"Inspector Dhana, this is such a high profile investigation. How can you bring amateur who doesn't even know the proper protocol onboard? Is there some kind of foul play here?"
Dharma looked at me with a frown.
"Tej, its…" Dhana was about to speak, but I interrupted her.
"The tragedy of Anta estate was apparent to anyone with a sane mind. Is someone who likes to take advantage of this situation to act out on his personal whims really suitable to be a part of this investigation?
I interned with the Investigation Bureau, only for a brief period of time compared to your experience, but even I understand the protocol.
According to the treaty signed between the Mage association and the Kingdom, when arresting an official of the mage association, an official of equivalent authority that serves the kingdom should be present.
Because of the unfortunate incident, I am the acting department head of the Mage gazette. A mere newbie who joined in as the Rookie Investigator just a year ago dared to barge into my recovery room and apprehended me with force while I was half naked.
I would like an official explanation for this."
I spoke with all the seriousness I could muster.
Dharma and Dhana looked at me and then at Likhma with deep frowns.
"Tej, my little brother acted on a whim and he didn't mean any harm. He only acted that way because of your old rivalry and I am sure he didn't mean to put you in a difficult situation…" Dharma was about to explain.
But I cut him off again.
"So, did he act on his position as Likhma Paras, your younger brother and the young master of the Paras family or did he act as the Rookie Investigator of the Investigation Bureau?
If it is the first case, is the Paras family going to take the responsibility for this? If it is the second case, you as his superior office are going to take responsibility for this? The investigation is about the murder and massacre of a Ducal family.
One of the families founded by a hero of the Old Era. A pioneer of the new era. A person who can joke around in this and use this for his personal rivalry? Inspector Dharma Paras, do you want me to spell it out for you? Don't you know by yourselves how much of incompetence shows on the Bureau's part?
You have dismissed and destroyed people's careers for less, right in front of my eyes. I have seen you throw some other investigators into jail just for suspecting foul play. Don't tell me, the infamous and impartial investigator Dharma is playing favorites now after judging everyone else who did so before him."
"YOU…"
Likhma seemed to have understood where this was going and he pointed his finger at me shaking in anger.
Dharma took a deep breath. His face was red, both in anger and embarrassment. He stood in attention with gritted teeth as he spoke loud and clear.
"Rookie Investigator Likhma Paras. Due to your display of ignorant and incompetent use of your authority and acting out on your personal whims and wishes in such an important case, you are immediately relieved of your duties as the Rookie Investigator.
You are to return to the capital and be detained in your home until you go through the formal procedures and receive your punishment.
Your reinstation shall be determined only after a judgement has been passed on your actions."
I smirked at Likhma who paled in fright. His legs buckled and he fell on his knees.
Dhana sighed in dejection before gesturing for the guards to uncuff me. Dharma gave me a deep look before sending his brother away.
One hour later.
In a restaurant within the Anta city. I was sitting along with Dhana. The restaurant was closed for operation for the past few days. Not just the restaurant, the whole city came to halt. Duke Anta was a great lord to have and he cared deeply for his subjects.
So, losing him made everyone sad. However, this is the only neutral place they could find to talk shop.
"Was that really necessary? I didn't think you are this petty." Dhana asked.
I just shrugged. To be honest, I was a bit impulsive. My reaction was indeed a bit excessive. Everyone knew what kind of person Likhma was, if it was not me and some other person, he wouldn't have acted this way.
I of all people knew it better than anyone. Because that guy was my rival for a long while back in the Academy. I beat him to be the valedictorian of our batch and we kind of parted on bad terms as I beat his ass in front of the whole capital.
He just wanted some petty revenge and I became petty as well because I was lost in anger.
"So, how is the investigation going? To see that even the special investigator Dhana has been deployed. The bureau is taking the matter seriously."
I spoke completely shifting the conversation.
"Why does your words say one thing and your tone suggests otherwise?" Dhana asked with a raised eyebrow.
And she was right. I was being sarcastic.
"Dhana, a duke died. A Ninth Ranked Knight. I have seen it up close. He was no stronger than a chicken in front of the perpetrator. You are an eight ranked magician and you are good with tracking, but I don't think you will be capture him.
In fact, I don't know who will.
Maybe Lord Paras himself might have to step in and I don't know even if he would be enough. But at least he will have a chance." I just spoke my mind.
"I knew that and that was my suggestion as well." To my surprise even she agreed.
"But?"
