Chapter 593
Under the order for full cooperation from the commander of the Holy Knights, Ellen gained the authority to access the case.
And although she was not officially assisting in the investigation, Louise von Schwarz was also lending her intellect to the case as Ellen's aide.
Heinrich then expressed his opinion that the heretical followers of the Demon God Cult might be involved in the case.
Unlike the Hero Religion members, the Demon God Cult followers used the divine power of the Demon God and many of them possessed dangerous powers. Thus, if there truly were Demon God Cult forces at play, they could have stolen from the Holy Knights' Cathedral tomb and even killed Rowan, who was hot on their trail.
Ludwig spoke with a serious expression.
"From what I've heard from Rowan… Since the Hero Religion members are not considered heretics… There are cases of real heretics disguising themselves as members of the Hero Religion."
"…That's entirely possible."
Louise nodded in agreement with Ludwig's words.
The Hero Religion was not an organized force with roots. Hence, it was not uncommon for their faith to be mixed with other beliefs.
It was possible that the Demon God Cult followers were spreading their disguised Demon God faith in the refugee village.
And unlike the Hero Religion, the Demon God Cult followers formed an organized force.
"If that were possible, the Demon God Cult followers disguised as the Hero Religion might nearly dominate the refugee village."
Instead of being a hidden force, there was a possibility that they were already the dominant religious force throughout the refugee village, wearing the guise of the Hero Religion.
"In that case… Rowan might have been fighting an unimaginably huge monster."
If it were true that the refugee village was infiltrated by the Demon God Cult disguised as the Hero Religion, Rowan might have been wandering the village to expose the true nature of the colossal Demon God Cult followers.
It wasn't about capturing innocent refugees but actually capturing and interrogating real Demon God Cult followers. If so, Rowan could have been a person trying to enforce their own sense of justice.
Were the people Rowan captured, tortured, and killed Demon God Cult followers or innocent individuals?
It was becoming increasingly difficult to determine whether Rowan's actions were good or evil.
In the end, countless possibilities were presented as no one could determine Rowan's true intent or the identity of Rowan's killer.
Ellen tapped her finger on the table, surrounded by countless conjectures.
"For now, I think we should go to the Saints' Tomb."
The crime scene.
Ellen concluded that they should go there first.
——
The theft of the remains from the Saints' Tomb could not be considered the starting point of all the incidents.
Rowan had been an Inquisitor of the heretics in the Imperial Capital for a long time.
She must have had her own goals in mind.
It was unclear whether that goal was to expose and exterminate the Demon God Cult followers or to completely eradicate the Hero Religion.
After the Gate Incident, radical events had always occurred.
A bomb explosion didn't mean the bomb was the cause of everything.
In a world where gunpowder was scattered everywhere, massive explosions could occur anywhere.
The problem was the gunpowder.
There were too many problems in the world: the Demon God Cult followers ran rampant, the Hero Religion surpassed the position of the Five Great Religions, and issues of famine and epidemics arose.
Accidents continued to happen everywhere due to the Gate Incident, which was the root cause of all these issues.
The stolen remains from the Tomb of the Saints case was simply the result of various problems scattered everywhere converging and causing an explosion.
That was what Ellen was thinking.
The Holy Knights themselves were also investigating the case internally.
"It seems that Rowan did not share the details of the investigation with the Holy Knights. Or, the commander was lying."
Rowan would have immediately embarked on the investigation after the incident occurred.
The commander of the Holy Knights returned with the senior knights, but he denied knowing anything about the details of Rowan's investigation.
Since Ellen couldn't be sure if the commander was cooperating fully, she had no way to get to the truth of the case other than seeing and hearing it for herself.
The commander could lie to Ellen or hide information, but he couldn't block her path.
Ellen expressed her intention to see the scene, and soon Eleion Bolton assigned a senior knight to guide her.
"It's an honor to meet you, Hero. I will be your guide from now on."
"Thank you."
Ellen didn't trust the guide much, as he was likely no different from the commander.
