…
Meanwhile, inside Lord Istana's castle, Ember Killian and her retinue of Senior Witches and Aura Masters arrived in the outer courtyard.
"Welcome to my city, Countess Killian. It's been a while since we last met," Istana Gleriath welcomed the guests with two rows of witches and servants behind her.
Ember Killian glanced at Istana Gleriath's slightly relieved expression as if Istana Gleriath had nothing to worry about. Her gaze quickly glinted with disdain.
"Eighty-seven years since we last met, to be exact. And it's Marquis Killian to you now, or Marquess Killian. Whichever you prefer to call me, Lord Gleriath," Ember Killian replied coolly, "I presume you know why I came."
"M-Marquis Killian?" Istana Gleriath was shocked before her eyes flickered with realization. "Then, you are the Inquisitor dispatched from the capital?"
As Istana Gleriath had yet to recover from her daughter's death, she was not in the best mood. When others heard her tone, it did not sound all that welcoming and friendly.
"Lord Gleriath, you better start speaking to me with some more respect. I am not your peer. I am someone higher than you in both nobility rank and power. Also, I'm not just any Inquisitor; I am the Grand Inquisitor!" Ember Killian sternly corrected.
Boom…
After hearing the shocking news, an explosion seemingly went off in Istana Gleriath's head, causing her expression to change abruptly as nervousness and fear quickly filled her heart.
Istana Gleriath's mind became wide awake.
"The Grand Inquisitor?! You became a High Witch, got promoted to the Marquis rank, and even became the Grand Inquisitor?! But how? Eighty-seven years ago, we were still around the same level and rank!" Istana Gleriath spewed with disbelief.
"No, more importantly, if you, the Grand Inquisitor, came here, then that means you received the direct inquisition order for Her Majesty! But why would Her Majesty dispatch a Grand Inquisitor instead of a normal Inquisitor for such a trivial matter?"
"I mean, my daughter's death is a big matter for me, but a trivial matter for others… Or did Her Majesty care that much about me and want to seek justice for me? Is that why Her Majesty sent Marquis Killian here?"
"Are you pretending to be ignorant, or are you genuinely stupid, Lord Gleriath?" Ember Killian asked with a dark look.
"Do you think a Senior Witch like you, who can't become a High Witch even with all the resources at your disposal as a Lord after so long, have much value in Her Majesty's eyes? Don't kid yourself. If it wasn't the Delarosa Household's complaint, do you think a Grand Inquisitor like me would even be here?"
"Your actions endangered Marquis Delarosa's daughters' lives as they passed through your territory. If you don't have a very good reason for inciting the Dark Hellhounds, no one will protect you from the Delarosa Household."
"Or are you going to tell me that you didn't know Marquis Delarosa's daughters were passing through your territory either?" Ember Killian gave Istana Gleriath a hard look to see how she would reply.
However, Istana Gleriath could only stand there with a dumbfounded look. She was completely caught by surprise.
"Judging by your dumb look, it is clear you acted without knowing anything about Marquis Delarosa's daughters," Ember Killian snorted and demanded threateningly, "You better start confessing everything now. Otherwise, if I start looking into everything and find faults with your territory management, you know what will happen, right?"
"I understand, Grand Inquisitor," Istana Gleriath replied with a sigh. She had no other choice.
Even though Marquis Killian behaved overbearingly without caring for her circumstances, she had no choice but to obey.
After all, Istana Gleriath couldn't win against a High Witch, and even her followers were inferior to Marquis Killian's retinue.
As Istana Gleriath truthfully recounted her findings into the cause of her daughter's death and mentioned her suspicions, Ember Killian's brows scrunched together.
"Because of mere suspicion, you dare incite the Dark Hellhounds in your territory to kill off everyone outside the city? Do you think this is something a City Lord should do?" Ember Killian coldly reprimanded.
"Bring me the report! I want a tally of how many people were killed during the Dark Hellhounds' rampage! Also, one of you head to Blackmoon Academy and fact-check with the people to see if it matches Lord Gleriath's confession!"
Ember Killian strictly barked out orders one by one, sending her retinue off with different tasks in small groups.
Nevertheless, it wasn't long before Ember Killian spotted Astoria Braveheart's approaching figure. Her strict look quickly turned friendly.
"Headmaster Astoria, what brings you here? Didn't we agree to meet after we settled our businesses?" Ember Killian inquired.
"That, you did, Marquis Ember," Astoria Braveheart acknowledged before saying, "However, I believe my business is also related to your business. I think you will be interested in what I learned after returning to the academy."
As Astoria Braveheart spoke, she swept a cold and unfriendly glance at Istana Gleriath, catching Ember Killian off guard.
'The kind and saintly Battle Maiden of Holy Light was capable of directing such a cold and unfriendly gaze at things other than demons and beasts?' Ember Killian wondered with astonishment.
Ember Killian wasn't sure what Istana Gleriath did to receive such a gaze from Astoria Braveheart, but she quickly believed that Istana Gleriath fucked up big time.
Nevertheless, Ember Killian replied with a smile after a bit of delay, "If you believe it will help with my inquisition, please tell me, Headmaster Astoria."
Sometime later, Astoria Braveheart finished sharing her knowledge and speculation on the series of events in Blackmoon City. She did not leave out a single piece of information.
Thus, Ember Killian quickly learned about Vaan Raphna's matchless wisdom and Astoria Braveheart's suspicion towards Istana Gleriath.
"That's an interesting assumption, Headmaster Astoria. After hearing your reasoning, I do find something strange about the turn of events," Ember Killian said before turning her head to Istana Gleriath.
"So? What do you have to say for yourself, Lord Gleriath? Do you have a relationship with demons?"
"A load of horse shit!" Istana Gleriath became livid with rage after overhearing everything.
"Does it even make sense for me to kill my precious daughter?! I didn't even know who the fuck Vaan Raphna was prior to my daughter's death, so how am I supposed to even know about his magic theory notes?!"
"Hm, true. But is your daughter truly that precious to you? I mean, if you lose one, you can just make another one, right?" Ember Killian nonchalantly said while secretly trying to read Istana Gleriath's true emotions.
When Istana Gleriath heard that, her rage peaked instantly; she exploded furiously.
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