September 16, 1882
Antonio sat in his chair, the letter unfolded in his hands.
His eyes moved across the lines again.
"Where is the money that Grey Watcher promised…"
His fingers tapped lightly against the edge of the paper.
"…the task of exchanging the goods in the temple…"
Antonio leaned back slightly, his gaze drifting—not away from the letter, but through it.
"…everything you have been up to will be exposed."
A faint crease formed between his brows.
"…So, you were desperate," he murmured.
'Goods. Documents. Payment delayed. A deal, is it? What could it be about? What could a priest want money for?'
Antonio folded the letter halfway, then stopped.
His gaze shifted slightly to the side.
"He was gone. Without having saved anyone but his enemy." Antonio recalled the whisper.
"…Enemy," he said under his breath.
'Who is the enemy here? What does it mean by saving his enemy? Could it be related to this Grey Watcher and Elias?' Antonio thought while continuously tapping the table with his finger.
The door burst open.
"Sir!" Austin's voice cut through as he stepped inside.
Antonio flinched for a moment at the sudden call.
"What made you slam that perfectly normal, openable door that hard? I believe I told you not to knock instead of breaking it."
"I-I am really sorry about that, sir. But you have to check this out! We might have uncovered a good lead related to this case," Austin said while composing himself.
Antonio's eyes lit up instantly.
"A lead? What kind of lead? Show me!"
Austin handed over one of the files he had been carrying.
"I was able to acquire this while I was taking personal statements of every servant in the Stuart manor, as you instructed me to."
"See? A little overtime doesn't hurt," Antonio said before opening the file.
Antonio's eyes moved across the contents slowly at first.
Then faster.
Then sharper.
"Why didn't anyone say anything when I asked them?" Antonio questioned in a furious tone.
"They said that she suddenly recalled this while I was taking her statement."
Antonio let out a sigh.
"Suddenly? Well… at least she recalled it."
Antonio took a brief glance at the file once again before turning to Austin.
"So, where is this retired servant now?" Antonio questioned as he closed the file with one hand.
***
The city thinned gradually.
Buildings grew sparse, replaced by stretches of open land and scattered trees.
Inside the carriage, the air was quieter than usual.
'Every time I travel through this city, it somehow feels familiar. Not from Antonio's memories, but my own. Where could I have seen Astrea before coming to this world?'
Antonio thought to himself while sitting by the window, his gaze fixed outside.
Austin sat across from him, one arm resting against the side, shifting slightly as the carriage jolted over a rough patch—quietly observing Antonio without making it too obvious.
'Wait… now that I think about it… the paintings. The paintings in the Vexwood manor displayed the scenery of a city that looked exactly like Astrea after I solved the puzzle. What is it supposed to mean then? Were they trying to foreshadow where I would be stuck nex—'
"Sir!" Austin called out to Antonio.
Antonio turned his gaze toward him, still stuck in his thoughts.
"What is it?"
"I've been calling out to you for a while now. What were you thinking so deeply about, sir?" Austin questioned, displeased by Antonio's nonchalant expression.
"Was I? Well, I was thinking that maybe the person we are going to meet today might be the one we've been looking for."
"I see. But how do you think he could've committed that murder without there being any witness of him being present at the mansion? He retired months before Evan Brundestter's murder."
"I never claimed him to be the murderer. I just said that he might be the person who'll give us an actual start in this case."
Austin nodded in agreement as the carriage rolled through the dirt-filled roads.
The carriage came to a gradual halt.
For a moment, neither of them moved.
Then Antonio reached for the door.
He stepped outside without any hesitation.
"So, this is the farmland where he stays?" Antonio questioned, raising a brow.
"Yes, sir."
"I was suspicious when the address was somewhere at the outskirts of the city, but looking at this farmland, I wouldn't mind retiring and coming here," Antonio remarked.
The path leading up to the farmhouse was uneven, lined with patches of dry grass that shifted softly underfoot.
Antonio stopped at the door.
Austin remained a step behind, his gaze moving briefly across the surroundings—open land.
"There seems to be a very small number of people here despite the size of this farm," Austin remarked.
"Well, time to find out why," Antonio said as he raised his hand and knocked.
After a brief moment of silence, the door opened.
A man stood in the doorway.
Middle-aged. Broad-shouldered. His sleeves were rolled up, revealing thick forearms marked with faint lines of old work.
