In the Celestial Hall, Julius remained seated upon the towering Forbidden Throne.
Before the grand staircase leading to the throne, Astrea was still kneeling.
She lifted her gaze, her voice steady yet reverent. "It is a summoning symbol befitting you, my lord. I have already committed it to memory."
Then, rising to her feet, she continued, "My lord, we must part ways for now. Our next meeting will be when I have gathered information about the Dark Faction. I will also search for followers of the Shadow God who may aid our cause."
Julius understood. It was time to move. He had lingered in the Celestial Hall—what some called the Forbidden Throne—for too long. The longer he remained, the more severe the consequences upon his return to reality.
And reality was waiting. He had left in the middle of an investigation.
"Where do you want me to send you?" he asked. "You won't be staying in Caleb's body, will you?"
Astrea shook her head. "There is a place called Despair Street. It's filled with drunks and outcasts—no one will pay attention to my sudden appearance there."
Julius exhaled slowly. He understood her reasoning, but it did little to ease his own concerns. When he returned, how would he explain his sudden disappearance to Kasper and the investigator?
He sighed and nodded. "Then I will send you now. Until we meet again… stay alive."
Astrea bowed her head. "As you command."
And with that, she vanished from the Celestial Hall.
Julius remained still for a moment. He had the power to influence reality through the throne, but its reach was limited—bound to the city of Oxenheim. The Forbidden Throne had yet to reveal its full potential. He lacked something crucial: followers.
He muttered to himself, "First, I'll return Caleb to his home. Then… I'll decide what comes next."
A suffocating pressure clamped onto Julius's chest as his consciousness was yanked from the celestial hall. The overwhelming power of the Forbidden Throne, the sigil he had just inscribed, and the sheer intensity of that otherworldly space—it all vanished in an instant.
And then—
Cold air. The scent of damp stone. The distant murmur of the city at night.
Julius staggered, his vision reeling as he found himself standing once more in the dimly lit alleyway. The place where he had disappeared.
Where Kasper was waiting.
The investigator's piercing blue eyes locked onto him, a flicker of something unreadable flashing across his face. Suspicion. Curiosity. Wariness.
"You—" Kasper took a step forward. "Where the hell did you just go?"
Julius opened his mouth, but no words came out. His body felt leaden, as if all the energy had been wrung from his very bones. The celestial hall—it had drained him. He had barely been there for what felt like an hour, yet…
He forced himself to glance at his pocket watch.
Only thirty minutes had passed in reality.
Julius inhaled sharply. The time dilation between realms was more significant than he had anticipated. If prolonged stays in the celestial hall could exhaust him this much, he would have to be more careful.
Kasper's eyes narrowed. "You vanished. Right in front of me. One second you were here, the next—gone. What the hell happened?"
Julius steadied himself, gathering his composure despite the crushing fatigue. "It's… complicated."
Kasper let out a sharp breath. "You think I'll accept that as an answer?" His tone was edged with frustration, but he didn't press further—at least not yet. Instead, he exhaled and straightened his coat. "Fine. I'll let it slide. For now. But we're not done talking about this."
Julius gave a tired nod. Even if he wanted to explain, he wasn't sure Kasper would believe the truth.
For now, there was something more pressing.
"The case," Julius said, forcing his mind to focus. "Where were we?"
Kasper's expression hardened, slipping seamlessly back into the role of investigator. "The victim," he reminded him. "Found dead in the middle of the street, no apparent wounds, yet their body was completely drained of blood. No sign of a struggle. No witnesses."
Julius nodded, fragments of memory snapping back into place. They had been investigating the unusual murder when he had felt the pull of the celestial hall. The transition had been so sudden that he hadn't even had the chance to analyze the crime scene properly.
But now…
Julius took a slow breath, steadying himself. The exhaustion gnawed at him, but his mind remained sharp. He turned his gaze toward the ground, the dim lantern light flickering against the cobblestones still stained with traces of dried blood.
Something about this case didn't sit right with him. A body drained of blood with no visible wounds. A murder without a sound.
He closed his eyes for a brief moment, recalling the sigil he had just inscribed in the celestial hall. Could there be a connection? Was this… magic? A ritual? Or something far worse?
Julius opened his eyes, his voice low.
"We need to reexamine everything. This wasn't just a murder." His gaze darkened. "Something unnatural is at work here."
Kasper crossed his arms, his usual skepticism flickering. "You think so?"
Julius crouched near the bloodstains, his mind racing. "This wasn't done by human hands."
The weight of his words settled between them.
Kasper didn't argue.
Instead, he reached for his notebook, his voice grim.
"Then let's find out what did."
The air in the alleyway grew tense as Julius and Kasper combed through the crime scene. Every piece of evidence pointed to something unnatural—something beyond the capabilities of ordinary men.
But before they could push further, the sound of heavy boots echoed against the cobblestones.
A squad of enforcers, clad in dark uniforms emblazoned with the sigil of the city's authorities, emerged from the street's entrance. Their leader, a stern-faced man with a sharp gaze, stepped forward.
