The Mystery of the Fifth Day
Jerusalem 1186: One Year before the Siege
Ulric stood next to Rodrick as he and a few other knights were gathered around the body of a dead commander. Currently their captain, Galahad, was praying for their fallen comrade. After another moment, he rose to his feet and turned to the others. "I want you two to escort our fallen brother to his final resting place, be sure he is buried with what ceremony we can provide him. Ulric, Rodrick, come with me."
The knights did as they were told as Ulric and Rodrick followed Galahad through the city streets. It was a moment of tense silence before Ulric finally broke it. "Sir," Said Ulric, "What do you think happened, was he attacked?"
"His throat was slit," replied Galahad, "I'm fairly certain it happened last night. Given that he was in his tent when it happened, that only really leaves three possibilities that I can think of. The first; he was attacked by an assassin while he was in the middle of removing his armor, the second; a fellow knight slit his throat from behind, or third; he slit his own throat."
"Two of those possibilities seem incredibly unlikely," said Rodrick, "Almost unthinkable in fact."
"Do not rule out any possibilities without good reason," said Galahad, "I've seen this war affect many of my comrades in incredible and sometimes sickening ways. It is no stretch of the imagination that he might have simply seen death as his only means of escape from suffering or a perceived failure."
"But I knew that commander," said Rodrick, "He was a vicious man who enjoyed fighting. Why would he take his life now?"
"Then perhaps one of our own did him in," suggested Galahad, "I've had to break up a few bouts over spoils of war just the other day. It's possible that he had something that another one of ours wanted."
"If I may sir, I severely doubt it," said Ulric, "It was not one of our own that did that, and it wasn't for something he had either."
"Do explain sir Ulric," said Galahad, motioning for him to continue his train of thought.
"Well if it was a thief," said Ulric, "His tent would've been ransacked to at least a small degree. All the objects of value that commander had were stowed out of sight."
"Very good, both of you," Said Galahad with a small smirk, "Yes, we are dealing with an assassin, and a woman at that."
"What makes you so sure about that?" Questioned Rodrick with an inquisitive raise of an eyebrow.
"Because we found him with his belt undone," replied Galahad, "Among other states of undress. I doubt he was defecating in his own tent, so it is likely that he had a woman in his tent with him, and it was her who slit his throat."
"So we've got an assassin roaming our camps," said Rodrick, "How are we going to find her?"
"We'll start with the prisoners," said Galahad, "We have too many to hold in the cells currently, so it's possible she slipped in when we were transporting them across the city. I must report this to our superiors, so in the mean time we must not alert the assassin that we are aware of her presence. So you two split up to cover more ground and be vigilant, for our battle ground is now within the very walls of this city, and your greatest weapons will not be your blades but your minds and your powers of observation."
Roswaal Mansion: Current Day
The memory flashed through Ulric's mind as he tried to wrap his head around what he'd awoken too. He'd died the night before, and now he was back at the day he awoke in the Roswaal mansion for the first time. He'd turned a number of possibilities over in his head starting with someone slitting his throat in his sleep to poison. But there was also the possibility of a magic that could kill one in their sleep, and that was what made this even more complicated.
'I was at the mansion for five days without anything going amiss,' he thought, 'at least as far as I know. It could be that assassin Elsa again, she most certainly has the ability to sneak in here without being noticed and slicing someone's throat in their sleep most certainly wouldn't be beneath her. Of course if it was poison, why use something that takes forever to work? Most often when someone was poisoned back in my homeland the victim would fall dead shortly afterward, not to mention entire royal families were sometimes poisoned. Whatever the case, I need to consult an expert in the matters of magic.'
But for the time being, Ulric decided it was best to not let the killer know that he was aware of their presence, assuming they were around the mansion. In the meantime, Ulric had to go through the arduous process of being introduced to lord Roswaal once again, and also making the same request to be trained in magic. Of course, it was also during this meeting that he was reminded that he was a bit suspect, given how he arrived at the mansion, which meant he had to be careful what questions he asked during his little investigation. But the most difficult question was, where to start first?
