11- Secret of the Bell Temple (3)

The sound of the woman's body hitting the marble floor drew everyone's attention.

Raihle reminded in place, and then slowly looked down.

She wore the priestess outfit, but he hadn’t seen her earlier, he would definitely remember seeing a woman with dark veins bopping out under her skin and exploding blood shot eyes. 

She was turning grey and twitching slightly next to his feet for few seconds before she no longer took another breath.

Raihle tried to crouch down next to her but Lain shouted, "Your highness, Don't!" 

He and Hugo and Loka ran to his side.

Hugo pulled Raihle away "Are you okay?"

Raihle was looking at Lain examining the body, his face looked terrible and he didn't touch her with his bare hands.

"What happened to her?" He asked.

Lain got up and stood in front of her, blocking her sight from the temple's curious visitors and the other priests.

"She was poisoned." He said as low as possible. Thankfully, her face wasn't visible so no one other than them saw her.

Raihle stared at her gray skin, red bleeding eyes, her expression looked as if she still torturing even in her death "What kind of poison is this?"

"It not the poison," Lain frowned in a mix of pity and anger "It's the kind of person who did this."

Hugo gasped "Don't tell me!"

Loka suddenly grasped Raihle's arm. Raihle didn't understand either of their reaction.

"Do you know who killed her?" 

Lain nodded and whispered, "It's a Sorcerer."

His face was dark and his brow was twitching, Raihle didn't understand even after his answer, although Hugo and Loka got it right away.

"We should leave now, Your highness." Loka kept pulling his elbow and Hugo was cursing to himself.

Raihle ignored them and asked again, confused "What does that mean?"

Lain didn't mind explaining to him "They are like mages, but the magic in their blood is corrupted making it poisonous. Their blood can kill anyone, human or not, by..." he looked down at the woman and bit his lips tightly "By rotting their meat and torturing them to death inside their bodies."

He started cautiously looking around "They are rare, but when you come across one of them, you either send them to Abyss and make sure they never come back or, the more assuring way is burning them."

Raihle head dazed, it was all connected.

The fact that a Sorcerer showed up at the same time the Real Raihle told him to go the Bell Temple was definitely not a coincidence.

'But how the hell did he know about it?'

How did he know a Sorcerer will appear and a woman will fall a victim?

He sent him here knowing he will witness this death and will know about the existence of this Sorcerer.

This brought a bitter taste in Raihle's mouth, and he was sure he had to find the Sorcerer to complete the puzzle.

"Let's lock this place for now, he or she might be still close_" Raihle stated but Hugo gasped before he finished.

"Are you crazy? We are getting out of here right now." He grasped the other arm but Raihle shook him and Loka off.

He looked dully at him "If you are scared, I understand, you can take Loka and go back." He pointed at the priestess "I'm staying until I find her killer."

Hugo gritted his teeth, that wasn't what he meant. They didn't bring any guards with them because he thought it was unnecessary since Raihle was unrecognizable and they were here to see Lain.

'But now a Sorcerer showed up?'

If something happens to Raihle in his presence, the whole empire will come to cheer in his execution, but now he can't speak without sounding like a coward.

Raihle found the High priest and ordered him to lock the temple up and prevent everyone from leaving.

"What? Why? Is somthing_"

"People might be in their way home by now if you kept waiting." 

The old man stuttered, Lain quickly said "Father, please listen to his highness for now."

"His highness?" He said with wide eyes and looked at Raihle again.

The stoic look on Raihle went colder, so he swiftly bowed and rushed to close the doors.

Raihle sat in a different room and asked for everyone who was at temple to come one by one.

Thankfully, he had his fair share of mystery TV Shows in the past.

The first one was the High priest.

"Sister Marleen was a sweet, kind soul, how can she suffer like this." He shook his head with a tragic frown.

"Did you know her well? Did you know who she meets with?" Raihle skipped all the grieving and went to the point.

The High priest forced a smile to loosen the air for a bit "I heard from the Imperial priest she was killed by a Sorcerer; I don't get why are you questioning me."

Raihle crossed his arms, rather than loosening he was as stiff as rock and his eyes never flinched "One of your people was killed in the place under your supervision, and you still think you have nothing to do with this?"

“Still, This is a holy place, there no way a Sorcerer can come in here.” The old man nervously said.

 Raihle tilted his head slightly "You know insisting on innocence can only bring more doubts."

It was hard to the old man to keep on his thin smile, he couldn't keep a straight face and his eyes kept moving aside.

Hugo was actually astonished, Raihle gift for making others uncomfortable looked very useful in situations like this.

He leaned his head towards Loka ear and whispered, "Is he usually this tough with you as well?"

"No, he is always so kind to me." Loka didn't hesitate to confess, while his gaze fixed on Raihle.

Hugo eyed him with disbelief.

'Kind? Who? That rude, sarcastic bastard knows what kindness is?'

Hugo just shook his head and didn't believe it.

Raihle sharp voice cut through the High priest ears "If you know something and you are hiding it, perhaps it will be you who burns not the Sorcerer."

"Your highness! I'm not hiding anything!" The old man turned as pale as piece of paper.

Lain immediately stepped in with an awkward chuckle "Your highness, you can't joke about something like this."

Raihle glowered at him "Why would I joke about burning someone alive? I'm completely serious."

At this point the high priest looked at the verge of having a heart attack.

Raihle realized he wouldn't add anything useful.

"Fine, you can leave."

Brightness returned to old man eyes and he jumped from his seat like he was in his twenties. 

"Wait."

He was about to reach the door when Raihle called out.

"Yes?"

Raihle pointed at a far chair "I changed my mind, go sit there while I interrogate the others."

"W.. what? Haha, your highness you don't need me for that, I'm sure all of my people will corporate."

"I know." He didn't say anything else and waited for him to go and sit but he was still resisting "I have other matters to take of, Sister Marleen just died! I need to prepare her farewell and comfort her family and friends."

"You can do all that when I'm done." He gestured at the chair again.

The High priest clenched his jaw "Your highness! You don't understand!"

"What?" Raihle raised his eyebrow "Is there something else so urgent?"

He swallowed his words and stomped on floor to the chair reluctantly.

Raihle looked at his flushed face.

'he is hiding something.'

it doesn't take a genius to see that.

It better to keep him close to not let him destroy the evidences, that's what he learnt from his teen years slaking in front of TV instead of studying.

The others were either visitors of the temple who had never seen the victim before or priests who were preforming various duties and didn't notice where the victim suddenly disappeared to.

Near the end Raihle was almost giving up on finding anything useful from their statement, then the last one came in.

She was a young priestess and she stumbled her way to the seat in front of him.

Her cheeks were wet, but her lips were torn and dry, her dull eyes never rose to meet Raihle's face.

"Your name?"

She didn't answer.

"Do you know where Sister Marleen went before she was poisoned?"

No answer.

The High priest suddenly got up "Poor Rita! she was so close to Sister Marleen, she treated her like her young sister." He went behind her back and grasped her shoulders, Raihle saw his hands squeezing tightly "She must be so shocked by her death, please Your highness, have a little mercy toward her."

He returned his gaze to her weathered face, her lips were moving soundlessly, he leaned closer to hear the whispering mumbles coming from her mouth.

"...Kil..l him.."

"I'm going to kill him..."

Raihle blinked with wide eyes "Sister Rita, do you know who the Sorcerer is?"

"How can she know!?" The High priest shrieked.

Raihle ignored him and waited for her, she finally raised her head, her eyes were sunken and dark, they didn't shake the slightest when she answered, "No."

Then she got up and left by herself.

Raihle eyes followed her until the door closed.