Chapter 593

After receiving the full cooperation of the Commander of the Holy Knights, Ellen was officially given the authority to handle the case.

And although not formally part of the investigation, Louise von Schwartz offered her insights as Ellen’s assistant. Heinrich speculated that the demon god cultists might be involved, a possibility neither Ellen nor Louise could ignore.

Unlike the hero cultists, the demon god cultists wielded demonic Divine Power, and many among them possessed dangerous abilities. If they were indeed involved, they could not only have infiltrated the tomb beneath the main temple of the Order of the Holy Knights, but also killed Rowen, who was on their trail.

“Rowen mentioned that hero cultists aren’t considered heretics,” Ludwig said, looking serious, “but real heretics sometimes disguised themselves as hero cultists.”

“That makes sense,” Louise nodded in agreement.

The Hero Cult wasn’t a unified faith, so variations in beliefs were common.

It was conceivable that demon god cultists were spreading their faith throughout the refugee camps under the guise of being hero cultists.

Unlike the fragmented Hero Cult, the Demon God Cult was a cohesive force.

“If that’s true, it’s possible that the Demon God Cult, posing as the Hero Cult, has nearly taken over the refugee camp,” Louise added.

They might not just be lurking around, but could already be the dominant religious force.

“And if that’s the case... Rowen might have been up against something monstrous beyond imagination,” Louise mused.

If the Demon God Cult was indeed masquerading as the Hero Cult within the refugee camp, Rowen might have been trying to expose a vast network of demon god cultists.

If Rowen was truly capturing and interrogating demon god cultists rather than innocent refugees, she might have been acting out of a sense of justice.

But were those he captured, tortured, and killed actually demon god cultists, or were they innocent? It was becoming increasingly difficult to determine whether Rowen’s actions were just or unjust.

Without knowing Rowen’s true intentions or who killed her, they were left with numerous possibilities, none of which were certain. Each possibility seemed to contradict another, making the path to the truth even more confusing.

Ellen tapped her fingers on the table, her mind cluttered with theories.

“For now, it seems wise to visit the Tomb of the Saints,” she concluded.

It was the crime scene, after all.

***

The theft of the remains from the Tomb of the Saints wasn’t necessarily the starting point of all these events.

Rowen had been an inquisitor in the capital for a long time, and was surely driven by a major goal, although whether it was to eradicate the Demon God Cult or dismantle the Hero Cult was unclear.

Extreme incidents had been happening since the Gate Incident, but not everything could be related back to a single explosion.

In a world filled with gunpowder, explosions could occur anywhere. The real issue would be the gunpowder itself.

There was so much wrong with the world, and so the Demon God Cult continued to thrive, the Hero Cult surpassed the Church of the Five Great Gods in prominence, and issues of hunger and disease were rampant.

The Gate Incident was the catalyst for all these events, and an unending string of incidents and accidents had occurred since.

The theft of the remains from the Tomb of the Saints was not the core of the events happening within the capital. It was just one explosive case among many that had caught fire and exploded. At least, that was what Ellen thought.

The Order of the Holy Knights was conducting their own internal investigation into the robbery.

“It seems Rowen didn’t share the details of her investigation with the leadership of the Order of the Holy Knights, though. Otherwise, the commander was lying.”

Rowen had to have started her investigation immediately after the incident, but the Commander of the Holy Knights claimed ignorance of her investigation even though he had just returned with a contingent of high-ranking holy knights.

If the encrypted documents found in the temple’s underground were deciphered, they might reveal what Rowen had discovered. However, even if the Commander of the Holy Knights deciphered them, Ellen was unsure if he would share their contents with them.

She had no choice but to accept the possibility that they couldn’t be deciphered.

Since it was unclear whether the Commander of the Holy Knights was fully cooperative, Ellen had to rely on her own observations and judgments to uncover the truth.

The Commander of the Holy Knights might lie or withhold information, but ultimately, he couldn’t obstruct her entirely.

Ellen expressed her intention to visit the scene to the Order of the Holy Knights, and after a while, Illeion Volten assigned a high-ranking holy knight to guide her.

“It’s an honor to meet you, Hero. I’ll be your guide from now on.”

“Yes. Thank you.”

This guide had probably received strict instructions from the commander, so Ellen didn’t place much trust in him.

She led her group beneath the main temple of the Order of the Holy Knights. Among the many facilities there, the Tomb of the Saints was the furthest down.

When the holy knights guarding the way saw Ellen, they stepped aside without a word, as if they had been instructed beforehand.

Although Louise had decided to help Ellen and Ludwig for the time being, she remained silent. It was Ellen who was taking the lead.

“Could you briefly explain the case?” Ellen asked their guide.

“The incident occurred on December 3rd, about seventeen days ago,” he explained slowly.