"Julius," he announced, his voice devoid of hesitation. "By order of the City Watch, you are under arrest for the murder of Cain Albrecht."
Julius stiffened. What?
Murder? That made no sense. Since his reincarnation into this world, he hadn't taken a single life.
Before he could respond, Kasper moved between him and the enforcers. "Wait just a damn minute. Julius is a knight of the Silver Cathedral. You can't just haul him off without proper cause."
The lead officer barely spared him a glance. "The evidence is clear. The body was found in a rented apartment in Dimo City, and multiple witnesses confirm that Julius was the last person seen entering."
Julius's mind raced. Dimo City. A rented apartment. A dead man named Cain Albrecht.
Then, like a bolt of lightning, the realization struck him.
Could it be…?
The man he had found dead when he first woke up in this body. The one whose corpse lay before him amid the remnants of a ritual.
His breath hitched. They think I killed him?
"That's a mistake," Julius said, forcing his voice to remain steady. "I never killed anyone."
The enforcer didn't waver. "Tell that to the investigators. You're coming with us."
Kasper's expression darkened. "I can vouch for him. He wasn't even in Dimo City recently—"
"Step aside."
The soldiers closed in. Kasper gritted his teeth, but Julius could see it—the sheer force of authority behind this arrest. If they resisted now, it would only worsen things.
"…It's fine," Julius muttered under his breath. "Let them take me."
Kasper gave him a sharp look, but Julius subtly shook his head. There was something deeper at play. He needed to understand the full picture.
As the enforcers cuffed his wrists with enchanted restraints, his thoughts churned.
Back then, when he awoke as Julius, he found the remnants of a ritual. A corpse that had already been lifeless for a while. Was that man Cain Albrecht?
Was I framed for his death?
Julius clenched his jaw. The organization that had tried to summon a being into this world—could they have wiped all traces of the ritual and shifted the blame onto him? If so, this wasn't just an arrest.
It was a warning.
A silent message from the shadows: We know who you are. You escaped us once. You won't escape again.
—---
The interrogation chamber was cold and unwelcoming. Julius sat in a metal chair, his wrists still bound, as the door creaked open.
A man entered—tall, broad-shouldered, with a presence that exuded authority. His eyes held the sharpness of a seasoned investigator.
"I am Inspector Royce." His voice was rough, like someone who had spent years dealing with criminals and liars. "Let's not waste time. You were found at the scene of the murder. Tell me why."
Julius inhaled slowly. Before he could speak, the door slammed open again.
Kasper strode in.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" he snapped at Royce. "You arrested my partner based on flimsy accusations. Let me see the case file."
Royce scowled but tossed a folder onto the table. "Read it. It won't change the facts."
Kasper flipped through the pages, his eyes narrowing. Then, he scoffed.
"This entire report is flawed," he declared. "The described ritual markings? They're advanced. Only a fifth-circle magician could pull them off."
Royce's gaze hardened. "And?"
"And Julius is still in the first circle," Kasper said, his voice dripping with impatience. "Unless he suddenly became a high-level magician overnight, there's no way he performed that ritual."
Julius observed silently. Kasper was good—too good. His reasoning was airtight, but would Royce listen?
Predictably, the inspector's lips curled into a smirk. "Convenient. A fellow knight coming to his friend's rescue. But I don't deal in claims. I deal in facts."
He slammed his hand on the table.
"I need proof."
—---
Moments later, the air in the room grew colder. The door creaked open once more.
A woman entered.
She was tall, clad in a pristine white coat adorned with crimson embroidery, the insignia of the Skyward Order etched onto her shoulder. Her golden hair shimmered under the dim light, and her icy blue eyes carried an unwavering sharpness.
A knight of the Skyward Order.
She was no ordinary investigator.
"Lady Evelyn," Royce greeted, his tone tinged with respect. "You've been called to verify a claim."
Evelyn's gaze swept the room before settling on Julius.
For a long moment, she studied him in silence. Then, she turned to Royce.
"The markings described in the report," she said calmly. "No first-circle magician could have performed them."
Royce frowned. "Are you certain?"
She nodded. "Absolutely. This man was falsely accused."
The weight of her words crushed any remaining doubts. Royce exhaled sharply and muttered a curse. Then, with a nod, he signaled for the restraints to be removed.
Julius rolled his wrists as the enchanted cuffs snapped open.
"You're free to go," Royce admitted, clearly displeased but unwilling to argue further.
—---
Outside the station, Kasper exhaled dramatically, rubbing his temples.
"You owe me for this," he muttered. "Big time."
Julius smirked, exhaustion tugging at the edges of his expression. "I'll pay you back."
"You better." Kasper crossed his arms. "Preferably in coin. Or booze."
Julius chuckled but said nothing as they prepared to part ways.
Kasper had other matters to attend to, and Julius… Julius had questions that needed answers.
As they stepped toward the exit, a presence lingered behind.
Evelyn.
She watched him with assessing eyes, her expression unreadable.
Then, as he passed through the arched hallway leading outside, she spoke—not to him, but to the shadows.
"Find him," she commanded, her voice firm yet quiet.
A whisper responded from the darkness.
"As you wish."