“The empty antidote vial, show it to us,” Holst said, and the room seemed to freeze.
Nobles were used to dealing with [Awareness] users. Consequently, they were conditioned from an early age to maintain a neutral, unreadable expression. Lord Vedra's facade, however, shattered as the words came out from Holst's mouth. His calm expression changed to surprise, then fear.
“You can’t be serious. Despite our differences, I tried to help Sir Enric,” Lord Vedras said, his fear suddenly changing into anger. “I’m a duke! You don’t have the right, Darius Holst.”
A wicked smile appeared on Holst’s face. “You are right. I’m not in charge of the investigation. Robert Clarke is.”
I cursed Holst for putting me in a situation to antagonize a duke. As easygoing as Lord Vedras was, he was still among the most influential people in the kingdom. I couldn’t ignore the fact he had reacted most suspiciously to the request for the antidote vial. It wasn’t something I could overlook now.
“I will not force Lord Vedras to collaborate, but eventually, I’ll have to report everything I see and hear to Prince Adrien,” I said. I wasn’t in a position to cover for anyone.
I just hoped Lord Vedras realized it wasn’t in my power to let this go.
Lord Vedras opened his robe, revealing his potion belt. He pulled an empty elongated vial and held it between his thumb and index finger. The residue of a translucent potion had decanted to the bottom. Instantly, Holst, Lyra, and I cast [Identify].
Empty Vial. [Identify] An empty vial that used to contain a powerful multipurpose antidote.
There was nothing out of place with the antidote.
“If I’m a suspect, I won’t be part of this investigation,” Lord Vedras said coldly, leaving the empty vial on the table just to turn around and exit the ballroom.
I sighed. Any chance of keeping a friendly relationship with a duke vanished into thin air. Not that my main goal of the night was to make powerful allies. It was a big plus, though. Elincia could’ve benefited from meddling with high-level Alchemists. I focused on the antidote vial and activated my mana sense, hoping this misunderstanding would lead to something fruitful. For some reason, the drops inside the vial had a familiar magical signature. Then I noticed why. It was the same signature as the antidotes I brewed with Elincia.
“A more rational man would’ve understood my suspicion,” Holst pointed out, unapologetic.
I rubbed my temples. Despite having Elincia on the team, Lord Vedras had a higher level and more experience as an Alchemist. Holst was a prideful idiot. To prevent our suspects from hiding more evidence, we should prevent them from knowing we suspected them.
“You can’t bake a cake without breaking some eggs,” I sighed to myself. “How long do we have until the barrier falls?”
“A couple of hours,” Holst replied.
A couple of hours and no leads other than baseless suspicion. I examined the banquet table one last time. There wasn’t much else I could draw from it. If I wanted to complete the puzzle, I needed to gather information from other sources.
“Lyra. Prepare an interrogation room. Nothing too hostile. We are not accusing anyone yet, just investigating. Darius, can you inform the Prince we intend to ask some questions so he paves the way for us? We don’t have time to lose,” I said.
Both nodded and walked toward the safe rooms.
Once alone, I walked back to the table. Holst might have burned Lord Vedras’ bridge with his accusation, but he had opened a whole new line of investigation. Antidote and health potions looked almost identical under my mana sense. It was hard to explain without a mana sense; if the antidote was crimson, the health potion was vermilion; an untrained eye would deem both the same after a quick glance.
I wondered if it was the same with the poison.
I took a deep breath and focused on the shattered glass by Sir Enric’s side. Viridian green. Then, I examined Captain Kiln’s glass again. A smile tugged the corner of my mouth. Turquoise. Like Antidote and Health Potion, the poisons were a little different.
And it didn’t make sense. Why would the killer use different poisons? Did he want to kill Sir Enric but make Captain Kiln survive? No. The usage of two different poisons would only arouse suspicion. A killer wouldn’t see the value of Captain Kiln’s life to place their plan in jeopardy.
There was only one logical outcome. The attempt on Captain Kiln’s life wasn’t a misdirection but a whole different crime. Two victims. Two perpetrators.
“Is everything okay? Where’s everyone?” Elincia asked as she appeared from the backdoor.
Without answering, I signaled her to come close.
“What was inside that vial?” I asked.
Elincia gave me a questioning look behind her veil but went along with me.
“That was a health potion for sure. Maybe an antidote or chilblain medicine. The three use similar ingredients, so it's hard to tell apart,” Elincia said, genuinely confused. “Am I missing something?”
“I thought Alchemists could detect what kind of potion is inside each vial,” I said.
“Yes, we can, but that isn’t technically a potion. Those are leftover drops and saliva,” Elincia replied defensively. “Sheesh, give me ten more levels, and I might give you a more precise read, damn Scholar.”
Interesting. Lord Vedras should’ve been able to detect the difference between the poisons unless he had just given a superficial look to the scene. Or, unless he was the culprit, as Holst hinted. I shook my head. It was too soon to make accusations.
“Do you think you’ll be able to solve the case?” Elincia asked.
