While walking through the hallway, I was thinking of what to do for the rest of the day… Ohh! I could bring Roison to the castle’s garden, we could play snowballs or make snowmen there, yeah that would be fun!

But as I passed one of the closed rooms in this hallway, trying to make my way to Miss Marie’s room, I heard something interesting.

“Okay… let me get this straight, 10 bodies hit that specific alleyway for the last 10 weeks. What the fuck, Alaxandair?” I heard a fed-up Martyn who just cussed at the Alaxandair, the Grand Duke of this castle that we were staying at.

“I know, I know… Lux… why didn’t you tell me it was father’s and uncle’s killer Durell?!” Alaxandair shifted the blame.

“Your grace, we have checked the last 9 bodies thoroughly and no reverse triangles were marked in any parts of the bodies!” Durell defended himself.

“Gentlemen! Let’s not waste time by blaming one another, let’s instead focus on finding the murderer now!” Another person who I am first hearing of, tried to calm down everyone in there.

“…I can’t believe I am agreeing with you cousin, but… yes, let’s focus on this killer!” Alaxandair agreed to the unknown person, which he revealed to be his cousin, Domnall I think, from what Martyn told me.

“Yeah, but… tell me this Sir Durell, do you have any leads, from the last 9 murders?” Martyn asked Durell sharply.

“No… I am afraid…” He answered defeatedly.

As I heard what the situation is turning into, I knew right away this was going to be another burden for Martyn.

And remembering the amount of papers and ledgers he has been working on, is shown that it has taxed him from the amount of alcohol he drank for the last three weeks…

Yeah! I don’t want him to burned out again, I don’t want him to get that heavily drunk like the after party of our class’s film project.

Knock, knock…

“Who is it?” the one who asked was Alaxandair.

“It’s Lady Florens your grace! There’s something I want to talk with the Lord Protector.”

“Eleanna? Ehh… sure come in!” Martyn hearing that it was me, responded and invited me in.

As I open the door I could see finally the four of them, but the one that got my attention first, was of course, Domnall Feannag, Alaxandair’s cousin, he’s a chocolate auburn hair man that’s shy of a few centimeters from Martyn’s height.

The other thing I notice are their faces, it was weary but determinate, well after all they’re hunting a serial killer.

Martyn as soon as he saw me, asked me what I want from him, which I just answered him as straight as possible by offering him the help he could use.

Martyn of course was glad and fine with the idea, but for the other men here… well, we are in a medieval world, their condescending nature towards women are a product of their time, which I get it! But it’s still annoying.

“I am sorry, Lady Eleanna, but this is a job for men like us!” Alaxandair said condescendingly.

“Men, like us? So, why have you been sitting your ass down in this castle, even though 10 bodies already hit that alleyway?!” Martyn said with a livid tone.

“I told you… I didn’t know the murderer was my father’s and uncle’s!”

“And that gave you the right to just sit your ass in a big castle and neglect the fact that there is a murderer on the loose in your realm?!”

“What do you know?!” Alaxandair snapped. “Murder happens in a daily basis in this world! Death surrounds us all the time!”

“Ohh, so you’re saying it’s more important if it’s personal then?! So, screw your subjects? The ones who hunt your meat, plough your field, sharpen your weapons, carved your ancestor’s statues… I can go on and on Feannag!” Martyn snapped as well.

“GENTLEMAN!” Domnall raised his voice to stop their bickering. “We still have a murderer to catch! The longer he is out there, the more questioned our authority is! And… I heard that Lady Eleanna is our Maître of Whisperer’s second protegee, then… why not? Besides Sir Durell, she’s the second person here who knows how to gather information in a case like this!”

“So… I am in?” A bit hesitant on what Domnall implied, I asked him.

“Yes, Lady Eleanna! We could use your expertise!” With a smile and some humbleness, he confirmed.

“Alright! So, where’s the body?!” Got pumped up and went to business.

“Ohh you don’t have to El, Here!” Martyn went inside his pocket, pulling out his phone to show a picture. “And… heads up, it’s going to be a bit brutal…”

And Martyn wasn’t wrong, all of the victim’s limbs were detached from his body, quite roughly I could say from how jagged and rugged the part of the limbs that was cut.

There was of course the upside down triangle near his left eye, Martyn and the others already concluded that this was definitely the Rider Cultist doings, due to that obviousness of what that upside down triangle means, but other than that I notice other things that they didn’t there.

In that alleyway I notice something peculiar about its floors, the blood, it was making a trail towards the body and from how little the smear of the blood in the floor was, I could conclude that this poor fellow wasn’t killed and mutilated on the spot.

He must have been murdered somewhere else, near the alleyway probably considering it was daytime, and a man probably killed him.