An incident that happened seventeen days ago... Since the Commander of the Holy Knights had not been able to return to the capital immediately, it was understandable that he might not know the status of the investigation or its progress.

The explanation was clear and straightforward. On the morning of December 3rd, a priest overseeing the Tomb of the Saints discovered the tombs in ruins and immediately informed the on-duty priest.

When the on-duty priest and holy knights arrived, they found many of the sarcophagi destroyed, and the remains inside were missing.

“What was the security like?”

“The Tomb of the Saints doesn’t have its own security. However, due to its location, knights and priests will be able to see anyone entering it. They must pass through restricted areas with security even at night, so being discovered would be inevitable. Even so...”

“Did none of the security personnel see the culprit?”

“No, they didn’t.”

“What about the locks?”

“The entrance is usually locked. Only three sets of keys are given to the priests in charge. After questioning them, we discovered that they kept the keys in their private rooms, not on them.”

“So there was a chance of theft?”

“Someone could have secretly taken one of the keys, used them, and then returned them.”

There were no treasures in the Tomb of the Saints, so the priests’ negligence with the keys wasn’t a major issue. But still, someone had decided to steal what seemed worthless.

The priests would be under suspicion and face severe punishment. Ellen guessed they would have to endure significant hardship.

“According to the priest who discovered the break-in, the tomb had been locked as usual.”

“So, the thief locked the door after stealing the remains and fled?”

“We can’t know that.”

Why would a thief lock the door after breaking in and stealing? That was absurd.

The culprits had made it completely unseen during their descent to the underground tomb, and the door to the tomb itself was locked.

While simple negligence or the possibility of an inside job couldn’t be ruled out, if the summary of this incident was true, then one possibility stood out.

The thieves might have entered the underground cemetery through teleportation.

“A high-level mage might be involved.”

It seemed likely that a mage capable of teleportation was involved. Creating and maintaining a teleportation barrier wasn’t easy, and the main temple of the Order of the Holy Knights didn’t have one.

“The Order of the Holy Knights is considering that possibility as well. You’ll understand when you see the scene.”

Upon reaching the Tomb of the Saints, their guide inserted a large key into the massive door and unlocked it.

Creak...

The holy knight opened the door by himself, even though it was so massive that it would be difficult, if not impossible, for any ordinary person to move.

Once the door was open, Ellen was greeted by the scene of the crime, which had been preserved in the state it had been left in after the incident.

The tomb was a vast underground cavity. The sarcophagi embedded in the walls had been ripped out, and even those buried in the ground had been broken open.

While some sarcophagi were still intact, most had been destroyed, and fragments were scattered across the ground.

“It’s more destruction than theft,” Ellen observed.

Clearly, the thieves hadn’t acted quietly.

“Yes... That’s correct.”

“Could such a level of commotion go unnoticed upstairs?”

“It shouldn't have gone unnoticed, but none of the priests upstairs heard any noise.”

Instead of opening the lids one by one, the thieves had destroyed them entirely and stolen the remains. It was very strange that no one heard the noise.

Noise suppression and teleportation...

“Noise-cancelling magic must have been employed,” Louise observed quietly.

Regardless of whether the culprits had been heretics or not, they were all certain that a mage had been involved in the incident.

***

“May I go in and take a look?”

“Yes, by all means.”

With that answer, Ellen slowly walked into the underground tomb.

The Order of the Holy Knights might not have provided Ellen with all the information, but they weren’t deliberately obstructing her.

Aside from superficial information, there was more information to be found by examining the scene.

The Tomb of the Saints... Ellen hadn’t known about such a place, nor did she need to.

Ludwig, Heinrich, and Louise also followed Ellen into the underground cemetery.

It wasn’t yet certain whether the temple attackers and the grave robbers were the same people. However, it was clear that there were superhumans among the temple attackers, and a mage was certainly among those who had stolen the saints’ remains.

Regardless of the specific type of group the culprits belonged to, everyone instinctively knew they couldn’t be ordinary people.

The sarcophagi had been buried in the ground or embedded in the walls like storage units. Whether the thief was alone or there was a group of them was as yet unknown, but most of the sarcophagi had been destroyed.

‘The sarcophagi embedded in the walls weren’t pulled out in order to steal the remains inside; the front panels of the sarcophagi were destroyed.’

Even with noise-canceling magic, such an action was too rough to be considered mere theft. It was literal property destruction.

‘There were many ways to do it more quietly, like stealing the bones quietly and replacing the sarcophagi.’

If they had done that, the Order of the Holy Knights would never have known the remains had been stolen until they opened the sarcophagi, which might not happen for a long time.

One thing was certain: the thieves had acted as if they didn’t care whether the scene was discovered or not.

‘They might have deliberately created this scene to mock the Order of the Holy Knights or had confidence that they wouldn’t be caught.’

