Who is the culprit?

Everyone around the door was curious to know what had happened. The guards would not let us approach, but since the door is half-open, we can see the blood that is all over the carpet, and from where I am, I can see the feet of the person who was killed.

One of the girls disobeying the orders got closer, and opened the door completely.

The girl and more people in the crowd screamed after seeing the horrific scene. I couldn't even speak because of how shocked I was. What the hell happened there? Blood was everywhere, from the walls to the ceiling and, of course, on the floor and the furniture. The body was completely destroyed. The face was unrecognizable, but I can tell that the body belongs to the bald guy with whom I have seen Harold and Syvis argue.

"It's enough. Everyone get away from here!" One of the guards yelled.

They pushed us away from the room. While we were leaving, the castle healers were arriving, but from what I saw, they will no longer be of any help.

"What the hell happened there? It was too brutal what happened inside that room." Ryul asked as we walked to the dining room.

"I don't know. The question now is who would have done that to him." I reply.

We went to sit with Shalia and Leona inside the dining room. Everyone there was gossiping about what happened.

"Did you hear what happened?" Shalia asked us.

"Hear!? We saw it in person; we came from the crime scene." Ryul responded.

"Really!? Do you know what happened?" Shalia asked.

"We don't know, nobody said anything, but what we saw inside that room was taken from a nightmare. Whoever did that is crazy." Ryul said.

After what I saw, I didn't have much appetite. I just ate a piece of bread while we kept talking about what happened. It was almost time for us to head to the training grounds when a group of guards entered, followed by Harold.

"What's going on?" Ryul asked.

The group of guards headed straight for the table where Gerald and Caroline were sitting.

Harold walked in front of the guards and said, "Gerald, I need you to follow us."

"What are you talking about? Why do I need to follow you? You don't give me orders." Gerald replied.

Everyone in Gerald's group looked confused, looking at each other.

"What is this all about? Why do you want Gerald to accompany you?" Caroline asked.

"Please, don't make the situation more difficult. Follow me, and I'll explain later." Harold said.

"Does it have to do with the ****?" Gerald said, hitting the table and standing up. "I don't know anything about that, so I'm not going to follow you anywhere."

Is Gerald involved in the **** of the bald nobleman? I can't believe it. I know he's not the nicest person, but I didn't think he was a murderer.

"I just need to ask you a few questions." Harold answered.

"I already told you no. Don't make me repeat myself." Gerald responded angrily.

Harold turned his head, seeing one of the guards as giving him a signal, which then the guards violently approached Gerald.

“This is a disgrace!” Gerald yells. “Do you have any idea who I am?! I am a member of the Levine family!”

"There must be an error," Caroline said, almost crying, "Gerald didn't do anything."

Gerald, with a movement, pushed off the guards and said, "I'm a B-Rank! Do you really think third-rate guards can stop me?"

At that moment, the dining-room door was opened, and who entered was Zhoron, the S-Rank who lives in the castle. Everyone was silent, and only his footsteps could be heard approaching the table where everything was happening.

"Follow us" was the only thing Zhoron said with a calm voice.

Gerald, showing fear on his face, stopped resisting, and without saying anything, he went with Harold.

Caroline ran after them. Meanwhile, incredulous, we looked at each other.

"Do you really think Gerald is the culprit?" Shalia asked.

"It can be..." Ryul replied.

"Know something?" Leona asked him.

Ryul moved his head to the center of the table as if he didn't want to speak loudly, to which we did the same.

"Yesterday, when I was returning from my training with my teacher. Walking down the hall, I saw Gerald and the bald nobleman arguing. I don't know why, but Gerald looked quite upset and even grabbed him by the neck as if he wanted to hit him. Some of the passing maids stopped him, but he still looked quite mad when he let go."

"Why were they arguing?" Shalia asked.

"I couldn't hear," Ryul replied. "But whatever it was, I've never seen Gerald so angry."

"Did you happen to see if he was hurt? On his lip?" I asked.

"On his lip? He didn't seem to have anything when he left. Besides, the bald man is a normal person. There's no way he could hurt him." Ryul reply.

Ryul usually returns from his training with the Monk of the royal guard around nine. And I saw Gerald around ten o'clock. That means that in that period, he had a fight. Could he have returned for more? What a strange situation.