If it was a woman, the blood’s trail should have smeared more on the floor, but then again… it’s the Rider Cultist, they definitely have the strength, thanks to their magic, to drag the body more easily, but for now I am putting my money on a man.

The next thing I want to find out is the murder weapon, Martyn said that they found a medium size stab hole in his back, explaining the blood trail, but he did find another thing.

It was the victim’s neck, it was weirdly flailing around quiet easily, due to that the cause of death is a bit hard to pinpoint on, but… if he did die from the neck snap, then at least he died somewhat painlessly.

With that I at least know that I am searching for someone a bit bigger than this person, a man probably, considering that the victim is bigger than me and I am pretty much the average height for a girl. Lastly of course is that our killer is in outcast.

Though I got a bit of a clear picture, it’s still blurry because this is a random murder and anyone that has strong personal feeling with the victim is off the table, but… maybe I could find witnesses who might have saw him with our victim here.

“By the way, do we have John Doe’s name?” I asked.

“John Doe?” Alaxandair asked confusingly.

“Unnamed man.” Martyn quickly answered.

“Ohh! Well, his name is Calum, and he lives not far away from that Alleyway…” Durell caught the explanation quickly.

“Welp… I am going out Mar! I’ll ask the people that last spoke, saw, and know who he is.”

“Hmm… Sir Fionn is currently on patrol with some of Kristof’s knights and our grand duke’s guards, I could assign him to you but… ohh!” Martyn notice someone from outside the room. “Sir Foulques! Mind coming here for a second!”

“Yes, my lord?” Foulques, curious, came quickly.

“I am assigning you to be Lady Eleanna’s bodyguard while she’s out there investigating the Wynegys murders!” Martyn ordered.

“Mar, I already have Jumque!” I said to him.

“Yes, my lord and I’ll be a much more better protector than him!” Jumque who was snuggling in my scarf, came out.

“Two is better than one! And besides, you’re not the upfront kind of bodyguard Jumque…” Martyn… had a point, Jumque, as much as he has regained back his strength, is far more suited being a hidden weapon rather than an open one.

* * *

“Well, damn… you really do look like a rogue, and those boots…” Martyn complimented my operative outfit.

“Haha, there’s other nice things to stare than my boots Mar… but thank you!” His compliments, as always, will put a smile in my face. “I’ll be going now! and good luck with the two crows.”

“Yeah… and be safe out there! I don’t want a Miss Marie situation with you ‘kay!”

“Don’t worry Lord Protector! I’ll be there for her!” Foulques reassured Martyn of my safety with him.

After that, me with Jumque, still cozying on my neck in my scarf, and Sir Foulques, armored up and sword ready, to guard and assist me, departed from Castle Feannag.

The first place I want to go is the crime scene itself, Wynegys street, And the place was… pretty much what Martyn said earlier, already scrubbed clean, but that’s not what I am here for, as I am trying to find possible witnesses.

The place where the body was found is a no go, from how enclosed and isolated it is. But, the place where the guy was first killed, could be a treasure trove.

So, remembering again, from the picture, that the blood trail was coming east from where the body was, I followed it where it leads me to a somewhat busy street.

The street was actually busy enough for a witness to saw Calum getting his neck snapped, from the loud tavern in front of me and the miscellaneous stalls selling all sorts of stuff in the street, yeah… there should be a couple of people who might saw something.

I then went straight to the couple of people here near the stalls, asking them about Calum.

All of them know who he was, the comments about him weren’t that very upstanding, but they did admit it was tragedy for an average joe like him, but that’s not what I am here for.

I asked them if they saw anything near the alleyway that me, Jumque, and Foulques came out of, and only one saw.

“Yes, I saw someone behind Calum yesterday! It was just right after he got out of the tavern, he was drunk, not enough to make him a rambling idiot, but it was enough for him to piss unknowingly at the alleyway’s walls you two came from. I didn’t think much of it when I saw that person, I thought he was just helping Calum with his balance when he carried him, but to think he was chop into pieces in that alleyway… by Lux and the Seeress…” A merchant woman recounted what she saw yesterday.

“And did you saw how big the man behind Calum was? Also did you see where he came from?” I asked the crucial one.

“Ohh I did see! He was big, not like a giant of course, a bit burly I can admit, but just enough to overshadow Calum, just for a bit, and he came from the tavern too like Calum, thinking about it now, I think Calum was targeted!” She confirmed my theory and added another thought in this case.

Hearing that the killer might have targeted Calum, I put the thought of this being a passionate crime into mind, but the table is still there for a cold-blooded killer, for how gruesome Calum’s remains was.

With new information to work with, I headed down to the tavern to ask people around if they know and saw who followed Calum.

