Chapter 5 - Silent Blade

Amon Spencer and his members proceeded through the lengthy garden and arrived at the Knights Templar building. The interior of the building, made of gray stone, was not ornate like the exterior but still had a grandiose feel to it.

“Are you here, Captain Spencer?”

A woman with jet-black hair tied in a ponytail, dressed in the templar uniform, saluted and joined Amon's side.

She was Eloise Petty, second in command and vice-captain of the Blue Knights.

“Eloise!”

It was not Amon Spencer who answered her, but Carlyle, who strode beside him.

He waved his hand right before Eloise to catch her attention. But her eyes fixated on Amon. Amon opened his mouth.

“What do you have to say?”

“I have something to speak with you regarding the arson incident at the general store.”

Amon stared at her and then turned away.

"Let us go to the corridor room."

They walked into a long corridor of rooms, one of which was narrow and contained only a small window in the ceiling. This room was primarily used for discussing topics that were meant to be kept private from others.

"Then?"

Eloise quickly fired at him as soon as the door shut.

“I heard you let the prime suspect go. Why is that?”

To the expected question, Amon answered bluntly.

“Because there was no evidence against him."

“Someone witnessed him run away. They clearly described that man! Furthermore, the suspect's whereabouts at the time of the incident were also—”

“Can you be so sure there was no subjective intervention in the process?”

Amon cut off the enraged Eloise.

"Pardon?"

"How can you be so convinced that he is the culprit when the situation could have been altered to make him seem that way?"

"That—"

“The witness and the suspect are also said to have known each other previously. That means we cannot completely trust their testimony.”

Eloise kept her lips tightly sealed, displeasure evident on her face. Amon, however, remained indifferent to her reaction.

“We will investigate from the beginning once more. Using only certain facts. Understood?"

“…Yes."

“‘No one is branded as a criminal unless there is clear evidence. 'Every scene precedes thought'. That is the philosophy of the Blue Knights. Keep that in mind.”

“The ideology of the Blue Knights, ha.”

Eloise snorted slightly.

“The ideology of the Blue Knights? Wouldn't it be correct to say that it is the Captain’s ideology?”

The hostility in her eyes pierced through Amon. Eloise had a tendency to act impulsively, without thinking things through, which was in contrast to Amon's more deliberate approach. This difference in their personalities created a source of tension between them.

Amon peered into Eloise's red eyes. He spoke nothing, but his meaning was clear. Eloise lowered her head.

“…I apologize. I was off-topic. We will head straight to the scene.”

Amon passed by the saluting Eloise and quickly organized his plans.

Originally, the arson case was under the jurisdiction of Amon, but with the murder case of Duke Bolev, he passed the responsibility to Eloise.

'Did I pass the role on too hastily?'

Amon turned his steps toward the hallway. He didn't stop to change his clothes.

He arrived at the resting room located next to the conference room. This area was frequently used by the members of the Blue Knights, where they would engage in various discussions ranging from murder or serial incidents to trivial jokes.

The sound of laughter could be heard from the half-open door as usual.

Knock.

Amon knocked on the already open door. All eyes turned to him.

"Captain!"

Everyone jumped from their chairs and saluted. Amon gestured to one of the boys, who stood most upright.

“Marvin, follow me for a second.”

Marvin, who had just been laughing louder than anyone else in the break room, hurried over with a stiffened face.

“Did you call, Captain?”

“The others may rest."

Amon closed the door to the break room and called Marvin to the hallway.

“Do you know of the arson incident at the general store?”

“Yes, of course!”

“Get ready and head to the scene.”

"What?"

Marvin's pupils dilated. After all, he had just become an official knight. He hadn't visited a scene before, let alone entrusted with a case.

“Didn’t you say you wanted to try participating in a case?"

"Of course. But… Must I go to the site? I heard you have already identified the suspect.”

“I decided to start the investigation again from the beginning. Eloise will be on site, so stay alert.”

Marvin nodded his head, bewildered.

"Alright."

"Then."

Amon nodded and turned his back. Although Marvin was one of the youngest knights, he was overflowing with stamina and motivation. He would be a good match for Eloise.