'The maids and lord Roswaal will likely not be straight forward about how this mansion is guarded against intruders,' he thought as he went through a familiar series of fighting moves on the manor grounds, 'Which only really leaves me one or two other options.' As if in answer to his thoughts, Emilia came walking around the corner, ready to start his first lesson in magic. Unknowingly for the second time.
"You're up quite early sir knight," said Emilia, her voice and mannerisms the same as before. But this conversation would most certainly play out differently.
"A habit I developed during my training," replied Ulric, "I often had to rise early for practice, and now it's ingrained in my body to simply wake up early. It was either that or a bucket of cold water from my father."
"Well just know that we don't expect you to rise any earlier than any of us," replied Emilia as she summoned Puck from his jewel, "Alright Puck, it's time to get started." The spirit responded in much the same way as the first time with a yawn before floating out to prepare for the lesson.
"Before we begin, I have a bit of a concern I was wondering about," said Ulric, "I looked around the grounds yesterday and I couldn't help but notice that an assassin could get in here relatively easily. Are you sure this mansion is the safest place after dealing with that monster, Elsa?"
"Oh there's no need to worry about something like that," said Puck with a dismissive wave, "Betty and Lord Roswaal laced the grounds with runes that will alert them to uninvited guests. Not to mention, Emilia being here isn't really that widely known, so we should be more than safe until the time of the royal selection."
"Fascinating," mused Ulric with a hand to his chin, "You'll have to teach me about how to lay some of those one day. It might come in handy."
"First things first," said Puck, "We need to explain how magic itself works and then determine your attribute." Ulric nodded as the lesson began. As before, his attribute was determined to be light and the first spell was jiwald. But this time, Ulric managed not to blast a pair of holes in the courtyard while maintaining jiwald for nearly a full minute. 'I suppose the one good thing about resetting,' Ulric thought, 'Is I know how to do something I've already done.'
Puck and Emilia were of course impressed by this, commenting on how funny it was that someone who just learned about Lugnica's magic little more than two days ago was actually somewhat adept at using it. 'I wonder if they'd believe me if I told them the truth?' Ulric wondered as they continued the lesson. By the end of it, he'd managed to extend his time to a few seconds longer.
"Certainly not bad at all," said Puck as he floated back on Emilia's shoulder, "I thought I would have to act as a conduit for a bit longer, but you've got the basic mental image down pat. If you continue training in this mindset and using your gate, you'll be well on your way to actually wielding magic."
"You're too kind great spirit," said Ulric with a bow, "I think I merely have a good teacher."
"I appreciate the flattery," said Puck, puffing his small chest out with pride, "But you might not be so appreciative once we get into combat magic. Now that will be a test all on its own."
"I would hope it's not any worse than my training to be a knight," Said Ulric, "I had a few close calls on the more intensive parts."
"Let's just say if you're not careful," said Puck as he floated back into the air, "You really will blow yourself up." The cat made an excited gesture with his arms for added effect.
"Alright, there's no need to try scaring him," said Emilia, "He's just started magic training. For all we know he could be a mystical prodigy who won't even come close to blowing himself up."
"That is something only time and future lessons will tell," Said Ulric, "Once again, I'm very grateful you agreed to teach me."
"Think nothing of it," said Puck with a yawn, "We owe you big time, and all that."
"I think that means it's time for us to wrap up today's lesson," said Emilia, "I must attend to my own studies as well. So I will see you bright and early tomorrow sir knight."
"I'm looking forward to learning," said Ulric with a bow, "But of course, I have other studies I must attend to as well, so I bid you a good evening." Those other studies of course included patrolling the grounds and looking for anything out of place or suspicious. The hard part was trying not to look suspicious himself. Ram's threat about Roswaal punishing him, which she technically hadn't made yet, though not too frightening was enough to make him move with caution.
