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Octus 26, 3023, Day of Thura, 11:39 a.m.
Holy Crusade squad's Meeting Room, Temple of Priests building, She'kel Village.
Wind, Vivian and Zola were seated at the long table.
"Just to be sure, we will be interviewing 7 people this afternoon and it will be held at another Meeting Room?" Vivian asked.
Wind nodded.
"Yes, assuming that no issues come up."
Vivian glanced at the clock.
11:40 a.m…
Knock, knock.
There was a knock on the entrance door.
Ka-cha!
The door opened and then Ronan and Janis entered. They immediately made their way to where Wind and the others were and then saluted.
"Brother Inquisitor, we went to the office building of the Temple of Tamers and spoke with the officials. They've received confirmation that no letter has been returned," Ronan said.
Wind nodded and then turned to everyone.
"Everyone, let us thank the God of Light that no issues came up with the letters. The only issue left is whether the recipients would answer the summons. In the meantime, we shall now proceed to interview the available people."
They nodded.
"Thank the God of Light."
***
1:16 p.m.
Interrogation Meeting Room, Temple of Priests building, She'kel Village.
Light rain fell outside of the windows as Wind, Vivian and a man in his late 20s with dark blonde hair dressed in a green-colored scholarly robe were seated in a different Meeting Room and each of them held a pen and a folder with papers.
Compared to the Meeting Room that was assigned to Wind's squad, this one was smaller. It had a lounging area, a long table and a private bathroom and toilet. However, it didn't have a kitchen area and a dining table.
Wind and Vivian were seated at the top three-person sofa, and the man with dark blonde hair dressed in a scholarly robe was seated at the one-person sofa on the left. Meanwhile, the bottom three-person sofa and the one-person sofa on the right were vacant.
Wind turned to the man.
"Lord Councilor Pablo, I would like to express my gratitude for helping us in this interview," he said and smiled behind his Inquisitor Full-Mask.
Pablo smiled as he gave a slight bow.
"Please don't mention it, Priest Inquisitor Wind. As allies of the Holy Kingdom, it is only natural that we help."
Vivian has met Pablo before. It was during the Feugo Tournament at Plano Town. He was the Assistant Royal Adviser of Plano Town.
Knock, knock.
There was a knock on the entrance door.
Ka-cha!
The door opened and it was Ronan and Recipient #1 -- a skinny and graceful man in his late 30s with slick black hair and dressed in a rich merchant suit.
Ronan gestured his hand over to the vacant three-person sofa at the bottom.
"Please take a seat over there."
"Yes, Honored Priest Crusader," the man said as he gave a very smooth, natural and dignified nod, and then went over to the vacant sofa.
The nod the man gave wasn't like the one from Aristocratic Nobles, High Priests and other high-profile people. Instead, it was similar to a butler's.
When the man finally reached the lounging area, he first gave a very smooth, natural and dignified bow to Wind, Vivian and Pablo, and then sat down.
"Thank you for answering our summons and coming here. I am Brother Inquisitor Wind, this is Sister Inquisitor Monad, and this is Lord Councilor Pablo. May we ask you to introduce yourself?" Wind said.
The man nodded.
"As you wish, Honored Priest Inquisitor Wind."
"Priest Inquisitor would be fine. After all, we are the ones asking for your help, not the other way around."
The man nodded once again.
"As you wish, Priest Inquisitor.
"My name is Jasher, I don't have a last and a middle name, I'm 38 years old, I was born and raised here in She'kel Village, I've been married to a beautiful and lovely woman named Tama for 14 years, we have two children: Titus and Theodora, 13 and 11, and my main occupation is working as the Head Manager of a lovely and prestigious restaurant called Meli's Cheesey Restaurant which is owned by the Sanga family, a Priest family based in this Village."
"How many years have you been working as the Head Manager?"
"At Meli's Cheesey Restaurant? I've been the Head Manager there for 4 years now."
"Did you always work as a Head Manager?"
Jasher shook his head.
"Not at all, Priest Inquisitor. Before I became the Head Manager of Meli's Cheesey Restaurant, I worked there as the Assistant Head Manager for 5 years, worked there as the Head Waiter for 6 years, and worked there as a Waiter since I was 15 years old."
"So you've worked there almost all your adult life?"
Jasher nodded.
"Yes, Priest Inquisitor. The Sanga family has been very kind to me and my family," he said and smiled.
"You mentioned that your main occupation is working as the Head Manager of Meli's Cheesey Restaurant. What other occupations do you have?"
"My wife and I own a perfume store called The Little Secret and she mostly manages it. I also work as an Instructor at night who offers Restaurant and Hospitality lessons."
