Gabriel clutched his head. contrary to his bold declaration that he would soon have Lady Rohanson released from prison, the situation was turning increasingly unfavorable.
First, there was the matter of the dagger. Gabriel's opinion that no one would use a sword they personally brought in as a weapon when it was obviously going to invite suspicion was perfectly reasonable, yet setting that aside, they were charged with the crime of bringing in a sword to be used as a weapon to the Crown Prince's birthday celebration.
The fact that the sword had no edge only made matters worse—the inspectors happened to be from the Pharos Knight Order under Gabriel's command, so not only did this lack utility as a defense, but they were even accused of being accomplices who facilitated the weapon's entry.
So Gabriel recalled that Evangelin had received the sword from the Count, and next went to visit Count Rohanson.
The Count's residence had its gates firmly locked and barred, cutting off communication with the outside, but through Gabriel's persistence, a meeting with the Count was barely arranged.
"Count, I would like to hear an explanation regarding where you obtained the sword."
When Gabriel pressed him with a fearsome demeanor quite different from how he acted before Evangelin, the Count tapped his foot anxiously.
"I received it as a gift."
"A gift? From whom?"
"From Viscount Wikel."
However, Viscount Wikel himself claimed that the sword he had gifted to the Count was one with a proper edge, and acted indignantly that the situation where his gift given in friendship to Count Rohanson became the weapon that killed the Crown Prince was utterly horrifying.
"This is completely like we've been made to turn a blind eye for Lady Rohanson."
"Captain. I hear Viscount Wikel has recently started charity work and the donations he's collected are strangely large."
"Those following Bishop Marik have made considerable donations."
The charity work Viscount Wikel had begun was for constructing Temple buildings. Since it was charitable activity for the Temple, it wasn't strange that people under Bishop Marik would appear on the list of donors.
"It's bribery money."
Moreover, the people Viscount Wikel had recently fawned over and approached were Count Rohanson and Duke Hosakin, both blood relatives of Evangelin. How the sword passed through Viscount Wikel to reach Lady Evangelin became clear in his mind.
It was Gabriel's failure. Despite knowing that the Temple side, especially Bishop Marik, had taken interest in Lady Rohanson, he had completely fallen into their trap.
Since they couldn't prove that what Evangelin brought in was an edgeless sword, they had to find another method. While Gabriel was contemplating, a knight under his command voiced his complaint.
"Captain, is it really necessary to rescue Lady Rohanson even to the point of making enemies with the Bishop?"
"What are you saying! Just imagining Lady Rohanson trapped unfairly in that cold prison makes my heart feel like it's being torn to a thousand pieces!"
Mishel, who had been listening, flared up. Perhaps because it was a matter involving Evangelin, she was remarkably zealous unlike her usual lethargic approach to knight order life.
"...Surely you're not helping Lady Rohanson because of that crazy bastard, Michel Schmitiana?"
"Absolutely not."
Gabriel rebutted, but the fierce glare directed at Mishel showed no sign of cooling. In their eyes, Gabriel probably looked similar. There weren't many who followed without question in matters of helping Evangelin. At most, it would be Mishel, Raphaela, and Uriel.
"Then what is it for? Captain, do you realize that lately the Pharos Knight Order is being treated like crows that eat corpses? These days I'm ashamed of the insignia I wear."
As Gabriel became entangled with Evangelin, his reputation fell day by day. Not only was he pointed at and criticized for being a young and handsome knight who was truly devoted but now bewitched by a witch and playing around in her skirts, but the knight order was also swept up in scandalous rumors about aiding the weapon's entry, so it must have been hard for knights with strong pride to bear the shame.
Gabriel was choosing his words, wondering how much to tell them, when the knight, having apparently lost patience, roughly tore off his insignia and threw it onto the desk.
"While other knight orders are struggling to stop the heretics' resurgence following the Bishop, I don't know what we're doing at all."
With those final words, the knight left the room. On the desk remained only the insignia of the Pharos Knight Order with pure white wings on a shield. The news that Bishop Marik was using the Temple's knights to carry out full-scale heretic slaughter had reached Gabriel as well.
However, Gabriel's reason for not mobilizing the knights under his command was not for Evangelin's sake. Just as with the past heretic slaughter, since this time too was not for entirely good reasons, he simply didn't want to send those who followed him into dangerous work.
"He's a traitor. Shall I kill him?"
Uriel, who had been watching the doorway intently, tried to draw his sword, but Gabriel pressed down on the sword's pommel to prevent him from drawing it. As Uriel came on excessively strong instead, the turbulent atmosphere actually lightened somewhat.
"Captain. I won't storm out like that ungrateful bastard, but I want to hear the reason too. I don't want to follow blindly."
Gabriel's reason for helping Evangelin...
"You know that Lady Rohanson and the curse formation are related. We're simply investigating the heretics in our own way."
Gabriel maintained that the curse formation's ownership belonged to him, and he only wanted to grasp information about the entity that commanded demons. And to stop those who would commit slaughter for the sake of the god, he needed Evangelin who stood at the opposing point.
"Is that really all? Without any other reason?"
What Gabriel could tell them was only that much. It was clear that knowing more details would only be poison.