The time to go to training came, and we headed to the training grounds. There Dante told us that he didn't know anything about what was happening either, but he asked us to be careful. The day passed, normally training with Dante and at night practicing with Leona, but even so, the whole day, the atmosphere in the castle felt strange.

At night I went back to my room and took a shower. While I was drying my hair, someone knocked on the door. I thought it was Ryul, so I just said, "Come in."

To my surprise, the person who entered was not Ryul but Caroline.

Her eyes look like she's been crying. After entering and closing the door, she turned around and said, "Sorry to bother you so late."

I noticed that the reason she turned around was because I didn't have a shirt. "There is no problem," I said while dressing.

Why is Caroline looking for me?

"Done! You can turn around." I said.

"I'm sorry to bother you, it's just that I had no one to turn to," Caroline said, holding back crying. "Do you have time to talk?"

"Sure..."

Caroline sat on the chair that was in my room while I sat on the bed. I wonder why she wants to talk to me. We hardly know each other.

Between sobs, Caroline began to speak, "It was a difficult day... They haven't let me see Gerald. Harold is wrong; Gerald is not a murderer!"

"Didn't they tell you anything?" I asked.

"They only told me that they are questioning him and that they cannot release him since they suspect that Gerald is related to Darren's ****. I already informed Gerald's family, but they haven't told me anything either."

So the bald noble's name was Darren.

"Darx, there is something I want to ask you. I have no one else to consult, and I know you are a good friend of Gerald, so I know you will advise me what is best for him."

Does she still think we're friends!? Should I tell her the truth? "We really weren't that close..."

"You don't need to be modest," Caroline said, wiping her tears. "Darx, the reason they're probably blaming Gerald is because he had a confrontation with Darren yesterday."

"Are you talking about what happened in the hall last night?" I asked.

Surprised, Caroline said, "Did you know?"

"Someone I know saw them."

"I see... It's all my fault." Caroline said, starting to cry again. "The truth is that Darren had tried to lustfully approach me taking advantage of his title, even knowing that I am engaged. When I told Gerald, he went very upset to confront him. I never thought things would come to this."

"That was the reason for the fight?" I asked. "Do you know if something else happened after that confrontation?"

"Nothing else happened that I know of. I don't know what to do. Should I tell Harold what happened? What if they take it the wrong way and blame Gerald wrongly thinking that he killed Darren for me."

Caroline hasn't stopped crying. She really must be worried about Gerald. I start to feel bad for her and a little jealous of Gerald, knowing that he has someone who cares about him in such a way. I wonder how I can help her.

"I think the best thing is that you tell the truth to Harold. I know him, and I trust him. I know that he is someone who would not blame someone without proof. Gerald may have already told them the reason for the fight, but if he doesn't, I think you should let them know because it may be worse if they find out in another way."

"You may be right..."

Caroline lowered her head and thought for a while and then said, "Darx, I know I'm asking too much of you, but I don't think I can tell Harold without making a mistake and making things seem worse than they are. Can you please talk with Harold and tell him what I just told you?"

I don't want to be involved in this problem, but I don't think I have a choice now. I want to help Caroline, and even though I'm not too fond of Gerald, if he's not really the culprit, I should see what I can do.

"Okay, I'll talk to Harold tomorrow."

"Thanks, Darx!" Caroline said, hugging me. "Sorry, I think I should go."

In the morning, I got up earlier so I could go see Harold before going to training. I know that Harold starts work very early, so I think he will be in his office.

When I got to the door of his office, I knocked on the door, and after a pause, I heard him say, "Who is it?"

"I'm Darx. May I come in?"

"Darx!? Yes, come in."

As I entered, I saw Harold standing behind his desk, holding a staff. Upon confirming that I was the one who entered, he placed the staff on the side of his chair, and he sat down. Now that I remember, he is an adventurer too. Does he have the staff by his side as protection in case someone tries to attack him? I don't blame him after what happened.

"Darx, what brings you here? Please, sit down."

"There is something I want to tell you regarding what happened yesterday."

"You mean the **** of Darren? Do you know something?"

"First of all, have you confirmed if Gerald is the culprit?" I asked.

Harold put his fingers on his chin and replied, "Nothing confirmed yet. All we know is that he had an altercation with Darren shortly before his ****. It seems to be a problem related to his fiance, but he didn't want to say anything else."

