Chapter 49: The Office of Religious Affairs

The South District Serial Murder Case had to be placed at the very top of Rayne’s priorities, because it had brought down the previous Commander of the Imperial Capital Garrison.

Otherwise, even if the Emperor had already forgotten about the matter, there was no guarantee that one of Her Majesty the Empress’s political enemies would not remind him of it at precisely the right moment and use the opportunity to bring Rayne down as well.

Ever since he had accepted his commission from the Empress, Rayne had been branded as a member of her faction. Naturally, he had also earned the hatred and hostility of her political enemies.

As for the Fahler family… the nobles of the Imperial Capital clearly did not care about them. Just a bunch of nouveau riche from the countryside.

When they arrived at the house where the murder had taken place, Rayne saw two Imperial Capital Guards standing at the entrance. Outside, onlookers had surrounded the building in layer upon layer, and every citizen discussing the case wore an anxious, troubled expression.

Rayne strode up the steps. Magnus quickly moved ahead and obligingly pushed open the door for him.

Suddenly, Rayne turned around and addressed the watching crowd.

“In the Imperial Capital, beneath the radiance of the royal family, no such heinous serial murder case shall be allowed to continue. I will solve this case within two weeks!”

With that, he entered the house without looking back.

The onlookers stood dumbfounded for a moment, then erupted into an uproar.

Inside, Rayne merely glanced over the furnishings before heading directly toward the room where the murder had occurred.

“Magnus! Seal off the entrance. No one is to enter!”

“As you command!” Magnus hurriedly snapped to attention and shouted instinctively, “Loyalty!”

Then he noticed Eirina quietly following Rayne into the room.

As for the high elf lady accompanying their commander, the Imperial Capital Guards tacitly chose to ignore her. They merely lowered their voices and began whispering among themselves.

“Solve the case within two weeks?”

“The previous commander couldn’t solve it in a month. Is this one really going to finish it in two weeks?”

“He’s boasting. When the time comes, he’ll just arrest some scapegoat, declare him the murderer, and close the case.”

“What if another victim appears?”

“Then they’ll just call it a new case…”

“That’s enough!” Magnus interrupted their murmuring and roared angrily. “Is the commander’s far-sighted judgment something you have the right to criticize?”

“If I hear another careless remark, you’ll return to the barracks and swear your loyalty to me a hundred times!”

The Imperial Capital Guards immediately fell silent. Standing proudly, they resumed their watch.

After all, Magnus’s “swear your loyalty” order meant that they truly had to shout it with all their hearts and souls. After a hundred times, their throats would be hoarse.

Rayne slowly entered the bedroom. The victim was half-reclining beside the fireplace, her scalp likewise peeled back from the left side, revealing the blood-soaked skull beneath.

A circular magical array had been drawn in blood around the corpse, covered with obscure and mysterious runes.

Page 1 of 3

He recognized at a glance that this was not some “necromancer’s ritual,” but a vile rite intended to please infernal demons through the slaughter of innocents.

Eirina followed him inside. Her gaze swept rapidly across the room before settling on the corpse, and she soon began piecing together her deductions.

The cause of death was obvious: her throat had been cut.

There was dust on the left windowsill of the bedroom, but none on the right. Considering that the fireplace mantel was dusty as well, it was reasonable to conclude that the homeowner did not make a habit of cleaning. The absence of dust on the right windowsill was probably because the murderer had climbed in through the window and then deliberately brushed away the footprints left in the dust.

In other words, the victim had likely been standing on the right side of the room, facing the wall tapestry, when the murderer climbed in through the window and slit her throat from behind. The killer had then dragged her to her current position, leaving her to die in agony as she struggled.

There were obvious signs that the tapestry had been washed, probably because blood had splashed onto it when the victim was attacked. But why had the murderer gone out of their way to move the corpse? Did they not want anyone to know that the attack had taken place in front of the tapestry?

Or perhaps the ritual array surrounding the corpse had to be drawn in a specific location, which was why the body had been moved there?

No. There was still too little evidence at the scene. Perhaps she should investigate outside, following the route the murderer had taken from the right windowsill. There might be more clues along the way.