"Do you know Sister Bithiah?"
"Yes, I know of her, but only as a customer."
"How about Brother Jeremiah?"
"The same with Honored Priestess Bithiah."
"How about Brother Emmanuel?"
"Honored Priest Emmanuel from the Nummi family? Yes, but only the same as Honored Priestess Bithiah and Honored Priest Jeremiah."
"Can you remember how many times the 3 of them visited your restaurant?"
"Together?"
"Solo, double or together."
Jasher thought about it for a moment without producing a single wrinkle on his face.
"With Honored Priest Emmanuel, I've only seen him grace the restaurant with his presence 1-3 times a year. As for him entering with Honored Priestess Bithiah, I think I've only seen it once, but they were with other Honored Priests and Priestesses. And as for seeing him enter with Honored Priest Jeremiah or all 3 of them, never.
"With Honored Priestess Bithiah, she visits the restaurant at least 2-3 twice a month when she's here in She'kel Village. Half of that will be with her, Honored Priest Jeremiah and other fellow Honored Priests and Priestesses, while the other half is with Honored Priest Jeremiah."
"What about Brother Jeremiah?" Wind asked.
"He only goes there with Honored Priestess Bithiah."
"So he never went there alone?"
Jasher shook his head.
"To my knowledge, no."
"Are you always at the restaurant?"
Jasher nodded with a confident expression.
"Despite my humble background, ever since I've worked for the Sanga family's restaurant, I've only missed a day of work 3 times -- one of them was during my daughter's birth -- and I've only taken 2 weeks of vacation each year. And right after every vacation, I make sure to check who visited the restaurant while I was gone and see what their experiences were. If it's a good experience, I maintain it. And if it's a bad experience, I would try to correct it to make sure that they will have a better experience once they come to visit our restaurant again."
"Do you remember the day when Brother Jeremiah and Sister Bithiah visited the restaurant?"
Jasher nodded.
"You mean regarding the incident? If that's what you're talking about, then yes. It was on Octus 2, a cloudy morning on the Day of Monar, and I believe it was around 10:00 or a bit past 10:00. Honored Priest Jeremiah came first and then Honored Priestess Bithiah arrived around half an hour later."
"You were the one who served them?"
"I sit at the front reception desk. So whenever a customer arrives, I can personally welcome them. And, forgive me for saying this, if the customer happens to be a very important person, I will personally escort them to their table."
"So you weren't the one who escorted Brother Jeremiah and Sister Bithiah?"
Jasher shook his head.
"No, I had one of the front receptionists with me escort them."
"And who is this receptionist?"
"Her name is Rinnah, a very hardworking person, one of the hardest working people I know. She's been working as a receptionist in Meli's Cheesey Restaurant for 5 years."
"You mentioned that Brother Jeremiah came first around 10:00 a.m. and then Sister Bithiah arrived around half an hour later."
Jasher nodded.
"Yes."
"You also mentioned that you sit at the front reception desk so that you can personally greet everyone who comes in."
Jasher nodded once again.
"Yes, Priest Inquisitor, I greeted Honored Priest Jeremiah."
"When you greeted him, did you notice anything about him?"
Jasher thought about it for a moment.
"Forgive me for saying this and I don't mean any disrespect, Honored Priest Inquisitor, Honored Priestess Inquisitor and Lord Councilor, there were 2 things I noticed:
"The first was his disheveled look. Given my profession, I'm all about presentation, so I couldn't help but notice the crease and stains on his clothes, especially on his White Cloak, and he looked like he hadn't taken a shower for days, only washing his face and combing his hair. However, at that time, I simply dismissed it as maybe he had just come from studying or training.
"The second thing I noticed was the way he conversed with us. Although he was responding and smiling, he looked like his mind was elsewhere. And again, at that time, I simply dismissed it as maybe he just came from studying or training."
"What happened next?" Wind asked.
"He requested for a Private Room, the one that could host less than 6 people, and told us that when Honored Priestess Bithiah arrive, tell her to go to his Private Room. We have 2 Private Rooms. One that could host less than 6 people, while the other one less than 20 people. After that, I asked Rinnah to escort him to the Private Room. And the next time I saw him, it was when Gideon, one of our waiters, came running to us to inform us what he saw."
"What about Sister Bithiah? What happened when she arrived?"
"When Honored Priestess Bithiah arrived, it was around 30 minutes after Honored Priest Jeremiah came in, and she was her usual beautiful and presentable self."
"What about her expression?"
An apologetic expression flashed across Jasher's face as he placed his hand on his chest.