Ellen and her party headed to the Holy Knights Cathedral underground.
There were many facilities in the underground of the Cathedral, but the Tomb of the Saints was located in the deepest part.
The Holy Knights blocking the path stepped aside as soon as they saw Ellen.
Louise had also decided to help Ellen and Ludwig, but she kept quiet.
It was Ellen's responsibility to take the lead.
"Can you briefly explain the outline of the case?"
"The incident occurred on the 3rd of the 12th month, about 17 days ago."
An incident that happened 17 days ago.
The commander couldn't return immediately after the incident, so he could only return to the empire after a considerable amount of time had passed.
So, it was understandable that he didn't know the details of the investigation or its progress.
The details were clear and simple.
On the morning of the 3rd day of the 12th month, a priest in charge of managing the Tomb of the Saints entered and found the tomb destroyed, immediately reporting it to the on-duty priest.
When the on-duty priest and Holy Knights arrived to check the scene, they discovered not only that a significant number of stone coffins had been destroyed but also that the remains had disappeared.
"How was the security?"
"The Tomb of the Saints originally… does not have its own guards. However, in order to go down to the tomb, one would inevitably have to be seen by knights or priests. But…"
"Nobody saw the perpetrator?"
"That's correct."
"What about the locking mechanism?"
"The entrance leading to the Tomb of the Saints is usually locked. Keys are only given to the priests responsible for managing the tomb. However, after interrogating the management priests, it was revealed that they kept the keys in their private rooms."
"…So there was a possibility of theft?"
"Someone could have used it secretly."
Thieves who stole something that shouldn't be stolen from a tomb where there was nothing to steal.
The priests in charge of the tomb's management would inevitably face severe punishment.
And they would also be suspected of possibly being the culprits.
"According to the priest who discovered the scene, the tomb was locked as usual."
"Did the thief lock the door and then run away?"
"…We cannot be sure about that."
What a ludicrous notion.
No one had witnessed the culprits as they descended into the underground tomb, and the door had been locked.
While negligence in key management or the involvement of insiders could not be entirely ruled out, the most likely possibility was one thing.
They may have entered the underground tomb through spatial teleportation.
"There's a possibility that a high-ranking mage was involved."
It was highly likely that a mage capable of using teleportation or even mass teleportation was involved in this incident.
"The Holy Knights are keeping that possibility in mind. You'll see for yourself when you get to the scene."
As they reached the Saints' tomb, the leading Holy Knight inserted a large key into the massive entrance and unlocked the door.
-Creaking
The Holy Knight opened the door, which a regular person could not even properly open, all by himself. It was an enormous door that seemed difficult for ordinary people to push or pull.
Soon, the door opened, and Ellen could see the scene that had been preserved exactly as it was at the time of the incident.
A massive underground chamber.
Not only were the stone coffins embedded in the walls, but the ones buried in the ground were also hollowed out.
There were intact stone coffins, but a considerable number of them were broken.
And the fragments scattered on the floor.
"It's not just theft, it's destruction."
"Yes… that's correct."
"How could such a commotion go unnoticed above?"
"It should have been heard. But none of the priests who were upstairs heard anything."
Noise suppression.
And spatial teleportation.
Louise stared at the scene and murmured,
"Noise-cancelling, indeed."
It was inevitable that they would be certain that a mage was involved in the incident.
——
"May I go in and take a closer look?"
"Yes, by all means."
Ellen slowly entered the underground tomb.
The Holy Knights didn't provide Ellen with much information, but they didn't stop her either.
Only those present could discover and judge anything beyond superficial information.
The tomb of the Saints.
Ellen had no knowledge of nor need to know about such a place.
Ludwig, Heinrich, and Louise followed Ellen into the underground tomb.
It wasn't yet certain whether the attackers of the church and the bone thieves were the same.
However, it was clear that there was a superhuman among those who attacked the church, and a mage was definitely involved in stealing the bones.
Everyone had an intuition that no matter what kind of group the culprits belonged to, they couldn't possibly be ordinary people.