"Lord Paras is on an assignment far up north of the continent. He cannot come back for a while. So, I am the best we got."
"Well, its going to be tough."
"That's why, I put in a request to help and guess what I got."
She passed an envelop to me. I took it with a frown and read the contents. The more I read, the more my eyes widened.
"Fucking hell."
I cursed without reservation.
"Now, you regret being that petty, don't you?" She said with a playful smirk.
The letter was from the Head of the Mage association as well as the Deputy head of the investigation bureau. The gist of it was that up on Dhana's request, the Gazette office Tej, I, was loaned to the Bureau to assist in this investigation.
"Are you kidding me? I am just a sixth-circle mage. I got my ass kicked by one of his beasts and I even lost one of my ancient spirits. My survival was sheer luck to begin with. I will end up dead before I know it if I encounter him again."
"Come on, Tej. I know you are not going to stand by and watch. You are going to investigate this matter on your own. You are not going to sit still. I know you cannot let this go. So, this is the opportunity that I am giving you.
We can benefit from your unorthodox methods, and you can benefit from our manpower and resources. It is a win-win. And the mage association even put up a condition. You will be acting as the Gazette reporter and any findings you have are good to be published in the Gazette.
You will have full authority and even the Head of the Gazette cannot stop you. Your position as the temporary regional department head of the Mage gazette has been solidified and the official order will reach the Mage tower by this evening.
You can act out of Anta and you have the authority to use other Gazette offices across the continent as per your requirements.
You will not get this level of freedom anywhere."
And with that, I just buckled. The only problem was that I had to work with the guy who had to fire his own brother because of me. Now you understand why I explained this incident.
The moment I signed, a guy wearing the bureau badge barged in.
"Inspector Dhana, we got a tip. But we must hurry."
Both of us ran out.
Another hour later.
We were standing inside a village in front of a large empty space filled with rubble and ash. The smoke was still emitting from the debris. There was a clear distinct nature to that ash and I would have never forgotten it in my lifetime.
"It is definitely him."
I muttered. Dhana and Dharma also nodded.
The burn patterns and signs were all the same. Dharma and his team entered the ruins that were still warm with flames.
"If he just wanted to come here, he would have made it in less than an hour. With his strength, it shouldn't take that long. But it has been two days. What could he be doing?" I mused out loud.
"Not just that. The first target was a Ducal estate, but now he just burned down a restaurant that too in a kind of insignificant village. This is just a normal fishing village. The strongest person is just a rank-four mage.
Apart from acting as a resting spot for travelers between cities, it doesn't have any other significance. Why would he burn down a restaurant?"
Dhana posed a question. We were just thinking out loud when one of the officers brought a witness.
"I will talk to him. You check out the crime scene." Dhana went to talk to him, while I walked into the rubble as well.
But my luck wasn't that good. There was nothing that I could use. Everything inside was burned down. Except for the tiles on the floor and the occasional piece of stone wall, there was nothing left inside.
The skeletons were still warm.
The magic traces were also limited. The Bureau used a special technique to identify what rank spell caused the flames, but the result showed a first rank. Which the determined as an indefinitive answer.
I stepped back and took a picture of the building.
Luckily for us, Dhana got some information. The witness happened to be an employee of the restaurant and he was leaving when the Man in black entered the restaurant. When the employee was at the door, the man in the black was talking to the owner of the restaurant who was at the reception at that time.
"From his account, the man in black asked about someone named Janis. Apparently, he was the previous owner of the restaurant and he sold it to the current owner a while ago. He then left the city.
Maybe, if we find this Janis, we can find a clue into this man's identity."
That was something, but it was still way too little to go around. No one saw from which direction he entered the village and no one saw which direction he went after exiting the village.
There were not any people who even saw the incident completely. As soon as the black flames raged, practically the whole street became empty as everyone ran off.
At that moment, I saw someone walking into the street nervously. He talked to one of the Investigators who was checking the perimeter. They talked about something and the Investigator accompanied him as both of them walked to the building opposite the restaurant.
I frowned and watched as the investigator broke open the lock of the shed of the house and from within a horse came out.
I immediately ran.
"Excuse me, is this horse yours?"
I asked the man.
The man was trying to calm his horse down. It was clearly spooked. I could practically hear its heartbeat.
"Yes. Why are you…"
"I would like to buy the horse. I will give you three times the market price."
After five minutes, I managed to buy the horse and looked at it with excitement.
The horse might just be our witness.