Chapter 40 – Artwork

The lights in the secret room illuminated a single, massive artwork.

Although the shape was extremely simple, with a giant hand raising its index finger and pointing downward, the materials used were bizarre.

For the finger joints were severed human arms and legs.

A man harbored a look of satisfaction toward the gory artwork.

He was naked, and he sat in his seat holding a ruby-colored wine glass.

Having appreciated the artwork to his heart’s content, he toasted his completed piece.

“Your Excellency’s artwork is always beautiful.”

The owner of the voice was not very unfamiliar.

Gerard turned his head to where the sound had come from.

Standing there was a silver-haired violinist.

A woman whose violin and the rapier she used as a bow were impressive.

“Seraphine, what do you think of this piece?”

She walked up next to him and stood by his side, taking in the completed product.

“Your Excellency’s artwork is always flawlessly beautiful. And that goes for this piece as well.”

“Is that so? Like your performance?”

Seraphine smiled subtly.

“You flatter me.”

“Your performance is also at the peak of art. It is truly a pity that I have no choice but to leave that beautiful artwork behind. If possible, I would like to keep it in my collection forever.”

“Your Excellency, an artwork only gains true meaning when it is shown to others.”

“Like your performance?”

As Gerard laughed, she lightly bowed her head.

“I have quietly put the surrounding area to sleep. There will be absolutely nothing to disturb you until early morning, Your Excellency.”

“Excellent.”

His touch gently explored her body, but she did not resist.

* * *

“He is a complete madman. A guy who has completely lost his mind.”

A senior investigator belonging to the Capital Security Bureau.

Edgar Rohan, arriving at the scene of the incident, could not hide his shock at the traces left behind by some crazy psycho.

Using corpses as materials, he had dumped out something that could not even be called art.

“Did this crazy bastard leave this kind of crap behind calling it art? It’s so disgusting I can’t bear to look at it.”

The crime scene was so gory that the young investigator openly gagged.

The area was packed with dispatched investigators, and soon another investigator who was examining the inside reported a fact.

“Investigator Edgar. There are more abandoned corpses inside. There are as many as dozens of them.”

“Dozens? Not just one or two?”

“Yes, they seem to be people who went missing in this area. We need to cross-check, but it is probably them.”

“What on earth happened here? Right in the middle of this capital. More importantly, were there no signs of resistance?”

“None of that is visible at all.”

“All those people didn’t resist even once? Were they drugged or something?”

“Could it be something like magic?”

“Or maybe it is related to demons.”

Just then,

welcome news was delivered to them.

“Investigator Edgar. Support has arrived from the Holy See.”

A reliable ally.

Edgar’s expression, which had been dark the entire time, brightened slightly.

“A cleric has arrived!”

“Actually… it is not a cleric, but an inquisitor.”

“What? An inquisitor?”

An inquisitor was a high-ranking official of the order.

‘Why would an inquisitor come here?’

Even if support came, it was usually clerics who visited.

An inquisitor was quite high-class personnel, both in the order and here.

‘I don’t understand.’

In any case,

that high-class personnel came to support was a good thing for him.

But there was more to be surprised about.

“Could it be…”

He felt the person was somehow familiar,

and it was that cleric who had once come to support as a cleric.

“Aren’t you… the cleric who dueled Heimdall in the past?”

Rashid recognized him without difficulty.

“You remember me. Yes. I am that cleric from back then.”

“My goodness… You became an inquisitor?”

Answering with a light nod instead, Rashid pointed to the attendant who followed him.

“This is my attendant, Sister Aria.”

“Sister…”

Edgar’s expression as he looked at her filled with doubt.

Her outfit was very different from that of a typical sister.

Usually, when one thought of a sister, she had a modest and neat image,

but her clothing was so tight that it brought clerics to mind, and she was even armed.

“Is she… really a sister? Her clothes seem a bit much. At a glance, she looks like a female cleric.”

Throwing neat attire to the dogs,

she, who had modified her habit at her own discretion, laid out a small excuse.

“I referred a lot to the cleric attire for the modification of the conventional habit. I am not a typical sister.”

Since she was a relative of the Director of Palace Affairs, there was no one to particularly object, and even Rashid, her superior, did not have much interest.

Because his thought was that since she was someone who would become an inquisitor someday, it was fine for her to dress casually.

Rashid also chipped in a few words.

“My attendant must be more suited for combat. If she were a typical sister, I wouldn’t even have brought her along.”

Whether it was a sufficient explanation,

Edgar did not comment on her outfit anymore.

He seemed to view her as just a female cleric.

“I see. More importantly, this is the crime scene. We also rushed over after hearing the news. It seems everyone who was in this area fell victim. I wonder what kind of madman did such a thing.”

Rashid stood in front of the object that could not even be called art.

‘It is exactly Gerard’s artwork.’

Aria stood beside Rashid, who wore a contemptuous smile.

She had an expression of indifference.

“What a nasty hobby.”

Then, as if she had remembered something, she smiled faintly.

She was extremely pleased that their prey had become ‘legal’.

“Are you certain that the culprit of this incident is that count, Inquisitor?”

