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• Adventurer GrimV
• Adventurer The orc warrior 261
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2:43 p.m.
Ka-cha!
The door opened and it was Ronan and Recipient #4 -- a White Cloak Priestess in her mid-20s with long brown hair.
Ronan gestured his hand over to the vacant three-person sofa at the bottom.
"Please take a seat over there, sister."
The Priestess nodded and then went over to the lounging area.
When she finally reached the lounging area, she simply gave a nod before sitting down.
"Thank you for answering our summons and coming here, sister. 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.
"I am Sister Casiphia S. Sisenna, age 26, from the Holy Chapter Temple, and I'm mainly active at the Exploratory Division. My father is Cedron F. Sisenna, he works at the Temple of Priests Palace. My mother is Clementina C. Sisenna, she works at the Main Chapter Temple."
"Do you know who's Sister Bithiah?"
"Yes."
"Are you and Sister Bithiah close?"
"Sister Bithiah's brother, Barman, and I are engaged. So yes, in a way."
"Why do you say, '…yes, in a way'?"
"Everyone has their good and bad sides. Unfortunately, Sister Bithiah's bad sides can be a bit too much for me to handle."
"Can you describe her bad sides?"
Cassiphia thought for a moment.
"She can be quite mean and snobbish towards people who are less fortunate. Also, although I enjoy the part where we travel and go to beautiful places, I also don't enjoy the part where she always has to bring along another boyfriend. Brother Barman doesn't like it whenever she, Sister Irene and I travel and entertain Sister Bithiah or Sister Irene's boyfriend and their male friends."
"What do you mean 'another boyfriend'?"
"She has many boyfriends that it's so hard to keep up, or I simply got tired of keeping track."
"Weren't Sister Bithiah and Brother Jeremiah in a relationship?"
"Brother Jeremiah was head over heels in love with Sister Bithiah while Sister Bithiah was 'always open' to new experiences."
"Was Brother Jeremiah aware?"
"I believe he knew, but he never found any proof or perhaps he refuses to acknowledge it. However, the people close to him were informing him."
"Who are these people close to him that were informing him?"
"His mother, Sister Neah, his sister, Sister Jedidiah, and his friends, Brother Adam and Brother Haran."
"Were you close with Brother Jeremiah?"
"I'm not really sure how to define our relationship: I'm a year older than him, we're part of the same Chapter Temple, he and Sister Bithiah were dating, and I am engaged to Sister Bithiah's older brother. Maybe half-close?"
"Have you tried warning Brother Jeremiah about Sister Bithiah's other, as you would describe, 'other boyfriends'?"
"No."
"Why?"
"It was obvious that Sister Bithiah wasn't serious about their relationship. And I don't like to interfere with other people's love life."
"What about Brother Barman? Is he not close with Brother Jeremiah?"
"There was one time Brother Barman was frank to him and told him the truth. However, at the end of the day, Sister Bithiah is Brother Barman's little sister, so he would always support her or be on her side no matter what."
"You mentioned about Sister Irene."
"Yes."
"Are you also close with her?"
"Here's how I would put it: Whenever Sister Bithiah, Sister Irene and I would travel together or go on vacations, I always end up being the mother while they're the mischievous children."
***
3:18 p.m.
Ka-cha!
The door opened and it was Ronan who was accompanied by two people. The first one was Recipient #5 -- a White Cloak Priestess in her mid-20s with long blonde hair. Meanwhile, the second one was a Councilor who was in his late 20s with blonde hair and was wearing a black-colored scholarly robe.
Ronan gestured his hand over to the vacant three-person sofa at the bottom.
"Please take a seat over there."
The Priestess and the Scholar went over to the lounging area and sat down at the vacant three-person sofa.
"Priest Inquisitor, Priestess Inquisitor and Lord Councilor, I am Councilor Ignatius and I am here as Priestess Irene's Defense Councilor," the Scholar said.
"This isn't a Trial Hearing, this is only an interview," Wind said.
Ignatius nodded.
"I understand, Priest Inquisitor, but Priestess Irene is from a prestigious Priest family and this is her family's wish. Ever since the unfortunate incident happened to the late Priestess Bithiah, Priestess Irene has received a lot of unfavorable comments."
Wind turned to Irene.
"Sister, you do realize that you hiring a Councilor during a Post-Investigation interview even though you're not on the Suspect List would only paint you as someone who's trying to hide something, right?"
"Objection, Lord Councilor. The Priest Inquisitor is intimidating my client," Ignatius said.
"Sustained," Pablo said and then turned to Wind. "Priest Inquisitor Wind, please try to avoid intimidating the interviewee."
Wind nodded.
"Yes, Lord Councilor," he said and then returned his gaze to Irene. "Thank you for answering our summons and coming here, sister. I am Brother Inquisitor Wind, this is Sister Inquisitor Monad and this is Councilor Pablo. May we ask you to introduce yourself?"
