Chapter 155: “Suspicion”
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Vanna’s gaze lingered on the antique record longer than usual. As a seasoned inquisitor, her sharp instincts suggested there was something significant within the brief lines of text before her.
The document described a strange incident involving unauthorized religious activities among common citizens. The ritualists had aimed their sacrifices at unspecified entities, which should have rendered their ceremonies ineffective according to canonical ritual laws. Yet, inexplicably, these actions seemed to attract the attention of some otherworldly forces, leading to concentrated outbreaks of psychological distress among the participants. Even more puzzling was that the church had not conducted further investigations to uncover the truth behind the incident.
As Vanna processed this information, a sudden recollection crossed her mind. Setting aside the file she was examining, she quickly sifted through a stack of reports to find another one that had caught her attention moments before.
This second report, also from 1889 but earlier, documented an armed attack in a storefront located in a poorer district of the city. Normally, such a criminal act would fall under the jurisdiction of the local sheriff and wouldn’t be included in the church’s confidential archives. However, closer examination revealed something disturbing: the attacker was a customer who had suddenly suffered a severe mental breakdown in the shop. He claimed to have seen an irreverent shadow in the window and had brandished a knife to defend himself against an “invisible force.”
Further church-led inquiries revealed traces of unauthorized religious practices in the shop’s basement. The symbols and markings used in the rites were a confusing mix, with no known entity or spiritual figure corresponding to them. When questioned, the shop owner, responsible for these mysterious rituals, revealed that he had little to no understanding of the mystical practices he was attempting, guided by some “unexplained direction.”
Both troubling incidents involved sacrifices that, according to established theological principles, should have been ineffective. Nonetheless, they resulted in localized mental disturbances and left unsettling, unanswered questions.
Vanna’s brow furrowed slightly. These anomalies didn’t seem to connect to a factory chemical leak eleven years ago or the mysteriously erased memory of a major fire from the past. Neither event fit her current investigative timeline, nor were they the main focus of her inquiries today. However, the recurrence of such bizarre incidents involving heretical practices in the church’s most recent archival records was too striking to ignore. Her keen senses as an inquisitor were on high alert.
Pausing to collect her thoughts, Vanna carefully set down both files. She resumed her search through the packed shelves of ancient documents with a recalibrated focus, deciding to allocate part of her attention to records detailing incidents associated with unauthorized religious practices or rituals.
After an unspecified time engrossed in her search, she abruptly halted, as if guided by an internal alarm. She sensed she was on the verge of discovering something even more significant.
The third record, still dated before the “factory leak” incident, occurred on the edge of the upper city district. A maid in a wealthy household suddenly went berserk, severely injuring three servants and the male homeowner before locking herself in a storeroom. By the time the church’s guardians and the local sheriff broke in, the maid had already taken her own life.
Investigators found a startling scene in the storeroom where the maid had barricaded herself. She had carved a series of sacrificial symbols into the walls and floor with a dagger, presumably in the moments leading up to her suicide. Additional evidence of heretical worship was discovered in her personal quarters—once again, the symbols and artifacts indicated rituals devoted to an indeterminate entity. What set this case apart was the nature of the sacrifice. In previous instances, the haphazard rituals had led to localized mental disturbances among bystanders or participants. This time, however, the maid who performed the sacrifice had been driven to insanity.
This marked the third such incident, significantly increasing the urgency in Vanna’s demeanor.
Rapidly assimilating the new information with the two previous reports, Vanna started mentally organizing them by dates and locations. The incidents didn’t follow any discernible pattern: they were scattered across different timelines and locales. Moreover, there was no evidence suggesting the individuals involved were connected. Importantly, none of these unsettling events related to the notorious factory leak from eleven years prior, and no known heretical sects were indicated in the follow-up investigations.
With laser-like focus, Vanna continued her meticulous examination of subsequent documents. Eventually, she stumbled upon the thick dossier dedicated to the factory leak incident. The file was voluminous, reflecting the event’s significant impact; it contained the highest number of arrests and detentions of alleged heretics in recent decades. Photographs, interrogation transcripts, and detailed notes filled the heavy binder.
However, Vanna only skimmed through this dossier. She was already extensively familiar with the details of the factory leak case, having reviewed related documents repeatedly over the past years. Her search today confirmed her suspicion that even in this secure church archive, no new insights about the eleven-year-old factory leak could be found.
After replacing the factory leak file back on the shelf, Vanna resumed her search. It was then she noted a significant detail:
Following the catastrophic factory leak, there were no subsequent records of cases resembling the three “heretical worship” incidents that had intrigued her. This absence persisted even half a year after the factory event.
Vanna realized suddenly that all perplexing incidents of “ineffective yet somehow effective” heretical worship clustered before the factory leak. Once that massive event occurred, they seemed to halt abruptly, as if the factory leak acted as a critical juncture or turning point, marking the end of this series of peculiar, unexplained heretical practices.
On one hand, this could be rationalized by the large-scale crackdown following the factory leak, leading to the arrest and detention of thousands of cultists, effectively purging the city-state of most heretical influences. This naturally accounted for the absence of similar incidents in subsequent months. Yet, Vanna couldn’t shake the feeling there might be more to the story, a deeper connection waiting to be uncovered.
