Where The Angel’s Blood Went (3)

“Hello. You are Sir Pavel of the fugitive investigation unit, correct? We are the Fire Guard—responsible for Fireglyph’s public security and internal investigations. I’m Yan.”

“And I’m Tamin, also Fire Guard.”

“We would appreciate it if you would come with us. However….”

The knights who introduced themselves as Fire Guard spotted Azadine’s group.

“Who are these people?”

“I’m Azadine, platoon leader of Vermilion Fortress. We are currently under attack by shapeshifters.”

“Hmm?”

The Fire Guard looked flustered as they studied Azadine, introduced as a platoon leader from Vermilion Fortress.

“Shapeshifters?”

“Yes. And they were disguised as Fireglyph soldiers. That’s not all. While some of us were being questioned by the Fire Guard, a few were swapped out.”

“…….”

“So even if you claim to be Fire Guard, we cannot trust you blindly. There are unavoidable reasons—understand that, and do this.”

Azadine demonstrated by cutting a small lock of hair with his dagger.

“If you cut off a strand of hair and show it, I can tell whether you’re a doppelganger or not.”

“This is—what an insult—”

“Hey, if he’s a Vermilion platoon leader, that’s the soulless blasphemer, isn’t it? And his rank is only Hospitaller-Errant.”

“R-right. He might be of noble blood, but in the Rescue Knights, something like ‘the blood of the Yaegas divine clan’ doesn’t mean much.”

They assumed, just from Azadine’s handsome face, that he must be of noble lineage.

In truth, Azadine did inherit the Emperor-Hatir’s bloodline, so even among the Yaegas divine clans, it was indeed a “noble” line.

“Do it quickly. We’re already furious after being ambushed repeatedly by doppelgangers. We were hit by bastards disguised as Fireglyph soldiers! Here—can’t you see this?”

Azadine spoke and showed them the doppelgangers’ corpses.

“If you refuse to cooperate, we’ll have to force it, and feelings will be hurt on both sides. Or should I simply assume you’re doppelgangers?”

“Ghk….”

With no choice, Yan and Tamin each cut a small bit of hair and showed it to Azadine.

“Good. You’re not doppelgangers. But I refuse Fireglyph’s request for us to submit to control.”

“What?!”

The Fire Guard bristled—after making them cut their hair, Azadine declared he would refuse their control, an outrageously self-serving statement.

Azadine shot back with icy eyes.

“You might not be doppelgangers, but the superior giving you orders might be!”

“Th-that…”

Overwhelmed by Azadine’s violet eyes, the Fire Guard stepped back.

“Relax. I’m not saying we’ll leave Fireglyph like this. If anything—we’re going to strike the heart of evil!”

“Wait—who exactly are you…?”

Yan and Tamin were stunned, because Azadine looked like he was commanding everything.

“I received investigative command authority delegated in place of Sir Pavel, the unit commander. For now, we can’t trust anyone, including Sir Hexenmaier. We will conduct an independent investigation! You Fire Guard will come as well.”

“N-no, we were ordered to investigate you—”

“So what? We lock ourselves in some Fireglyph holding cell crawling with doppelgangers and wait for them to replace us? Nonsense. This is precisely when you strike first. Follow me. I take full responsibility!”

With that declaration, Azadine began marching toward Fireglyph Castle alongside Sir Pavel, Izmilla, and the investigators.

“Uh….”

“W-wait.”

“You will follow as well.”

“Ah… yes.”

‘This bastard’s just a trainee knight, but he’s acting like our superior…’

‘What do we do?’

‘The investigators all seem to be following him. If we defy the tide here…’

‘If we get cast aside, our mission fails, and the blame lands on us. Following is the safest move.’

After turning it over in their heads, Yan and Tamin reluctantly followed Azadine.

“Holy sh—.”

Delia, the Fireglyph branch manager of the Vandyke Trading Company, froze when she saw the knights charging toward them.

“Wh-what brings you—”

-Thud!

Azadine cut down a Van Dyke employee with a single stroke.

He killed a civilian without even exchanging words!

Everyone was horrified—until the corpse slumped down, wobbling like melted pulp: a doppelganger.

“O-oh….”

“A-amazing. How did he know instantly? I heard doppelgangers can even fool detection magic.”

The investigators and the Fire Guard stared in disbelief.

Of course, Camilla’s group could only snicker—because they knew Azadine had already been here before and had confirmed where the doppelgangers were.

Azadine had rushed to Van Dyke first to seize the investigators even more firmly.

So he had spared the doppelgangers earlier to use them like this?

“You lunatic! I knew you’d cause a disaster eventually!”

Delia shouted, but Azadine suddenly grabbed her hand and pulled her close.

“Be at ease, merchant. Shapeshifters have infiltrated your company—so we will protect you!”

“Ghk.”

Delia, who had been using doppelgangers as her subordinates, was thrown into confusion by Azadine’s shameless performance.