"I'm Sister Irene, I'm part of the Holy Chapter Temple and I'm mainly active on the Exploratory Division."
"Can you tell me who your father and mother is?"
"Objection, Lord Councilor. I don't see any correlation between my client's background and the case," Ignatius said.
"Overruled," Pablo said.
Wind gave a thank-you nod to Pablo and then returned his focus to Irene.
"Sister Irene, please answer the question."
"My father is Brother Berechiah and my mother is Sister Ithra. They are assigned at the Branch Chapter Temple at Dur'reth Village," Irene said.
"Do you have any siblings?" Wind asked.
"Yes."
"How many?"
"Two."
"Can you name them for me?"
"My eldest brother is Brother Barnabas and my second eldest brother is Ignatius."
"When you said that your second eldest brother is Ignatius, did you mean Councilor Ignatius?"
"Objection, Lord Councilor. There is no law that prevents a Councilor from representing their own kin," Ignatius said.
"But the bias would be more apparent," Wind said.
"Indeed, there is no law that prevents a Councilor from representing their own kin. However, during a Trial Hearing, it may impact the client. But since this is only a Trial Hearing and Priestess Irene's family doesn't mind having Councilor Ignatius representing her, I don't see any law being violated. With that, I will allow it," Pablo said and then focused on Wind. "Priest Inquisitor Wind, please focus solely on the case, mainly on Priest Jeremiah and Priestess Bithiah."
"Yes, Lord Councilor, I will keep that in mind," he said and then returned his gaze to Irene. "Sister Irene, can you tell me what's your relationship with Sister Bithiah?"
"She's my fellow Chapter Sister."
"You're not close?"
"I'm friendly with all Brothers and Sisters of the Temple of Priests."
"You're not bestfriends with Sister Bithiah and Sister Casiphia?"
"Objection, Lord Councilor. The Priest Inquisitor is leading my client to an answer he wants to hear."
"Overruled," he said and then turned to Wind. "However, please rephrase your question into something more specific, Priest Inquisitor Wind."
"Yes, Lord Councilor," Wind said and then returned his attention to Irene. "Sister, is it not true that you travel and go on vacations with Sister Bithiah and Sister Casiphia?"
"Yes."
"Do you travel and go on vacations with other people?"
"Family and friends."
"Apart from your direct family members, who do you travel with the most?"
"Like I said earlier, I'm friendly with all Brothers and Sisters of the Temple of Priests so I travel with everyone equally."
Wind was stuck. He knew that the question he would ask next would either be objected by Ignatius or Irene would only continue to answer untruthfully.
He turned to Vivian.
"Sister Inquisitor, do you have a question for Sister Irene?"
"Sister Irene, did Sister Bithiah love Brother Jeremiah?"
"I believe so," Irene said.
"How many days, months or years were Sister Bithiah and Brother Jeremiah in a relationship?"
"I'm not sure."
"Take a guess. You and Sister Bithiah are around the same age, same Chapter Temple, same Division, and you've taken vacations together. So you must've at least discussed about love and relationships."
"Objection, Lord Councilor. The Priestess Inquisitor is trying to lead my client to an answer she wants to hear," Ignatius said.
"Overruled," Pablo said.
"What's your answer, sister?"
Irene glanced at Ignatius for a moment before returning her gaze to Vivian.
"Months…?"
"'Months…?'"
"No… I mean… at least a year…. Yes, at least a year."
"How many times have you traveled or taken vacations with Sister Bithiah?"
"I don't know. I don't keep track of such things."
"Can you at least guess the number of times that you've traveled or taken vacations with Sister Bithiah?"
"Whenever I travel or take vacations with people, I just focus on having fun."
"Have you ever traveled or taken vacations with Sister Bithiah and Brother Jeremiah?"
"I'm not sure. Like I said, whenever I travel or take vacations with people, I just focus on having fun."
"Brother Inquisitor Wind asked you earlier if Sister Bithiah loved Brother Jeremiah and you said, 'I believe so.'
"I then asked you earlier if you knew how long Sister Bithiah and Brother Jeremiah were dating and you said, 'At least a year.'
"Based on those answers, all of us here can assume that you and Sister Bithiah have discussed about love and relationships, and you have some knowledge about Sister Bithiah and Brother Jeremiah's relationship. So my question here is: How would you describe Sister Bithiah and Brother Jeremiah's relationship?"
"All I know is that Brother Jeremiah always had a crush on Sister Bithiah, but Sister Bithiah never felt the same until recently. And when she finally gave him a chance, he murdered her," Irene said.
Fuck...
I messed up with that, didn't I...?
Vivian turned to Wind.
"I don't have any other questions, brother."
