Deeng, deeng!
The twelve bells that signaled the beginning of the funeral had all stopped. But there was no sign of the meal actually starting.
“Does this make sense?”
The high priest who was supposed to lead the ceremony disappeared without a trace. The priests who came with him also said that they had no idea about the high priest's whereabouts.
“Who was the last person to see High Priest Milod?”
Liene, who couldn't wait any longer, came forward and called the priests and deacons from the temple. They all looked at each other with bewildered expressions but were unable to come up with a satisfactory answer.
“But still, there must have been someone who saw it. When did you see your subordinates?”
"That is..."
The priests talked for a while and then explained the general situation. First of all, it was certain that the high priest had come out of the temple. Everyone saw him coming down, hanging on the rope and shaking. After the priests came down, the coffin came down, and six coffins were loaded onto the cart. Some priests said they saw the high priest on horseback, and others said they did not. Putting together the various stories, the high priest’s whereabouts became unclear after arriving at the royal chapel.
“Who was the person who assisted him most closely?”
“Um, that’s...”
Here the answer becomes ambiguous. Those who served the high priest were the deacons. Usually, the deacons were chosen from among the younger deacons, and they took turns serving them.
“But today, no one came down from the temple.”
Today, the priest did not accompany him. The reason was that since seven priests were accompanying him, there was no need for the priest to accompany him.
“Then we need to find other witnesses.”
The ones who carried the coffins on the cart were Tiwakan. Liene, standing in front of the altar, turned around and looked for Black among the people sitting in the chapel chairs. Behind the altar were six coffins, and behind them, the funeral attendees sat in chairs or knelt on the floor. Black was sitting in the front row.
“Lord Tiwakan.”
His face also seemed to indicate that there was a problem.
“What's going on?”
“The whereabouts of the high priest are unknown. Can we speak to those who accompanied him to the temple?”
"Yes."
Black answered obediently and turned his head to the back. It was a small gesture, but Fermos quickly detected the signal and approached.
“Yes, my lord.”
“Do you know anything about the disappearance of the high priest?”
“Yes? The high priest?”
It seemed that Fermos had no idea either.
“How could something like that happen... I’ll look into it right now.”
“If there was an accident, there must have been intent.”
“Of course, my lord.”
Fermos left the chapel in a hurry. By this time, the people waiting for the funeral could not help but notice something was going on. A small murmur began to spread.
“Who... do you think did this on purpose?”
Liene asked in a low voice. When she said that there was an intention when an accident occurred, that was the only way to interpret it.
“There are those who have complaints.”
“Ah... I guess so.”
Liene glanced at the Kleinfelter family members sitting at the very back of the seats. Linden Kleinfelter was visible. Lafitte did not come, perhaps because he was conscious of people recognizing his face. If the accident was intentional, then Linden Kleinfelter was the culprit.
“Does this make sense?”
The high priest who was supposed to lead the ceremony disappeared without a trace. The priests who came with him also said that they had no idea about the high priest's whereabouts.
“Who was the last person to see High Priest Milod?”
Liene, who couldn't wait any longer, came forward and called the priests and deacons from the temple. They all looked at each other with bewildered expressions but were unable to come up with a satisfactory answer.
“But still, there must have been someone who saw it. When did you see your subordinates?”
"That is..."
The priests talked for a while and then explained the general situation. First of all, it was certain that the high priest had come out of the temple. Everyone saw him coming down, hanging on the rope and shaking. After the priests came down, the coffin came down, and six coffins were loaded onto the cart. Some priests said they saw the high priest on horseback, and others said they did not. Putting together the various stories, the high priest’s whereabouts became unclear after arriving at the royal chapel.
“Who was the person who assisted him most closely?”
“Um, that’s...”
Here the answer becomes ambiguous. Those who served the high priest were the deacons. Usually, the deacons were chosen from among the younger deacons, and they took turns serving them.
“But today, no one came down from the temple.”
Today, the priest did not accompany him. The reason was that since seven priests were accompanying him, there was no need for the priest to accompany him.