For some inexplicable reason, Vanna felt a nagging sense that surface-level explanations didn’t capture the full complexity of these incidents. Pausing next to a towering bookshelf, her mind teemed with unanswered questions. After a contemplative moment, she returned to the starting point of her search, pulling out the first file on the peculiar “heretical worship” cases, leafing through its pages thoughtfully.
These reports were scattered and fragmented, lost in a sea of disordered records spanning all sorts of calamities and oddities. Had she not approached her task today with heightened attentiveness and suspicion that “something doesn’t add up,” these anomalies would likely have escaped her notice. Now, however, they clung to her consciousness like stubborn seeds, growing more difficult to ignore as her intuition flashed incessant warning signals.
Her deep contemplation was interrupted by the unhurried sound of approaching footsteps, accompanied by a subtle aroma blending mechanical oil and sacred incense. Glancing up, Vanna saw the elderly priest overseeing the archive approaching. He displayed a noticeable limp, evidence that his injuries extended beyond his missing hand.
“It’s rather uncommon to see anyone in the archives at this hour, so I thought I’d come over,” the elderly priest offered warmly. “Have you found what you’re looking for?”
Taking a brief pause to collect herself, Vanna replaced the file she was examining. “I’ve found pieces of information, yes, but they haven’t provided the full answers I’m seeking.”
“Answers?” The priest raised an eyebrow, intrigued. “What sorts of answers are you in search of?”
Sidestepping a direct response, Vanna asked, “How long have you been in charge here?”
“Oh, it must be nearly twenty years now,” he chuckled. “Ever since an improvised explosive device set off by some heretical fanatics took my hand and leg, I’ve been reassigned to oversee this sanctuary of knowledge.”
Intrigued, Vanna followed up, “Is it usually this serene here? Do others often visit the archives like I’m doing?”
“It’s generally a quiet place,” he smiled. “Certainly, some come to peruse the records, but they are rare. These archives are like the deepest recesses of human memory, storing ‘solved cases’ and ‘sealed files’ not meant for public scrutiny. Once these documents enter this vault, they become part of history, their relevance gradually obscured by the sands of time.”
He paused and continued, “The city-state is bustling, always moving with new developments, new crises. People are so consumed with tackling tomorrow’s challenges that they seldom have time or inclination to sift through the forgotten dilemmas of the past stored here. Also…”
The elderly priest hesitated, lifting his eyes to the towering shelves of ancient texts that almost touched the room’s vaulted ceiling. After a significant pause, he continued, speaking softly and reflectively.
“Also, you see, these sealed files aren’t just chronicles of bygone events. Some actually encapsulate ‘history’ itself—the history deliberately confined within those pages. Our world’s timeline—past, present, and future—is built on precarious foundations. Delving too deeply into certain subjects in this archive could harm one’s psychological and emotional stability.”
Vanna found the priest’s words resonant, “That warning sounds quite similar to the cautions the Flame Bearers often give.”
“Ah, you’re correct,” the priest replied with a knowing smile. “The Flame Bearers are particularly vigilant about such matters. They act as custodians of historical knowledge and worry that some forgotten element of antiquity might resurface to destabilize our present reality. They’re so cautious that some suggest those who preach doomsday scenarios—‘End-Time Contamination’—might actually be Flame Bearers who’ve lost their way.” He chuckled, shaking his head. “I used to have close acquaintances among the Flame Bearers in my younger years. Their beliefs may deviate from the Storm Goddess’s dogmas, whom both our orders serve, but I’ve always found elements in their theories worth thoughtful consideration.”
As Vanna listened, a comforting tranquility settled over her. She respected this seasoned custodian dedicated to the church’s service. Intrigued and desiring further conversation, she asked, “Do you still maintain contact with those old friends from the Flame Bearers?”
The elderly priest slowly shook his head, his expression turning wistful. “No, I’ve lost touch. One morning it dawned on me I never even knew their real names. This likely signifies they’ve become martyrs, sacrificing themselves for beliefs they held dear.”
His solemn words added gravity to their conversation. Both were momentarily united in silent acknowledgment of the complex and often perilous path truth-seekers tread, even within their own institutions’ seemingly secure walls.
Thanks for the chapter.
This is making me curious.
In a lot of fictions, my first thought would be that there’s a coverup being done by the authorities.
In this story, however, I don’t think it’ll go that direction. The authorities have a vested interest in purging corruption; even if they did a coverup, they’d only do it after they were sure they’d cleaned up all the possible side effects – they wouldn’t slap a fake story on something without being sure it was taken care of, because leaving behind something like the corrupted chapel is like sitting on a time bomb. But that leaves me wondering who actually is doing the coverup, and how they’ve managed to slip it past the churches for so long.
We’ll see, I guess. It should be interesting however it shakes out.
Thank you for the chapter!
Old Man, why are you interfering with her Investigation? Just stay in your place dammit
now this makes me think….. the sun with tentacles that those suntist worship should be just a normal Sun in the beginning, but it got corrupted by subspaces like how it was eaten or grew tentacles just like that mysterious man with an umbrella.