"Sister Irene, since you're aware that Sister Bithiah and Brother Jeremiah are dating. Are you also aware that Sister Bithiah was dating other people?"
Oh, nice save, Brother Inquisitor...!
I forgot about that angle...
"I don't know about that because I don't pry on other people's love life."
"Is that so, sister? Based on the other testimonies we had, you and Sister Bithiah are involved in multiple romantic entanglements with other men."
"Objection, Lord Councilor. The Priest Inquisitor is trying to slander my client's reputation," Ignatius said.
Wind waved his folder.
"Is it slander when there's proof? I could even list their names. And some of them are even scheduled to be interviewed."
"Lord Councilor."
Pablo's gaze bounced between Wind, Ignatius and Irene for a moment.
"Overruled."
Wind smiled behind his full-mask and then turned Irene.
"Sister Irene? Would you care to answer my question?"
"You have the right not to answer the question," Ignatius said.
"Let me remind you, sister. If you refuse to answer, it might be taken as suspicion and you might be added to the Suspect List and then be labeled as an accomplice."
Ignatius turned to Pablo.
"Objection, Lord Councilor. The Priest Inquisitor is intimidating my client."
"Overruled."
"Sister Irene? Well, please allow me to refresh your memory in case you've forgotten the question: Since you're aware that Sister Bithiah and Brother Jeremiah are dating. Are you also aware that Sister Bithiah was dating other people while being in a relationship with Brother Jeremiah?" Wind said.
"You can still choose not to answer. Don't worry, regardless of what happens, they don't have a strong case against you to take you to a Trial Hearing. And even if a miracle happens, the worst punishment you will get is only fine," Ignatius whispered to Irene.
"What about our family's reputation?" Irene whispered back to him.
Ignatius turned to Pablo.
"Lord Councilor, my client and I would like to request a quick break."
Pablo nodded.
"Granted."
Not that Pablo could deny it. However, the interviewee and his/her Councilor (if they have one), can only request 1 break which lasts for 15 minutes.
Ignatius and Irene left the room.
***
Ka-cha!
About 15 minutes later, a door opened and it was Ronan, Ignatius and Irene.
Ku-chud.
As Ronan stepped outside and closed the door, Ignatius and Irene headed to the lounging area where Wind, Vivian and Pablo were and returned to their seats.
"Welcome back, Priestess Irene, Councilor Ignatius. Are you ready to resume the interview?" Pablo said.
Ignatius and Irene nodded.
"We are, Lord Councilor," Ignatius said.
"Okay," Pablo said with a nod and then turned to Wind and Vivian. "Priest Inquisitor Wind, Priestess Inquisitor Monad, please resume."
Wind and Vivian nodded.
"I will continue where we left off earlier," Wind said. "Since you're aware that Sister Bithiah and Brother Jeremiah are dating. Are you also aware that Sister Bithiah was dating other people while being in a relationship with Brother Jeremiah?"
"Yes," Irene said.
"You said that you're friendly towards all of the Brothers and Sisters of the Temple of Priests. Did you feel any responsibility about telling Brother Jeremiah the truth?"
"No."
"Can you tell us why?"
"Just because I'm friendly to all Brothers and Sisters of the Temple of Priests, that doesn't mean I have the right to tell anyone what's right and what's wrong. Brother Jeremiah and Sister Bithiah are both adults who are capable of making their own decisions.
"Also, as far as I know, Brother Jeremiah could also be involved with other people."
"What makes you say that?" Wind asked.
"Brother Jeremiah is a Priest and a Priest from a Mid-Tier Noble Priest family from the Holy Kingdom who has True Light, True Fire, False Wind and False Earth Magic Art Affinities. I can imagine him being attractive to many women."
"What if I told you that Brother Jeremiah didn't have any other romantic entanglements and was only faithful to Sister Bithiah?"
"Objection, Lord Councilor. The Priest Inquisitor is trying to lead my client to an answer he wants to hear," Ignatius said.
"Sustained," Pablo said and then turned to Wind. "Priest Inquisitor Wind, please refrain from asking questions in such a manner."
Wind lowered his head slightly.
"My apologies, Lord Councilor," he said and then returned his gaze to Irene. But instead of rephrasing his question or asking another question, he was once again stuck.
He turned to Vivian.
"Sister Inquisitor, do you have any questions for Sister Irene?"
Hmm...
I can't think of any...
Vivian focused her gaze on Ignatius.
The problem lies with this little shit...
What a huge cock-blocker...!
I mean, is this even legal...?
How is this any different from blocking an investigation...?!
What is even the point of being an Inquisitor or in the Holy Crusade if interviews can go like this...?!