“Then we need to find other witnesses.”
The ones who carried the coffins on the cart were Tiwakan. Liene, standing in front of the altar, turned around and looked for Black among the people sitting in the chapel chairs. Behind the altar were six coffins, and behind them, the funeral attendees sat in chairs or knelt on the floor. Black was sitting in the front row.
“Lord Tiwakan.”
His face also seemed to indicate that there was a problem.
“What's going on?”
“The whereabouts of the high priest are unknown. Can we speak to those who accompanied him to the temple?”
"Yes."
Black answered obediently and turned his head to the back. It was a small gesture, but Fermos quickly detected the signal and approached.
“Yes, my lord.”
“Do you know anything about the disappearance of the high priest?”
“Yes? The high priest?”
It seemed that Fermos had no idea either.
“How could something like that happen... I’ll look into it right now.”
“If there was an accident, there must have been intent.”
“Of course, my lord.”
Fermos left the chapel in a hurry. By this time, the people waiting for the funeral could not help but notice something was going on. A small murmur began to spread.
“Who... do you think did this on purpose?”
Liene asked in a low voice. When she said that there was an intention when an accident occurred, that was the only way to interpret it.
“There are those who have complaints.”
“Ah... I guess so.”
Liene glanced at the Kleinfelter family members sitting at the very back of the seats. Linden Kleinfelter was visible. Lafitte did not come, perhaps because he was conscious of people recognizing his face. If the accident was intentional, then Linden Kleinfelter was the culprit.
However, she did not understand it well. To the outside world, today was Lafitte Kleinfelter’s funeral. They had to pretend that they did not want to postpone their eldest son’s funeral.
“I still don’t understand why. You may not like having the funeral at the Royal Chapel, but there is no other suitable place anyway.”
“Then it means that your complaint is not about the place but about something else.”
“Somewhere else?”
“Like people, for example.”
“...”
It was at that moment that an ominous thought occurred to him. Was he... angry because the high priest accepted Tiwakan’s money and decided not to postpone the wedding date? That’s why he’s venting his anger like this?
“I still don’t understand why. You may not like having the funeral at the Royal Chapel, but there is no other suitable place anyway.”
“Then it means that your complaint is not about the place but about something else.”
“Somewhere else?”
“Like people, for example.”
“...”
It was at that moment that an ominous thought occurred to him. Was he... angry because the high priest accepted Tiwakan’s money and decided not to postpone the wedding date? That’s why he’s venting his anger like this?
...No, he’s not the type of person to just vent his anger. He must have thought of something worse...
Boom!
Her thoughts were cut off by the chapel door hurriedly opening.
“My lord! I think I have found the high priest!”
It was Fermos. He rushed into the chapel with his mercenaries.
“Yes? Where?”
The problem was that the high priest was nowhere to be seen, despite the words that he had been found.
“I think it’s in here.”
“What... did you say?”
Everyone's eyes followed Fermos's fingertips. What Fermos was pointing to was one of the six coffins.
“My lord! I think I have found the high priest!”
It was Fermos. He rushed into the chapel with his mercenaries.
“Yes? Where?”
The problem was that the high priest was nowhere to be seen, despite the words that he had been found.
“I think it’s in here.”
“What... did you say?”
Everyone's eyes followed Fermos's fingertips. What Fermos was pointing to was one of the six coffins.
***
Grrrrrrrr...
The coffin lid began to move. Fermos, who had gone out to find witnesses, came back with a different piece of information. He said that one coffin seemed particularly heavy.
“There is nothing like a coffin to hide a body.”
Fermos muttered as he watched the coffin lid slowly open. One person was gone, and one coffin had become heavier, so the natural answer was that someone had entered the coffin.
Yeah... Boom!
Finally, the coffin lid opened completely.
"Ah...!"
"Ah...!"
Liene let out a single sound. There were two corpses inside the coffin. The upper corpse, which clearly looked forced in, was the high priest.