'Perhaps he will gain experience with this opportunity.'

He quickly ascended the staircase and arrived at the top floor of his office.

With Marvin attached to the case, he should be able to concentrate on the case of Duke Bolev with peace of mind.

Amon treated all incidents equally, regardless of whether the victim was a commoner or an aristocrat. However, the Council of Elders had a different perspective. They believed it was imperative for Amon to swiftly apprehend the perpetrator responsible for the murder of a prominent ducal family to avoid any further complications.

'Right, that's the only reason.'

Amon rationalized his reason for prioritizing the Bolev incident. He clarified that it wasn't due to his own emotions, but rather to satisfy the wishes of the elders.

Amon, about to turn the doorknob in the office, hesitated for a moment.

He couldn't shake off a feeling of unease. Despite everything appearing to be the same, his intuition as a knight was telling him otherwise.

Although the perpetrator might have been simply a servant or knight, that was to remain unknown. He swiftly pulled out his sword.

Kiik—

As he entered the office, Amon took a quick scan of his surroundings. The tall bookshelves lining the walls, the desk beside the window, and the stacked papers caught his attention.

It was at that moment. He felt a sharp object touch his back as the door closed behind him.

“Don’t move.”

'A female?'

Amon frowned in response to the voice behind him.

“I have no intention of harming you. I just want to talk.”

Her voice trembled slightly as she spoke. Amon quickly grasped the situation.

He was no stranger to this kind of dilemma. Although the knife's edge was sharp, it would be easy to overpower an inexperienced opponent in an instant. The attacker was aiming at his back with a dagger that was not yet in contact with him. By quickly stepping back and launching a counterattack, the attacker's short-range dagger could be easily disarmed and dropped to the ground.

“What do you mean?"

However, Amon slowly lowered his sword. He thought it was strange for someone who wasn't a professional assassin to sneak from behind him just to tell him something.

"I…”

The woman took a deep breath and continued.

“I have information regarding the murderer responsible for the Russell Bolev incident.”

Amon's eyebrows furrowed. The murder of a Bolev member was top secret. Only a few Templar knights and a few insiders of the Duke's residence were aware of it.

“Russell Bolev died in his bedroom. His eyes were wide open, staring straight through the ceiling, and there was blood pooling all over the floor. He also received stab wounds."

She described the situation in detail as if to prove her legitimacy. Amon's heart beat faster. He didn't know how, but it was clear that this woman knew something about the case.

“But it wasn’t the dagger that killed Russell Bolev. He was already dead before the time he had been stabbed with a blade."

“We know that too. The problem is—"

“So how did he actually die?”

"Right."

The woman continued her words as if she had been waiting.

“The answer is poison. Though it may be challenging to identify the cause, so most would claim it as a heart attack and simply move on."

'A heart attack?'

The moment Amon was about to turn his head, the sharp blade dug deeper into his back.

“Don't move! If you move, I won't give you the information you want."

It was obvious that she was new to threatening people, but her voice contained sincerity. Amon pondered briefly.

'If the culprit is really the same person as back then, and this woman is the only clue to catch them...’

He could not let a moment's mistake ruin his decades of hard work. Amon raised his hands to show that he had no intention of attacking. His first aim was to calm her down.

"Alright. Please tell me what you want. What more do you know?”

"Tomorrow… At sunset, come to the fountain in the shopping district center.”

"Why—"

“I will tell you everything then. You must come alone. Do you understand?”

Before Amon could answer, the woman spoke again.

“From this moment, I will leave the Knights Templar. In the meantime, keep looking straight ahead. You better not try to catch me. Understood?"

She seemed to have no intention of opening her mouth even if he attempted to force her. Amon pondered for a second.

'What if the woman disappears and never appears again?'

The only person he knew to have information regarding the culprit could potentially be lost forever. But the woman herself approached him and opened her mouth. If she was going to run away, there would be no reason for her to come in the first place.

Amon nodded after a brief moment of consideration. The dagger in his back vanished and the door slammed shut behind him.

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