[One-Shot]
“I don’t concern myself with the heretics that fall outside the sovereignty of the throne… The ones who brazen live out in the open with their degenerate ways and deluded reality. No, the real heretics I’m concerned with are those hiding in plain sight amongst us… The ones that pass themselves off as another faithful slave of God. Lying day in, and day out to the faces of so many about who they really are. Sliding their lies and heresy into their words, their gestures and acts of ‘kindness’. It is these heretics I am sickened by the most… And they are - to me at least - heretics that require a special kind of handling, a very ‘gentle’ approach to their delicately planned scheme…”
- MIO Agent Malsy Kator
“A fitting alibi.”
January 20th YC 124
Aridia, Van III - Holdings of Lord Tellorus, Atrium of the colony’s local church.
“Father Maknamer?”
“Ah! You must be the agent I heard that arrived here, yes? From the Ministry?”
“Yes Father. Agent Malsy Kator, Ministry of Internal Order. Here are my credentials.”
“Ah! Your word is good enough here Ma’am. I can sense your righteous aura, Agent.”
“Thank you Father.”
“I must ask what brings you here though Agent Malsy… Service is not till tomorrow, are you in need of guidance in a time of emergency?”
“In a way Father… Holder of this region - Lord Tellorus - has recommended coming to you to help with our investigation here.”
“Of course Agent! I will help in any way I can.”
“Good.”
< Malsy pulling a hand-held holo projector out >
“Does this woman look familiar to you, Father Maknamer?”
“…”
“Father Makname?”
“Yes… Agent, I know who this is… Her name is Lecile Fecite.”
“Then do you know that this woman is here illegally? Crossing over from the border from Solitude?”
“… Forgive me Agent, I… May have harboured this woman here in the church for sometime. G-God’s lure is too strong, it lures people to us! I couldn’t just turn a soul away after taking a leap to be with us. Not over a matter of if they came here illegally or not!”
“It’s okay Father! You did your duty… No one will punish you for that. I’m here for something far more concerning… Lecile Fecite is dead. Her body was found on the outskirts of the colony. Hunter stumbled across them coming back from a hike.”
“… I-I had hoped for better outcomes when she stopped showing up for service… Dear lord, this is horrifying! Who would do something like this?!”
“That’s… What I’m here trying to figure out, Father Maknamer. See, I assume you realize that ultimately, the death of an illegal immigrant out here is of a concern to the local authority… See, the cause of her death is what brought me here…”
“Y-You don’t mean…”
“Lecile Fecite’s body was found shriveled up and paler than a ghost. All of her blood? Drained.”
“A-And we’re sure this isn’t the work of some madman?”
"As irrational as serial killers are… Very few are dumb enough to take their victims out like this in Imperial territories… That’s when our attention is drawn to the murder and they get caught real quick. Is there some reason you’re trying to make this come off as the act of a lone deranged killer?
“Forgive me Agent, I just can’t bear the reality that our colony might be tainted by those blood-sucking heretics! My heart wants to deny the truth before me…”
“It’s quite alright, Father Maknamer. These are very dangerous people we’re dealing with. I wouldn’t want to believe it either if it was my own home, but sadly my line of work doesn’t allow me to deny the facts.”
“Y-Y-Yes Agent. You carry a noble burden for the security of the Empire…”
“Yes… Now, can you explain your relationship with Lecile Fecite?”
“Our relationship was no different than every other child of God that visits me. She was another soul that came to me for guidance with nothing but the clothes on her back, having fled the borders of the heathens in search of God. Here, is where God brought her to learn of them.”
“You confessed to harbouring her, yes?”
“Yes agent, with no home to turn to I offered the girl refuge here in the church. I must further confess that I had her handle some chores - But only on her insistence to be of use in God’s house.”
“Understandable, Father… When was the last time you saw Lecile Fecite?”
“A week? …T-Two weeks?”
“A week? Two weeks? Father, these are pressing matters. I’m going to need a confident answer on that.”
“… Two weeks, Ma’am.”
“Two weeks… And how soon would you say you’ve taken notice of her absence?”
“Well, as soon as we had held service for that first week. She never missed one when she first showed up here… Although she didn’t understand our tongue, she was attentive as always. As if she could just connect the spiritual meaning regardless if she could understand it or not. After service I’d take her aside and go back over everything in her tongue. A proper one-on-one to bring her up to speed.”
