Chapter 3 (Part 4)
Oliver ascends towards an entrance. As he paces forward, he tilts his head and gazes up, seeing the enormous workplace where Gregory works. As he glances up, Oliver can see the orange sunlight scattering across the pink sky.
Seeing the golden lights from the vast sky showering on the towering structure makes Oliver feel like a dwarf. As he slowly walks, his hands clasp together. The enormity of the building and the grandeur of the surrounding scenery weigh heavily on him.
The doors opened with a resounding echo that bounced across the lobby. Oliver stepped inside, his neck tucked into his body and his arms hugging himself tightly. As he passed by some fellow guards, they bowed at him. Oliver straightened his posture and nodded his head back.
Oliver's eyes wander around the opulent lobby, and so is his body. As he glances around, he notices the gleaming granite on the walls. Above him, a pearl chandelier hangs from the ceiling, casting an elegant glow throughout the room. Directly in front of the entrance stands an inquiry desk.
Oliver walks diagonally to his left side, his arms still hugging his body. He marches towards a large doorway leading to a long hallway. Glancing up, Oliver sees a sign with the name of the corridor—the Apprentice Hall.
As he steps into the corridor, Oliver's pace hastens. He then stops and glances at a wooden door on his right. Wondering what lies behind the doorway, Oliver approaches the door and knocks gently.
The door opened slowly, and a woman stood behind the doorway. "Oh!" she smiled.
"Oh," Oliver cleared his throat. "Hello? It's Oliver Podeshire. May I speak with Gregory...? Gregory Hidesine?" Oliver asked politely.
The woman widened the door and answered, "Oh, greetings, sir. Thank you for stopping by our department. But Gregory Hidesine is currently in the research office with his master and fellow apprentices. You can find them in the research hall."
Oliver turned around and returned to the lobby as his eyes scanned the area for any signs that might lead him to the research hall. He walked past the inquiry desk and into another hallway. Oliver ventured and quickened his pace, marching down the corridor.
Several wooden doors lined the hallway, each fitted with a tiny window, allowing passersby to peek through. After walking past multiple doorways, Oliver turns towards one on his left side. He then peeps through its window frame and takes a long, steady gaze inside.
As he peeks inside, Oliver notices bookshelves making up the walls, crammed with scientific and magical books, journals, and articles. On the side are some wooden counters, occupied with glowing concoctions in various colours. Two workbenches draw his attention in the centre of the room—one wide desk and a narrow one.
Papers and ink jars flood the narrow workbench. The wooden surface was barely visible beneath the hill of documents and supplies. As Oliver glances around the room, his eyes instantly widen when he spots a corpse lying on a broad desk.
Oliver puts his palm on his mouth while his jaw drops behind his hand. Around the broad desk are five men surrounding the corpse. One of them is none other than Oliver's friend, Gregory.
"Every corpse found in the woods is discovered with—" Gregory began to narrate, but he abruptly stopped when he heard a knock on the door.
The room fell silent, and everyone turned to face the door.
"Come in," Sir Sapplemen said kindly.
Oliver swung the door open and stepped inside, greeting them politely. "Oh, I apologise for disturbing all of you, gentlemen. May I ask for Gregory?"
"Oli?" Gregory gawked at Oliver.
As Oliver entered, his nose wrinkled in disgust. "Eurgh. What's that smell?" he scoffed.
"The rotting corpse," Gregory pointed out.
Oliver's breath quivered. "Why is there a corpse here?" Oliver inquired.
"We're performing an autopsy. The government has permitted us," Gregory explained.
Sir Sapplemen spoke with a grin. "Sir Podeshire, it's a pleasure to have you here! If you have time, I encourage you to watch us perform this activity. We're investigating the origin of a mysterious substance found on the corpses. It'll enhance your knowledge about the crimes being committed. Since you're a city guard and Defender of Asbranne, I believe it would be wise to join us," he told Oliver.
"Mysterious... substance?" Oliver walked towards the desk and joined the men around the corpse.
Sir Sapplemen pointed at the reddish-violet substance on the corpse's arm. "It's a newly discovered element. No known animals have this type of element," he stated.
"Interesting," Oliver murmured. "...What else have you found?"
"We've discovered circular stab wounds on the organs and the absence of any fractures on the bones," Sir Sapplemen narrated.
"What...? I'm sure the corpses are mangled—" Oliver gasped.
"They're not. It's just an illusion," said Sir Sapplemen.
"...What?" Oliver huffed.
"Based on our findings, we believe a human may be responsible for these murders because of how clean the corpses look after wiping off the bloodstains," Sir Sapplemen ventured.
"It could be a group of insane people or a cult doing a ritual with the inky substance found on the victims. Perhaps assassins?" one of the other men stated.
"Surely, it's an animal," Oliver said.
"That's the same thing I speculated before," Sir Sapplemen said. "However, the issue is that the substance on the victim's arm has an ink-like texture and is dyed in a... reddish-violet colour. It appears to be spread across the arm neatly, which is unusual for an animal attack. Additionally, if it is an animal, why would it bother killing many people without consuming them?"
Oliver stared at Sir Sapplemen, and his eyes widened in disbelief.
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