Charles sat in the temple's great hall, his stern face contemplating the carved religious wheel symbol. Candlelight cast shadows across his sharp features, while dark silhouettes stretched across the cold marble floor. He heard footsteps approaching before someone settled beside him on the long bench.
Elias, the forensic doctor, turned to look at him. "Did you want to consult me about something?"
"I have two questions," Charles replied, his gaze still fixed on the religious symbol, deep in thought. "First... a friend of mine had an accident and lost his memory. He can't remember anything from his past. Is there any way to help?"
Elias furrowed his brow as he listened, then leaned back against the bench and sighed. "This condition is called amnesia, caused by brain trauma or chemical imbalances in the body. While not common, it's not particularly rare either."
"Usually, memories gradually return after some time with treatment, as the human body has remarkable healing capabilities. However, if the condition is severe or left untreated for too long, it can become permanent."
Charles turned to meet Elias's gaze, concern flickering in his dark brown eyes.
"Is there any way to cure it completely?"
Elias shook his head slightly, his face showing sympathy.
"The truth is, amnesia is a complex condition, with many misconceptions about it in society. The main treatment approach is memory therapy, stimulating the brain with various triggers to help patients gradually recall their past."
He paused briefly before adding in a serious tone.
"But what's most important is the patient themselves. They need fighting spirit, motivation, and full support from those around them. Emotional healing is just as crucial as physical treatment. Love and understanding from close ones play a vital role in helping patients overcome their obstacles."
Charles nodded slowly.
"Then... what if there are terrible things in the past they'd rather not remember? Could patients choose to forget them?"
Elias looked up at Charles, a faint understanding smile tugging at his lips.
"That's an interesting question. Pain and memory often go hand in hand. Running away might seem like the easy solution, but every part of our past, good or bad, shapes who we are today."
He let out a long sigh, his eyes showing a hint of sadness as he recalled his own memories.
"The past cannot be changed. All we can do is learn and grow with it. Whether your friend chooses to remember or forget, what matters most is standing by their side and supporting them fully. That alone can help tremendously."
Charles smiled appreciatively, deeply impressed by Elias's words. He thanked him warmly before falling into thoughtful silence to contemplate what he'd heard.
Elias patiently waited for the next question, knowing his previous answer might have affected the young man sitting beside him. The doctor's gaze fixed on the flickering candlelight swaying in the breeze.
'Dr. Elias's words are similar to other doctors. There's probably nothing new beyond this,' Charles thought to himself before moving on to his next query.
"When you performed the autopsy on Thomas Wright, you mentioned finding bruises suggesting he was beaten. Could the actual cause of death have been from the beating rather than ergot poisoning?"
Elias shook his head in denial. "No, those bruises were inflicted before death, though some may have appeared after. His death was undoubtedly caused by ergot poisoning. And compared to the other corpse we found in the room, Thomas had a much higher concentration of poison, considering his body weight and age, an extremely high dose."
"Edmund mentioned that Thomas had a habit of borrowing money from others and not paying it back. The bruises might have come from creditors roughing him up."
Suddenly, the wooden door burst open with a thunderous sound that echoed through the hall. Both men startled and turned to see a city guard rushing toward them, panic-stricken.
"Doctor! Something terrible has happened, there's another death in the village!"
Those words instantly drew shocked expressions from both men. They jumped up and rushed out of the temple after the guard, hearts pounding, minds filled with countless questions.
The rain had only recently stopped, leaving moisture hanging in the air. The muddy ground was still sodden, and a crowd had gathered densely around the scene. Officials worked to keep people away from a beautiful two-story house - the former village head's residence.
Entering the house, they climbed the stairs to the upper floor with Elias. The first thing they saw was a woman's body lying motionless on the bed. The deceased was Mary Thorn, widow of the village head who had died the previous year. She had been a beautiful young woman, but her corpse now retained none of that beauty.
Elias quickly stepped forward to examine her thoroughly, his expression grave. Her body was ice-cold, lifeless. She had died in her nightgown, her skin pale, with a nosebleed and blisters across her body. Most notably, she had suffered convulsions severe enough to distort her joints, similar to Thomas Wright's condition when found in the forest, though she hadn't been ravaged by wolves.
"The body shows clear abnormalities," Elias murmured.
Charles raised an eyebrow. "How so?"