Truth be told, in the past, interviews done by Temple of Priests, especially by the Inquisitors, weren't like this. However, ever since Inquisitors fell from grace during the reign of the 28th Light Saint, Timothy, who ruled between 2151-2180, because of corruption due to their overwhelming political influence which peaked during the reign of the 21st Light Saint, Hargar, who ruled between 1812-1859, once Light Saint Timothy and the Cardinals around him had to step down and the 29th Light Saint, Kleo, and his Cardinals took over and ruled over 2180 to 2231, one of the laws that Light Saint Kleo passed was cutting the overwhelming political influence of the Inquisitors to the point that the Temple of Priests even considered completely abolishing the Inquisitory Division (Ch. 264).
Of course, in the end, the Inquisitory Division ended up not being abolished. However, the power and influence they wielded, especially during the reign of Light Saint Hargar, was now a far and distant cry from what it is today.
***
4:11 p.m.
Ka-cha!
The door opened and it was Ronan with 4 people.
The first one was Recipient #6 -- a White Cloak Priest in his mid-40s with brown hair.
The second one was a Councilor who was in his late 40s with orange hair and was wearing a gray-colored scholarly robe.
And the third and fourth people were two White Cloak Priests from the External Unit in She'kel Village.
Ronan gestured his hand over to the vacant three-person sofa at the bottom.
"Please take a seat over there, Brother Elijah and Councilor."
Elijah and the Councilor went over to the lounging area and sat down on the vacant three-person sofa.
The two Priests, on the other hand, stood about 10ft away from Elijah and the Councilor.
"Thank you for answering our summons and coming here, brother. 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.
"I am Brother Elijah L. Ancilla. My wife's name is Sister Imlah S. Ancilla. Both she and I are assigned to this Branch Chapter Temple's Internal Unit.
"We have 2 children. The first one is Brother Barman, who is mainly active in the Infantry Division. And the second one is Sister Bithiah, who is… is…"
Elijah paused for a moment to regain his bearings.
"Me, my wife and my son are currently in house arrest while our only daughter is dead."
The Scholar leaned forward.
"Greetings, Priest Inquisitor Wind, Priestess Inquisitor Monad and Lord Councilor Pablo, I am Councilor Stig and I am here as the Defense Councilor of Priest Elijah," he said with a Verglasian accent.
"Only in name," Elijah said. "Brother Inquisitor, Sister Inquisitor and Lord Councilor, just like all of you, I don't want any more unnecessary complications. My family has yet to properly grieve. So, as the God of Light as my witness and all of the Light Saints, I swear that I will give you my full cooperation -- ask me anything and I will answer truthfully. But before we continue, allow me to say this: I am not blind, I'm fully aware that my daughter had her flaws. However, the things she has done don't qualify for her to be executed with True Death."
***
4:37 p.m.
"Thank you, Brother Elijah and Councilor Stig. Both of you have been a great help. Unfortunately, that's all for today. Please remain in She'kel Village until Octus 31 in case we need to do a follow-up interview. May the God of Light be with you both."
"May the God of Light be with you as well," Elijah said and nodded before getting up.
Stig let out a warm smile as he nodded and then got up.
The two Priests from the External Unit immediately stood behind Elijah as he and Stig exited the room.
"One last person to interview today and then we'll finally call it a day," Wind said when Elijah and company finally left.
"And then do another round tomorrow," Pablo said with a tired smile.
"Get ready, it's a full schedule tomorrow," Wind said teasingly.
Ka-cha!
The door opened and it was Ronan.
"Excuse me, Brother Inquisitor, Sister Inquisitor and Lord Councilor."
All 3 of them looked at him.
"I just received the news that Sister Imlah was sent back to her home.
"While our Brothers and Sisters from the External Unit was trying to escort her from her home to here, she jumped out of the carriage and rushed to the house of the Hortus Family to start a fight.
"They tried to stop and reason with her but she just wouldn't listen, so they had to kill her. And once they moved her back to her family's home, they chained her and placed a Mana Collar around her neck before they resurrected her."
"Was anyone else hurt?" Wind asked.
"3 Guards and 1 family member of the Hortus Family were injured."
"How did the Ancilla family react?"
"High Brother Christof was there and was able to control them."
High Brother Christof was the Gray Cloak of the External Unit.
Vivian turned to Wind.
"What do we do?"
Wind thought about it for a moment.
"Some of the people who will be interviewed tomorrow will be related to Brother Emmanuel.
"And on the 3rd day of the Post-Investigation interview, most of the people who will be interviewed are from Brother Jeremiah's side."
He returned his gaze to Ronan.
"Tell the Brothers and Sisters from the External Unit to keep an eye on Sister Imlah's mental state and send me a report every 6 hours."
He returned his attention to Vivian.
"If she becomes stable, we will go to her home instead.
"However, if she continues to be unstable, we will have no choice but to remove her from the list."
He then turned everyone.
"Anyway, we already have Brother Elijah's testimony."
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Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed this chapter!
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