Even with the veil, I could see the concern reflected in her eyes.
“Is Ashthorn used in any antidote or potion with a healing effect?” I asked. If Ashthorn was used in a healing potion, the culprit might have used the similarity in their magic signatures to mislead the Sniffers.
Elincia rolled her eyes.
“If you touch raw Ashthorn barehanded, you better have a saw nearby. Ashthorn kills everything it touches, no matter how slightly. It's a dangerous plant, a famous one. There’s no way you can brew a healing potion with it,” Elincia said.
A picture of hazy borders was starting to appear in my mind. The crime was too perfect to solve within the timeframe, and the culprit knew it. However, that didn’t prevent us from making an educated accusation. I had another trick under my sleeve that would come in handy.
“Do you want to yell at Holst, Eli?” I asked.
Elincia repeatedly blinked as if she was convincing herself she had heard the correct words. Then, after an instant of confusion, she beamed. I couldn’t say her face was devoid of all malice.
“Hell, yes!”
I couldn’t help but laugh.
“Aren’t you going to ask what my plan is?” I asked.
The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
“No need, my love, I like your plan already,” Elincia gave me the thumbs up.
“Your faith in me is commendable, but I’ll explain it nonetheless,” I sighed.
* * *
After exchanging a few words, Captain Kiln exited the safe room to make sure nobody touched the crime scene in our absence. It was instrumental to my plan to keep the purity of the evidence. Now, I had to deal with the nobility. I took a deep breath and entered the safe room.
The atmosphere was dense.
The safe room was a spacious lounge with comfy chairs and a fireplace. The walls were covered with beautiful paintings of old members of the Farcrest Family and carpets with scenes of old hunts and battles. The guests were reunited in small, ironclad groups, whispering and exchanging looks full of suspicion. It was only the natural response. The Fortifier’s barrier and the Sniffers were supposed to be flawless.
This incident would cost the royal faction dearly unless I found the culprit, but first, we needed to regain Lord Vedras' trust. We would have to assassinate Holst’s public character or at least pummel it a bit to achieve that. To gain credibility in the public eye, others had to lose it.
“Don’t go overboard, Eli. We are commoners, while Holst belongs to one of the founding families. Stick to the script,” I whispered.
Elincia’s evil smile made me shudder. Maybe she wasn’t the right person for the role, but there weren't any other trustworthy individuals who could carry out the performance as required. It would be a risky maneuver. Elincia winked at me and crossed the room with a decisive step that quickly caught the guests' attention.
“I have a complaint with the investigation,” Elincia said, her voice carrying over the whispering of the noble factions. “I demand that Darius Holst be removed from the investigation team for slandering Lord Vedra's name.”
I couldn’t help but grin. Elincia’s acting skills were better than I expected. There was no doubt in her voice, just pure, unadulterated contempt. I looked around to measure the effect of her words. There wasn’t anyone in the room who wasn’t focused on her. Good start.
Prince Adrien raised his head, and Elincia charged forward. Metaphorically speaking.
“Lord Vedras and his medic team had been supporting the Farlands Campaign for years now, keeping the army healthy and saving countless lives! To even insinuate Lord Vedras is the culprit is an insult against the memory of all Alchemists and Herbalists fallen in battle,” Elincia said.
Holst's expression was priceless –like a fox found raiding a chicken coop in the middle of the night. He couldn’t utter a word as a wave of murmurs rose. The atmosphere was already tense, and it would only take a small spark to start a fire. I grinned. Holst was smart. He should have realized that people tended to side with the wronged person. The effect was even more powerful if said person was perceived as kind and gentle. And Lord Vedras was a healer in a world controlled by combatants.
“If Darius Holst isn’t removed from the investigation team, I will resign. I will not tolerate such acts of treachery,” Elincia said, hitting each work like nails in a coffin. “You will have to solve this murder without any Alchemists.”
The Marquis was enraged, the Prince entertained, and Lord Vedras was as astonished as he was uncomfortable with the guests' sudden attention. That was my cue to enter the conversation.
“Sir Enric and Raudhan were poisoned. We can’t solve this without the assistance of an Alchemist. Please, reconsider,” I said with my best pleading voice. My eyes, however, were fixed on Holst.
There was only one good way out of this mess. Resign gracefully. A courtier like Holst wasn’t a rival for a duke.
“Elincia Rosebud, I hadn’t recognized you with the expensive clothes,” Holst smiled wickedly.
Holst lashing back wasn’t part of my plans.
“You know each other?” Prince Adrien asked.
“Our story goes a bit back in time. I used to be a teacher here in Farcrest. Elincia’s lack of vision was driving her dear orphanage to imminent catastrophe. I’m sure you won’t blame me for your own shortcomings, would you?” Holst replied.
Elincia opened her mouth to reply, but no word came out, which allowed Holst to continue.
“Let’s not dwell on the past. Regarding the murder case, I will step down. Robert Clarke and Miss Jorn are more than capable of carrying out the investigation,” Holst said, turning around and walking back to the cluster of Farcrest nobles. “Let’s catch up later, Governess. I’d love to know how my old students are currently doing.”