The ostentatiousness of the scene itself spoke to the thieves’ nature, though whether it was a mockery of the Order of the Holy Knights or confidence that they wouldn’t be caught—or even both—was unknown.

Following Ellen’s lead, the others examined the scene in their own way.

Ultimately, there was one thing that couldn’t be determined even by examining the scene.

Why had the thieves stolen the remains? Why steal something like that? If they had desecrated them and left them behind, it might have been a show of anger towards the Order of the Holy Knights or the Church of the Five Great Gods.

‘Was it anger...?’

Anger towards the Church of the Five Great Gods... That anger was particularly evident towards two of the five great Orders: The orders of Ouen and Alse.

Although many sarcophagi had been destroyed, some were inexplicably intact. Some remains had been taken, while others had not.

‘Could it be that they only took the remains of the saints who held faith in Ouen and Alse during their lifetime?’

Ellen read the parts of the biographies among the fragments of the destroyed sarcophagi that she could decipher.

‘No. That’s not it.’

She skimmed through the names just in case, but it was clear it wasn’t just the remains of the saints who believed in Ouen and Alse during their lifetime that were missing. The missing remains included the saints of Riter, Mensis, and Shalam.

‘There’s no particular distinction.’

Since they didn’t only take the bodies of saints who believed in Ouen and Alse, it wasn’t an expression of anger towards those two orders alone, but it might still have been a group that hated the entire Church of the Five Great Gods.

As Ellen skimmed through the names, she inevitably came across a familiar name.

“This is...”

Ellen couldn’t help but feel her eyes widen.

[Leverier Lanche]

Indeed, there was only one name in the Tomb of the Saints that Ellen recognized. Leverier Lanche, who had been killed by Reinhart.

It was merely a coincidence, but upon discovering that name, Ellen couldn’t help but bite her lip.

Reinhart hadn’t shown up during the Miss Temple Contest. He had been fighting Leverier Lanche in order to save Olivia Lanche.

When these old memories suddenly resurfaced, Ellen was gripped by an intense headache.

“Ugh...!”

“Ellen...? Ellen!”

As Ellen suddenly clutched her head and collapsed, Heinrich, Ludwig, and even the holy knight who was watching her rushed to her side in shock.

“Ugh...!”

It felt like thousands of needles were piercing her head.

“What’s wrong? Are you okay?”

“Hero! Are you alright?”

“W-why this all of a sudden...!”

“Are you okay? Get a hold of yourself!”

Ellen tried to catch her breath amidst the voices echoing around her, feeling overwhelmed by the pressure.

Although she had been fine recently, the unexpected encounter with this name and the memories it brought with it suddenly caused Ellen to feel as if something sharp was being drilled into her brain.

An intense cloud of unknown hatred and anger threatened to consume her body.

Within her soul, the monstrous presence of the “others”, which was always trying to devour her, pressed itself against Ellen’s mind.

The ocean that was her soul, which had been relatively calm because she had been focusing on other things, suddenly began to surge.

She had been forced to face too many things she had tried to forget that day, including the Demon King and the Gate Incident, and they had brought with them the turbulent waves that always threatened to engulf her, waves which had barely calmed down.

“I-I’m okay... I’m okay... Just a moment. Just a moment, please... I’m just... dizzy...”

Although it was far from just dizziness, Ellen sat down, clutching her head, and tried to regulate her breathing for about ten minutes.

Not yet. She could still endure. She could still find peace.

She couldn’t surrender her body, mind, and spirit just yet.

She needed to think of something else.

Dwelling on the Demon King and her feelings for Reinhart felt like her soul was being torn apart.

Ellen clutched the bone fragment idol hanging around her neck, a mental anchor carved by Dettomorian.

She repeated to herself: she had to forget.

Forgetting was the only way to avoid being consumed.

She focused on the case.

Leverier Lanche’s remains had been stolen, and she needed to see the end of this bizarre murder and massacre case.

She had to find out where all these events led.

As those thoughts swirled around her, Ellen tried to think of something entirely different from those ominous images: the murder, the Demon King, the Gate Incident, and the stolen remains...

Finally, one phrase was able to clear her mind.

‘Go back to the Temple.’

She had to go back to the Temple to feed the cat.

As if by magic, the pain that felt like it was tearing her head and soul apart stopped.

“Haa... Haa...”

For a while, Ellen was left speechless by the absurdity of it all.

***

Without warning, Ellen had suddenly clutched her head and groaned, worrying everyone around her, before recovering on her own.

Even the holy knight who had provided only the most necessary information couldn’t hide his concern.

“Is there some kind of unholy aura lingering here? Could it have affected you...?”

Ellen brushed off their concern with a simple remark.

“No. That’s not it. It just happens sometimes.”

While getting to the bottom of the murder was important, Ellen’s well-being was paramount.