If he had to find another reason, it would probably be due to a faint sense of guilt. During the banquet when Gabriel left Evangelin behind, he had demanded that she stay quiet, and she had been detained without resistance. The thought of Evangelin, who shouldn't be in a prison, being confined there made his brows unconsciously wrinkle.
The cold, dark prison was too harsh a place for Evangelin to stay. Particularly frail and delicate in appearance, Evangelin had a weak constitution, so even knowing her body, Gabriel couldn't help but worry.
To quickly find the true culprit who killed the Crown Prince and clear Evangelin's name.
The situation at that time was important. Gabriel recalled Mrs. Toten, who had been staying close to Evangelin. Since he needed to ask about the banquet, he would have to visit the Toten residence.
Thanks to Rider's recovery, Mrs. Toten readily permitted the visit.
"Rider seems to have improved considerably."
"Yes... Thanks to Lady Rohanson."
Rider had been playing with the lady-in-waiting in the garden. He had barely recovered, yet was already trying to ride horses?
Mrs. Toten drew the curtains to block the outside view and gave instructions to the butler. After the butler left the room...
Gabriel asked about something he had been curious about. A mute lady-in-waiting who had been attending Evangelin.
"What did that lady-in-waiting look like?"
"She was small and thin, with brown hair, brown eyes, and very pale skin. Her features were ordinary, but her overall impression was... somehow transparent? She felt like a person who wasn't really there."
A transparent impression. Someone who wasn't really present. Gabriel fell into thought at the description. The reason he was curious about the mute lady-in-waiting was simple. He suspected she might have brought in the holy water.
If the holy water was detected in Evangelin's body, she would be branded a heretic. Gabriel recalled the moment in the underground cellar when Bishop Marik mentioned detecting the holy water's scent.
"Mrs. Toten, did that lady-in-waiting serve wine to Lady Rohanson?"
"Yes. She did."
"Did she drink from the same bottle?"
"Come to think of it... she did drink. She said it was to ease Lady Rohanson's concerns."
"Did she really drink?"
"She definitely did. The wine was clear, without any cloudiness."
If the holy water was mixed in the wine, she wouldn't have been able to drink it so naturally. Gabriel was certain now.
"Was there anything else strange about her behavior?"
"Strange behavior... When Lady Rohanson was accused of the crime, she wasn't flustered at all. She just stood there expressionless, neither crying nor getting angry."
"Like she expected it?"
"Yes. Exactly like that."
Mrs. Toten's brow furrowed deeply, whether from distress or contemplation.
"When Rider was ill, no matter how much holy water he drank, it had no effect, so he refused to drink it at all. Still, I fed him holy water mixed into Rider's drinks, desperate to grasp at any straw. Thinking back on it now, the wine I had also tasted clear... almost like drinks mixed with holy water."
Mixed holy water in the wine? If so, the target was clear. They had made Evangelin consume holy water out of suspicion toward her.
"Didn't that lady-in-waiting speak?"
"How do you know that, Sir Gabriel?"
Mrs. Toten asked in surprise when Gabriel knew something she hadn't mentioned.
"Surely... is that lady-in-waiting the culprit?"
"She's not the culprit, but she's definitely someone involved."
Since she was outside with Gabriel when he changed clothes, that lady-in-waiting couldn't have directly killed the Crown Prince.
"Then she must be Bishop Marik's person."
Gabriel fell silent at Mrs. Toten's certain words.
"Sir Gabriel, you must know this since you're close to Lady Rohanson... but Lady Rohanson is special, isn't she? It was strange from the moment Bishop Marik, who hadn't appeared publicly for over ten years, suddenly volunteered to be the lady's chaperone. Moreover, among those with the power to use holy water so privately... only Bishop Marik exists. Is my guess correct?"
"Probably... there's more to it."
"More?"
Gabriel voiced for the first time the speculation he had held since encountering Bishop Marik in the underground cellar. The thought he hadn't even shared with his subordinates, knowing what a huge stir it would cause once spoken.
"Bishop Marik seems to want to recreate the past."
"The past? Surely not... the heretic slaughter?"
Mrs. Toten covered her mouth in shock. The memory of that time was vivid for her as well. Though there were many who established their power base through the heretic slaughter and recalled those times fondly, at least the Kinder Toten family was not among them. Of course, the greatest beneficiary was Emperor Mater.
"Bishop Marik is gathering holy knights. Some have even left my knight order to follow him."
"Surely, another heretic slaughter will occur? So many died back then, and to think of doing it again... His Majesty would never allow it."
Only now were memories of the heretic slaughter beginning to fade. Though not as much as that time, the prestige of the Emperor and the Temple was still being restored, so there was no reason to stir up trouble again.
"If that's correct, it would be Bishop Marik's unilateral decision."
"Then is that why His Highness the Crown Prince was killed? Since he was the one who raised his voice most loudly against rejecting the Temple. Then we must inform His Majesty immediately...!"
Gabriel stopped the greatly agitated Mrs. Toten.
"As you know better, Mrs. Toten, Bishop Marik appeared late at the scene. Even if Bishop Marik is the culprit, since he didn't act directly, he would have prepared a way out. Moreover, for now, it's only suspicion."
"You're right... A heretic slaughter, of all things..."
Mrs. Toten gazed at the curtained window, lost in thought. Gabriel noticed that she was thinking of Rider beyond it.