Sadly none of gave anything insightful, for the fact they were all drunk that day, but one did point me to an old man here who he saw talking with the big man that killed Calum.

That old man was drinking alone, in a table that was placed in the middle of this den of alcoholics, and from how white his hair, I could tell that he was very old, but the way he lifted that beer mug with ease, tells me he wasn’t that old.

“Excuse, mister? I heard that yesterday, you were talking with a man that followed Calum!” I said to him.

“Yes, you’re indeed heard right, young one…” he confirmed.

“Then mind sharing me what you know about him?”

“Hoho… information like that isn’t free young one! Tell me, what do have to purchase this information?”

Damn it… it’s never that easy huh… wait I could always try this!

“I am sorry… this isn’t a request, I am the Lord Protector’s investigator, you can either cooperate in this investigation, where you will be thanked for being an upstanding citizen, or... I could call the guards, where you will be arrested and interrogated, under the pretence of being an accomplice of the murder of Calum and 9 other victims for withholding information!” I threatened him.

“Woahh… simmer down young one, fine… I’ll ‘cooperate’!” He budged. “But you didn’t hear anything from me okay!” He then deepens his voice. “I don’t know the man personally and yesterday was our second meeting. I don’t know if this might be right, but the man who followed and killed Calum, as well as the other 9 victims you mentioned earlier, is from Castle Mochrumm. Maybe a serf, maybe even a courtier, I don’t know exactly what he is, but I know he’s from there considering I first met him there.

“Okay, can you also describe what he looks like?”

“For what he looks like though… I can’t say, he was covering his face quite well, but yes he is a somewhat tall man.”

Finally got another lead, I thanked the old man and headed outside of the tavern to inform Martyn and the others of my progress.

But… something felt wrong, something just isn’t right when my feet touches the snowy ground out of the tavern, felt like… there was someone watching me from a far.

You feel that too right, Eleanna?

Jumque telepathically asked.

Yeah… rooftops?

No…

Hmm… ohh! It’s the alleyway in front of us right?

Yeah, I think so…

I couldn’t see this mysterious person, but I do feel the weird feeling the alleyway me and Foulques came from.

Knowing this, I told to Foulques that he should be on guard and hand ready with his sword when we go back to that alleyway. He nodded and stuck close with me as we went back to that alleyway.

As we were walking through the alleyway, I could still feel that weird feeling, even much more stronger now, I didn’t quite know what I was getting myself into but, I feel this has something to do with Calum and the nine victims.

ELEANNA, DUCK!!

Jumque telepathically warned me, and I followed his instruction swiftly, where I felt a sudden tearing of wind coming from the front.

I soon realized that some kind of sharp weapon was being swung sideways straight at me.

And Sir Foulques quickly and swiftly block the weapon with his sword, making a clashing sound right above my head.

“Good reflex you and your bodyguard have there…” it was the sound of a man, with a very raspy and deep tone. “I want to add this more, young one… the man you are chasing is involved in a much more bigger plot, than just random murders, so… watch out for the silk threads on the way!”

Hearing that voice, hearing him saying ‘young one’ I realized it was him, the old man. But what caught me off guard was not him attacking us, no… it was the fact he added more information to my investigation.

Not wanting to waste it, me, Jumque, and Foulques, hurried our legs to Martyn, informing him for the next place I am going to go.

* * *

Standing here in this cold frigid and dark alleyway, I waited for him to come and… that slight gust of wind that just pass in front of me, signalled his arrival.

“So… how was she?” With a bit of smile and proud tone, I asked him.

“Ugh…” He took a huge, tired sigh. “Arrogant, she’s exactly like you and your mother… just because three of your skullduggery activities are sanctioned by the crown. She also missed a clue.” As usual, he points out the flaws first.

“Well, she is still new to this, the ring smudge at Calum’s face was borderline unseeable!”.

“And I’ll admit, she’s focused, just like you and your mother too!” And finally, he points out the strengths. “But seriously Chloé, you’re letting her be the one in charge of this case?”

“Have you really caught up with your age? Do you not remember what my first assignment was?” I said with a bit vexed tone.

“I remember! Haha… you drag his house’s name down to the mud so splendidly!”

“See! If I, a barely 10 year’s old girl, can drag an establish old house to the mud back then, she, an 18 year’s old woman, could unveil a usurpation plot!”

“Just… watch her carefully Chloé, It’s not only a usurpation plot, not only Rider Cultist to even. This plot determinates what the fate of Tuath will be, where Albion will go even!”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, gramps…” I left the premise as I have finally gotten his review. “Ohh and… mother wants you to bring your homemade apple cider for the winter festival back home!”

“Apple cider? I thought she’s more into whiskey, but… sure!”