Heavenly Inquisition Sword - Chapter 1468



Only Noblemtl

Episode 1468. There was a knife mark on my face.

Elio was about to grab the middle-aged woman and ask her something, but he held back.

Since the other person approached us first, we just had to meet at the appointed time.

‘The back door… … .’

I thought it was on the opposite side of the main gate, so I looked around and sure enough, I saw a small door.

Only after confirming the meeting place did I feel at ease.

From border guards to butchers.

It feels like things big and small are being resolved smoothly at once.

Suddenly I took out my pocket watch and checked the time. It was only 7 o’clock.

‘2 hours… … .’

Two hours at a party is a long time for some people and a short time for others.

It was a boring and painful time for Elio, who had a narrow range of interpersonal relationships.

He checked his watch almost every ten minutes.

“Time doesn’t seem to pass quickly.”

Baron Ashley Nelson approached him as he grumbled and spoke to him.

“Your Majesty.”

“Oh, Sir Ashley. How have you been?”

“Thanks. What are you doing alone?”

Perhaps because it was a party, Ashley’s speech was extremely feminine.

“I was resting.”

“It’s late, but congratulations.”

“What?”

“It’s a border guard. I heard it’s a project the Count had been wishing for.”

“Who said that?”

“Baron Cloud, isn’t it?”

“It’s not a wish, but it is a plan. By the way, is the musketeer worth it?”

She was injured while serving as a knight and was forced to become a musketeer.

“Yes, it suits me so well that I wonder why I only became a musketeer now.”

“Is it better than taking up a sword?”

“Incomparable.”

Elio glanced at Baron Ashley.

I thought she was just saying that, but seeing her bright smile makes me think she’s sincere.

There was a moment of silence between them.

At that moment, the sound of a lute (a plucked instrument similar to a guitar) being played was heard from somewhere.

A beautiful song followed immediately.

It is a bright and lively voice that matches the light melodies unique to the lute.

Elio turned his head towards the stage, feeling something familiar.

It was Erica Noble with short hair.

I’ve only seen the pipa played, but it seemed like the lute suited it better.

Suddenly, Erica Noble’s confession and Tracy Gold’s death came to mind.

As he was lost in thought, Baron Ashley’s voice came to his ear.

“You must have been invited to the most famous Vardos in Hierhera.”

“I guess so.”

Elio nodded.

After the love triangle with herself, Erica Noble became the most famous Vardos in the North.

It was only natural that she would be invited to Hierhera’s first official event.

“This might be a little rude, but I have a question. Can I ask you something?”

“What is it?”

“I heard that you rejected Erica’s confession because it wasn’t to your taste.”

Elio laughed bitterly.

It seems that Fabian, who has a soft mouth, is talking nonsense again.

He is such a consistent guy.

“You don’t have to answer if you feel uncomfortable.”

“It won’t be uncomfortable.”

Elio shrugged.

Baron Ashley was one of my closest acquaintances and was qualified to ask such questions.

“Even I, a woman, think that Erica is beautiful.”

“Even men think she’s beautiful.”

“Huh! That’s what I thought, right? But why… … .”

“Miss Erica resembles my dead wife. When I see Miss Erica, I think of my dead wife.”

“ah…….”

An exclamation escaped Baron Ashley’s lips.

It never occurred to me that it might be for that reason.

She quickly changed the subject.

Between the two of them, there was a wide range of talk about war, the Abyss, and the gods.

Baron Ashley had extensive knowledge as expected from a graduate of the Imperial Academy.

Elio felt comfortable talking to Baron Ashley.

For a long time, the two people talked while eating food.

Then Elio suddenly came to his senses and quickly took out his pocket watch and checked the time.

It’s 8:58.

Who would have thought that time, which used to pass slowly, would pass so quickly!

Elio spoke quickly.

“Oh no! I have an appointment at 9 o’clock, so I have to wake up first.”

“Oh, okay. See you next time.”

Elio bowed and quickly left the party.

An inexplicable sigh escaped Baron Ashley’s mouth as he watched Count Lagoa’s back moving away.

Arriving at the back door, Elio checked the time once more.

It was 9 o’clock written on the note.

I looked around the interior casually, but I couldn’t see the middle-aged woman.

‘So is it outside?’

Elio opened the door and went out.

Large trash cans were placed in an orderly manner.

There was a streetlight nearby, but as expected, the area around the back door was dark.

‘Should I have stopped him and asked him earlier?’ As I was regretting it, someone appeared from the darkness.

It was a middle-aged woman who left a note and disappeared.

Elio spoke quickly, fearing that she might run away in surprise.

“Are you the one who gave me the note?”

“yes.”

The middle-aged woman answered coolly, but looked around restlessly as if she was anxious.

“Don’t worry. There’s no one around here.”

Only then did the woman stop looking around and take a step closer to Count Lagoa.

Elio asked the woman first so that she could speak more comfortably.

“Do you know anything about the Butcher?”

“yes.”

“Please tell me. If you give me any decisive information, I will pay you the promised reward.”

The woman spoke without a moment’s hesitation.

“He is Viscount Stema Griff.”

“Could it be that you are the Viscount Stema Griff, who is famous for being a lover of culture and the arts?”

“yes.”

“What is the evidence that he is a butcher?”

“I am in a relationship with Count Griff.”

Elio listened to her silently, without interrupting her.

“I met Count Griff at a concert, and we met often after that. He was the commander of the Phoenix Division and spent more days in the snowfields than in Hirhera. When he happened to come to Hirhera, he stayed with me instead of staying at the barracks.”

“Excuse me, what do you do?”

Elio was curious about the identity of the middle-aged woman.

Because Hirge was a military city, there were still more military personnel than civilians.

