Father of the Town

Liel watched as the lazy guard she had seen many times before walked up to the Chieftain, the elder bending his head down to listen to the boy. The way the guard’s brows furrowed gave off the impression that he was annoyed, a bit angered perhaps.

She brushed a hand against her cheek, the silvery rune shimmering as it infested her emotions, causing her to fall into an eerie calm. She took a deep breath, watching the two as they interacted from afar.

‘It could just be a coincidence. I can’t fall into an unproven theory… I need more evidence. But even if it’s only a fragment of a suspicion, the Chieftain is definitely a suspect!’

The Crusader glanced over at her companion, Elienoire, drawing the line between her gaze and the Chieftain. Elienoire’s brows had furrowed, her eyes filled with a disdain similar to Liel’s. But it didn’t seem directed towards the Chieftain. Rather, she seemed the stare beside him, at the lazy guard.

Liel scoffed in her head. ‘Have all the townspeople noticed the lack of work ethic in the lazy guard? But Elienoire wouldn’t show such aggravation openly like this, would she…? I can’t know a person just by spending a couple of days with them, and her daughter being missing may certainly play a role in her emotional state…’

“Miss, do you particularly dislike that guard?”

“No, why would I dislike the Chieftain’s son?” Her voice was laced with obvious bitterness, but Liel couldn’t discern its reason, rather focused on her revelation.

‘That guard is the Chieftain’s son…? Is that why his laziness is overlooked? Or… is there greater purpose in his wandering through the town during the curfew?’ Liel let out an audible ‘tsk’, shaking her head. ‘It’s just speculation. Speculation, speculation, nothing more. Where can I find out more? Surely Lord Ciseus has seen something through his own True Cognition… but I didn’t exactly leave our relationship on good terms last night…’

Still, she thought she should try all avenues.

“Miss, I don’t think we’ll get far wandering around all day. We’re just going to tire ourselves out at this rate. We should return to the inn and rest a bit.”

“No- I should really continue. But you should rest, my Lady. I’m sorry for taking you out for this long…”

Liel bit at her lip, glancing down at the woman. She was still distraught, so of course she wouldn’t just follow behind Liel and leave behind the chance that she might find her missing daughter.

She grabbed Elienoire’s wrist, pulling her in closer as she looked down, staring deep into her stormy eyes. “Come with me. I have to ask you about Estelle, and you’re the only person who will indulge me.”

Of course, this wasn’t the case. Most of the townspeople would give answers to her questions freely. But like most people, there was no way of telling whether their answers were completely truthful or not. Even for Elienoire, this was the case, but the couple of days she had spent beside the woman made her a better candidate than the others. Moreover, having lost her daughter made her more likely to cooperate with Liel’s investigation truthfully.

“But- Isabelle…”

“Come.”

Her gaze was lost, her lips parted yet empty of words, and she could only nod blankly in response.

The two quickly returned to the inn, freeing them of the gazes of the town’s guards and the Chieftain, Calligan.

‘How should I question Miss Elienoire? Should I employ any special techniques, or should I simply ask her? If Lord Ciseus is present, can he use his True Cognition to determine her truthfulness?’

It wasn’t as if Liel didn’t trust Elienoire. She seemed like a kind enough woman. But it was also the case that all people were prone to withholding certain things, otherwise forgetting things or making things up entirely due to their own mental incapabilities. If Liel were to build on her theory surrounding the likelihood of a cannibalistic ritual, she would need solid evidence, not half-truths or fabrications.

“Does your room have a large mirror, Miss?”

Elienoire nodded her head. “Yes, my Lady. I’m told all of the rooms have a large mirror and a small mirror within. The innkeeper, Messia, is a follower of Lord Rhylesia, and so I think she likes to surround herself with mirrors in the hopes that she might one day catch a glimpse of him.”

“The feminine wolf who walks through mirrors…” Liel smiled as she repeated the phrase. Rhylesia, the Deity whose Will embodied the exaction of revenge and embracing of femininity was always one of her favourites to read about within her textbooks. Now, the Lord she served was utilising Rhylesia’s mirror abilities in order to communicate with her from many worlds away. It was like the pages of her books had come to life in front of her.

But she was better a woman than to be shocked by such things.

The two ascended the steps of the inn, walking down the hall until they came to Elienoire’s room. The bed in the center of the room had been made up for two, absent of Isabelle. Liel stared at this for a moment, turning her gaze away in order to focus on the present.

‘Thinking about her won’t necessarily help the investigation. It will only make things sadder.’ Liel looked at the mirror above the short wardrobe at the edge of the room, nodding her head as if to ascertain the presence within it. As she expected, the surface of the mirror began to swirl with an illusory light, fragments of that light coalescing into the shape of a tangible figure.

A man with curly iridescent hair and a pitch-black blindfold appeared in the mirror, smiling as he faced the two women.

Liel spoke plainly as she introduced her Lord. “Miss Elienoire, this is the Blind Throne, the Watcher of Light, Lord Ciseus.”

Elienoire eyes widened, exclaiming as she immediately fell to her knees, bowing her head nearly a centimeter above the ground, which made Liel focus entirely on her expression as she tried desperately to stifle a laugh.

