Located in the keep, the bestowal chamber could be said to be the most important room in the entire castle. And for their investigation, it was a place of special interest, as almost every knight was attending the bestowal ceremony at the time of the attack.

The chamber represented the bond between the Azure Knights and the Saintess herself. It was where they gave their oaths, and where they were pardoned for their sins—their souls cleansed in order to receive the divine blessing.

“Crazy to think the Saintess is my sister. Never been related to a big shot before,” Ailn said, as they walked through the castle’s hallways.

“Saintess-apparent,” Kylian frowned. “Though I suppose many in the duchy fail to make the distinction.”

“Well, I’m looking forward to meeting her, anyway,” Ailn said casually. “Considering I’m so low on the totem pole, I’m curious what our relationship’s like.”

Once again, there was a subtle offness in Ailn’s mannerisms. It was true that for an amnesiac, a reunion would be similar to meeting someone for the first time.

But that’s why it seemed odd he’d show so little emotional investment. Kylian would have expected nervousness, or even aversion—certainly not marked indifference.

“Your Grace, it’s really not my place to say this, but…” Kylian hesitated. “The two of you were quite close before your memory loss. I imagine she’d be disheartened if you treated her so… nonchalantly.”

“We’ll see how things go,” Ailn said ambiguously.

The corridor leading to the chamber was indistinguishable from any other in the castle. The only hint of the chamber’s importance were its solid oak doors, which displayed the duchy’s heraldic emblem in bas-relief.

Ailn pushed open the ornate doors, revealing the chamber beyond. Contrary to his vision of a splendid, cathedral-like space, the chamber was small. Very small.

“So this is where you get your ‘holy energy?’” Ailn asked.

“Holy aura,” Kylian corrected him. “It’s where we receive the divine blessing, yes.”

The bestowal chamber was designed to accommodate two at a time: the knight receiving the divine blessing, and the Saintess bestowing it. Accordingly, the chamber was divided by a wooden screen and silk drapes.

“Why the curtains?” Ailn felt the fine material in his hands.

“Before they receive the divine blessing, each knight confesses their sins,” Kylian said. “The drapes prevent the Saintess from seeing who’s confessing. It reflects the universal generosity of the blessing. As long as you cleanse your soul, you can receive it.”

“So, anyone can receive the divine blessing?” Ailn asked.

“...According to our theology, yes. But practically speaking, no.” Kylian shook his head looking a bit sheepish. “Anyone can go through the ceremony, but holy aura itself requires compatibility.”

Ailn tugged lightly at the silk drapes, as if he wanted to verify the quality of the chamber’s materials. Pulling them aside, he looked through the screen.

“And the Saintess sits on the other side there?” Ailn asked.

“That’s right,” Kylian said. “That area’s referred to as the sanctum.”

The two of them entered the sanctum. Despite its name, the sanctum was just as unremarkable as the area for the knights. The only real difference was the presence of a chair instead of a pew—which made sense.

The ceremony took hours because the Saintess had to grant clemency to each individual knight. It would be strange if they weren’t afforded the comfort of a chair.

Still, it was new to Kylian. He’d never thought about it, because he’d never been in the sanctum before. He felt some anxiety intruding on a space he’d normally never see. It seemed almost sacrilegious.

“Does every knight have the same amount of holy aura?” Ailn asked.

“Not at all,” Kylian replied. “It differs greatly from knight to knight.”

“Who has the most?” Ailn asked.

“The strongest holy auras belong to the members of your family,” Kylian said. “Your brother and sister have both been exceptionally blessed. That is to say His Highness Sigurd, and Her Grace the future Saintess Renea.”

“And… both of them can bestow?” Ailn tilted his head.

Kylian shook his head, relieved to hear Ailn asking about his family. “While your brother has an immense amount of aura, only the women of the eum-Creid family can bestow the divine blessing.”

He paused, making sure Ailn was following before continuing. “His Grace Sigurd, however, doesn’t need to have the blessing bestowed upon him—unlike knights such as myself.”

Ailn frowned slightly, as he processed the information.

“You could say that the men of the eum-Creid family have half of the divine blessing,” Kylian said. “They don’t need to go through the bestowal ceremony. But they can’t perform the bestowal ceremony either.”

He continued, “The rest of the Azure Knights have different levels of compatibility and talent, for how much holy aura their constitution can retain. Mine, for instance, is on the lower end.”

“Interesting.” Ailn looked at his hands for a moment, without saying anything. Then, he dropped them, wordlessly moving on to looking through the sanctum.

Kylian surmised Ailn was probably curious about his own holy aura.

Ailn, like Sigurd, would not need the divine blessing bestowed; his holy aura was notoriously weak, regardless. Kylian had never borne witness to it, but he knew Ailn’s lack of aura had been the cause for most of the mockery sent his way.