Elias stood up, meeting his eyes. "The concentration of ergot toxin in her body is unnaturally high. It was the primary cause of her immediate death," Elias explained, then seemed to realize something. "Wait! Help me take the body back to the temple. I want to check something."
The officials quickly complied, loading the woman's body onto a cart amid fearful glances from the villagers. Suddenly, a young man in fine clothes pushed through the crowd, sobbing and desperately trying to reach the deceased, but was held back by the city guards.
Charles turned to ask a nearby guard, "Who is that?"
"Oh, that's Reginald Vineyard, a wealthy young man who owns the largest vineyard in the village. He was Mary's new fiancé."
Charles noticed the guard's disapproving expression. "Shortly after her husband, the village head, passed away, she became engaged to him. Many people were quite unhappy about this."
Charles nodded in acknowledgment, his gaze returning to fix on the corpse. The irregularities in recent events were becoming increasingly interesting.
They transported the body back to the temple for a detailed examination. This time, Charles chose to wait outside to avoid disturbing Elias's concentration. Hours passed as he drifted in thought about recent events, barely noticing when Elias finally emerged.
"How did it go? Anything new?" Charles jumped up to ask.
Elias let out a heavy sigh, holding papers filled with extensive notes.
"Just as I suspected, the poison concentration in her body was truly unnatural. I went back to reexamine Thomas's body and found similar levels of toxicity. She also had bruises on her body."
"How high are we talking about?" Curiosity welled up in his chest.
"To put it simply, let's say a loaf of bread contains a typical amount of contaminated rye. For Thomas and Mary to reach these toxin levels, they would have had to eat twenty such contaminated loaves!"
Charles's jaw dropped, his eyes wide with shock and confusion at the numbers.
"That's an enormous amount. It's practically impossible for someone to eat that much bread in such a short time without noticing something wrong. No, no ordinary person could eat that much bread in one sitting, and other villagers aren't showing similar symptoms..."
This observation from the young detective made something click.
"That's it!" Charles slapped the back of his other hand. "It's clear they didn't ingest the toxin through normal consumption. What if the poison came from another source? Like injection or direct mixing - the lethal dose would be much smaller."
Elias's eyes lit up as if suddenly realizing something.
"Yes! If concentrated toxin extracted from the fungus was mixed into food or drink, it could easily be masked by the food's taste and color. A small amount would be sufficient for a lethal dose."
"That's where it gets interesting," Charles nodded in agreement. "This poison must have been deliberately extracted. Otherwise, it couldn't possibly be this potent."
"We might be dealing with a psychopathic killer using ergot poison as a murder weapon," Charles gritted his teeth, clenching his fists, his eyes filled with determination. "We must catch them quickly, before anyone else dies."
They looked at each other, both knowing this was just the beginning of a horrific case claiming innocent lives. They would need to join forces to uncover the truth, no matter what risks they faced in pursuit of justice.
Before moving to the next phase, Charles gathered additional information about Mary Thorn's death for further analysis.
'Mary Thorn - preliminary examination showed she died around midnight in her private upstairs room. Doors and windows were locked from inside, with no signs of forced entry or struggle, though bruises were found on her arms and torso.
Thomas Wright died approximately one to two days before being found in the forest near the village, with bruises all over his body - some inflicted before death, others appearing afterward.' Charles analyzed the new information.
It had been another exhausting day for him. His next necessary steps would be:
First, examine the forensic evidence. This step was no longer necessary as Dr. Elias had already conducted a thorough examination and shared everything with him.
Second, thoroughly investigate the crime scenes and surrounding areas, questioning local villagers and acquaintances of the deceased.
Third, analyze the sequence of events from the collected information, processing all witness testimony and evidence to construct an overall picture of what happened.
Afterward, Charles spent the entire day surveying various locations in the village, interviewing people who might be connected to the victims - Edmund, suspicious villagers, local officials, and even the priest. He gathered information from every possible angle to compile and analyze the bigger picture of the case.
Charles entered the forest to search for additional evidence, but he didn't go alone. He brought armed soldiers as guards in case of danger like last time. At the spot where Thomas's body was found, the mud still held moisture, though the body had been removed.
As night fell, Charles sat in his narrow room reviewing all the evidence he had gathered. An orange candle cast a soft light, thin smoke drifting through the air. His dark shadow stretched along the back wall, swaying with the wind from the window. His hand moved a quill pen across paper borrowed from Edmund, summarizing his investigation.
Before long, he had organized all the information into categories, forming a clear sequence of events.