"Again, please forgive me for saying this and I don't mean any disrespect, Honored Priest Inquisitor, Honored Priestess Inquisitor and Lord Councilor, because on one hand, I want to ruin everything I've built and worked for throughout the years, and on the other hand, I also don't want to face the wrath of the great Holy Kingdom, the great Marbleam Kingdom and the great Marbleam Kingdom."
"You have nothing to fear, Mr. Jasher. As long as you tell the truth, I swear to the God of Light that nothing bad will happen to you and your family," Wind said.
Pablo nodded.
"As a Councilor and a Royal Adviser of the Marbleam Kingdom, I've sworn to His Royal Majesty and the people of the Marbleam Kingdom to pursue and present the truth no matter what the cost. And when I accepted this case, I swore to the Marbleam Kingdom and the Holy Kingdom that I would protect the rights and lives of the people in this investigation."
Vivian simply nodded.
Jasher lowered his head.
"Thank you, Honored Priest Inquisitor, Honored Priestess Inquisitor and Lord Councilor," he said and then raised his head. "I'm not saying all Honored Priests and Honored Priestesses are like this, but Honored Priestess Bithiah was the type who would only acknowledge you if you were part of the Temple of Priests or someone of higher status. So when she arrived and we greeted her, she was just her usual self and we thought nothing of it -- or at least I, in particular, thought nothing of it."
***
2:08 p.m.
Ka-cha!
The door opened and it was Ronan and Recipient #3 -- a man in his early 20s with red hair dressed in a simple set of medieval clothing.
Ronan gestured his hand over to the vacant three-person sofa at the bottom.
"Please take a seat over there."
The young man lowered his head.
"Yes, Honored Priest Crusader…!" he said and then lowered his head once again. "Thank you, Honored Priest Crusader…!" before finally heading over to the lounging area.
When the young man finally reached the lounging area, he lowered his head again.
"Honored Priest Inquisitor, Honored Priestess Inquisitor and Lord Councilor…! It's an honor to be in your presence…!" he said and then it was only when he finally sat down that he raised his head.
Wind held out his hand.
"Relax, don't worry, this is just a simple interview."
The young man nodded his head vehemently as beads of sweat started to form on his forehead.
"Are you okay? Do you need something to drink?"
The young man shook his head vehemently.
"I'm fine, Honored Priest Inquisitor…!"
Wind turned to Pablo.
"Is it okay if I offer him a drink to make him relax?"
Pablo looked at the young man.
"I'm fine, Honored Priest Inquisitor…!" he protested, causing everyone to look at him and him to shrank in his seat. "I mean… I didn't mean to shout…"
Pablo turned to Wind.
"I will allow him to drink. But in case he gets too drunk, I can rely on either of you casting [Cure] on him?"
Wind nodded.
"Of course," he said and then turned to Vivian. "Sister Inquisitor?"
Vivian nodded and then placed her pen and folder down before getting up and heading to the entrance.
Ka-cha!
As Vivian opened the door and was talking to guards outside, the young man's face was now drenched in sweat that he had to take out a handkerchief and wipe his face.
Ku-chud.
Vivian closed the door and returned to her seat.
"Brother High Lieutenant Ronan ordered one of the Guards outside to fetch some wine."
"Thank you, sister," he said and then returned his gaze to the young man. "You are Gideon, right?"
The young man was still wiping his sweat on his face and then wiped his sweat one last time before nodding.
"Y-Yes, Honored Priest Inquisitor."
"Gideon, thank you for answering our summons and coming here. I am Brother Inquisitor Wind, this is Sister Inquisitor Monad and this Lord Councilor Pablo. Although Lord Councilor would act as a mediator, Sister Inquisitor Monad and I would only be asking simple questions, so there's no need to worry," he said with a kind and warm voice.
The young man wiped his sweat again before lowering his head.
"It's an honor to meet you, Honored Priest Inquisitor Wind, Honored Priestess Inquisitor Monad and Lord Councilor Pablo... I will be in your care…"
"It's an honor to meet you as well," Wind said as he gave a slight bow.
Vivian simply nodded.
"Nice to meet you," Pablo said and smiled.
"While we wait for your drink, can you tell me about yourself, such as your last and middle name?"
Gideon raised his head.
"Forgive me, Honored Priest Inquisitor --"
Wind held out his hand.
"Please, just call me Priest Inquisitor. Honored Priest Inquisitor is too long."
Gideon bowed.
"Yes, Priest Inquisitor… I don't have any last and middle name. I'm just a person from a very poor and humble background."
"Well, to be fair, everyone started with a humble background. The only difference between those who already have a last and a middle name is that they worked hard for it. Perhaps one day in the future, you will also be granted a last name."
