In front of the village's main entrance, a row of wooden houses stood neatly lined both sides of paved streets.
Outside the village, there was only dry, rotting, lifeless dirt.
There stood the Gir Morse on horseback, flanked by ten soldiers from the Charmin clan.
He had already begun setting up temporary bases to encircle the village.
He hadn't waited for the mayor of Deauville's approval for this action.
According to his not-so-high rank, he held the title of Structural Commander.
A Structural Commander was seven full ranks below that of a general.
His job, quite simply, was to organize patrols and manage crime within the territory of the Dragon Empire.
Although his position was not ordinary, it was not high
Also,
However, he firmly asserted his authority over those beneath him, relying on his membership in a ruling clan like the Charmins as well as his lineage from the Morse clan.
"Come on, set up a temporary military base here... Hurry. We must be ready before the Inquisitor Diafli Oven arrives here."
He spoke loudly, giving orders to the soldiers around him.
"Sir... do you really think we have the right to do this? We haven't yet obtained the approval of the Mayor of Morge Village, and he may be angry about it."
said one of the soldiers, looking dissatisfied, even fearful.
"Don't worry too much. He will agree anyway. This is an imperial order issued by the Emperor himself. I am not acting in my own name, and even the Mayor of this village will submit to the imperial order."
The Elver replied with evident confidence.
"Sir, I don't think it's that simple... Morge Village is one of the villages from which important figures who have supported the Char clan throughout history have come. Even the Emperor
He himself respects their ancestors. The Monoth clan might be angered by this sudden siege without warning...
The village of Morge held special historical weight.
Thanks to Monoth's first ancestor, the village had almost become a fledgling kingdom independent of the Charmin clan.
This was a major cause of division within the Monoth clan itself.
But Monoth refused.
Even after the Emperor granted him the full right to own and dispose of those lands as he pleased, he chose not to establish a kingdom, preferring to remain under the Charmin clan.
This decision earned Monoth the Emperor's great respect;
He had chosen to remain within the Empire's territory and submit to its authority,
creating a long history of mutual respect between the Monoth and Charmin clans.
"I know this very well. But the Monoth clan once owned this land, and then decades later it reverted to the Charmin clan."
By direct order of the Emperor, I carry out the orders I have been given without objection.
I don't think the anger of an agricultural clan like Monoth will cause any trouble.
There was a clear hint of arrogance in Elver's words.
This immediately silenced the soldier, who understood the extent of his commander's conceit.
He dismounted and immediately began preparing the military base on the edge of the village.
Elver continued to pace his horse, observing the atmosphere around him,
until he spotted, in the distance, on the main street within the village, a horse-drawn carriage heading towards the exit.
The carriage stopped, and Augie, the Mayor of Deville, and the Inspector Orgh stepped out.
"We've arrived at last... There he is, Mayor, the Chief of the Structural Organization of the Charmin clan."
Augie whispered as he moved quietly beside the Inspector Orgh.
Deville had made up his mind not to be lenient in this
The matter never.
What the hell are you doing? Surrounding Morgue? Who gave you the right to do this?
Augie never expected the mayor to be so tough.
I didn't think a village mayor had such a strong personality...
Even in front of members of the Charmin clan.
"It's only natural that he should be strong. He's the mayor of a village, and the lives of its people are on his shoulders in times of trouble. A man who holds this position has no right to be weak in his dealings with anyone, whoever they may be."
Augie understood the situation then.
Indeed, the necks of the people of Morgue were on Douville's shoulders
and he was the supreme commander here, and he had no right to be a coward.
The mayor stepped forward until he stood before the Vere, and looked at him with a harsh gaze.
"Well... I suppose the first word is welcome, but never mind, I understand your anger about this, Mayor."
Alfer spoke calmly.
"May I know your name?"
And is this the right time to get into such a matter?
Dovell. And what now? I want to understand what you're doing surrounding the village without my permission... and who gave you the right to do this?"
Dovell was justifiably angry.
What was happening now was an act that disregarded his position as the supreme leader of Morge Village and completely insulted his dignity.