The holy knight who was serving as their guide, likely under secret instructions from the Commander of the Holy Knights, was visibly pale with worry.

It would be ideal if the case could be solved straight away, but if such cases could be solved overnight, would there even be any unsolved mysteries in the world?

Ultimately, Ellen had to prioritize herself, and everyone else shared the same sentiment.

“There’s no rush. It might be best to go back and rest for now,” Louise suggested. Perhaps it would be best to return to Temple to organize their thoughts.

Ellen quietly surveyed the underground tomb. The sarcophagi had been destroyed, and seeing it with her own eyes had given her some clues about the thieves. However, the reason behind the theft was still unknown.

And Ellen was suddenly afraid. Afraid that the spirits, which had been quiet recently, might completely consume her.

“Yes. It seems there’s nothing more to learn here...” Ellen agreed.

She didn’t know where these clues would lead, but she had gotten the necessary information.

However, Ludwig seemed hesitant to leave, as if he had some questions.

“Uh... um, but, you know... Well...”

“Did you find something unusual?” Louise asked, and Ludwig shook his head with an ambiguous expression.

“Huh? Oh... no. It’s not anything unusual, but I do have a question...”

“What is it?”

Although Louise didn’t know it yet, Ellen and Heinrich had sadly come to accept that Ludwig would never offer much meaningful information.

They knew Ludwig wanted to help, but having seen how he was so far, they couldn’t help but have that expectation.

However, neither of them was the type to openly criticize Ludwig. Since he said he had a question, they would indulge him.

Ludwig headed towards the wall of the underground cemetery, where the broken sarcophagi were, and they followed him.

“This sarcophagus... How do you think it was broken?” he asked.

“Huh?”

“How?”

“Hm...?”

The others couldn’t hide their confusion.

Just like Ellen and the holy knights, the others had focused on the destruction itself. They wondered why the thieves had made such a mess of the underground tomb when they could have quietly stolen the remains without being discovered.

They were all focused on the “why”, and not “how” the sarcophagi had been broken, since there was no reason to think about it.

But suddenly, Ludwig asked about the “how” instead of the “why.”

Why did that matter?

“Why do you ask that all of a sudden?” Heinrich asked, and Ludwig looked at the broken sarcophagus.

The interior of the broken sarcophagus was like a deep, hollow hole.

Ludwig peered into the empty wall. “They said nobody cleaned up the scene or anything.”

“Yes, that’s what they said.”

There was no reason to clean up the scene just to recreate the mess later on. The holy knight wouldn’t have lied about that part.

Ludwig peered into the holes and raised his left fist.

“If they deliberately broke it with a fist or something like that to take the remains out... Um... Shouldn’t there be, like, stone dust or stone fragments inside?”

“Huh...?”

Ludwig’s question prompted Ellen to finally look inside the sarcophagus where the remains should have been.

For superhumans, breaking through stone was no big deal.

The thieves had deliberately chosen a violent method, and they had no need to concern themselves with noise because of the noise-canceling magic.

If they smashed the sarcophagus with a fist, that would mean the force was applied from the outside. In that case, the inside of the sarcophagus would have been filled with stone dust or fragments as the wall of the sarcophagus was blasted inward.

However, there was practically no stone dust or stone fragments within the interior.

There was still a little, but the lack of more fragments was certainly peculiar. There were too few traces for the thieves to have smashed the sarcophagus from the outside, either with a bare fist or some other equipment.

The same was true for other sarcophagi.

However, concerning the fragments of the sarcophagus scattered on the ground... There were too many fragments, and they were scattered too far away.

The scene hadn’t been touched since the incident happened, preserved exactly as it was when the thieves disappeared.

Ludwig examined other empty sarcophagi.

“Doesn’t this seem like... Instead of being broken from the outside with a fist... it was broken from the inside out...?”

“No way...!”

Louise and Ellen couldn’t help but notice something.

It’s said that even a broken clock is right twice a day.

Indeed, the scattered fragments at the scene told the story.

The force which had broken the sarcophagi had not been applied from the outside in, but from the inside out.

“How could it be broken like that...?”

“The corpses,” Ellen said in answer to Ludwig’s question.

“Huh?”

“They resurrected them. The corpses,” Ellen said, her eyes going wide. “They resurrected the saints’ corpses as undead...”

The corpses had come to life on their own and broken out of the sarcophagi.

There was no need to think about

why

the thieves had broken the sarcophagi in this manner. By thinking about

how

they had been broken, they immediately understood what had happened.

And these weren’t just any corpses, but the corpses of saints recognized by the Order of the Holy Knights. Someone had resurrected those corpses as undead and disappeared.

The remains hadn’t been stolen; they had been resurrected.

Confronted with this startling revelation, Ellen, who pieced it all together, and Ludwig, who had dropped the crucial hint, stood frozen in disbelief, alongside Louise and Heinrich.