Chapter 433

We suspected that the assassination attempt on Cardinal Erich of the Kranuus Church was staged, so we decided to investigate his subordinate to gather evidence.

The possibility that the Cardinal staged it alone was there, but… in my opinion, the chances were low. If things went south while staging it alone, how would he handle the aftermath?

For a perfect staged event, he would need at least three people involved to ensure safety: the person responsible for the assassination attempt, Erich’s escort knight who would let the assassin escape, and a priest to heal the Cardinal who was supposedly severely injured.

First, the person responsible for the assassination must be someone close to him. He wouldn’t use just anyone, as it could risk exposing the staged event or even lead to the assassin actually killing him.

It’s a matter of his own life, so he wouldn’t use someone unreliable or disposable.

“That makes sense.”

Lacey agreed with my speculation. She said that the person entrusted with such a task must be someone extremely close to him.

“The escort knight must also be in on it. If someone unaware of the plan was assigned as the escort and ended up killing the assassin, it would be a disaster, right?”

“The person in charge of the escort at the time was… Michael, a high-ranking paladin of the Kranuus Church. It would be difficult to approach him recklessly.”

Well, someone of Michael’s caliber would notice any clumsy tailing or surveillance. Even if I were to deal with him directly, killing him might be possible, but inviting him over quietly would be tough.

“And there’s one more person—the priest who healed the Cardinal is also suspicious. Since the Cardinal was severely injured and unconscious, another priest had to heal him… If I were staging this, I’d rather fake the medical records than actually get severely injured and risk my life being treated by someone else.”

Actually getting severely injured is too risky. Human life may seem resilient, but sometimes it can be surprisingly fragile.

Some tough individuals can survive even with their organs wrecked, while others can die from shock just from losing an eye or an arm. Some unlucky ones even die from a simple fall or bump.

Especially for someone like Cardinal Erich, who’s over 60, injuries that he could’ve easily shrugged off in his youth could now be fatal.

“If Erich thought like me, he would’ve instructed his close aide to exaggerate minor injuries as severe ones.”

That’s probably the case, right? If he went through all the trouble of staging this only to die from shock, it would be a ridiculous death that would go down in the Holy Kingdom’s history.

“Hmm… Then we should secretly surveil that priest first. We don’t know the assassin’s identity, and Michael is too dangerous.”

“Right?”

Nodding, Lacey pulled out a piece of paper from a drawer and began drafting an order for the Special Operations Unit.

—

The next day.

I stood in front of a warehouse-like building in a remote part of the Holy City, summoned by Lacey in the middle of the night.

Lacey led me to the basement of the building, where I encountered—

“Ugh! Ugh! Ugh!”

As expected, it was a middle-aged priest in his underwear, tied up and gagged. He was drenched in sweat, as if proving that 70% of the human body is water, and upon seeing Lacey and me, he began shaking his head violently, almost like having a seizure.

“…This doesn’t seem like the ‘secret surveillance’ I had in mind.”

This is just kidnapping and confinement. Did “secret surveillance” mean secretly kidnapping someone and observing them all day?

“There was no other way. Thanks to a report from the Sacred Order, we found out that this priest, Heinrich, is scheduled to be transferred to the Arad diocese in two days. Quite a coincidence, isn’t it?”

“Really? That is quite a coincidence.”

Right after the Cardinal’s assassination attempt, one of the key figures involved is suddenly transferred to another city? Unless you’re not suspicious of the Cardinal at all, this is way too suspicious.

It’s like they’re trying to hide evidence of the staged event.

“Plus, if he leaves in two days… today is the only chance we have to meet him. So, from your perspective, you had no choice but to bring him here, even if it meant forcing it.”

Once he goes to Arad, there’s no way to catch him.

“Yes. We had to go to great lengths to bring him here. So now, we must get answers here. In two days, we’ll have to let him go—whether to Arad or to heaven is still up for debate.”

Lacey shrugged with a smile, then brought a chest from the corner of the basement and sat on it in front of Heinrich. She placed her mace between her legs, resting her hands and chin on the handle.

…Such a natural pose doesn’t come from just one or two experiences. How many people did she beat up in her childhood to have that pose come out so naturally?

Heinrich glared at Lacey and shouted, but the thick gag prevented his words from reaching anyone’s ears. Not that Lacey would’ve cared even if they did.

The curses and threats of a frightened middle-aged man, especially one likely involved in wrongdoing, were nothing more than noise to Lacey.

“So, what now? You brought me here, so are you asking me to interrogate him my way?”

If I do that, he’ll be half-dead by the end. If he’s really involved in the staged event, it’s fine, but if he’s just an innocent person dragged here unfairly, turning him into a wreck would be…

“No need, Sir Median. I can handle this alone. You just need to keep watch and make sure no one approaches.”

Lacey seemed determined to handle the interrogation herself. Was she planning to start with intimidation?

No, probably not. With Archbishop Trier, the suspicion was 80% confirmed, but this priest’s involvement is still unclear.

“Alright then. I’ll be upstairs keeping an eye out. If anything happens, just shout. I’ll come down right away.”

Leaving Lacey with a nod, I exited the basement and returned to the ground floor.

The first floor of the building was pitch black, with no lights. There were no magic lamps, and the oil lamps were all turned off.

It wasn’t completely dark, though, so I lit a cigarette and casually looked around.

The building, though used as a disguise, also served as an actual storage warehouse. Dust-covered crates filled the space, and there was a resting area for the staff in one corner.

The resting area only had a long leather couch and a wooden table, though.

I sat on the couch, propped my legs on the table, and smoked while waiting for Lacey’s interrogation to finish.

“Staldorf! What is the meaning of this!?”

“What do you mean? Can’t you see? Or are you pretending not to know?”

Focusing my hearing to check for approaching intruders, I could also clearly hear the sounds from the basement. Lacey must’ve removed the gag, as Heinrich was now shouting with a mix of anger and confusion.

“I have some questions for you, so I invited you here. Did you enjoy the escort from my subordinates?”

“You’re insane! Do you even know what you’re doing—ugh!”

A thud followed by the sound of something heavy hitting the ground echoed from below.

Lacey must’ve hit him. Probably not with the mace, but maybe a kick.

“Lower your voice. You’re disturbing others.”

“Ugh…!”

A whisper-like murmur. Heinrich could only groan in response.

Did she actually hit him with the mace…?

“Now, let’s start the conversation, Priest Heinrich. Are you ready to listen quietly?”

“What… what are you talking about!?”

The hit seemed to have instilled some manners, as Heinrich’s voice became much calmer. He even switched from informal to formal speech.

“The staged event orchestrated by Erich. You understand what I mean, right? Since you’re an accomplice.”

“What…?! No, what are you…?”

“Your pupils are trembling.”

Heinrich tried to deny it, but Lacey cut him off with a firm voice, already convinced by his expression alone.

“You look like you have a lot of questions. How do I know this? How many people know? Why did I bring you here? You want to ask me all that, don’t you?”

…Maybe I should’ve gone down to watch. It’s more interesting than I thought.

“But… unfortunately, I can’t answer you. Right now, it’s Priest Heinrich who needs to answer my questions. Do you understand?”

Lacey began pressing him, tapping her mace on the basement floor as if hinting that if he lied or stalled, the mace would come down on his limbs instead.

“What… what nonsense are you spouting…?”

But it seemed Lacey’s warning didn’t get through to Heinrich. Unfortunately.

“A staged event? I have no idea what you’re—”

“Shall I help you remember?”

A bone-crunching sound echoed from the basement.