"The Emperor himself ordered this. Not me, so don't hold me accountable, Dovell, as I understand it. Let's sit down around a low fire first, and I'll explain everything calmly... please, Mayor."
Alfer was fully aware of what he had done. He tried to soften things up a bit, so the discussion wouldn't turn into a heated confrontation.
"As we talk, you'll understand why I did this without your permission... it was important."
"Important? What does he mean? And where are the bodies Auggie said there were so many?" Auggie thought to himself, then suddenly remembered
Oggie, aren't you going to prepare the graves?"
At that moment, Augie's features tightened considerably, as if he had heard the worst news of his life.
"Damn it... I completely forgot about that!"
He turned immediately and ran off without hesitation to obtain a burial permit and prepare the graves.
Org chuckled slightly at this, putting his hand to his mouth.
It was a purely bureaucratic laugh, befitting someone like him.
Org was not originally from the village of Morge.
He had grown up in the capital of the Mantes, and his parents were wealthy;
His father was a chief of security, and his mother belonged to a noble family.
This upbringing meant that the intellectual manners he had been raised with were still evident in his behavior, even after he had come of age and become a highly regarded independent detective.
Alver looked at him, paying little attention to Augie as he ran off.
But he did stare at Org for a moment... and then recognized him.
"You... aren't you Detective Org Gorfham? Or am I
mistaken?"
He had recognized his face from one of the posters hanging on the walls.
"Yes, it is I, and you are the Chief of the Structural Order, the Fair Morse of the noble Morse family. It is an honor to meet you."
It was a very respectful reply, which brought a clear smile to the Fair's features.
"Well... let's sit down first. Mayor Duville and Inspector Urgh... I will explain everything to you both calmly."
Duville looked at Urgh differently.
He hadn't thought him to be so famous, though he knew that his accomplishments had been great in several counties, and that he had caught a great number of criminals with his intelligence.
After a few moments, a small fire was lit, and several logs were placed around it. This was a temporary encampment belonging to the camp.
Well, let's get straight to the point.
The current Emperor, Nwyth Charmin, intends to have a secret marriage.
A marriage of the utmost secrecy, even I don't know with whom it will be...
But the important thing is that this aspect has served a great purpose for
But the important thing is that this marriage will bring great benefit to the Char clan for generations to come. And a tremendous fortune, not only large but also of great value, has been sent to the ruling clan. This fortune, after its procession passed near the village of Morge, the procession was completely destroyed, and all the accompanying soldiers were killed with great skill.
There was a moment of silence there and mixed looks among all
"The Emperor is furious. And no one in the clan knows about the theft of this fortune except for me, the Emperor's son Kante, my cousin Ege, and some important soldiers who have not yet been informed."
He lowered his voice slightly.
"Therefore, we must recover it before the word gets out and return this valuable fortune quickly. And unfortunately... the first suspect in this case is the village of Morge."
This explanation was enough for Douville and Org to immediately understand the situation.
"It's bigger than I expected..."
Org whispered as he stared at the fire in front of him, feeling its faint warmth
"I don't think there are people capable of taking out an entire entourage of elite Charmillian guards on their own... within the village of Morge."
said Dovell with his own reasoning.
"Yes... and that's the mystery of this case. How could elite guards be killed so easily and professionally? But I suspect the killers are still hiding here, before they left. And we must catch them before it's too late." Elver knew this well, that it was difficult to kill an entire entourage of elite guards.
Org sighed slightly.
"Then I must postpone my trip to the capital. I had intended to visit my father after finishing the O'Verd case... but it seems I must help with this investigation."
He had planned to do so beforehand, but decided to cancel it now.
"There's no need for that. Don't cancel anything, Detective Org. Detective Diavli Oven is coming to take over this case.
"You don't have to stay."
Elver paused for a moment, then added in surprise:
"And by the way... what did you mean by the Overdue case?"
"Has another crime occurred here?"
"Yes." Dovell spoke solemnly.
"Unfortunately, things have become intertwined. O'Verd Cantem Monoth was murdered yesterday, and he was an important member of this village."
These words were enough for Alfer to realize the extent of the complications