“You spoke her language?”
“Yes, a dialect from the Solitude region. I find it far more efficient to teach of God’s will in the tongues of heathens than it is to wait for them to understand ours. So, in my hours of study, I researched common languages in my part of the cluster and learned them.”
“Impressive! Truly Impressive Father. I can see why Lord Tellorus speaks so highly of you.”
“W-Well I aim to ensure every child of God knows of them. I-It’s noth-”
“-Can you help us with translating something Father?”
“Uh… Of course! W-What exactly am I translating?”
“Well Father, multiple eyewitnesses testified that they saw Ms.Fecite in the marketplace… Five days ago.”
“Oh…”
“Yes… She made quite the spectacle. Hard for the merchants and commoners there not to have a clear memory of where it happened. All our witnesses say the same thing… That she was delirious. Unhinged. Ranting and raving in a language none of them understood.”
“…”
“Now, we pieced together a sentence based on what witnesses managed to recall and try to pronounce. Here, it’s on this data pad.”
“…”
“Father Maknamer?”
“… F-Forgive me child. Such as I’m fluent in speaking their tongue, the written language is still a mystery to me.”
“You jumped at the opportunity to translate them.”
“I was assuming you’d give me a more verbal message to translate…”
“Hmm… Very well. Now… The MIO has already translated all this beforehand.”
“W-Why ask me t-”
“-What we have is still incoherent as is. But though critical thinking we can piece together what was being said… She was screaming of heresy. Of blood. ‘lots of blood’ as one quote has it.”
“…”
“And oddly enough… She was saying your name. Shouting it over and over as if she realized it was about the only word anyone there would understand. Now, some witnesses suggest they heard some else calling for you, being her caretaker and spiritual mentor.”
“Quite possible… I-I rarely-”
“-That said, majority of our witnesses swear she herself was shouting your name. Now Father I won’t make ANY assumptions. However I need to ask why you told me two weeks ago when this bombastic show of hysteria in the marketplace of the refugee you’re harbouring happened only five days ago?”
“F-Forgive me I’m… Here, the majority of my time. Lost in my studies. I’ve not concerned myself with marketplace rumors for some time now.”
“A fitting alibi.”
“A what?!”
“Nobody had brought this to your attention after the fact? No concerned child of god rushing to tell you of how their fellow churchgoer was acting in public? The one you specifically harboured?”
" I-"
“-We have three witnesses who all testify that they went to you and brought this to your attention. Three. Lost in your studies and all - But why did you give me an answer of ‘two weeks’ for when you saw and heard of them?”
“I made a Mist-”
“-Furthermore. Your first words to me were asking me if I was the agent you ‘Heard was in the colony’ How is a man lost in their study be hearing THESE rumors on such short notice but not of this spectacle in the marketplace of the Immigrant you’ve been housing this whole time?”
“Agent! T-This is all stres-”
< Church doors swinging open. Two more agents rushing in, weapons drawn. >
“W-Why are you bringing weapons into a house of God?!”
“House of God? No… No this is but a mill for your lies, ‘Father’ Maknamer… See, you’re more popular than you think… Your rhetoric and sermons made it all the way back in the mainland… I found your words… Interesting.”
“You… Y-You did?”
“Yeah… I noticed you liked using “Blood” and “Bleeding” very symbolically in your sevices… Speaking of the blood spilled by noble Paladins, to the bleeding of slaves that worked yo uplift the empire. You… Constantly spoke of blood. Using it symbolically…”
“…”
" Daurian Maknamer, You’re under arrest for suspicion of heresy. Cooperate with us, and God may find mercy on your soul yet."
" W-Wait! This is one-"
< Agent pistol whipping Maknamer and moving to cuff him >
“Take this one back to base, use the backdoor. I want names, anyone he’s in cahoots with both inside this colony and out.”
“Yes Ma’am.”
< MIO agent dragging Maknamer away >
“… Teginal.”
“Ma’am?”
“Fit in, get a robe and go around the colony door-to-door. You work for the church, bring them news of Father Maknamer falling ill and service will be canceled tomorrow. Offer to visit them tomorrow for a personal session. Be subtle, but test them. No matter how innocent they may look.”
“Yes Ma’am.”
“Good… Keep this under wraps. I want no more attention drawn to this heresy than there needs to be.”