"So, you already know. What I wanted to tell you is about Caroline. She told me the reason for Gerald and Darren's argument and was thinking that if she did tell you, it could be considered a reason why Gerald committed the crime even though she is sure he was not the culprit."

"It indeed makes him seem more suspicious, but we still haven't found concrete evidence. I will speak with her later if necessary but tell her not to worry if you see her. If he is not responsible for anything, I will make sure to clear his name."

I knew that Harold was a reasonable person who would not make hasty decisions. It was a good idea to tell him, after all.

"You said just now that Darren died shortly after the altercation with Gerald. Does that mean that the **** was at night? I asked.

Harold stared at me and said, "Please don't tell anyone what I'll say. After examining the corpse and the crime scene, it was determined that his **** was around midnight. We know that the altercation with Gerald was around nine o clock. Darren was not seen for a while, and about an hour and a half after the fight, he was seen entering his office by the guards in charge of that area. After that, no one entered or left the office until the next morning when one of the maids came in to clean and saw the crime scene."

So there is a gap between nine and ten and a half where Darren disappeared. That reminds me, "By chance, was Darren hurt when the guards saw him?"

"Mmm? They didn't mention anything about him being hurt. Do you know something?"

"It's just that I saw Gerald when I came back from training with Leona. When I saw him, he had blood on his lip."

"Can you give me more details?" Harold asked.

"It was around ten o'clock since the dining room is already closed at that time. I saw him when I was entering the castle from the garden side."

"I see... It is valuable information. I'll talk to him later. That means he was on the other side of the castle when Darren was last seen, although I find the hit odd. Darren is an ordinary person, so he could never hurt an adventurer."

That makes sense. The truth is that even at this point, I still doubt that Gerald is the culprit.

"For now, go back to your duties. If something happens, I'll let you know." Harold said.

"Okay..."

Before leaving, Harold called me again time.

"One more thing, Darx, please be careful. There is no indication that someone entered the castle last night. That means that someone inside the castle was the culprit. Don't lower your guard as the murderer could be the person you least imagine, and we don't even know what his true intentions are."

As I left the office, I remembered something else that happened last night. By the time I was in the library, Darren still hadn't returned to his office. When I saw Syvis, she was with someone who I couldn't see who it was. Still, it seemed they were arguing. Could it be that it was Darren? It's not the first time I've seen them argue. W-What am I thinking? It is impossible. Also, even if it was him, it doesn't mean that the person with whom Darren met in that period of time is the culprit.

The day ran normally, and the next day Gerald was released. No evidence was found linking him to Darren at the time of his ****. Caroline looked quite happy, which made me happy, but on the other hand, that means that the real culprit is free prowling the castle.

I thought that things would improve as long as we were careful and kept looking for the culprit but something that I did not expect started. Now that Gerald has been proven innocent, everyone is looking for a new culprit, and the person who is now rumored to be the one who killed Darren is Syvis.

I don't know how it all started, but everyone talks about it. It is well known that Syvis and all dark elves, in general, were not of Darren's liking, which is why they think that Syvis is the culprit. That she killed him as **** or something like that.

Even without proof, everyone thinks it was her. I know that is not true, but as much as I try to talk to Syvis, it is impossible. She no longer goes to the library at night, and when I go to the greenhouse, she won't open the door.

The days passed, and the last day of training with Dante arrived. That morning on the way to the dining room, I met Caroline, who was alone and seemed to be waiting for me. Ryul, realizing it, he continued his way, letting us talk alone.

"Hi, Darx! You seem to be having a troublesome time."

"Eh? What do you mean?"

"You're concerned about Syvis, aren't you!? We women pick up on that kind of thing easier. It's not hard to see how worried you look about her."

"I see..."

"I don't think Syvis is the culprit either. Things haven't been going well in training these days. I'm the only one who has attended Syvis's training since that day. She shows no concern, but I'm sure she must be having a hard time."

Hearing Caroline's words, I felt angry with myself for the helplessness of not being able to do anything to help her.

"I know how you feel Darx. I feel bad for her too. Just like you helped me with Gerald, let me help you too."

"Even if you said that I don't know what to do." I reply.

"I don't know either, but let's think of something together, okay?" Caroline said, smiling and walking away at the same time.

What can I do...?

After meeting with my companions, we headed to the training grounds where Dante was already waiting for us.

"Today is the last day you will be in my care, so you will have a small exam today. I am going to fight seriously, and you will have to beat me."