The Knight tried to jump on Sylvester. But all he got was a foot placed on his face and thrown back to the wall again. "Did you not hear me? Speak, or…"

"Aaargh!" Sylvester clutched the woman's neck tighter and made her yelp in fear.

"Or hear her shriek. Speak, Sir Lennox. Why did you try to kill Sir Dolorem? What's your relationship with Sir Kenworth?"

However, the man did not speak and kept staring daggers at Sylvester. "I will not speak… or he will kill us all. He will do worse than merely cutting arms and fingers!"

"If you don't speak, then I will kill her first and let you live." Sylvester threatened him back. "You have children too, I heard. A daughter who just got married? I wonder what the Inquisitors will do to her."

"Say it, please!" the woman also cried finally.

'What could it be that's holding him so hard? Who did he work for?' Sylvester wondered as he could feel the fear from the man, but it was not directed towards him.

That, in the end, left him with just one option. 'If the fear is too much, then I shall try and erase it.'

He left his grip on the woman. "Go and be with him."

She quickly ran over and sat down beside the man. She wiped his face with her clothes and tried to see how badly he was hurt while crying.

At the same time, Sylvester sat down on the ground, crossed legs. Then, he pointed his palm at the couple and started singing a hymn, while also releasing normal light magic from his palm, making the two feel warm.

♫We all are born for a reason unknown.

Doing our duty, we hope destiny is shown.

On the wrong path to be blown—Some are prone.

For them, my light leads to the trail to atone.♫

♫Heed to my hymns, and rid your crimes.

Old and new, at all times, brightest the lord shines.

So speak, child of the lord, for your faith commands.

To punish the vile filth, speak—as your lord demands.♫

Sylvester looked at their faces to see if the hymns were doing their magic. And certainly, they always do. The two had their eyes big, shining with the light that Sylvester released. Their faces were stuck on Sylvester's form as the halo made him appear like a god.

Especially in a room so dark and damp, and after having spent days in the chamber, being tortured, the old Knight started crying in his wife's arms.

Sylvester continued and ended with one last verse.

♫Rise, O' knight sworn to the highest king.

Embrace the warmth of eternal spring.

Find salvation in the arms of the lord.

For his grand plan, we're all aboard.

Amen, Amen—repeat with the lord.♫"Amen!" the woman chanted.

But the Knight was incapable of speaking as he cried like a child, face twisted, nose runny. He knew he had sinned, and now was the time to ask for forgiveness. "It was all Sir Kenworth—my lord! It was a long conspiracy. My daughter's husband… I thought he was a good man from the royal army, but he turned out to be a beast in disguise. He pained her, hid her, and commanded me to do things to save her."

Sylvester didn't stop spreading light from his palm even when he stopped singing. "Since when did you know this, Sir Kenworth?"

"Years!" Sir Lennox replied. "He's been in the royal army for years, and I saw him grow in front of my eyes. From a young squire to a mighty knight. He and my daughter became friends long before they fell in love. I thought he was a good man… I was foolish."

"Is your daughter safe?"

"She is, thankfully, but mentally broken."

'But this does not help me at all. What about the motivations? Why do all that?'

Sylvester moved closer to them. "Tell me everything you know about this man. Why does he go around places killing women and cutting their breasts? What does he get from this? Is he involved with dark magic?"

"We don't know, lord bard." The Knight exclaimed. "He was a good man until he was not. As if his whole life was a lie–as if everything he showed us was a part of the plan. Who he works for or why he does what he does, I don't know. My order was only to kill Sir Dolorem and delay the investigation."

"Any idea where he could be now?" Sylvester inquired.

"None. He'd be foolish not to run away by now. My lord… will I have salvation now? Will the Solis forgive me?"

Sylvester stood up and proceeded to the door. "The result of your actions will only be revealed in the arms of Solis when you cross the final bridge. But, until then, you can only try and win some grace back. So be a good man—that is if you're let go."

He walked out and let the guards close the door. But this time, they put a torch inside so the couple could talk.

As the door closed, the woman quickly untied the cotton straps that made her arm look chopped, as well as her finger.

Seeing this, Sir Lennox was bewildered. "H-He did not?"

The woman scoffed. "He said he's not the monster that he's on the hunt for. Lord bard is… pure and holy… unlike the foolish us." She looked at his face and sat beside him, putting her head on his shoulder. "My love… what will happen to us now?"