It took him a few hours to cover all of the grounds. It took a few more minutes when Rem started questioning him wandering around. Ulric was able to come up with the excuse of simply never getting a proper tour of the mansion. In retrospect he should've known better, because he was then led around the mansion by the blue-haired maid, who he'd barely had any conversation with, listening while she explained the ins and outs of the massive residence in her usual, business-like tone. But one thing Ulric did notice, she kept sneaking secretive glares at him whenever she thought he wasn't looking. 'I need to be careful around these two,' he thought, 'There's something a bit off about them.'
Soon after that, Ram found them and got to teaching Ulric about reading and writing. The good news was, he'd done some of this before, so he caught on much more quickly. In much the same way, the next five days continued like this, with Ulric pretending he didn't know much about certain things while performing better than expected. All the while, he searched for any sign of an intruder or possible tampering with the food.
Office of Lord Roswaal: The Fourth Night
"So, what do you think of our guest so far?" Questioned Roswaal as he stroked Ram's hair.
"He's shown no open hostility towards anyone in the mansion so far," replied Ram, "But he has been making several trips around the mansion grounds. He's given different excuses whenever Rem or I questioned him about it. But he often moves around the same places, like a guard on patrol with his eyes scanning the landscape around the mansion. It's almost like he's expecting something to happen."
"Do you believe him to be a spy of any sort?" Questioned Roswall.
"He has asked a number of questions about your reputation," said Ram, "He also expressed concerns about someone attempting to assassinate you or Lady Emilia. If he is a spy, though, I find it curious that he would request magic lessons, and even more curious that he is so unaware of the country's current state. Not to mention, he can barely read or write the native language, which would be one of the first thing's a spy would learn before coming into an enemy country."
"So you'd simply suggest continuing to keep an eye on him for now," questioned Roswaal.
"He may yet pose a threat," replied Ram, "But so far, neither Rem nor I have sensed any malice in his intentions. But the scent he gives off, is unmistakable."
Roswaal Mansion: The Next Day
'Just a little longer,' thought Ulric as he sat in a meditative pose, with the glow of jiwald around his body, 'Only a few more seconds.' The strain of maintaining the spell was finally starting to get to him, but he wasn't about to give up so easily. Concentrating as hard as he could, Ulric was able to make the spell last just a little longer until finally releasing the magic, causing the glow around his body to fade.
"And that's exactly two minutes," said Puck as he landed on Ulric's head, "Your concentration is improving, and if what I'm feeling is right, your gate is looking a little better as well. With continued use, your gate will open far more easily and mana will flow with less of a problem."
"How often would one need to wield magic for it to pass through easily?" Questioned Ulric between ragged breaths.
"Well it's not just how often you use it," replied Puck, "The way you use your gate matters too. If you try forcing more mana through than your gate can handle, you could actually cause damage to it. Then, not only will it be difficult for you to use any mana at all, it'll be even more painful to cast even regular spells."
"I guess I should be careful when using it in a fight then," said Ulric as he examined his blade, "But on the upside, it means I can also improve on my sword technique while I'm here."
"Many higher ranking knights utilize magic," said Emilia, "Some even wield spirit magic. To what degree depends on the knight's specialty or field of expertise."
"You mean there are knights in this land who don't specialize in warfare," questioned Ulric, "That seems counterproductive."
"Well as you know, our country currently isn't at war," said Emilia, "But even if we were, there would be a need for those who provide healing, remove curses, interrogate prisoners, and commune with the spirits. All the knights of the kingdom have a role they fill."
"Well in spite of that," said Ulric with a quick swing of his blade, "I hope they all at least know how to handle themselves in a fight."
"The system isn't perfect, but they've done well enough so far," said Puck as he landed on Emilia's shoulder, "At least if you don't count the whole royal family disappearing thing."
"It is curious," said Ulric, "With all you've told me about magic, it seems like something as simple as a sickness should be no problem for the royal family, who should have plenty of magic users at their disposal."
"I doubt it was a simple sickness," said Emilia, "it was most likely a curse of some sort. Dark magic that once activated cannot be stopped."
"I thought you said there was no such thing as good or evil magic," said Ulric, "Just the will of the individual."