Gideon nodded.
"Yes, Priest Inquisitor…"
Knock, knock.
There was a knock on the door.
Ka-cha!
The door opened and it was Ronan carrying a silver platter that had two glasses of wine and a bottle of wine. He headed towards the lounging area.
"Excuse me," he said as he placed the silver platter on top of the coffee table.
"Thank you, Brother High Lieutenant," Wind said.
"No problem, Brother Inquisitor," Ronan said and nodded before heading back outside.
Ku-chud.
Wind gestured to the glass.
"I believe you work as a waiter, right?"
Gideon nodded.
"Yes, Ho-- Priest Inquisitor."
"Do you mind serving a drink for yourself?"
"Not at all, Priest Inquisitor," he said and got up.
Plok.
Although his hands were shaky, he expertly opened the bottle and poured a glass of wine.
Wind nodded.
"Impressive."
Gideon, who was still standing, gave a slight bow.
"Thank you, Honored Priest -- I mean, Priest Inquisitor."
"Take a seat and enjoy a sip."
He gave another slight bow and then expertly put down the bottle as he sat down and picked up the glass.
Sip.
He took a sip and then placed it down.
"Okay, Mr. Gideon, let's now continue the interview."
He nodded.
"Yes, Priest Inquisitor."
"Can you introduce yourself properly?"
"My name is Gideon, I'm 21 years old, I was born and raised here, my mother is a simple housewife, my father works as a coachman in the village, I have 4 siblings, I'm the second-eldest, um…. what else…?"
"Can you tell us where you work?"
"I'm currently working at Meli's Cheesey Restaurant as a waiter, I've been working there for close to 2 years now. I also help my parents and siblings with their work -- I mean, my father and siblings.
"With my father, I try to recommend him as a private coachman to the customers at the restaurant. My eldest sister and second youngest sister, I try to recommend the tailoring shop they work for and also recommend them as a private seamstress to the customers at the restaurant. And as for my youngest brother, he just turned 15 last year and will be 16 next month, and is currently at Luxen Kingdom working as an Adventurer. He's been sending letters to our parents every few months and he said he became a Copper II Rank Adventurer. So with him, I don't know what I can do for him. I'm still thinking of a way I can help him."
Wind nodded.
"I see. You mentioned that you've been working in Meli's Cheesey Restaurant for almost 2 years now. Did you have any prior work before that?"
Gideon nodded.
"Yes…! I worked as a Manure Sweeper at the Market District from 13-15 years old. And then around the month of Mayus when I was 15, my father got me a job as a sweeper and dishwasher at an alehouse in the Market District. And then one time, I guess it was like, I was working there for a year, one of the waitresses just quit and it was currently busy so the owner asked me to help in serving. Like, I always thought that being a waiter was for gay people, but when I was serving them, I finally realized I really enjoyed it. So after that incident, I decided I wanted to become the best waiter in the world and that's when I found out about butlers. So I decided to save some coins each month for almost 3 years before I finally decided to attend a lesson about being a butler. And I found one -- Mr. Jasher's Restaurant and Hospitality lessons. I worked at the alehouse during the day and at night I attended his lessons for 6 months. And after that 6 months, he gave me a job as a waiter at Meli's Cheesey Restaurant."
His face suddenly turned pale and he leaned forward.
"Priest Inquisitor…! Please help me...! I didn't know…! I swear to the Elemental Gods and especially to the God of Light that I didn't know…! It never crossed my mind that Honored Priest Jeremiah would do that to Honored Priestess Bithiah…! When I'm at work there, I just keep my head down and not pry on the customers…! After all, all the customers that go there are rich and powerful people…! Please help me…!"
Wind held out his hand.
"Mr. Gideon, please calm down and take a sip."
Gideon picked up the glass and then drank two full gulps before putting it down.
"I'm sorry… I didn't mean to drink too much…"
"Mr. Gideon, I really need you to relax and calm down. If you keep doing these emotional outbursts, my colleagues and I won't be able to properly understand you."
He lowered his head.
"I'm very sorry…"
Wind and Pablo looked at each other and their eyes reached to an agreement. If Gideon makes another emotional outburst, they will have to reschedule.
"Raise your head."
Gideon raised his head.
"Do you remember the date when Brother Jeremiah and Sister Bithiah last visited Meli's Cheesey Restaurant?"
He nodded.
"It was Octus 2…"
"Do you remember what time Brother Jeremiah and Sister Bithiah arrived there?"
He thought about it for a minute.