There were stone coffins buried in the ground, and others embedded in the walls as if stored away.
Like a cabinet, for example.
Whether the thief was alone or in a group, most of the stone coffins were broken.
No matter how much they used noise-cancelling to suppress the sound, the destruction was excessive. It was nothing short of devastation.
'There were many ways to do this more discreetly, like stealing only the bones and leaving the coffins untouched.'
If they had done that, the Holy Knights wouldn't have known about the stolen bones for quite some time.
What became clear was that the thieves acted as if they didn't care whether they were caught or not.
'They were confident they wouldn't get caught, even with such actions.'
Whether it was a mockery of the Holy Knights, confidence in not getting caught, or both, it was impossible to know.
Everyone looked around the scene in their own way, but there was still something unknown.
Why did they take them?
Why did they steal the bones in the first place? If they had left them damaged, it could have displayed their anger towards the Holy Knights or the Five Great Religions.
"Anger…?"
Anger towards the Five Great Religions.
And that anger was especially directed at two of the religions.
Tu’an and Als.
Although a considerable number of stone coffins had been destroyed, there were still intact ones.
Some corpses had been taken, while others had not.
'Could they have only taken the remains of the saints who believed in Tu’an and Als in their lifetime?'
Ellen reads the part corresponding to the brief history on a fragment of a destroyed stone coffin.
'No.'
Just in case, she skimmed the names, but there were not only the remains of holy knights who had believed in Tu’an and Als in their lifetime, but also those of Riter, Mencis, and Shal’am's holy knights.
'There's no clear distinction.'
It might not be an expression of anger or a force that hates all of the Five Great Religions.
As Ellen skimmed the names, she couldn't help but find a familiar one.
"This is…"
Ellen couldn't help but widen her eyes.
Riverrier Lanze, who had been killed by Reinhardt.
As soon as she found the name, Ellen couldn't help but bite her lip.
During the Miss Temple Contest, Reinhardt had not revealed himself.
Back then, Reinhardt had fought Riverrier Lanze to save Olivia Lanze.
Suddenly recalling the memory, Ellen's head was wrapped in a severe headache.
"Ugh…!"
"Ellen!"
As Ellen suddenly grabbed her head and collapsed, Heinrich and Ludwig, who had been looking around, as well as the holy knights who had been watching Ellen, rushed over.
"Ugh…!"
It felt like thousands of needles were stabbing her head.
"What's going on, are you alright?"
"Hero, are you okay?!"
"Wh-why all of a sudden…?"
"Are you okay? Snap out of it!"
Surrounded by the echoing voices, Ellen tried to catch her breath with her eyes wide open, feeling overwhelmed by the pressure.
Suddenly encountering the name and memory, it felt like her brain was being dug out with an awl.
An unknown source of hatred and anger tried to engulf her body.
Inside her own soul, the presence of 'that' which tries to devour her at some point pressured Ellen's mind.
The waves in her soul that had been dormant because her attention was elsewhere surged.
Today, she encountered too many things she had been trying to forget, including the Demon King and the Gate incident.
That's why the once-dormant turbulence in her soul tried to engulf Ellen.
"I-I'm… I'm alright… just a little dizzy…"
It was not something that could be explained as dizziness, but Ellen had to hold her head and catch her breath while sitting down.
Not yet.
Not yet.
She could still endure it.
Not yet.
She could still be at peace.
She couldn't let go of her body, mind, and spirit yet.
She has to think about something else.
Just thinking about the Demon King and her feelings for Reinhardt made her feel like her soul was being tormented.
Ellen clutched the bone fragment pendant around her neck.
With the emotional milestone that Dettomorian had carved for her attached.
She must remember.
She must forget.
She must forget, so she won't be robbed.
She focused on the case.
Riverrier Lanze had only been robbed of his remains.
She must see the end of this strange murder and massacre case.
She must find out where all of this leads.
In the midst of such thoughts.
Ellen thought of something else.
The murder case, the Demon King, the Gate incident, and the stolen remains.
A single word to forget everything that confuses her mind.