"Yes and it's true," said Emilia, "Curses were developed by those who wished to do great harm on others. In my own opinion, they're one of the greatest perversions of the natural forces of this world. Fortunately, curses are also a rare form of magic which are wielded by only the most well-practiced mages."
"In that case, I suppose we have little to worry about in terms of things then," said Ulric as he slipped his blade back into his belt, "Though speaking of being well practiced, I must get to my own studies of the written language. I imagine you have your own studies to attend to as well."
"Oh yes, you're quite right sir knight," said Emilia, "It almost slipped my mind. I bid you good evening, and hope you sleep well."
"The same to you your highness," said Ulric with a bow before turning and leaving.
"It's just Emilia!" The half-elf called back, feigning annoyance at Ulric's continued use of formal language. As he turned a corner, though, Ulric's face took on a determined frown. 'I wish I could honor your request about sleeping well, but I'm afraid I'll be dealing with another problem of my own tonight.'
Roswaal Mansion: Ulric's Room a Few Hours Later
It was a familiar feeling to Ulric, sitting and waiting for something terrible to happen. Though instead of patrolling around a wall, he was sitting and waiting on a chair in his room, purple blade at the ready. He'd taken a number of precautions to see if poison had been the culprit, like avoiding eating the food at dinner and observing Roswaal and the maids. Given that they ate the food as well and didn't drop dead shortly after, he was fairly certain he could rule out poison as the reason of his death. So it was time to test the second theory of how he'd died, a possible assassin.
To be honest, he hoped it was anyone but Elsa, given that he still hadn't used jiwald in actual combat. Taking another deep breath, he shifted to a more comfortable position, running scenario after scenario through his head. 'If I'm lucky, which has not really been the case so far, it'll be someone I can handle without much of a problem. If it turns out to be someone more skilled than me, then my best bet will be to head out the door and make as much noise as possible. It'll be regretful that I must wake the occupants of the mansion, but it'll be better than dying again.'
With that thought in mind, Ulric steeled himself for the inevitable confrontation. Or what he'd thought was a confrontation. After another few minutes had passed, something strange began to happen. The room started to bend and shift a bit as all of the heat seemed to drain from his body.
'What's going on,' thought Ulric as he tried to get up, only to wretch and throw up on the floor, 'I did everything possible to avoid being poisoned, so what's happening?' The knight staggered out of the door way, dragging his feet as he went. 'It's like a sudden wave of exhaustion or sickness, almost like the curses Emilia was describing.' Putting everything he had left into walking, Ulric lurched forward, one shaky step at a time as he weakly banged his weapon against the wall.
'The only way to survive now is see if one of these magic wielders can do something,' thought Ulric, 'assuming they haven't fallen to this as well.' It was then, as he was staggering down the hall that he heard it, a clanking sound, like chains being drug across a floor. Gripping his weapon tighter, Ulric stood and faced the darkened hallway where the noise originated from. "Step into the light!" He exclaimed as he took a shaky fighting stance, "If you've come to kill me, at least show me your face!"
His demand was met with the sound of chains sliding faster and a sudden rush of air. Ulric recognized the noise and leapt to the side just in time as something slammed into the wall where he'd just been. 'I can't fight like this,' he realized as he rolled to the right to avoid another strike from the unknown weapon, 'Only one option.' "Jiwald," he said, summoning forth the magic he'd been practicing. Like before, his body began to glow, but something was wrong.
'The mana in my body is being drained,' he realized as he managed to stand up, 'I won't be able to hold this spell for more than a few seconds.' The weapon struck again, narrowly missing Ulric as he leapt over it and jumped off the wall towards the source of chains. 'Only one chance, strike while I still have strength.' He felt one final rush of air as the weapon came to intercept him faster than anticipated, then nothing.
And so the mystery deepens, and Ulric's inability to get a break from this sort of thing continues. Hello everyone, hope you enjoyed this latest chapter and as always, feel free to leave a comment or review about what you liked, disliked, or an idea you have to help make the story better. Stop in next time as the dreaded killer stands revealed. See ya'll then.