Eirina hesitated, wondering whether to tell Rayne about her deductions. Although she had no desire to deal with a naturally evil necromancer, there was an even more wicked serial killer in the Imperial Capital at present. It might be rather satisfying to let the two villains tear each other apart.

Just as she was wavering, Rayne snapped his fingers and said with a light laugh,

“Benevolent spirit of an innocent soul who died by the blade—return to your corpse for a time and reveal the murderer’s information to me!”

The corpse, which had been lying motionless on the floor, suddenly began to writhe violently.

Eirina stared blankly at the scene. For a moment, she felt that all her careful deductions had become a joke.

The dead woman, her soul returned to her body, clutched her throat in agony and made a sound like someone choking out their final breath.

“Help… please, help me…”

Rayne crouched beside her.

“You are already dead. Tell me what the murderer looked like, and I will avenge you.”

The victim gasped for a few moments before saying,

“Bald…”

“Make a note of that.” Rayne turned to Eirina. “What else?”

“A red… robe…”

“Do you remember anything about his appearance? His features, for instance?”

“His eyes… narrow and long, like…” The spirit shuddered painfully. “Like a hawk’s…”

“What about his nose and mouth?”

“He had… a mustache. Two little tufts… very thin lips…” The spirit’s voice grew weaker and weaker. “So cold… it hurts so much… please, please…”

Page 2 of 3

Rayne snapped his fingers again, releasing the spirit from his control and allowing her to return to the River of the Dead.

Eirina watched in silence.

She, too, yearned to have her own soul freed and return to that sweet, peaceful slumber where she would no longer be tormented by the sins of her life. Yet this naturally evil necromancer continued to enslave her.

Perhaps even a villain who served as a lackey to the institution of slavery would ultimately become someone else’s slave. Perhaps this was the punishment the gods had imposed upon her…

Rayne paid no attention to Eirina’s self-reflection. He simply turned his attention once more to the array around the corpse, carefully examining its specific details.

There were more than seventy heretical sects in this world, and the devils they worshiped and the rituals they practiced differed greatly. The Delibuchi Sect, which had caused trouble for the Nightmare Legion before, specialized in infernal sorcery involving the traversal of dreams and the extraction of emotions. It was entirely different from the other sects.

Furthermore, the Empire had a custom of launching annual crackdowns on heretics. As a result, many mages were unwilling to delve into the academic study of infernal sorcery, lest they one day make a proper contribution to an imperial official’s record of accomplishments.

Fortunately, Rayne himself was a necromancer as notorious as any heretic. Naturally, he had no fear of the demon hunters of the Imperial Inquisition. In the past, he had thoroughly immersed himself in the ocean of forbidden knowledge.

After comparing the infernal inscriptions with the vast knowledge in his mind, he quickly reached a conclusion.

The Brophil Sect.

The archdevil Brophil governed “torment,” “torture,” and “dominion.” As a result, the sect was one of the more obscure among the heretics. As far as Rayne knew, its members consisted mainly of butchers, prison guards, executioners, dark elves, and certain nobles with particularly depraved tastes…

Rayne was lost in thought when a sharp reprimand suddenly came from outside.

“No one is allowed in! Who are you people?”

Almost simultaneously, the clash of blades rang out, mixed with the pained grunts of the Imperial Capital Guards.

Eirina quickly hefted her spear. Before she could leave the room, the door was pushed open from outside.

Several figures in black robes with high collars entered. At their head was a burly inquisitor with a close-cropped head and a scar over his right eye. His expression was cold as he asked,

“Commander of the Imperial Capital Garrison, Rayne Fahler?”

“Who are you?” Rayne countered.

“The Imperial Inquisition,” the inquisitor replied coldly. “This place is under our control. Take your hounds and get out.”

“Really? I don’t believe you.” Rayne raised an eyebrow, his expression skeptical. “You attacked the Imperial Garrison in broad daylight. To me, that makes you look more like suspects connected to this case.”

The inquisitor let out a long sigh and waved his hand.

“Seize him.”

Rayne did not need to give an order. Eirina had already stepped forward with her spear.

Page 3 of 3