"When Honored Priest Jeremiah came to the restaurant, I just finished cleaning a table in the main hall and was delivering the dirty dishes back to the kitchen. I remember seeing Rinnah there and talking to one of the chefs. When she spotted me, she told me to send a glass of water at Private Room #6. Not that it was weird that the customer only wanted a glass of water because some customers just want to stay at the Private Rooms for a moment before ordering another thing."
"The time," Wind reminded.
"Oh… The time. I think it was 10:00, 10:10, 10:15 or somewhere around that."
"What happened when you delivered the glass of water?"
"What happened? It was normal or I didn't notice a thing because I don't pry on the customers there because they're all rich and powerful."
"And when did Sister Bithiah arrive?"
"I didn't exactly know when did Honored Priestess Bithiah arrive because I was busy doing other stuff, like cleaning tables in the main hall after I delivered the glass of water. But when I went back to the kitchen to deliver the dirty dishes, one of the chefs ordered me to deliver a cart of dishes to Private Room #6. And when I got to Private Room #6, I knocked first, announced my intention, and then opened the door. And as I was pushing the cart inside, all I saw was the entire room covered with blood and tiny bits of body parts. I was confused, I was scared and I almost slipped, and then I saw Honored Priest Jeremiah just standing there in the middle of the room covered in blood and tiny bits of body parts with a blank stare on his face. I screamed and then slipped, and he slowly turned to me. At that moment, I thought I was going to die. I mean, I've never opened my [Wind Mastery] and I don't even know if it's True or False, but I have [Power Fist] and [Power Leg], while Honored Priest Jeremiah is a Priest. So when he looked at me, he still had that blank stare on his face as he told me, 'Go call the authorities.'
"At first, I didn't know what he was saying. But after 5 minutes and Honored Priest Jeremiah just standing there in the middle of the room with a blank stare on his face, I finally understood what he was saying, so I got up and ran to the Head Manager at the front reception desk."
"Did you witness Brother Jeremiah getting arrested?" Wind asked.
"The only thing I saw was him with a Mana Collar around his neck and his wrists with handcuffs as he was escorted through the main entrance and into a carriage -- I was outside the restaurant. We were all told to exit the restaurant once the Honored Priests and the Guards arrived because there might be a fight."
"Thank you for sharing, Mr. Gideon. So far, everything you said more or less coincides with the evidence we've gathered so far. However, there's one thing in your story that made me a bit confused."
Gideon face started to become a bit pale.
"What is it, Priest Inquisitor…?"
"You mentioned that you keep your head down and don't pry on the customers because all of the customers there at Meli's Cheesey Restaurant are, according to you, all rich and powerful. However, earlier in our conversation, you also mentioned that you help your father and your two sisters by recommending them to the customers there. Isn't that a bit contradictory?"
His face became completely pale.
"I… I… don't know…"
Although he didn't know what the word 'contradictory' meant, he was still able to understand what Wind was trying to say.
"Which is it, Mr. Gideon? Do you keep your head down and not pry on the customers at Meli's Cheesey Restaurant, or do you actually do the opposite and recommend your family members to them?"
Gideon looked at Pablo.
Pablo didn't say anything and was simply looking at him with curiosity.
Gideon turned to Vivian.
Apart from her face that was covered with a full-mask, she didn't say anything and was staring at him while holding a pen with the folder on her lap opened, ready to write what he was going to say.
"Mr. Gideon," Wind's voice echoed in his ears, causing him to slowly return his gaze to him. "I'm waiting for you to answer the question."
"I…"
"Brother," Vivian interjected. "If he refuses to answer, should we add him to the Follow-Up Interview List or just directly add him to the Suspect list as an indirect accomplice?"
"That depends on what his next answer is, if he's going to tell the truth or not," Wind said with a matter-of-fact tone.
Pah!
Gideon slammed his palms on his face.
"I'M SORRY…! I'M VERY SORRY…! I DIDN'T MEAN TO LIE…! I…! I knew…! I knew something was going to happen…! I've seen it so many times…! The look of a man who refuses to accept his woman is breaking up with him…!"
He pulled his hands away from his face and faced them, revealing the tears and snot running down his face.
"BUT HOW WAS I SUPPOSED TO KNOW THAT HE WAS GOING TO KILL HER…?! I THOUGHT IT WAS JUST GOING TO BE A FIGHT…! AREN'T THEY SUPPOSED TO BE PRIESTS AND PRIESTESSES FROM POWERFUL AND RICH FAMILIES…?!"
Wind, Vivian and Pablo waited until Gideon stopped crying or at least gave him a bit of time to cry out. But after about a minute, Wind continued.
"Mr. Gideon, this is your last and final chance to remove any suspicion from you. Tell us what exactly happened."
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Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed this chapter!
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