At any rate, despite the room’s seeming emptiness, Ailn had been scanning the sanctum intently for quite a while now. He stared at the wall for so long, Kylian wondered if he’d expected the chamber to hold pivotal evidence.

“Is there something specific you’re looking for?” Kylian asked again.

Ailn didn’t respond for a bit. Then he shook his head.

“Just thinking about a possibility. The bestowal ceremony—it was taking place the entire time I was attacked, right?” Ailn asked.

“That’s right. It was well underway when the shadow beasts attacked,” Kylian replied.

“Then we’re done here for now,” Ailn said.

“‘For now’?” Kylian looked at him curiously.

Of all the places they could investigate, the bestowal chamber seemed particularly unhelpful. It didn’t help that the place was a literal dead-end—a corridor with a room at the end. The only way in and out of the room was through the corridor.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

The knights who went through the ceremony lined up outside the chamber, waiting for their turn. Thus, it was impossible to leave without being seen by the other knights.

“I’ve got a feeling we’ll be back here… but I could be wrong,” Ailn said. “Anyway, we’ve got somewhere more important to be right now.”

“...Where, exactly?” Kylian asked.

“The mess hall. I’m starving.”

----------------------------------------

Kylian and Ailn entered the mess hall. What was the best word to describe the stares as the pair walked through—haunted, perhaps? The looks on the servants’ faces were ghastly, and the knights’ were even worse.

To the knights, the return from death of the second son of the eum-Creid family meant that something evil was afoot. Either that, or they’d been grievously lacking in the performance of their duties. And that was even worse.

Ailn strode confidently nonetheless. Really, he seemed to relish it.

Kylian, meanwhile, was struggling. He was not one to wither beneath stares, but today was just too much. Caught between Ailn’s post-resurrection brashness, and his own reputation as an upstart, the knight knew exactly what he looked like: a coattail-rider.

Specifically, he looked like he was riding the coattails of a losing horse—one that had forgotten its place.

“Say, you don’t have a lunch special for nobles, do you?” Ailn asked, warily eyeing the stale bread and porridge that everyone else in the cafeteria was eating. “I’m a eum-Creid, you know. Right there on the banner?”

The woman doling out porridge seemed to be the only one unfazed in the entire mess hall. Wordlessly, her bored gaze never faltering, she ladled Ailn’s porridge and clunked some bread onto his wooden tray. When he grunted in dismay, she went out of her way to pour more.

“Is that you being nice, or…” Ailn started.

“Next!” she yelled out irritably.

“Kylian,” Ailn came back with a sour look on his face. “Is that lese-majesty? I’m not saying I’m gonna do anything about it. I’m just asking.”

“…No, that is not lese-majesty. Not even if you were the Saintess herself. What the hell’s wrong with you?” Kylian asked.

Ailn clicked his tongue in response, before letting his gaze wander. The two of them started to look for a spot to sit.

“When I was getting my ‘food’,” Ailn said, moving on from his disappointment, “I got a good look at the guard postings, actually.”

Keeping a list of postings at the mess hall ensured knights stayed on the same page. Kylian realized they had likely not changed since yesterday.

Meanwhile, on the west end of the mess hall, more than a few knights had gathered, hardly trying to hide their stares. But when Ailn started moving in their direction, they seemed to shudder like prey caught in the hunt.

“What are you doing?” Kylian whispered, catching up to Ailn and trying to keep pace.

“Those knights were staring at me, so I’m going to go talk to them. Why are you whispering?” Ailn asked.

“Is there not a more tactful approach here?” Kylian asked in return.

“What, are they shy toddlers?” Ailn asked. “There shouldn’t be any need for pretense when everyone knows exactly who I am, right?”

While they approached, most of the knights gathered around the west table surreptitiously dispersed, acting as if they’d found more interesting company just about everywhere else in the mess hall.

Perhaps they really were shy.

One noticeably young knight had remained sitting, and he seemed completely terrified by the sight of Ailn. Frozen in place, he’d been the only one lacking the presence of mind to make a strategic retreat.

He gave a small hiccup when they sat down.

To Kylian’s surprise, instead of jumping straight into interrogating the poor knight, Ailn simply started eating. It was clear he was hungry, because he was eating at quite the pace. It was also clear he didn’t like it, because he wore a grimace through his entire meal.

“I-if you’ll excuse me, then…” The knight tried to get away, but Ailn held him in place with a raised hand and a purposeful look, while he battled to swallow the stale bread.

“Apologies, Sir Tristan,” Kylian nodded. “We just have a few questions for you—regarding His Grace and the events of last night.”

“His Grace?” Tristan repeated blankly. No one called Ailn that.

“Ahem.” Ailn coughed, having finally managed to get the lump of bread down. He held his hand out. “Sir Tristan, is it?”

“Erm… does—does His Grace expect me to kiss his hand in deference?” Tristan looked at Kylian nervously.

“...No. Don’t do that,” Kylian said.