Returning to the Temple.
Feeding the cat.
Like a lie.
“Haa…… Haa…….”
The pain that seemed to tear at her head and soul finally stopped.
“…”
And, for such a reason, the cessation of pain left Ellen dumbfounded for a while.
——
“Is there some kind of corrupt energy lingering in this place? It might have affected you…”
“No. It’s not that. This just happens sometimes.”
In response to everyone's concern, Ellen said it wasn't like that.
The investigation was important, but Ellen's life was the most important. Even the holy knights were pale with shock.
Ellen should prioritize herself, and others shared the same thought.
“We don’t need to rush. Let's return and rest for now.”
Therefore, Louise suggested that they stop here and return to the temple to gather their thoughts.
Ellen glanced around the underground tomb.
The stone coffins had been destroyed, and some clues about the thieves were obtained by sight.
The reason for the theft was still unknown.
And Ellen was suddenly frightened.
The fear that the vengeful spirits, which had been quiet lately, might completely engulf her.
“That’s true. It seems like there’s nothing more to find out here…….”
Therefore, Ellen agreed with Louise. They couldn't predict where these clues would lead, but they had already completed their examination.
“But, uh…….”
However, Ludwig seemed hesitant to leave, as if he had some doubts.
“Did you find anything peculiar?”
At Louise's question, Ludwig shook his head with an ambiguous expression.
“Huh? No… I was just curious about something…”
“What is it?”
Since he said he had doubts, they all followed Ludwig.
Ludwig headed towards the wall of the underground tomb.
The place with the broken stone coffins.
“How did they break this coffin…?”
“…Huh?”
“How?”
“…?”
Ludwig's question left the other three unable to hide their confusion.
Like Ellen, and like the holy knights.
Everyone had focused on the destruction itself. They wondered why the thieves had chosen to cause such a mess in the underground tomb when they could have stolen the items without being detected.
They focused on ‘why’ it was broken, not ‘how’ it was broken, and there was no reason to consider that.
So what's the big deal?
“Why are you suddenly asking that?”
At Heinrich's question, Ludwig looked at the broken stone coffin.
The inside of the broken stone coffin looked like a hollow hole.
Ludwig gazed at the empty wall and said,
“They didn’t clean up the scene, right?”
“Yeah, they said that.”
Ludwig peered inside the hollow hole, showing his left fist.
“If they broke it like this with a fist or something… shouldn't there be stone fragments inside?”
At Ludwig's question, Ellen finally looked inside the stone coffin.
For superhumans, breaking a rock is no big deal.
They chose to use a violent method deliberately, and there were no concerns about noise due to noise canceling.
They smashed the stone coffin with their fists. The force was applied from the outside to the inside.
In that case, there should have been stone dust or fragments inside the coffin.
There was a lack of stone dust or fragments inside the stone coffin. It wasn't entirely absent, but it was definitely peculiar.
The traces were too few.
The same went for the other stone coffins.
However, there were too many fragments of the stone coffins on the ground, and they were scattered far away.
Ludwig examined the other stone coffins.
“What is this… Should I say it looks like they were broken from the inside out? Doesn't it?”
“!”
“That's…!”
Louise and Ellen couldn't help but notice something.
The scattered fragments at the scene certainly told them.
That the direction of the force applied was from the inside to the outside.
“How could they break it like that…?”
“The corpses.”
“Huh?”
Ellen answered Ludwig's question.
“They resurrected them.”
Ellen spoke with widened eyes.
“They resurrected the saints' corpses… as undead…”
The corpses themselves came back to life and broke out of the stone coffins.
There was no reason to think about why they had broken them like this.
If they had thought about how it was broken, they could have immediately realized what had happened here.
These were not just any corpses, but the corpses of the saints, who were honored by the Holy Knights.
Someone resurrected those corpses as undead and disappeared.
The bones were not stolen but resurrected.
Ellen, Ludwig, who provided the hint, and both Louise and Heinrich couldn't help but stand still in the face of that shocking conclusion.