Supreme Magus

”There are six of us.” Jirni said after a headcount. ”Usually Iʼd split us into groups of two to cover more ground without wasting time. However…”

She took a long look at the bizarre team she had to work with.

Two young women with no real field experience, an average mage who seemed to be more a political puppet than an asset, two feral monsters in human guise who didnʼt give a damn about the tragedy that was taking place inside the city of Othre, and Manohar.

She knew his personal file inside and out. Jirni would need to consult a thesaurus to properly describe the god of healing.

”…I canʼt take my eyes off of him, so he has to come with me.” She said cuffing Manohar to her wrist again.

”Iʼm here as Manoharʼs assistant. I belong in your group.” Tista walked to Jirniʼs side.

”Iʼm here as her bodyguard. I go where she goes.” Lith followed suit.

”Thatʼs not our deal!” Dorian was starting to get the Royal Constableʼs point.

”You are here to support the Association in whatever manner we deem necessary. Not for spending quality time with your family.”

”I donʼt care about what you think. If I canʼt protect her, then our deal is off and I walk.” Lithʼs tone didnʼt leave space for negotiations.

”The Army has nothing against Ranger Verhen resuming his duty.” Kamilaʼs words put the last nail in the coffin. Dorian glared at her, well aware that her role was to make the Armyʼs best interests, even if it meant sabotaging the mission.

If Lith left, the team would lose one of its only three real players and there was only so much Lady Ernas could do while babysitting Manohar. Once brought outside the lab, he was only a liability for the mission.

”Which leaves me with an oversized team and two political lapdogs of no use.” Jirni said with a sigh, making both the liaison officers turn red in embarrassment.

”I may have no magic power or any experience as an interrogator, but Iʼve been a data analyst for almost ten years. If you give me access to Othreʼs interlink Iʼm confident I can provide you the information you need by the end of the day.”

Kamila said referring to the magical network connecting the communication amulets to the various archives in the Kingdom. Bank accounts, transfers of funds, everything that left a trail of paper could be remotely accessed through the interlink.

Be they banks, merchants, or nobles, they needed to be able to explain every single dime or artifact they possessed. Otherwise, while being subjected to an investigation, everything that wasnʼt accounted for would be confiscated and added to the Royal Treasury.

It was one of the many reasons Royal Constables were feared.

”Who will you report your findings first? To me or to Commander Berion?” Jirniʼs eyes held neither trust or suspicion. She considered herself to be a good judge of character, there was only so much one could learn from a background check.

Kamilaʼs reply was to hand Lady Ernas her armyʼs communication amulet and then showing her civilian one which held no contact rune related to the army besides Lithʼs.

Jirni frowned at the sight for a split second.

”I stand corrected. One political lapdog of no use.” She said while granting Kamilaʼs civilian communication amulet access to the interlink and her contact rune before returning both communicators to her.

”Either you trust someone, or you donʼt.” She replied to her surprised expression.

ʼShe said it while looking at Kamila, but Iʼm pretty sure she was talking to me.ʼ Lith thought.

Under the Constable questioning gaze, Dorian could only lower his eyes in shame.

”I have no skills that could be of use during the investigation.” He admitted. ”Iʼll remain here to coordinate the efforts to prove Professor Manoharʼs theory. If anything happens, Iʼll relay it to you.”

”Good.” Jirni nodded.

”Four people move faster than six. We need to be firm but tactful, otherwise the witnesses may turtle up and slower the investigation. This means that unless you discover something strictly relevant to the case, you are forbidden to talk. At all.”

She said while glaring at Manohar, whose uninterrupted series of social blunders had become a legend throughout the Kingdom.

”Can I be cuffed to Tista instead of you, mom- I mean, maʼam? It would at least give me something nice to look at to pass time.” Manohar said.

”Good point.” Jirniʼs reply creeped Tista out. Lady Ernas dug inside one of her pockets, but instead of the key to the handcuffs, she took out a communication earpiece.

”Congratulations, kid. You have just been deputized to be my assistant too. Iʼll talk to the women while youʼll take care of the men. Just smile a lot and repeat the words I speak to you via the earpiece. It will make our job much easier.”

Lith couldnʼt help but chuckle at Manoharʼs dejected expression.

”From Healer to honey trap. This is not the career I hoped for.” Tista sighed.

Her words stung at Kamilaʼs heart, reminding her of the elephant in the room only Jirni and her were aware of.

ʼI canʼt let things fester any longer. I need to make up my mind once and for all. Career or self respect?ʼ She walked out of the room without even say goodbye. Between Jirniʼs words and Kamilaʼs reactions, Lithʼs paranoia was piecing together the facts.

The four of them flew from the Association to Baroness Izraʼs mansion. She was among the witnesses of Sir Rosenʼs death and one of his closest friends. The Baroness was a plump woman in her late thirties.

She had red hair, green eyes, and a gentle face full of freckles that not even her make up could completely hide. She wore a simple light green silk satin dress, emphasizing her eyes and pale skin.

Like any sane person, she was nervous while facing a Royal Constable. Her smile was forced and she couldnʼt stop wringing her hands.

”How can I help you, Constable Ernas?”

”I need to hear from your voice your recollection of the events prior to Sir Rosen death.” Jirni smiled, trying to make the Baroness feel more comfortable. She had even switched Manoharʼs cuffs to Lithʼs wrist before entering the house.

The rattle of the chain during the questioning could easily get the suspect defensive.

”There isnʼt much to say.” She twisted a fan made of an exotic birdʼs plumes between her hands. ”We were just talking, mostly gossiping about our neighbors, when suddenly a blue pillar appeared from the ceiling and plummeted on the poor Rosen.

”The most dreadful thing was that we were all scared to death, whereas he was smiling and giggling like when his wife accepted his marriage proposal. We told him to get out of there, but he wouldnʼt listen.

”Baronet Sahg tried to grab him, but the light was as solid as a wall. There was nothing we could do.”

Lith and Tista roamed the room while using Life Vision. Several weak arrays encompassed the whole house. Even with their limited knowledge about non combat magical formations, they couldnʼt find anything out of the ordinary.

It was just the standard set of home defenses they had seen countless times.