Damian heard the clattering of hooves and the crunch of carriage wheels. He looked up to see a simply decorated, highly inconspicuous carriage approaching from the distance along the sloping dirt path.
A moment later, the carriage rolled to a halt near Damian and the others.
Madam Alsha stepped down from the cabin, accompanied by two of her Administrator assistants.
Madam Alsha had come personally. After Link discovered the body, he had used his Court Wizard badge to immediately notify her.
After dismounting, the group walked directly toward Damian and his companions. Madam Alsha was wearing a plain white dress today, draped in a thick, grayish-white hooded cloak. Long, pristine white gloves extended elegantly up her arms.
Damian noticed that Madam Alsha was extremely particular about her appearance. He had seen her many times over the past few days, yet he rarely saw her wearing the same outfit twice.
As Madam Alsha arrived, Link pointed to the corpse tied to the massive tree root. "Madam, this is the body we found. As it stands, the scene is identical to the previous ones."
Anna chimed in from the side. "We discovered that these bodies, aside from their bizarre postures, all have different symbolic items placed on them. This girl is wearing antlers on her head. The previous victims were draped in wolf skins, flower wreaths, and ram horns."
Madam Alsha nodded grimly, signaling one of her assistants to step forward and examine the corpse.
Damian noticed a trace of deep weariness on Madam Alsha's face. Deep in her eyes, there seemed to be a repressed, simmering anger. It appeared the bodies piling up in her jurisdiction over the past few days had caused her a great deal of political trouble.
The assistant slipped on a pair of lizard-skin gloves to examine the body, starting with the skin. "Based on the lividity and bruising, we can determine that the victim died last night."
Another assistant, a witch with twin tails, pulled out a quill and a notebook, letting it hover beside her to record the findings.
Link rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "The bodies found before today were all located within White Stone Town. But this one was dumped in the outskirts. Could the killer have moved to the woods to avoid our patrols?"
The assistant continued to examine the ligature marks on the wrists, ankles, and knees. "The marks are very shallow. The victim did not struggle violently before death. Judging from the bruising on the knees and the soles of the feet, it is highly likely she was placed in this kneeling posture while already unconscious."
After a thorough check, the assistant concluded, "Just like the bodies found previously, there are no obvious external injuries. The cause of death appears to be sudden cardiac arrest."
The bodies found over the past few days had all undergone magical autopsies, and the cause of death was consistently heart failure.
Madam Alsha rubbed her throbbing temples, looking incredibly irritated. These grotesque incidents occurring right under her nose would severely damage her political standing.
If everything had gone smoothly, she would have been transferred back to the capital soon. Now, to smooth over this scandal, she would have to cash in a lot of favors.
Madam Alsha looked at Link and the others. "What do you think?"
Damian voiced his suspicions. "These bodies are all posed in a kneeling position of worship. I think this is some kind of dark magic ritual, and these people are being used as sacrifices."
Everyone present nodded in agreement; they had all reached a similar conclusion.
Damian continued, "The items on these victims were clearly placed there by the killer, likely as a requirement for the ritual. So far, we've found animal fur, woven plant wreaths, animal horns, and necklaces made of teeth. These are all easily obtainable items."
"Does anyone know what kind of dark ritual requires these specific offerings?" Damian asked. "Furthermore, I think the dump sites are a clue. By analyzing the geographic distribution of the bodies, we might be able to narrow down the killer's range of activity."
Madam Alsha showed an appreciative smile. "That makes perfect sense. Let's proceed as Damian suggested. I will consult the internal records of the Court Wizard to see if there is any record of such a ritual."
She turned to Link. "The autopsy reports and the locations of the discovery sites are all filed at the local Security Office. You can head there to cross-reference the map."
After dividing up the tasks, Madam Alsha turned and left.
Not long after, a Guard arrived at the scene driving a cargo carriage. Once they had loaded the body into the back, Damian and the others continued to search the surrounding woods.
Meanwhile, inside a seemingly abandoned residence in White Stone Town.
Judging from the thick layer of dust covering the floorboards, this house had been unoccupied for a long time.
At this moment, two hooded figures stood in the center of the dusty room.
The wizard in the grayish-white cloak let out a cold snort of anger. "What exactly does he think he is doing?! He's caused over twenty deaths in just a few days! And in such a flamboyant, conspicuous way!"
The black-robed wizard replied calmly, "He said he is testing a new summoning ritual he recently acquired."
The chest of the wizard in the grayish-white cloak heaved violently, fury radiating from them. "Testing a summoning ritual?! The Syndicate headquarters sent him here to assist us in developing the test subjects, not to play around with summoning magic!"
The wizard in the grayish-white cloak reached out from under their mantle, pressing both hands onto the wooden table. They immediately realized the surface was coated in grime.
With a look of sheer disdain, the figure brushed the dust off their pristine white gloves. Even though the hands were covered, one could easily tell they were slender, elegant, and distinctly feminine.
After brushing off the dust, the grayish-white cloaked wizard spoke coldly. "He has completely disrupted White Stone Town. He can leave at any time to wreak havoc on the next village, but we cannot easily abandon our deep-cover identities! We will be the ones left to clean up his mess!"
"Furthermore," the cloaked figure hissed, "we can only withstand the 'divine brew' extracted from the test subjects. We must use the brew diluted by their mutated flesh and blood to avoid losing our sanity! If we are forced to flee White Stone Town, it won't be easy to find another secure location to cultivate these abominations!"
The black-robed wizard rubbed his temples, feeling a headache coming on. "Within the organization, he is at the same rank as us. If we want to stop him, we can only do so using our public identities."
The voice of the wizard in the grayish-white cloak grew chillingly cold. "As it happens, hasn't Link been petitioning to explore the Winter Forest? I will help him apply for official assistance from the capital."
"We will form a Winter Forest exploration team," the figure plotted maliciously, "and send them all into the woods to tear each other apart!"
The black-robed wizard nodded. It was a brilliant plan. It would keep both of their troublesome problems completely occupied.
"Let's do that," the black-robed wizard agreed. "I'll also insert some of our operatives into the exploration team to stir up trouble and ensure they don't return. Besides, the Syndicate's old laboratory in the Winter Forest was purged long ago. They won't find any evidence tying back to us."
The wizard in the grayish-white cloak nodded firmly. "I will make the arrangements."
After finalizing the plot, the wizard in the grayish-white cloak slipped out through the backyard, where a simply decorated, highly inconspicuous carriage was parked.
After boarding the carriage, the wizard in the grayish-white cloak finally lowered her hood, revealing an extremely beautiful, familiar face.
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