*Cough, cough… cough, cough, cough…*

 

Not far away, the intermittent coughing of the Holy Knight named Jeremy, who seemed to be forcefully suppressing the urge to cry and vomit, could be heard.

 

Violet glanced at him, and her brows slightly raised beneath her mask, but in the end, she said nothing and continued to wait silently for Pedrick’s report.

 

“Darren Mollet, male, human, 29 years old. He was employed as a member of the 17th Detachment, 6th Squad of the 3rd Division of the Bright Light Order in Bright Light City. His rank was the 【Courageous Knight】, which has been officially confirmed.”

 

“Cause of death—excessive blood loss, died from exhaustion in battle. From the examination, it appears the perpetrator had multiple opportunities to kill him directly but chose not to. Instead, the perpetrator inflicted more and more injuries, ultimately leading to his death by bleeding. The motive behind this act remains unclear.”

 

“It’s my fault… if only I could have run faster, maybe…”

 

Jeremy’s voice was filled with self-reproach and regret once again. However, this time, Pedrick did not choose to use violence to interrupt him from his autopsy report.

 

Instead, he merely furrowed his brows slightly at the exhausted Holy Knight before moving on to the next stretcher.

 

Inside, there was another body, tortured to the point of being almost unrecognizable as human. However, unlike the previous two victims, this one had a broken, pointed horn on its forehead that seemed vaguely familiar to the priestess.

 

“Arden, male, Ghost Warrior Tribe, 127 years old. He served as a member of the 17th Detachment, Sixth Squad of the 3rd Division of the Bright Light Order. His status as a Third-Rank 【Arbiter】 has been verified.” [1]

 

“Cause of death—violent extraction of the magic core, resulting in the collapse of bodily functions.”

 

Pedrick moved to the side of the Ghost Warrior Tribe corpse, pulling down the white cloth that covered only the head and upper body until it reached the waist.

 

This allowed a clear view of a very noticeable, bowl-sized cavity in the center of Arden’s abdomen, which appeared to have been penetrated directly by an object like a hand.

 

Since “Arbiters” focus more on agility and mobility rather than heavy armor, it might be why the enemy was able to easily penetrate his flesh.

 

Even so, it was enough to prove that the perpetrator’s strength was quite formidable.

 

Pedrick continued his explanation.

 

“From the different causes of death of the three Holy Knights, the perpetrator’s actions were insane, chaotic, and cruel, but they also had a clear logic and purpose.”

 

“For the strongest, the Deputy Captain Josh Huell who had reached the level of the 【Tenacious Knight】, the perpetrator chose to use surprise attacks to eliminate him first.”

 

“And for the remaining Darren Morlett and Arden, the perpetrator first used a more straightforwardly lethal method to kill Arden during the fight. Only after that did they slowly torture Darren, who was only a 【Courageous Knight】, to death.”

 

Glancing at Jeremy, who was bowing his head and seemingly struggling to hold back his grief, Pedrick, the Arbiter with the double swords, respectfully handed over the file to the Saintess, who had approached and was observing the characteristics of the deceased with a serious expression. He added,

 

“According to the records, the 17th Detachment, 6th Squad of the 3rd Division of the Bright Light Order should have had five members. Including Jeremy Murray, who returned for help and survived, the last person, the squad leader, 【Fearless Knight】-rank Karina Brett, is currently missing…”

 

Pedrick then moved to the final stretcher in the quiet room. This one was the smallest, less than half the size of the previous three. He slowly lifted the covering white cloth.

 

Inside was a young girl who had lost her life but appeared to be completely intact, looking no older than ten years old at most.

 

The man opened one of her closed eyes, revealing a pale blue, gem-like transparent pupil that had lost all its luster.

 

“The deceased is Chloe Lowry, female, sixteen years old, with a quarter Lightborn Tribe and three-quarters human bloodline. After verification, she is a registered resident of the Holy Empire, an adopted daughter of the Lowry family in Klaus City. She mysteriously disappeared four years ago and has had no contact since.”

 

“This case was also filed in the Klaus City’s Knights Templars archive. It is said that the knight order conducted a city-wide search and issued numerous missing person notices, but they never found any trace of her. Eventually, the case turned into a cold case, and Chloe Lowry was classified as a missing person. This status has also been officially confirmed by the head of the Lowry family.”

 

“……”

 

The Bright Light Saintess gazed at Chloe Lowry’s lifeless eyes for a long time with her gem-like, pale blue eyes before putting down the file and sighing.

 

“What’s the cause of death?”

 

Upon hearing this, Pedrick’s already furrowed brow seemed to tighten even further. After a brief pause, he replied in a deep, somber tone:

 

“The cause of death… is unknown.”

 

“Huh?”

 

Perhaps because she had finally spoken up, this time the golden-haired Arbiter turned his gaze to the white-haired girl with furry, pointed ears who was also in the quiet room. His hawk-like sharp eyes narrowed slightly, especially focusing on the somewhat strange little fox mask on her face.

 

“Your Highness, who is this…?”

 

“This is Miss Dawn, a capable aide I’ve brought in to assist with the case. Pedrick, there’s no need to hide anything from her, just speak frankly.”

 

Surprised by the Bright Light Saintess’s unhesitant answer, Pedrick paused for a moment. The piercing gaze typical of an Arbiter, skilled in search and hunting, slowly dissipated. He nodded and abandoned further inquiries into the fox girl’s identity.

 

“From the results of the autopsy, no fatal injuries were found on the body of Chloe Lowry, either externally or internally. Although there are numerous injection marks on the inside of her wrist, which suggest stunted development or halted growth due to certain medications, this is not sufficient to explain the disappearance of her vital signs. Therefore, from a physiological perspective, the cause of death remains undetermined.”

 

Since she had already spoken, Violet decided not to hold back and immediately countered:

 

“So, are you saying that if we look beyond the physiological perspective, we might find an answer?”

 

“……”

 

The Arbiter glanced at the fox girl with a hint of coldness, though it was unclear whether he was displeased with her interrupting or if this was simply his usual demeanor.

 

Eventually, Pedrick decisively nodded and said:

 

“Indeed, if we set aside the physiological perspective and consider theological or spiritual aspects…”

 

He took out a seemingly ordinary, flat gray crystal, about half the length of an adult’s finger, and placed it directly on the girl’s forehead.

 

However, after a full ten seconds, neither the crystal nor the girl showed any change.

 

Just as Violet was puzzling over what this might signify, the Bright Light Saintess, Yuna, suddenly changed her expression. With her long, slender fingers, she picked up the dim, lifeless gray crystal.

 

Her voice, though calm, carried a hint of anger and concern, “What a cruel method. Is this… the soul-stealing power that only higher-level demons can wield? This girl’s body seems to have become nothing but an empty shell…”

 

TL Notes:

[1]

Just for your information, Mr. Walter, also known as Mr. South Blade from the Ten Thousand Demons Mountains, is also from the Ghost Warrior Tribe.

[2]

The strength level of the Knight’s Holy Empire when compared to the strength level of adventurers:

【Courageous Knight】(Mithril-level),
【Steadfast Knight】(Obsidian Steel-level),
【Tenacious Knight】(Earth-level),
【Fearless Knight】(Sky-level)

【Arbiter】: This isn’t a strength level of the Holy Knight. It’s a position with responsibilities like those of a police officer. But it’s not just like the police, the 【Arbiter】 has other responsibilities too.

 

Back then, the author would explain things in 1 or 2 full chapters, but now, for terms like this, the explanations are just a short sentence inserted into separate chapters.