‘She’s so much more respectful than I was… why does she treat him as if she’s staring at a grand being? Are Gods so grand in the eyes of a townsperson?’ From the dawn of her life, Liel had been surrounded by all manners of terrifying, mystical things. To most Paladins, serving a Deity was not much different from serving a Human Lord, and that is why the title of ‘Lord’ was ascribed to them. This manner of speaking of the Deities had spread to the common people as well, but they still held significant reverence towards beings they saw as above themselves.

But to Liel, Lord Ciseus was more like an elder of the Seminary than a grand being. He was an ancient being, but he was also a soldier who fought against Horror. He was someone complicit in great things, but he was also merely someone that Paladins chose to make exchanges with. In terms of the harvest ritual, this was also just an exchange. They were like merchants of miracles, and even miracles could be created by man.

He deserved respect, certainly, but perhaps not reverence. Still, Liel thought respect needed to be earned, and Lord Ciseus had ruined her prized sleep.

Liel bowed her head as she placed a hand to her chest, her expression growing stern and serious. “Lord Ciseus, this woman is the mother of the child that went missing. We’ve been looking for her all night and all morning, but no leads have-" Her words were soon cut short as Ciseus laughed.

“Have you no apology for me, little Astalette? You were quite rude to me before…”

“I considered it, but decided I owe you nothing. I have no apology for you, Lord.”

“Why do you choose to make me sad at every turn? I crave your affection and you shut me out…” Ciseus smiled wryly, looking down as he leaned back against the edge of the mirror.

“Don’t tease me.” Facing away from Elienoire, Liel reached a hand up to her face, tapping twice on the side of her eye, signalling for Ciseus to watch carefully. Noticing this, he nodded his head and smiled. Then, Liel turned to face Elienoire, a serious mood filling the air. “Miss, I would like to ask you a few questions. I’m hoping this will help me better find little Isabelle. Is that alright?”

Elienoire nodded her head, her lips quivering. “Yes, if it’s to find her… I’ll answer anything, my Lady. Just please find her-”

Liel sat in a chair at the edge of the bed, placing her hand on her blade as Elienoire sat on the bed. Elienoire picked up a handkerchief from the side table, wiping away remnant tears from the edges of her eyes.

“Miss, you mentioned that others have gone missing. When those people went missing in the past, did the townspeople conduct similar searches?”

Elienoire nodded, blowing her nose into the handkerchief. “Yes, we did search for Ms. Halles and her son, Myers… they both went missing around the same time. Same for Mr. Maleast and Mr. Hughes…”

“At what time did their families notice they had gone missing?”

“When they didn’t return to curfew, of course.”

‘They all went missing before the curfew? No, that might not be the case. They could have went missing during the curfew as well. In the dark of night, what could be a better time for someone to disappear? If they were even a bit late, the streets would have already been empty… no one to see the crime take place…’

“Why were you not aware that it was Estelle’s Chieftain, Calligan, who was giving Isabelle the little dolls?”

Elienoire’s face paled a bit, turning her gaze away from Liel’s in an ashamed manner.

“No… no, I was aware…”

“Then why did you say otherwise?”

“Will you take your hand away from your sword before I say?”

Liel’s fingertips rested on the hilt of her sword, still sheathed, yet awaiting a reply. She stared at Elienoire for a moment, eyeing each and every bodily reaction she could perceive, before letting out a deep sigh, placing her hands in her lap in a graceful, calm manner.

“Why?”

Elienoire shifted nervously at the edge of the bed, unable to meet Liel’s gaze. “He gives gifts to all the women he’s been with…”

Liel’s face twisted in an indescribable manner. “And subsequently, all the children he fathers with those women… women like you.”

Elienoire nodded her head, confirming Liel's suspicion.

"Little Isabelle's father is the Chieftain."

"Yes, he's her father..."

“Why hide such a fact?”

“I didn’t think it mattered…”

“Every piece of information matters, Miss Elienoire.”

Liel sighed. There would be no purpose in choosing to push the matter further. There could have been a multitude of reasons she concealed such things. Being scared of retaliation, fear for her daughter’s life, or even the ire of the townspeople… it was all plausible. It was just another case of people withholding details.

"Do you think it could have been the Chieftain who took your daughter, causing her to go missing?"

Elienoire shook her head, "no, he wouldn't do that. Calligan loves his children, of which he has many. He's slept with so many women throughout Estelle, and because of that, he's been given many children. He always speaks of how he loves them all, giving them and their mothers gifts in order to keep them happy. But he can't father them publicly. He would gain more ire than love if he were to openly reveal that he has so many illegitimate children..."

"Is that guard I pointed out earlier one of these illegitimate sons of his?"

"No. That person is his only legitimate child. But Calligan and his wife are... estranged. There was an incident long ago that caused them to separate. I'm sure that's what made him seek the love of other women."

"What does his legitimate son think of all of his father's illegitimate children?"

"I know he hates them... he puts on an act and says otherwise, but I can see it in his eyes when he looks at Isabelle."

"Could the Chieftain’s son have taken Isabelle?"

"I- I don't know... perhaps."