“Please leave the scene. Do not touch any items here.”
“Do not linger in this area! Unrelated personnel, leave immediately!”
Soon, the site of the death was cordoned off.
Many knights from the Investigation Team arrived; the gruesome death of a Cabinet member on the main street was no small matter.
Sephine stood just outside the cordoned line.
Astrid’s corpse was still hanging from the street lamp.
The knights of the Investigation Team were waiting for a mage to arrive and assist; otherwise, they could not guarantee the integrity of the body upon removal.
‘What does it feel like to look at the corpse of one’s own subordinate?’
Sephine only felt numb.
‘What was the last task I assigned to Astrid?’
It seemed to be investigating the corruption and bribery among the Academy staff.
The Demon King had already returned to the Imperial Palace, where she intended to convene an emergency Cabinet meeting.
Since Seilin was still on vacation, she did not need to participate, though she had previously attended in her capacity as the Empress.
“Astina, that person from last time… what did he look like when he died?”
*Whoosh* —
Hearing Sephine’s call, Astina descended from the sky.
“Lady Empress, his head was cut off directly, but the incision was extremely smooth.”
Sephine knew why Astrid had died, just as she knew why that man Stephen had died.
However, she might never find out who had done it, because the killer might already be dead as well.
This was true even though she knew exactly who was pulling the strings behind these deaths.
Sephine felt helpless.
She could not pursue the matter further; the enemy was in the dark while they were in the light.
Their enemies could disregard their reputations, but she and her allies could not.
Astrid had been killed.
People die when they are killed, and the dead cannot be brought back to life.
The priority now was to go to the Imperial Palace and discuss the matter with the Demon King.
“Let us go, Astina. Back to the Imperial Palace.”
“Understood.”
***
The members of the Cabinet were somewhat dazed when they were summoned.
They wondered why the Demon King had called a meeting so suddenly.
However, after everyone arrived and noticed that Astrid’s seat was empty, they understood what was happening.
“Astrid has been murdered, and his body was ostentatiously displayed on the busiest stretch of the road.”
The Demon King spoke, and the room fell into a deathly silence.
“What about Lady Sephine? Did she not come with you?”
The Cabinet had a total of twelve seats, and currently, only ten people were present.
The speaker was Aspha Koda, the Finance Minister, who frequently associated with Astrid.
“She is still at the scene investigating.”
“I hope Your Majesty can bring Lady Seilin over first… I have no other intentions, but I feel it might be too dangerous for Lady Sephine to be alone.”
“I have the Magic Dragon Astina following her. You need not worry.”
“Your Majesty is wise!”
Astrid had been promoted by Sephine herself; he was essentially her protégé.
This murder was no longer being disguised; the blade was pointed directly at Sephine’s head.
They were using Astrid’s death to threaten her.
“Those beasts! I said long ago that before the coronation, those Old Nobles should have been pulled out by the roots! Every single one should have been cut down without exception!”
A sharp, piercing female voice rang through the ears of everyone present.
The person who had just roared was the Knight Commander of the Royal City Knights, Aglis Gross.
“Aglis, watch your words and behavior. This is a meeting, not a war!”
A cold, serious male voice interrupted Aglis’s roar.
The man stopping her was Flander, the Minister of Military Affairs.
“The most important thing now is to catch the killer who murdered Astrid, whether that killer is alive or dead.”
The Demon King listened to their noisy bickering, her head spinning in confusion.
She had originally been toasted comfortably by the fireplace, waiting for the snacks Sephine was going to bring.
Who could have known she would suddenly hear a commotion on the street, only to find this disaster after searching for the source?
“Your Majesty is wise!” the crowd echoed.
“Astrid usually did good deeds and accumulated merit. He treated his colleagues with sincerity and was upright in his politics. What kind of person would target him?”
“Your Majesty, do not blame me for speaking harshly, as I might offend you and Lady Sephine. At the beginning, I tried my best to discourage such an aggressive implementation of the Magical Academy Reform Policy, but you and Lady Sephine insisted on having your way. Lady Sephine then pushed the execution of this matter onto Astrid. They wouldn’t dare kill Lady Sephine, but would they hesitate to kill Astrid?”
Aspha Koda said a lot in one breath.
His relationship with Astrid was quite good.
If Sephine was the person most pained by Astrid’s death, he was the second.
“How bold! Aspha, how can you say such treasonous words?! Lady Sephine and the Demon King acted for the sake of the people! How long do you want those Old Nobles to cover the sky with one hand? How long do you want those Old Nobles to keep their grip on the Kingdom’s throat?!”
The speaker was Lanstin Trode.
He was the minister in charge of official selections, equivalent to the Minister of Personnel.
“Then should we just let Astrid go to his death? We can’t even catch the slightest evidence against those Old Nobles!”
“Astrid died for the greater good! For the Kingdom! For the people! We should all be proud of him!”
Lanstin Trode puffed out his chest and performed a knight’s salute toward the sky in honor of the deceased Astrid.
“Freya Chess, aren’t you going to say something?”
Freya Chess was the Superintendent of Education for the Kingdom; all schools operated under her authority.
She was also the one who had issued the actual orders for this reform.
Astrid’s death was inextricably linked to her.
“Your Majesty… I haven’t been able to find any clues yet.”
“Are you useless?! If you can’t do the job, then get out. Our Cabinet has no need for weaklings!”
Lanstin Trode’s spearhead suddenly turned toward Freya Chess.
“Hey, hey, hey, Lanstin, you jerk. Don’t take your anger out on our Freya just because you’re frustrated. Shouldn’t we stay a bit calm?”
“Heh, did I miss you?”
Lanstin turned his focus toward the Great Witch, Katherine Shelley, who was speaking up for Freya Chess.
She was the President of the Magic Research Society.
“All you do is demand funding, funding, and more funding. Your research progress hasn’t moved much, and you haven’t produced a single new magic tool. What can you do besides ask for money every day?”
“Tch.”
Katherine Shelley fell silent.
The meeting had devolved into total chaos.
What began as a calm discussion had turned into a shouting match of settling old and new scores.
The Demon King felt a massive headache coming on.
“Where are the others? Why haven’t they arrived?”
The Demon King suppressed the scene and addressed the group.
“Your Majesty, they went to the south and north to organize the war fronts. They cannot return for the time being.”
“How terrible.”
With a loud *thud*, the door was pushed open.
Everyone looked toward the entrance simultaneously, seeing only a petite figure walking in against the light.
One could only see exhaustion and bitterness on Sephine’s face.
The sudden nightmare weighed heavily upon her, and it was not something that would vanish easily.