the air.
So he lifted his hands gently and said with an unwavering expression, "My name is Char Adelaide, the youngest knight of Norton Academy. My mentor is Sir Sitar, the former Knight Commander of the Tower of Judgment. Even Mr. Lucius, the academy's headmaster, holds me in high regard."
Since the time of the victim's death had passed many days ago, and he had a solid alibi, countless students and teachers from Norton Academy could vouch for him.
Besides, he was not without support at the moment.
Upon hearing Char's words, the knight in armor looked at him with some surprise. He ordered the surrounding soldiers to surround Char but did not arrest him. There seemed to be a hint of wariness. Then, the knight entered the crime scene.
After a few seconds, he came out covering his nose and carefully scrutinized Char, then asked, "You saw us, but you didn't run. Do you think you can't escape, or are you claiming that you didn't kill this person?"
Char shrugged, "Of course, it wasn't me. Didn't you see the mark left on the wall?"
"The mark?" The knight in armor looked at him with confusion. "What nonsense are you talking about?"
Char furrowed his brow, about to take a step forward, but he was stopped.
"I won't do anything. I just want to take another look inside."
Char spread his hands and explained.
The leading knight nodded.
Under the crowd's escort, Char once again entered Arin's room.
As he gazed at the wall next to the body, his pupils contracted slightly.
The incomplete sun symbol and the threatening message that had been smeared on the wall had disappeared without a trace, as if they had never appeared in this room.
...
After being arrested without resistance, Char was immediately transferred to the Tower of Judgment.
As the superior department of the city's security forces, when faced with significant or complex cases, their first choice was to hand them over to professionals.
So, it didn't take long for Char to appear in a relatively tidy interrogation room, wearing shackles, sitting on a chair. In front of him was a rusty iron table, and above it, a dim, flickering magical light source.
Whether in this life or the previous one, it was his first time being taken into custody.
Perhaps to create a certain psychological pressure on the suspect, the surroundings were set up like this, and he was left waiting here for a long time.
He didn't know how much time had passed.
Just as Char was starting to feel somewhat bored, the door of the interrogation room suddenly swung open.
It was a slender wrist, and the five fingers gripping the door handle were adorned with a seductive pale purple color. From the appearance of the hand alone, one could roughly guess that a young beauty had entered.
Imprisonment, a female investigator, and a prisoner.AV.
"Miss Inspector, here is his specific information, but... why do you insist on conducting the interrogation alone?"
"Don't ask too many questions. Just stay here and make sure no one disturbs this place."
After opening the door, the woman did not immediately enter. Instead, she whispered something to a subordinate outside the door.
Char had good hearing, so he keenly caught the key points of their conversation.
Insist on conducting the interrogation alone?
Char felt a slight sense of astonishment.
From her tone, it seemed like they knew each other?
But no matter how Char thought about it, besides Mr. Sitar, who had already left the Tower of Judgment, he couldn't think of any other member of the Tower of Judgment he knew.
The answer was revealed the next moment.
As the door of the interrogation room was fully pushed open, a long-haired woman dressed in the standard long coat of the Tower of Judgment, wearing black knee-high boots, walked in so naturally.
She was a bewitching young girl with shoulder-length jet-black hair, snow-white skin, and a perfectly placed teardrop mole at the corner of her eye. It was set off by her uniform, making her look exceptionally cool and confident.
There was a tantalizing smile on the corner of her mouth.
"Do you remember me, Viscount Adelaide?"