Tristan unconsciously pulled back an inch. He kept peering at Ailn’s hand as if Ailn meant to hurt him.

“...Alright then,” Ailn said, putting his hand away. “If I remember correctly, the guard postings would have had you outside this very mess hall last night. That puts you rather close to the scene of the crime.”

Tristan eased up a bit, coming closer to the table.

“That I was,” Tristan acknowledged. He still seemed unsure of his standing in this conversation. “… Your Grace.”

“Would that mean you were the closest guard when I was knocked unconscious?” Ailn asked.

“No! N-no, Your Grace,” Tristan said. “Reynard was nearest the courtyard—Sir Reynard. Do you perhaps not remember?”

“I don’t,” Ailn said completely truthfully. “I was knocked out so fully people thought I was dead. I’m alive, but my memory’s failed me. So, I’m hoping you can help me piece together what happened last night.”

“Of course. Your Grace.” Tristan leaned in hesitantly. Clearly the young knight was quite impressionable, because he started whispering like a scolded schoolboy. “Are the guards from that night in trouble?”

“Not unless you tried to kill me,” Ailn replied. Tristan flinched in response.

Nonetheless, at Kylian’s gentle behest, he did his best to relate last night’s events.

“I-I never actually saw you last night, Your Grace. Honest. I hardly remember anything outside of being attacked by a few shadow beasts,” Tristan tried his best to relate his experience. “It shocked me silly, seeing them in the castle. The shock was worse than the actual beasts.”

“And so you were attacked?” Kylian asked.

“I was, but… I retreated into the mess hall,” Tristan said sheepishly. “I didn’t abandon any servants, mind you. I brought everyone in, and shuttered off the front until some other knights could arrive.”

“I suppose that’s commendable enough,” Kylian said, raising an eyebrow. “What happened next?”

“I’d wager about three shadow beasts kept trying to break down that door. I kept the door held fast best I could. It must’ve taken an hour before anyone came…” Tristan was clearly still shaken by the attack.

Ailn stayed largely silent, letting Kylian ask the questions. He had his usual distant and contemplative look.

“Your time and testimony is appreciated, Sir Tristan. Though I’m not sure we learned anything new,” Kylian sighed. “Did anything else strange happen?”

“Strange? There was… oh! There was! I heard something—I heard a couple of strange things, actually!” Tristan nearly leapt out of his seat. “I heard a loud blast. Like someone had shot a catapult!”

“A catapult?” Kylian asked, perplexed.

“Yes sir, a loud noise just like a catapult! I didn’t tell anyone else because no one wanted to hear it,” Tristan’s eyes cast down. “I’m sure everyone else heard it, too.”

“Just once?” Kylian prodded.

“No, sir. Twice! No, thrice!” Tristan yelped his answer out with a hiccup.

Kylian had no idea what to make of it.

He hadn’t been on duty last night, because he was at the bestowal ceremony like most of the knights. The stranger the case got, the more he wished he could’ve observed the events first hand. And he was about to hear something even stranger.

“And then—and then well after the attack, I heard… You’ll think I’m jesting. Everyone in the mess hall… we heard a ghostly wailing noise from the walls.” Tristan’s voice had quieted to an unsure whisper. “If you don’t believe me, you can ask all the kitchen servants. Surely a few of them will be honest.”

“A ghostly wailing,” Kylian repeated dubiously.

“I know how preposterous it sounds, but that’s what I heard!” Tristan said.

Though Kylian was not one to dismiss testimony out of hand, he knew Tristan could be quite cowardly. Hence, a ‘ghostly wailing in the walls’ struck him as particularly dubious.

“…I see. We appreciate your help, Tristan.” Ailn said, getting up to leave. Kylian followed suit.

“Wait! Before you go, Sir Kylian, Your Grace… May I ask you a question in return?” Tristan looked at them timidly.

Ailn turned around, and looked at Tristan curiously.

“Shoot,” Ailn said.

“Is Miss Sophie alright?” Tristan asked.

“...Sophie?” Kylian asked. He walked back over to the table. “Did something happen to Lady Renea’s lady-in-waiting?”

“She was the one who found His Grace, sir, when we thought he was dead,” Tristan said. “But she ran off! She must have been overcome with emotion.”

Ailn and Kylian exchanged a quick glance.

“She’s currently with Lady Renea inspecting the city’s barrier,” Kylian said, more to himself than Tristan. “We’ll have to wait for her return.”

“We’ll make sure to check on her,” Ailn said. “You’ve been extremely helpful, Sir Tristan. Dare I say there’s a promotion in your future?”

Ailn gave Tristan a nod farewell.

“You definitely don’t have the power to promise that,” Kylian warned Ailn, following him.

Almost as fast as they’d approached, the two were off—once Ailn had finished his meal, of course—and Tristan was alone again. He was a little hopeful he’d see some kind of windfall. But mostly he was just confused.