Tapping his hand with her fingers, she asked in lip-reading speech.

‘What are you doing?’

‘Crushing Hexenmaier.’

‘What?’

‘Your employer is Hexenmaier, right? You want everyone dead? Or you want to sell out Hexenmaier?’

‘You insane bastard—what are you doing? Even if so, isn’t this too much?’

‘Circumstances forced my hand. Decide fast. No time.’

Azadine then raised his voice theatrically for everyone to hear.

“Alchemist Giacomo killed our brothers of the Order and vanished. Since no trace of him appears in other cities, as the saying goes—‘it’s darkest beneath the lamp.’ He must have hidden in the busiest place.”

“…Tch.”

“And the enemy would have coveted the information Giacomo learned inside the Rescue Knights, and wanted to verify it. And on the Chadra Plateau, there is only one place that properly trades in alchemy equipment—Van Dyke Trading Company.”

Delia realized Azadine had already seen through the truth. Had he suspected them from the very beginning?

In reality, this was a coincidence-driven chain of events.

‘From the moment Hexenmaier began contacting the northern Aragasa, I already knew he was suspicious.’

What Azadine was doing now was simply forming his conclusion first and then searching for evidence.

But to the investigators—and to Delia—Azadine looked like someone with absurdly sharp deduction, piercing straight to the essence at once.

And the sight of him cutting down a doppelganger without hesitation only reinforced that conviction.

‘If I hand over the ledger, how much convenience will you grant?’

‘I’ll spare your other subordinates. And I’ll let the Fireglyph branch of Vandyke Trading Company remain.’

‘You’d better keep that promise. And stop bothering me after this.’

Delia and Azadine sealed a verbal deal.

“Very well. I will bring the ledgers. The ledgers of transactions for goods an alchemist would use—those should help, yes?”

Delia signaled her subordinates with her chin. The doppelganger subordinates hurried off.

A short while later, the ones who returned with the ledgers were human.

It was deliberate—so the doppelgangers could flee.

But Azadine pretended not to notice and accepted the ledgers.

“Your main client is Sir Hexenmaier.”

“Yes. The alchemy equipment was ordered the month before last, and delivery was completed last month.”

Delia answered with a smile, but a vein bulged on her forehead.

“Seems you’re under heavy stress, seeing how your veins are popping. You should sleep more. For stress, deep sleep is best.”

“Ah, yes. Thank you for the advice.”

Delia ground her teeth as she responded to Azadine’s “kindness.”

The information Delia provided was a purchase record for alchemy equipment and magical research apparatus.

Only one buyer had purchased alchemy equipment recently: the steward of Sir Hexenmaier. No one else besides Fireglyph had bought alchemy equipment or magical materials.

“Isn’t this only circumstantial evidence? With this alone, you can’t say Sir Hexenmaier is a traitor—”

Yan and Tamin looked extremely uneasy. Suspecting and investigating their superior Hexenmaier based on mere circumstances was dangerously risky.

If they couldn’t present clear proof, they could be punished for insulting a superior. And even if not, Hexenmaier held personnel authority. Without lifting a finger directly, he could assign them to places where wild mana-mutated beasts and monsters swarmed.

“But there’s more than enough reason to investigate. Let’s be coldly honest: you’re afraid because he’s your superior, aren’t you? If you had this evidence against someone who couldn’t retaliate—say, against me—you would gladly investigate.”

“…That’s true.”

“Then let’s say we investigate. How do we secure decisive proof without Hexenmaier noticing midway?”

The Fire Guard asked Azadine.

They were the ones asking, but the holy knights of the investigation unit—even Sir Izmilla—were watching intently, eager for Azadine’s answer.

To impeach Hexenmaier, they needed undeniable proof. Until they had it, no one wanted to be hated by him—everyone felt that plainly.

“Tch. And you call yourselves investigators.”

Azadine clicked his tongue, lamenting their lack of skill.

“Hey. We left through the northeast gate and came back in, right?”

“Yes.”

“Then the gatekeepers saw our entries and exits. If they report that to Hexenmaier, what will he think? ‘Why are my Fire Guard subordinates not reporting and avoiding contact?’ That’s what he’ll think, right? I’d say the problem already started at that point.”

“Ah….”

“You are already traitors in Hexenmaier’s mind.”

“W-wait. That only applies after you’ve decided Hexenmaier is a traitor, doesn’t it? If Hexenmaier is not a traitor, then this is just a delay because we’re conducting a deeper investigation. It’s nothing.”

“Right. And it’s not like gate guards would report it immediately.”

The Fire Guard argued back, but from the moment Azadine said it, their hearts began pounding with fear and anxiety.

If Hexenmaier wasn’t a traitor, great. But if he was… the Fire Guard would die.

No—considering the abilities of a traitor who could wield doppelgangers, something far worse than death awaited them.