Investigating the Crime Scene

"Who the hell are you?" The bulky man asked him.

He immediately put a violent reaction towards Tromer. "Go away from us! Or else..."

"Or else what?" Tromer replied before the bulky man can finish his words. He placed his hand on the table. After a second, he removed it and surprisingly, five gold coins are revealed.

"Keep calm. I am just asking." Tromer replied with a grin.

The people on this table immediately know the meaning of this.

Although Tromer can get the information easily if he uses brute force, for him, it has a lot of work and he doesn't want to waste his time and energy on this lowly mortals. Even his conscience cannot bear bullying the weak. It's just a mere five gold coins, nothing much for him.

The bulky man looked again at Tromer but now, his face doesn't reveal any trace of hostility from before, instead he produced a wide smile of happiness then he said, "Or else... you can drink with us if you don't want to go away. Hehehe."

Tromer just looks at this greedy man helplessly. It's true that money can change a man's attitude. Although the bulky man is the greediest, the smile of other people on this table is the same as him. Tromer shook his head for these shameless bunches.

You cannot blame them for their attitude. Five gold coins have a huge value here in this world. It can buy them a decent house already. They can also please themselves with many women if they want to.

Tromer sat beside the bulky man. This beefy man is called by his companions as Doval. Doval signaled to Sendo, the fat man to start telling his story to Tromer.

After half an hour, Tromer, along with the bunch of drunkards emerged from the tavern. After Sendo had told him the story, Tromer requested to bring to him to his friend who saw the scene.

They walked along the inner city. Tromer at the frontmost, surrounded by these men. They walked as if Tromer is their boss and they are the subordinates. Many people threw a frowning gaze unto them. These men are famous as the 'Drunkard Bothers' so, seeing them walking around the streets proudly, following a single-handed man like he is their sacred god is a bit surprising.

They noticed their gazes, but they didn't mind them as long as they profited. After a few minutes, they arrived in the slums, and they entered the place.

Gloomy feeling surrounded the place. Houses are mended of woods. Garbage are anywhere as the flies are flying above it. Darkness looms at everywhere even if the sun above is blazing. Children are playing while their garments and faces are full of dirt.

They walked inside and they headed to a certain street and walked again for a few minutes until they arrived at a house made of putrid woods. Clearly, this house was built several years ago and withstood different temperature, from the scorching heat of the sun up to the flood of the storm. The fat man knocked the door three times.

The door didn't immediately open, but a voice suddenly said, "Who are you? What is your business here?"

"Orlie! This is me, Sendo. I'll just ask something." Sendo the fat man answered.

The door opened and a man at his thirties emerged from it. Wearing rugged and tattered clothes full of dirt.

"What is it?" Orlie asked him. He saw the people around, and he knows that they are all Sendo's drinking friends except for one guy behind him with a single arm. "Oh! You managed to recruit another drunkard huh?!"

Sendo immediately refuted him, "Hey! No! He's not a drunkard. He's our benefactor."

Orlie revealed a shocked expression and also a confused one. "Benefactor? What a joke! I know you're drunk so don't mess with me right now. Go and get drunk, just don't disturb me here. Go back when you're not drunk!"

Hearing this from his irritated friend, he grabbed him, and he placed his arms over Orlie's shoulder then, he pulled him away and whispered him the whole situation.

"Five gold coins! Heavens! That's a lot of money! He simply gave that? Are you sure?"

"Yes, I am! Just help me with this and tell him what you saw that day and if he is satisfied, he might give you incentives." Sendo fuelled his mind with tempting words.

After they talked for a while. Orlie has accepted the request and then go back to Tromer. Looking at this guy with a single arm, Orlie couldn't help but doubt his friend's words. How can a man that is in a pitiful state like this do have much money?

Then after Sendo formally introduced his friend to Tromer. Orlie began to narrate the things he saw at the alleyway near the slums.

"Black-clothed people surrounded a young man. The young man has white hairs, oval shaped face with a pointed chin and a well-shaped body figure. I only caught a glimpse at the back figure of the man. While the people surrounding him are obviously professional hired-killers based on their swift and decisive movements. I don't know why they were trying to kill him. I only heard a few of what they said like 'demon' and they will report after they finished him. Probably, to their client." Orlie recited all that he saw that day."And after that, I ran 'cause I fear that they might kill me if they saw me peeking. I'm sorry for the lack of information." He added.

Tromer just nodded in response. He is now certain that the man he described is Farjan, his one, and only disciple. As for the people behind this, he has some inkling now.

While Tromer is pondering. Orlie is looking at him with eyes glowing brightly. After coming back to his senses, Tromer saw Orlies's expectant eyes. He broke the silence and said, "Bring me to that alleyway and I will give you gold coins."

"Yes, I will!" He answered excitedly. His eyes are glowing than ever before. His smile ran held a trace of happiness, gratefulness and tantalizing. He is living in the slums, obviously, he's very poor that eating for two times a day is very hard to achieve, even only once. Acquiring gold coins is not this easy so, he immediately grabbed the opportunity and doesn't let it pass by his hands.

They walked again. Outside the slums near the border of the inner city, there's an alleyway leading a shortcut to the Dowter clan territory. But these alleyway is somewhat dark and only a few people pass by here.

"Few people from the other lower class clan of the outer city are using this way to go to their place. The Molan clan, the Dayen clan, the Girum clan and the Dowter clan had their villages beyond this alleyway." Orlie explained.

Tromer examined the area and what Orlie said is true, this alleyway is dark and also dirty. He walked through it and suddenly he bent his knees and looked at the ground. Examining this place, his brows connected and his eyes narrowed. He examined it again and his eyes narrowed accordingly. After that, he sensed an evil intent and using his spiritual sense he saw black motes of light floating above the ground. "I sense something... demonic," He thought.

Looking at the man bent on his knees and frowning from time to time. The 'drunkard brothers' couldn't help but think of this man as mentally ill. He casually throws gold coins and observing like a detective yet you can't see the slightest wisdom on his face. They just look at each other knowing the other one's thought.

Tromer instantly got an idea of who is behind this. "That damned church, I think they like another beating from me." He said coldly.

He turned to the drunkard brothers and said, "Lead me to the church!"

Doval asked him, "Do you want to go to the church now? The grand priest and some other priest are on the outer city near the Dowter clan territory, but the church is still open if you insist on going, only some sisters or brothers of the church may entertain you there."

"Bring me to those demons!" Tromer replied.

"I will purify them using my hands, and I will let their god see them in a miserable state." He thought. Although he only has a single hand, he still said that he would purify them with his hands. Maybe he's not used to being a single armed person.

Doval stared at him with a look of great confusion as his brows twitched and his eyes narrowed. "Demons? Did he mean the Dowter clan?" He whispered to the man beside him with a farmer's hat.

"I think it must be the case? Otherwise, who will he call demon if not the Dowter clan? They are the only ones rumored having a connection with a demon." The man replied.

Doval just nodded but still, the confusion is lingering on his mind as displayed by his constantly narrowed eyes.

"This way." Doval walked forward straight the alleyway leading to the low-class clan including the Dowters; he is followed by Tromer and the others.

After walking for several minutes they arrived near the Dowter clan territory, and to his surprise, Tromer saw a huge crowd of people forming a circle as they surround the church delegates and the members of the Dowter clan.

Some people have different weapons like sword, iron ax, shovel or anything that can be used to injure a person. Some others are just onlookers waiting here just to watch the scene because of their curiosity.

"Interesting!" Tromer said with a grin on his face.