"Also."
Fermos muttered, fiddling with his monocle.
“It couldn’t have been an accident since it was hidden like this... Someone must have killed him on purpose.”
No one could deny that. Liene turned her head sharply and looked at Linden Kleinfelter. He, too, seemed bewildered and leaned forward, looking at the corpse of the high priest. That was why she was confused. Wasn't he the culprit? It had to be him. Why was he making such a surprised face? As if he didn't know at all.
“I guess we’ll need one more coffin.”
At Fermos's words, the priests finally realized the reality of death and looked dumbfounded. Some even knelt down and recited prayers.
“So who will lead the funeral today? Are you prepared for this situation?”
The sudden question caught the priests off guard.
“That’s...nothing yet...”
“Are you saying that the funeral should be postponed?”
“Ah, I guess... If the position of the high priest is empty...”
“Oh, my. I thought so. Is there a candidate for the next high priest? Or should we start with that?”
“...”
The seven priests all fell silent and rolled their eyes. There was no candidate for the high priest. And the nobility council was the one to decide on the candidate. Linden Kleinfelter stood up.
“The matter is urgent, so we must convene the Council of Elders as soon as possible to decide on a candidate for the High Priest, Your Majesty.”
“...”
Liene gritted her teeth slightly. How shameless.
“Of course, Lord Klinefelter.”
“We will soon conclude the meeting and present a new high priest.”
It was no different from saying that the next high priest would definitely be a human who would follow his will.
"Let's go."
Linden Kleinfelter led the crowd out of the chapel. He showed no sign of caring, even though it was supposed to be a funeral for the eldest son of the family.
“Don’t think you’ve lost because of this.”
Someone grabbed her hand from behind. It was Black.
"... Yes?"
Liene lifted her chin and looked at him. Her clear, mirror-like blue eyes reflected back at hi..
“Now it’s my turn to take charge of the security of Nauk. All I have to do is find the culprit.”
"Ah..."
Liene let out a small exclamation. Black was right. Linden Kleinfelter had overlooked one fact. The reason he had been able to get away with everything he had done so far was because there was no power to check the Great Council. But no longer. The Arsak family had welcomed a new Guardian Order, and now the security of Nauk was their responsibility.
Linden Kleinfelter had dug his own grave. The crime of murdering the High Priest could not be covered up by any force.
“It was self-inflicted wounds.”
There was just one problem left.
“If only we could find the evidence.”
There needed to be some basis for convicting Linden Klinefelter of murder.
“It was self-inflicted wounds.”
There was just one problem left.
“If only we could find the evidence.”
There needed to be some basis for convicting Linden Klinefelter of murder.
***
The bodies could not be left unattended. In the end, the funeral was postponed, but the bodies were buried in the ground. Six bodies were buried in the ground and returned to the soil. The body of the high priest was left alone in the chapel because there was no casket. The funeral, which was a mess from beginning to end, was all the more sorrowful. Liene consoled the sobbing bereaved families until dawn and gave them each a gold coin.
“There was a reason the Princess was poor.”
Fermos muttered, scratching his cheek. The road covered in the moonlight was quiet. The horses walked silently without a single murmur as if they knew that they were returning from the grave.
“There was a reason the Princess was poor.”
Fermos muttered, scratching his cheek. The road covered in the moonlight was quiet. The horses walked silently without a single murmur as if they knew that they were returning from the grave.
Black followed behind, keeping a safe distance from Liene. He also knew that the corpses buried today were made by his own hands. It wasn’t that he was regretting it again or that he was disgusted by the murder. He was just worried that Liene might think so.
“It is a virtue of a leader, but I think she should also be mindful of her own circumstances. She said she had to change her mourning clothes because she didn’t even have them.”
Black, who had been silent for a moment, twisted the line of my lips.
“I guess that’s why she accepted the proposal.”
“Well, that’s true, but...”
Fermos scratched his cheek again. The more he learned about Princess Liene, the more his mind became unnecessarily troubled.