“I’m the manager of the Blue Parrot Tavern. I’m not the owner… … . I manage the tavern on his behalf.”

“Aha. Go ahead.”

What was rapidly increasing in Hirhera were not inns or restaurants, but taverns.

It was understandable, since all the northern troops were gathered there.

“One morning, I saw him sneaking out. At first, I thought he had gone out because something had come up in the unit. He came back an hour later… … That morning, I saw something strange. There was a bloodstain on his coat. It had clearly been clean the day before.”

“You don’t even know if it’s a monster’s bloodstain.”

“What kind of monster is there in Hirhera? Especially at dawn. If there was a monster, the bell would have rung and there would have been chaos.”

“That’s true.”

Elio immediately agreed.

Even if a monster were to appear, it would likely occur on the outskirts of the city.

It was even stranger that he went out to hunt monsters on the outskirts of the city instead of sleeping.

“There was a lot of noise all day long about someone dying that day. From then on, I became cautious when dealing with Count Griff. It was like a feeling of unease and anxiety.”

“That’s not all, is it?”

“Of course. Bardos was murdered again recently.”

“Yes, it was.”

“I was with Count Griff that day too… … He went out at dawn and came back.”

“Hmm.”

A moan escaped Elio’s lips.

It was a suspicious situation, but that alone was not enough.

Above all, the face of Count Stema Griff is as clean as a wizard.

Just when I was thinking that this would be another worthless tip, something unexpected came out of the woman’s mouth.

“That day, he must have been flustered, because his breathing was a bit heavy. So I squinted my eyes and looked… … . He had a different face. At first, I thought he was a robber.”

“But was it Count Griff?”

“Clothes. They were Count Griff’s clothes. I was so scared I thought my heart would burst. After a while, he lay down next to me… … . I just pretended to be asleep. I didn’t want to open my eyes. When I woke up in the morning, it was Count Griff. At that time, I really thought I was dreaming.”

“It’s a fascinating story, but that alone isn’t enough.”

“I saw a scar on the face I saw briefly then.”

“… … .”

In an instant, Elio came to his senses.

By the way, Count Stema Griff was a wizard.

Illusion, a welcome magic, can be used without difficulty by 4th circle magicians.

If you changed your face with a welcome magic, it would be entirely possible.

“Thank you. If Count Griff is the culprit, I will offer you a reward.”

“I didn’t do it for the reward. Tracy Gold sang in our bar. I’m satisfied with getting her revenge.”

After finishing speaking, the middle-aged woman disappeared into the darkness without looking back.

Elio thought for a moment and then headed to the police station.

After checking the butcher’s information once more at the police station, he returned to Chrysophedio.

Chrysopedio.

Elio wandered around looking for Count Griff.

The nobles who misunderstood this as an act of enjoying a party clung to him.

Elio roamed the tapis like a hyena, refusing the nobles’ invitations.

Into his eyes came the Count Griff, surrounded by people.

Erica was smiling brightly next to Count Griff.

Anyone can see that he is an art lover and the beautiful Bardos he sponsors.

Elio let out a small exhale as he saw Erica.

This is also a really bad fate.

Elio paused for a moment, then quickly walked towards Count Griff.

As Count Lagoa approached, the nobles rushed to make way for him.

Elio stopped in front of Count Griff.

For a moment, the surroundings became quiet.

The nobles held their breath and looked between Count Lagoa, Viscount Griff, and Erica.

Could this be another love triangle between Count Lagoa and Viscount Griff?

As the nobles imagined the love triangle of the century, Viscount Griff opened his mouth.

“Your Excellency, Count Lagoa. It is an honor to meet you. I am of the Kingdom of Frisia… … .”

“I know. Viscount Stema Griff. You’re a lover of culture and the arts, right? Haven’t we met before?”

“Yes, I saw you in the snowy field while on reconnaissance with the unit. At that time, I was very rude because I didn’t know who you were.”

Elio looked at Count Griff with strange eyes.

That’s just lip service. He did nothing wrong that day.

Erica greeted me with a smile as if nothing had happened.

“Hello, Count Lagoa. It’s nice to see you here again.”

Elio nodded his head but didn’t speak to her.

An awkward silence flowed through the room.

The first to speak was Count Griff.

He mistakenly believed that Count Lagoa had come to see him about his son.

“Thank you for forgiving me for my poor child’s mistakes.”

“That’s not a bad thing.”

“No. Even though it was a misunderstanding… … When I think of the sins I committed against the Count, ten years of life as a servant are nothing.”

“As you said, Harvey did it out of misunderstanding. But, Viscount Griff, what were you thinking when you did such a thing?”

“Is that what you mean?”

“I just received a tip that you are a butcher. What do you think about this?”

“I don’t know who slandered me… … but that’s a blatant lie. As you can see, there’s not a single scratch on my face, let alone a knife mark.”

“You say something like that even though you know I’m a swordsman… … You’re more foolish than I thought. You can easily change your face with illusion magic with just 4 circles.”

“No matter what anyone says, it’s not me. I have no reason to be.”

“The Butcher is a notorious name that has recently emerged. Do you know that I served in the Hirhera Garrison? Hirhera is a military city, so public safety was high and crime was rare. At best, pickpocketing, and robbery were rare. In such a place as Hirhera, a Butcher who kills people… … . Don’t you think it’s a bit unexpected?”

“Your Majesty! Is this because of Miss Erica? Are you trying to turn me into a butcher in order to monopolize Miss Erica?”

An excited Count Griff grabbed Erica’s arm.

Erica, who happened to be standing next to Count Griff, blinked in surprise.

Elio, who was staring at Count Griff, asked.

“Does that mean you’re going to take Erica hostage now?”

The eyes of the surrounding nobles all turned to Viscount Griff.