Chapter 274

Chapter 260: Writing

In the Northern Tivyán, in the Church District, within the Tribunal.

Inquisitor Anrefus walked briskly along the stone corridor, wearing light armor over his cleric’s robe. The helmet he had been wearing was off, revealing his neat, tidy appearance with short brown hair and a serious expression.

Anrefus continued forward down the corridor, and everyone he passed bowed their heads in respect. His gaze was fixed on the distant end of the corridor where a man in a white coat, resembling a doctor, stood.

“Sir Anrefus.”

The man in the white coat greeted him respectfully, and after Anrefus nodded, he responded gravely.

“Have the results from the Historical Records Office come in?”

“They have. Based on multiple checks, we confirmed that all of them were infected with a mild form of poison related to the ‘Lamp’ and ‘Cup,’ but fortunately, the infection is quite light and can be treated easily.”

The man in the white coat replied to Anrefus, who then muttered to himself, “All of them… This is indeed an unquantifiable impact of heretical evil-doers. The information this whistleblower provided was entirely accurate.”

After saying this, Anrefus turned back to the doctor.

“What about the nun who made the report? How is she doing?”

“She is completely normal. That nun has not been affected by any poison. Her mind is very clear,” the doctor replied. After hearing this, Anrefus fell silent for a moment before speaking again.

“I understand. You may go now. Arrange immediately for the treatment of those infected at the Historical Records Office.”

“Yes, sir.”

After a brief response, the man in the white coat withdrew, and Anrefus continued walking until he reached a small iron door at the end of the corridor. Two guards dressed similarly but more simply stood on either side of the door. They nodded slightly when they saw Anrefus.

Without a word, Anrefus opened the iron door and entered a small, dim room. A small table was placed inside, with Vania sitting behind it, looking anxious. On the other side of the table stood an elderly nun.

Anrefus closed the door behind him and sat in front of Vania. After a moment, he spoke calmly.

“Nun Vania Chafiren, I appreciate your report today. We have inspected the Historical Records Office, and the secret transmission device there was indeed tampered with as you said. The members of the Historical Records Office have been mildly poisoned, and their work has been suspended. Those affected have been sent for treatment.”

Hearing Anrefus’s words, Vania sighed in relief.

“Oh… Everyone has been sent for treatment? That’s great. Blessed Mother, no bad things happened,” Vania said devoutly. Anrefus then continued solemnly.

“There were some bad things. The deacon Lud Koch whom you mainly reported is nowhere to be found. We searched both the Historical Records Office and his residence thoroughly but found no trace of him.”

“What… Deacon Koch is missing? How could this happen? When I left, he was still there…” Vania exclaimed in surprise. Anrefus continued seriously.

“According to the information we gathered from the Historical Records Office, Koch left ten minutes before we arrived and hasn’t returned since. We believe he might have received some warning and fled early. He is likely no longer in the Church District and seems to have taken a secret transmission book from the library. Now, he is nowhere to be found.”

Anrefus said gravely, and Vania began to ponder inwardly.

‘Deacon Koch… Probably already became Miss Dorothy’s puppet… I hope she will abide by our agreement and return the church’s secret transmission after reading it…’

Vania thought to herself, and then Anrefus spoke again.

“The disappearance of Koch is concerning, Nun Vania. Think carefully. Did you ever tell anyone else about Koch’s issues?”

“Well… This, Investigator Sir, after I realized that Deacon Koch might have problems, I was so scared that I didn’t dare tell anyone. It wasn’t until today when I saw Koch trying to use our joint letter to enter the library, possibly causing trouble, that I decided to make a report. During this time, I did not tell anyone else about this matter.”

Vania said, and after hearing this, Anrefus’s expression became even more serious. If Vania, the informant, did not tell anyone about Koch’s issues, then how did Koch manage to get a warning and flee?

This question lingered in Anrefus’s mind. He considered three possibilities: First, Koch’s original plan was to steal books from the library and then escape; his disappearance was simply following his original plan. Second, Koch might have a special item that allows him to sense danger, which alerted him to run away. However, this scenario was unlikely because such items involving divination and foresight were extremely valuable and rare, not something a mid-level deacon like him would possess.

The third possibility was severe: Koch might have received a tip-off from someone else and fled. According to Vania’s description, she only went to the Tribunal to make the report, meaning the information could only have come from the Tribunal itself.

If this were true, the situation would be very serious. If there was an internal problem in the heresy tribunal, it would need to be reported to the Sacred Summit, and resolving it would involve many people.

‘It looks like an internal investigation will be necessary…’ Anrefus thought seriously, then looked at Vania with a more intense gaze and continued.

“Your report cleared up hidden heretical threats for the church, Nun Vania. But before formally recognizing your achievement, I need to confirm a few things.

“All members of the Historical Records Office were mildly poisoned due to tampered instruments, but why were you unaffected and even able to detect the poison and realize Koch’s odd behavior… Can you explain these things?”