Black, who had been silent for a moment, twisted the line of my lips.
“I guess that’s why she accepted the proposal.”
“Well, that’s true, but...”
Fermos scratched his cheek again. The more he learned about Princess Liene, the more his mind became unnecessarily troubled.
You should have proposed earlier. When Princess Liene didn’t have an official lover. Even then, there would have been some noise, but people wouldn’t have died like this.
Fermos considered it a rare miracle that the corpse was like this despite the places Tiwakan had touched, but it was also true that he felt uneasy seeing Princess Liene bowing her head in front of the bereaved family.
“But how did he end up killing the high priest? He didn’t seem like such a stupid man.”
Fermos changed the subject. In fact, this was more important. Kleinfelter was going to be an obstacle for Black until the day he married Princess Liene. It was quite troublesome to resolve something that would be simple by force without bloodshed. However, he was not going to just cut off the head as he had always done. He was now starting to get a vague sense of what Black wanted. When the Tiwakan chieftain said he would return not just Nauk’s land or Princess Liene, but the entire past he had lost. In that case, there should be no bloodshed. What one has by force is taken away, not returned.
“Could he really have been so confident that he had hidden the evidence so perfectly? If we could find the evidence, we could do it somehow.”
“But how did he end up killing the high priest? He didn’t seem like such a stupid man.”
Fermos changed the subject. In fact, this was more important. Kleinfelter was going to be an obstacle for Black until the day he married Princess Liene. It was quite troublesome to resolve something that would be simple by force without bloodshed. However, he was not going to just cut off the head as he had always done. He was now starting to get a vague sense of what Black wanted. When the Tiwakan chieftain said he would return not just Nauk’s land or Princess Liene, but the entire past he had lost. In that case, there should be no bloodshed. What one has by force is taken away, not returned.
“Could he really have been so confident that he had hidden the evidence so perfectly? If we could find the evidence, we could do it somehow.”
“That’s questionable. When the body rolled out of the coffin, he seemed surprised too. It wasn’t a play.”
“Ah...Then he didn’t intend to kill him? Or maybe he hired an assassin and made a mistake...”
“Something must have gone wrong.”
“Then we can dig in from there. If we know where the mistake was made, we’ll have evidence.”
"Yes."
Black, who usually kept his words short, added a few words after a while.
“Don’t miss it.”
“Yes. Um... yes?”
After finishing speaking, Black went ahead. Fermos, who was left behind with a slightly bewildered expression, clicked his tongue alone.
“I can see you’re quite nervous.”
Black, who had approached Liene, kept pace with her at a suitable distance instead of standing completely next to her. Fermos, who had never imagined Black doing something like that, muttered as if he had given up.
“Who would have thought that my lord would become like this...”
Anyway, it was a surprise.
***
Boom!
“Are you crazy!”
A small storm swept through the Kleinfelter household. Linden Kleinfelter was rampaging, ready to destroy everything in sight. Someone was hit in the forehead by a letterbox he had thrown, and someone bled silently.
“Why on earth did you do things like that! What are you going to do if you put the body in a coffin! You should have done it so that no one would know who killed him!”
Someone had killed the high priest at the instigation of the Kleinfelter family. The sight of him silently bowing his head only made Linden Kleinfelter even angrier.
“You idiot! Why would you do something like that unless you were planning to get caught!”
Boom, boom!
“Are you crazy!”
A small storm swept through the Kleinfelter household. Linden Kleinfelter was rampaging, ready to destroy everything in sight. Someone was hit in the forehead by a letterbox he had thrown, and someone bled silently.
“Why on earth did you do things like that! What are you going to do if you put the body in a coffin! You should have done it so that no one would know who killed him!”
Someone had killed the high priest at the instigation of the Kleinfelter family. The sight of him silently bowing his head only made Linden Kleinfelter even angrier.
“You idiot! Why would you do something like that unless you were planning to get caught!”
Boom, boom!
Linden Klinefelter started kicking without mercy.
Support Novellate!
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