This was a doubt she had harbored since she followed him.

Because he had concluded who the culprit was from the start, for an incident that hadn’t even been investigated yet.

Rashid did not give a crazy answer like “This is a world I have experienced once before.”

Instead, he gave an answer that could roughly gloss it over.

“While active as a cleric, I examined many different types of cases. They were my achievements, after all. But unusually, there were many cases of this type in Count Gerard’s autonomous territory.”

Rashid’s gaze, which had been looking at the monstrosity, shifted to her.

“Now it is happening in this capital. And the count happens to be staying in this capital.”

“It is a nasty coincidence to dismiss as just a fluke.”

“The count had already been on the suspect list multiple times from long ago. But his status as a count protected him. I have been certain since then. How about it? Is this a reasonable answer?”

“The suspicion is solid.”

Rashid sought out the investigator.

“Were there any other unusual details? Like hearing music.”

Edgar compiled the details of the investigation and informed him.

“Ah, there was a statement that the sound of a violin playing was heard the previous day. They said they happened to hear it while leaving this area on urgent business, and it was extremely sweet and sad.”

Rashid nodded as if convinced.

‘It is over. He is the culprit.’

Edgar expressed his doubts.

“Aside from that statement, there were no other special testimonies. There were no eyewitnesses at all. It feels as if everyone who was in this area was sucked into this place and victimized. What on earth is the reason? Could they have fallen victim to something like magic?”

Although there could be several possibilities,

the correct answer was already determined.

“It must be something like magic. Since it won’t be the tricks of a demon.”

“Is it not related to demons?”

“Because demons do not have such hobbies.”

Rashid pointed with his chin at the monstrosity displayed against the background of the pure white marble wall.

“If a demon did it, it would probably be more splendid and grand. It would have been the kind of work that humans dare not imitate.”

“Ah… then what kind of mage was it? Should we ask the Magic Tower for help?”

“There is no need for the Magic Tower. Since we have our suspicions anyway, we will catch the culprit ourselves. Just cooperate with us well.”

“Ah, you mean yourself, Inquisitor? That would be great for us, but…”

“I will contact you later. There is someone I suspect.”

As Rashid climbed onto his bike after leaving the chaotic crime scene, Aria, who followed him, expressed her doubts.

“Is there no need to look further? It seems you didn’t even take a look at the noisy inside.”

“The culprit is the count anyway.”

“You really did a lot of research. Seeing how you immediately visit the count after catching just a few details.”

“It was already over at the violin performance. That is the core.”

The two headed to where the count was on the bike.

The imperial capital, Arcadia, was composed of a total of four districts.

District 1, located in the center of the capital, where the Emperor and various nobles resided.

District 2, where the administrative and judicial districts were located.

District 3, where commerce and workshops were developed.

And finally, District 4, where the majority of citizens lived.

For reference, Basilica, where the Holy See was located, ignored the capital district system and formed its own independent zone.

Here, Count Gerard owned a grand family mansion in District 1, just like other counts, and its scale was quite magnificent.

‘It felt like a place he visited every time he targeted Seraphine.’

The two’s bike stopped in front of the main gate overlooking a giant garden.

Responsible for the security of the main gate were the empire’s conqueror knights dispatched on a short-term basis.

Mingling with the count’s private soldiers, they guarded the front of the main gate and blocked the two who arrived.

“This is the mansion of His Excellency Count Gerard.”

The conqueror knights recognized Rashid’s attire without difficulty.

“What brings you here, Inquisitor?”

At the same time, they seemed slightly bothered by the bike he had arrived on.

Because inquisitors usually rode in luxury vehicles.

Meanwhile,

one of the conqueror knights recognized Aria, who followed Rashid.

“Sir Aria? I heard that you left the knighthood.”

It was strange that her outfit was not even a sister’s habit.

Nor was she likely to have become a cleric.

It was Rashid who stepped forward before she could answer.

“She is acting as an attendant under me to become an inquisitor.”

“Ah, is that so? But what brings you here, Inquisitor?”

“I came because I urgently need to meet the count. Is His Excellency the Count inside?”

“Are you here on official business?”

The conqueror knight in charge of guard duty showed a slightly wary stance.

“I came because of an incident, but tell him I came to have a light cup of tea.”

“If it is not rude, may I ask what incident it is?”

“If you tell him it is about what happened yesterday, he will understand fully.”

The knight, bowing lightly, went to verify immediately.

The verification would not take very long.

In the meantime,

Aria, waiting with Rashid a short distance from the main gate, glanced at the count’s magnificent garden and said,

“Even if there is evidence, it won’t be easy. A count is a count.”

Rashid did not particularly deny it either.

“Indeed. Since he even commands an autonomous territory.”

Even so, he had no fear.

He was an inquisitor.

The order was backing him.

“Even so, he is just a mere count.”

Just as he said,

the approval came.

The giant main gate opened, and the knights made way.

“Inquisitor. His Excellency the Count is waiting. And His Excellency said to escort you as politely as possible.”

Through the open main gate,

a vehicle could be seen approaching, crossing the giant garden.

It seemed someone had thoughtfully called it.