Episode-731
Chapter : 1441
"It's circumstantial," Lloyd said. "We can't arrest him on 'maybe'. We need a confession. Or we need to catch him holding the smoking gun."
"Then let's confront him," Rubaiya said. "Put pressure on him. See if he cracks."
"Fine," Lloyd agreed. "But we do it my way. No accusations. Just questions. We rattle the cage and see if the bird sings."
They found Daniel in his workshop behind the armory. It was hot. The furnace was roaring. Daniel was hammering a piece of red-hot steel on an anvil. Clang. Clang. Clang.
He didn't hear them enter. He was focused. Intense.
Lloyd walked up to him. He waited until Daniel stopped hammering.
"Daniel," Lloyd said.
Daniel jumped. He turned around, holding the hammer. "Professor Ferrum. Professor Rubaiya. You startled me."
"Sorry," Lloyd said. "We need to ask you about the inventory."
"Inventory?" Daniel wiped sweat from his brow. "Is something missing?"
"No," Lloyd said. "Something was added. The sword Tom used. The locket Sarah wore. Did you make them?"
Daniel froze. His face went pale. "Make them? No. Those were... those were student items. Personal items."
"The sword was from the rack," Rubaiya said sharply. "Jamie confirmed it. You stock the rack."
"I..." Daniel stammered. He looked terrified. "I check the swords. I check them for cracks. For balance. I didn't check for... curses."
"But you modified it," Lloyd pressed. "The balance was off. It had a core inserted. Only someone with your spirit, Forge, could do that without leaving a weld mark."
Daniel dropped the hammer. It hit the floor with a heavy thud. He backed away, his hands raised.
"I didn't!" he cried. "I swear! I would never hurt the students! They are my charges! My duty!"
"Then explain it!" Rubaiya shouted. "Explain how a cursed weapon got into your armory! Explain why you need extra money! Explain the private commissions!"
Daniel looked like a trapped animal. He looked at the door. He looked at Lloyd.
"The money..." Daniel whispered. "The money was for... her."
"Her?" Lloyd asked. "Who is her?"
"The woman," Daniel said. "The woman in the market. She... she sold me the materials. Rare metals. Spirit dust. Things I needed to fix the old suits of armor in the trophy hall. I wanted to surprise the Headmaster. To restore the glory of the Academy."
"A woman in the market," Lloyd repeated. "What did she look like?"
"She wore a hood," Daniel said. "She had a silver pin. A snake eating its tail."
Lloyd's blood ran cold. The Ouroboros. The symbol of the Intelligence Division. Or the Seventh Circle.
"Did she give you anything else?" Lloyd asked urgently. "Besides materials?"
"She gave me... samples," Daniel admitted. "She said they were practice weapons. enchanted to help students learn faster. She said they would correct their form. I... I tested them. They seemed fine. They just... glowed a little."
"And you put them in the rack?" Rubaiya asked, horrified.
"I thought I was helping!" Daniel sobbed. "I thought I was giving them an advantage! I didn't know they were evil! I'm just a smith! I don't know dark magic!"
Lloyd looked at him. He saw the fear. The guilt. The stupidity.
Daniel wasn't the traitor. He was the patsy. He was the useful idiot.
"He's telling the truth," Lloyd said. "He didn't make them. He bought them. He distributed them. But he didn't know."
"Ignorance is not an excuse," Rubaiya said coldly. "His negligence almost killed the Princess."
"I know," Lloyd said. "But he's not the mastermind. He's just another victim."
He walked over to Daniel. He put a hand on the big man's shoulder.
"Daniel," Lloyd said. "Listen to me. Where is this woman? Where did you meet her?"
"The Midnight Market," Daniel sniffled. "Near the docks. She has a stall. Behind the fishmonger."
"Okay," Lloyd said. "You're going to stay here. You're going to lock the door. You're not going to make anything. You're not going to touch anything. Understand?"
"Yes, sir," Daniel nodded frantically.
Lloyd turned to Rubaiya. "We have a lead. A woman with a snake pin. A dealer."
"We go to the market?" Rubaiya asked.
"Tomorrow," Lloyd said. "We go hunting."
He felt a mix of relief and frustration. Daniel was innocent, mostly. But the real enemy was still out there. And they were selling cursed weapons like candy.