For an instant, I thought Elincia would pounce on Holst's back. I prepared myself to intervene, but it wasn’t necessary in the end. Elincia stuck to the script without skipping a beat.
“Lord Vedras. It might be asking too much, but we need your expertise on the investigation team,” Elincia said, turning around to face him.
He could not say no after such a display, not with so many eyes on him.
“If Robert allows it…” Lord Vedras said, yielding to the pressure.
“We will be thrilled to have you back,” I replied, seizing the moment to strike. “In fact, I wanted to ask Prince Adrien’s approval for the next part of the investigation. I want to conduct an interrogation on everyone at the party.”
Prince Adrien smiled. “I allow it. Should I be the first?”
The room Lyra had prepared was an old study with a desk under the windows and two big couches separated by a coffee table. There was a liquor wardrobe near the corner and several replacement chairs similar to those in the ballroom. The gentle light of several light stones gave the room a cozy vibe. It was perfect for my next movement.
“Can you grab a jug of water, Lyra?” I asked.
Prince Adrien and I sat on opposite couches while Lord Vedras and Elincia sat in dest, a couple of meters away from us. They were supposed to work as witnesses of our interrogation while I’d ask the questions. If my inner clock wasn’t lying, we had little time left until the barrier’s fall.
“So, do you already know who is the culprit?” Prince Adrien asked, making himself comfortable.
“Not yet, but I’m close,” I replied, using my mana to grab a cup from the drawer and bring it closer to the Prince. He grabbed it midair and put it down on the table. “Should I start with the questionable, My Lord?”
Prince Adrien nodded, seemingly thrilled for the experience. In any other situation, I would’ve regarded his nonchalance as a sign of culpability.
“First question, then. Did you know of anyone who would want to hurt Sir Enric? Did he have any enemies?” I asked.
“I’m sure Sir Enric had a lot of rivals within the army and more than a few political rivals, but I can’t think of anyone in particular who would want him dead,” Prince Adrien replied. “He was a well-respected soldier.”
I nodded; we had already figured as much.
“Do you know if Sir Enric received any death threats lately?” I continued.
“No, not a clue,” the Prince replied. “We didn’t talk much.”
As expected about two members of opposite factions.
“Was there any recent event that could’ve made him new enemies?” I asked.
“The army suffered a couple of defeats that could’ve been attributed to the Osgirian army's lack of promptness, but nothing that hadn’t happened before during the campaign,” the Prince shrugged.
I padded the interrogation with a few more questions about political and personal matters just for the sake of concealing the essential questions. In the middle of the interrogation, Lyra smashed the door open and panicked when she noticed the Prince was inside. Her hands were busy with two big jugs. She hastily served the Prince a glass of water before retreating to the desk.
“The water is safe,” Lord Vedras said.
The Prince drank it in one go. As expected, nobody had dared to drink anything after the incident.
“Last question. Did you touch Sir Enric’s cup at any moment in the night?” I asked.
“No,” the Prince replied, standing from the couch and leaving the glass on the coffee table. “And I don’t know how this interrogation will help. The culprit will not tell the truth, and I assure you, Robert, nobles can lie flawlessly.”
“Faith and a little bit of pixie dust go a long way, My Prince,” I grinned, using my mana to grab the empty cup and leave it on an empty drawer behind me. “Please call Lord Osgiria. We are running out of time.”
One by one, the nobles entered the interrogation room and answered my questions under the strict vigilance of Lyra, Elincia, and Lord Vedras. They joined with wary expressions just to leave dumbfounded by my questionnaire. Gathering crumbs from each guest, I reconstructed the life and personality of Sir Enric: his sleeping schedule, his favorite food, his romantic partners, his philosophy of engagement, his military tactics, everything to the last detail.
Of course, I also questioned my team. All their answers were the same. They didn’t know if Sir Enric had any enemies, they didn’t touch his cup, and only Elincia lacked the [Awareness] skill—nothing out of the ordinary.
The last piece of the puzzle came from Lord Osgiria himself. Sir Enric had been receiving threats of poison since the day the army arrived at Farcrest. Suddenly, a picture formed in my mind. Maybe it wasn’t perfect, but I hoped it was good enough.
“Lyra? Can you do me a favor?” I said, grabbing a clean cup from the drawer and serving the last drops of water.
“Sure, whatever you need, Master Clarke,” she said, promptly jumping to her feet.
“Collect all the powdered makeup and bring it here,” I said.
Despite Lyra’s sharp power of observation, my request left her dumbfounded. There were still a couple of things she could learn about me. She seemed to understand the urgency of the matter because she left the room in a flash.
“The poison was in the makeup? How did you come to that conclusion?” Lord Vedras asked.
“It’s just a hunch,” I said, stretching my back and letting the couch mold to my body. “Please go to the main room and take a break, My Lord. Elincia and I will take care of the rest. That’s all.”