His eyes moved first to Antonio.
Then, briefly, to Austin.
"Can I… help you? You don't seem to be from around here," the man asked, his voice low.
"Well, your guess is correct. We are not from around here," Antonio continued. "Want to guess why we are here as well?"
"I… don't know. Is there something you want from me?" the man questioned, narrowing his eyes as he observed both of them carefully.
Antonio reached into his coat and withdrew a card.
"We are from the Blackthorn Investigation Department. Mind if we come inside?" Antonio said, putting the card back into his coat.
"Of course not. Please… come inside." The man hesitated slightly as he uttered the last line.
Antonio and Austin settled down on the couch in the living room.
The man sat in front of them, placing two glasses of water on the table.
"You've come a long way for something," the man said.
"Someone," Antonio corrected.
The man's eyes narrowed slightly.
"So, Mr. Thomas Hale, would you mind talking to us about your previous line of work?"
"You know my name?"
"Mr. Hale, we came from the BID for a reason. You should've expected as much."
"A-Ah… okay. But what is the reason behind asking about my previous line of work?"
"You know Evan Brundestter, right?" Antonio continued. "I was told that you were pretty close to him."
"Yes… I do know Evan. Did he do something?" Thomas asked, his eyes nervously observing Antonio.
"No. He didn't do anything. But someone else did to him."
"What do you mean by that?" Thomas asked in a concerned tone.
"He was murdered," Antonio said flatly.
"What!? What do you mean? When did this happen?"
"A few weeks ago. I am surprised that you didn't know about it, considering you used to work with him, and it was in the newspapers as well for a few days."
"I don't read newspapers much, and there is no one I have connections with anymore from the Stuart manor. So, this is the first time I am hearing this. H-Have you found out w-who did it, sir?"
"First, I would advise you to drink the water you put on the table for us. You're stuttering quite a lot," Antonio said. "Second, we are here to ask you the same question—well, in a way."
Thomas picked up the glass and gulped the water down in a single go before placing it back.
"Sir, may I take it from here? I want to make this quick. I have one other thing to tell you after this," Austin whispered to Antonio.
"Sure. Go ahead," Antonio whispered back.
Austin turned his gaze back to the nervous-looking Thomas.
"I'll get straight to the point. He was found dead in the attic of the mansion. And it was reported that you were seen going to the attic several times with him. Can you tell us the reason why?" Austin questioned firmly.
"What? He was found dead in the attic?"
"Yes. Do you have anything to say about that?"
Thomas remained silent for a brief moment before responding.
"I don't know much about why he would be found dead in the attic, but as for the reason why we went there often together… it was because of priests."
Antonio's eyes lit up instantly, surprise showing on his face.
"Priests? What do you mean by that?" Antonio questioned immediately.
"Well, I would help Evan in transporting the donations meant for the temple, which were stored in the attic downstairs, where the priests from the temple were waiting for us."
"Do you know what was in those donation boxes?" Antonio questioned without wasting a moment.
"Wouldn't it contain normal supplies like rations and clothing? I never opened them to check myself."
"Then, do you remember the names of any of the priests who came to collect those donations?"
"I am not sure because every time it was a different batch of priests… except for one. I think his name was… Alaric?"
Silence filled the room the moment that name left Thomas's mouth.
Austin looked at Antonio, waiting for another question.
After a brief moment of silence, Antonio spoke again.
"Why did you quit your job?" Antonio questioned, completely changing the topic.
"My father passed away a few months ago, and with that, I inherited this farmland. So, I no longer deemed it necessary to keep working in that mansion, as it would've been hard to maintain both at once."
"I understand. Thank you for complying with our request," Antonio said as he stood up. "It is about time that we take our leave."
Antonio and Austin left without further remarks.
"Sir, did you not have anything else to ask him?" Austin asked, confused by Antonio's actions.
"I don't. But if you have any questions yourself, you can go back in there and continue."
"No… not really."
"Then, we should take our leave."
Antonio and Austin sat back in the carriage, ready to leave.
"Sir, did you discover something important that made you suddenly leave like this?" Austin questioned, trying to make sense of the situation.
"Yes, of course I did."
"What is it?" Austin asked with curiosity.
"We are levelling up from merchants to priests," Antonio answered with a smirk.
"…Huh?"