"The profile is complete," Lloyd thought. "Jamie is a glory-hound. Daniel is a gullible fool. They aren't the threats."
Chapter : 1442
He looked at Rubaiya. She was calm. Calculated. She had pushed hard for Daniel's guilt. Was it zeal? Or was it deflection?
"Keep your eyes open, Lloyd," he told himself. "The web is big. And the spider is still hungry."
He walked out of the workshop, into the gathering dusk. The hunt continued.
The investigation had hit a wall, or rather, it had hit a very large, crying blacksmith. Daniel was innocent of malice, guilty of stupidity. That left Lloyd with a puzzle that had too many pieces and no picture.
He sat in the library with Isabella and Rubaiya. It was late. The library was empty, shadows stretching long across the floor. They were huddled around a table covered in notes.
"So," Isabella said, crossing her arms. "The blacksmith is a fool. The fencer is a peacock. And the curse is still out there. This is... unsatisfactory."
"We have a lead," Lloyd said. "The woman in the market. The dealer."
"A ghost," Rubaiya dismissed. "She will be gone by now. If she is a professional, she won't stay in one place."
"We have to check," Lloyd insisted. "Ken is already scouting the docks."
Rubaiya stood up. She paced around the table. She looked agitated. "We are missing something. We are looking at the pawns. We need to look at the board."
She stopped and looked at Lloyd. Her eyes were sharp. "Daniel brought the items in. But who authorized the budget? Who signed the requisition forms?"
"Headmaster Valerius handles the budget," Lloyd said.
"Valerius signs the big checks," Rubaiya corrected. "But the day-to-day? The small discretionary funds? That is handled by the department heads."
"So?" Isabella asked.
"So," Rubaiya said. "Daniel said he used his own money. But metal is expensive. Spirit dust is expensive. A teacher's salary is not enough for what he bought. Someone must have supplemented him. Someone must have given him the gold to buy the 'samples'."
"A sponsor," Lloyd realized.
"Exactly," Rubaiya said. "And who has the money? Who has the connection to the armory? Who has been pushing for 'modernization' of the Academy's equipment for months?"
She paused for dramatic effect.
"Who?" Isabella demanded.
"Jamie," Rubaiya said.
Lloyd blinked. "Jamie? The guy in the dungeon? We just established he's an idiot."
"Is he?" Rubaiya countered. "Or is that the perfect cover? Think about it. He is from a fallen noble house. He is desperate for money and glory. What if he made a deal? He funds the weapons. He gives them to Daniel, the useful fool. Daniel distributes them. Chaos ensues. And who steps in to save the day? Jamie."
"He tried to stop Tom," Isabella argued.
"He tried to look like he was stopping Tom," Rubaiya said. "But he failed. Conveniently. He deflected the blade toward you. Was it an accident? Or was it a message?"
"A message?" Lloyd asked.
"A threat," Rubaiya said. "Maybe his backers wanted to scare the Royal Family. Maybe they wanted to show that even the Princess is not safe. Jamie gets arrested, yes. But he is alive. He is a martyr. Or a victim of circumstance. And while we focus on him, the real plan moves forward."
"It fits," Isabella murmured. "He was always... ambitious. Too ambitious."
Lloyd looked at Rubaiya. Her logic was sound. It was persuasive. It tied up the loose ends.
But something felt wrong.
"Jamie loves you, Isabella," Lloyd said. "He has a shrine to you in his locker. I saw it. It's creepy, but it's sincere. He wouldn't hurt you."
"Love can turn to hate," Rubaiya said darkly. "If he felt rejected. If he felt ignored. You embarrassed him in the library, Lloyd. Maybe he wanted to prove he was better than you. By creating a crisis only he could solve."
"It's a theory," Lloyd said cautiously. "But we need proof. We can't just accuse him based on 'maybe'."
"I will get proof," Rubaiya said. "I will search his quarters. I will check his financial records. If there is a connection to the Devil Race, I will find it."
She looked at them both. "Trust me. Jamie is not the clown he pretends to be. He is the actor."
She turned and walked away, heading towards the faculty dorms.
Lloyd watched her go.
"She is very convincing," Isabella said. "And very intense."
"Yeah," Lloyd said. "She is."
He looked at the map on the table. Rubaiya was pushing hard. She was directing the investigation. She was pointing fingers.
"Is she right?" Isabella asked.
"I don't know," Lloyd lied.