"There is only one punishment for treason, Marin—only one."

Sniff!

She silently cried and stayed resting by his side. "Years of loyalty, sacrifices, and this. I wish I could turn back time."

The old Knight and his old lady silently wept, for the future seemed bleak, no matter how much light they wished to seek.

"Forgive me. Please care for our daughter and settle somewhere far away after I'm gone."

She nodded slowly. "I will… but for now, please let me hold your hand while it remains warm."

…

Sylvester walked out and frustratingly looked around. He had found nothing of help inside other than knowing that a long-term conspiracy was at play here. And it was certain that Sir Kenworth was not working for himself. Otherwise, the man would not appear in Jartel and Raftel counties at the most convenient times.

"Young bard."

Sylvester walked over to the Lord Inquisitor and reported everything. "The man was a victim of the long conspiracy, lord Inquisitor. The same Knight whose face we search all over destroyed his family. Over a decade, he befriended the Knight's daughter and eventually married her, only to show his real face.

"He forced him to act against Sir Dolorem by keeping his daughter hostage. Now, where he is, nobody knows.""So nothing?" Felix muttered. "How do we even start looking for a man in such a big world?"

Sylvester silently thought about things. He was reminded of something Bishop Lazark had told him during the Bloodling hunt. "Bishop, you said a similar case had happened in the south?"

"Near the Bamboo Forest, lord bard." Bishop Lazark answered.

Sylvester closed his eyes and remembered the map. "Alright, let's say she was the first victim. After that, the victims went from the far south to the far north. All three were women, nobles and had their chests cut off."

He didn't utter his next words. 'Going by common criminal psychology. Especially in a world where it's hard to travel. The first crime is usually done around the nearest location to where the criminal originates—lives or works. And then, scared, they try to get as far away as possible to do the next one.'

"I need to go south, Lord Inquisitor. I need to complete that investigation on my own, or else we may miss something." He requested.

"T-This means my family is innocent, correct?" King Gracia exclaimed, nervously looking around. "The culprit is this Sir Kenworth, as you said, Lord Bard."

"Sit down, King Harold." Lord Inquisitor boomed as he stood up. "If a conspiracy is in motion, one this long, then how deep its roots go, we must know. The seedling could be anyone—you, your woman, or your cook. So, young bard, go south and find what you will. I shall watch things here until we have the culprit kneel."

Sylvester bowed his head. "However, I have a request. Until we have the culprit, do not punish Sir Lennox and shift him to a better cell. What happened to him, it could have been anyone else in the kingdom. If it was Sir Dolorem, he'd have felt the same."

"Mercy and might, you have everything right, young bard." The Lord Inquisitor replied, showing praise so openly for the first time. "You heard him, King Harold. Do as is wished. As for I, lead me to Lady Rexina—she ought to know more about the realm."

Viscount Tempus answered. "She lives in the highest tower of the royal palace, my lord. She likes watching over the city from there, for she can't move anymore."

"Then lead me to her."

"As you command, my lord."

As they headed out, Sylvester gathered his friends and moved along to the ground floor. They were all led back into the throne room, where King Harold retook his throne to look mighty, but his face spoke otherwise.

Sylvester bowed his head. "I shall take my leave then, your majesty."

"Where is my sister?" The king spoke loudly.

'Oh, so this is why he took the throne.'

"She's safe and healthy in the Holy Land. My mother cares for her like her own child, so worry not." Sylvester said.

The King raised his finger and then put it down, only to speak meekly. "C-Can I have her back? I have a suitor for her coming in a few days."

'Oh, no wonder she had dared to leave the castle. It seems her motivations were many.'

"Can you describe to me how this suitor looks?" He asked.

This time, taking a proud demeanour, the king replied. "Oh, he's rich and mighty, a lord from Southern Gracia. His coffers run the Yggdrasil school of magic."

Felix interrogated before Sylvester this time. "By any chance, is he as big of a man as his coffers are?"

"Fat? Hmm…" The king thought. "He has certainly gained a few dozen kil-"

Bam!

The throne room's gates suddenly opened, and a man in perfectly shining Knight's armour ran in.

"Nephew! Riots! Riots have broken out! Go hide!"

___________________

GT = 1 Bonus chapter.

Super Gift = 1 Bonus chapter.

APE TOGETHER STRONG!