Tibaut didn't know what to say after hearing all that. Tina herself had nothing more to add and kept walking in silence and the other two seemed too shaken to say anything.
"A man in a black mask, involved with that cult. I'll have to ask Elizabeth if he rings any bells."
They continued walking in silence until they reached Elizabeth's manor.
Elizabeth was still training outside and saw them walking into the clearing the house was located in.
Tibaut put down the body before walking up to her.
"I know this might seem a little too convenient but are you serious when you said you don't have any way to revive the dead?" Tibaut asked in a cold tone.
She looked at him confused and noted the people he came with.
"No, that's not something I can do. Anyway, why are they here and whose body did you bring?" She asked, sounding concerned.
Tobaut looked away from her and turned his gaze towards the girls.
"In the meantime, just heal them up. They'll tell you the rest. From the looks of things we might have to go to town and tell this to Mr. Bentley."
"Just spit out what happened already."
"Ezekiel's dead."
Elizabeth stood there stunned while darting her gaze between Tibaut, the girls that came with him and the body that was on the ground.
"I…I see." She responded before walking away to attend to the girls.
Tibaut looked to the sky and marvelled at how clear the sky was.
"What a shit day for a sky like this." He said as a tear trickled down his cheek.
After deciding this was no time to be stingy with her magic, Elizabeth healed the girls before giving each a spare room in the mansion.
Tibaut was still outside looking at the sky when she returned. She grabbed his shoulder to get his attention.
"I put his body in a sack we had lying around so let's get going."
"What is he, a bunch of potatoes?" he snidely replied.
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"Listen here, would you have us parade his corpse around town like he was part of some circus?" She said as she grabbed his collar. She looked at his face and quickly let him go. She could tell he hadn't said it out of disrespect. It was the first time she had seen his face so downcast. She could see marks under his eyes from the tears.
"Tch, just know most people don't take kindly to comments like those."
"I see." He weakly responded.
They both walked over to the covered body and Tibaut picked it up. They then made their way towards town.
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A few days earlier in a place unknown to most in the parish, a man in quite normal clothes was reading a letter in his hands as he sat at a table.
"Is all this true Zama?" The man seated asked.
"Yes, Father Daniel, I almost couldn't believe it happened myself." The plain-looking black-haired man responded to his superior.
"Say, did you ever see him with a pouch that didn't contain gold?"
"Uh, sometimes? Why sir?"
"Oh, just checking something. Anyway, did you give anyone else this information?"
"I sent a modified version of the events, excluding your orders to Saito, back to our home country about a week ago if that's what you're asking about."
The man on the chair put two fingers to his forehead while thinking about something.
"Well, as long as this stays between us. At least that nuisance Saito is gone, by the way what were you doing in the week before you gave me this letter?" Father Daniel asked him.
"Well, I was staking out the adventurers that fought Saito to confirm how many survived."
"I see. The version sent to the main base must have been scant in detail then. Just be prepared for further questioning from them in the future."
"I'll keep that in mind father."
"Still, how did that useless bastard not manage to kill a single one? He could have at least killed that one. I even gave him a description and told him to be wary and get rid of him first."
"Excuse me, father, a description?"
"Yes, what of it?"
"Where was this exactly?" Zama meekly asked.
"It was in the envelope with his orders, what of it?"
"After reading your orders the letter with the orders alongside the envelope," Zama responded while trying his best not to make eye contact.
The man referred to as Father Daniel simply groaned.
"I should have expected as much. I suppose I'll have to rid him some other time alongside that old geezer. Alright, you're dismissed until I say otherwise."
"As you wish father."
The man named Zama promptly left.
("Still, that information regarding the black powder is quite interesting. Who knows what the main base will be able to cook up with that information.") The priest then chuckled to himself.
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It was dusty as always and as usual had a distinct lack of people. The only thing there that could even be classified as such was contained in a sack lying on a table with its head detached. On the upper floor, there were three people gathered in an office.
The old man sitting at the table had his hands behind his back looking out of a window.
"I think I'll need some time alone." the old man told them.
The two obliged and shortly left.
"Say what are we going to do now?" Tibaut asked as they walked down the stairs.
"We'll start acting once word gets around of what happened. It'd be better if we're all on the same page instead of seeking vengeance individually." She responded.
"How long's that gonna take?"
"Tibaut we don't even know who they are other than their description." She told him as she opened the door. "We have to be thorough with this or it might happen again."
Tibaut did not attempt to argue, and they began their walk home.