After telling her story, Ganna choked up, tears running freely. No matter what Liam tried he didn't get more information out of her. Soon the servant girl excused herself.
Liam sighed watching Ganna leave. He knew that she would return to the lion's den. The brave woman worked for the people who killed her sister. Her purpose was evident. She wanted revenge. But it was impossible to bring such a family to fall on her own. Thus, she remained patient. Hopefully she would find some relief now that Tem met a bitter end.
Walking out of the backroom, Liam grabbed a random chair in the tavern and sorted out his thoughts. He threw a glance at his journal and noticed that the quest had been updated.
[Quest: Class change: Chaotic Tempest]
[Investigate the death of Tem van Deeran]
[Step one: Find the crime scene.]
[Step two: Interrogate those present at the crime scene]
[Step three: Gather more information (optional)]
[Step four: Find the culprit]
[Hint: Hurry!]
Liam pondered calmly. So far, he had found out that Tem was cursed to death. There was basically no doubt about it. The victim had a distanced relationship to his father but was involved in the business side of things. He seemingly liked to gamble, although perhaps this was only used as a ruse by Kave van Deeran to blame his competitor.
Tem himself was far from innocent. Combining what he had heard from Ganna and seen with his own eyes Liam could imagine how Tem dragged women into his torture chamber. It was unknown if any victim ever made it out alive. Liam didn't pity the man, but he still had to complete his quest.
Now there were two major suspects. Either the culprit was indeed a competitor of Keva van Deeran who wanted to harm the family. Or it was a relative of the tortured victims. Killing someone with the 'Curse of the Debtor' required the victim to own a debt to the caster. This debt could be money, but it could also be a life. If Ganna had the means she certainly wouldn't hesitate to use such a curse to kill Tem. But if she were the perpetrator, would she come to Liam? It seemed unlikely.
"So, there are two directions to investigate in."
Liam murmured to himself. Now he could either investigate Tem's victims and their families or Rihb van Bearan. However, as Liam pondered over the quest, he recalled something else. The van Deerans were not some obscure family. There were other quests concerning them. Some came from the family, others could be found throughout Crunaboul. Recalling these quests Liam remembered a certain piece of information. As far as he knew the family didn't only consist of Keva and Tem…
"Could she know something? Doesn't hurt to ask I guess."
Making up his mind Liam acted swiftly. He headed for the teleporter and after a few minutes he found himself in front of the mysterious gates of Svebrial Academy. On his way here Liam could already tell that the atmosphere was quite tense. Although Svebrial itself wasn't in danger, one could still feel the undercurrents. More people were carrying arms and soldiers were patrolling with vigilant gazes. Even the academy which usually remained undisturbed, a tranquil paradise for everyone willing to study magic, saw people coming and going every minute.
Liam was surprised to see groups of academy students coming out. They were sent on missions to quell chaos. Although this might help them to gather practical experience, this signified a shift from how the academy usually acted. Previously students would have never been put into danger. Hopefully his target hadn't left.
A moment later Laim entered the academy. He felt an invisible force passing through his body, obviously some sort of security measure. But since no one came to stop him, Liam walked ahead and entered a side building. He appeared in a small reception area. In front of him was a glass door allowing one to peek into a long corridor.
"How can I help you, Sir?"
A pleasant female voice came from the side. Liam glanced over and noticed two academy students sitting behind the reception, smiling at him politely.
"Hello. My name is Bleary Mirage. I am currently investigating a certain case in the name of guardian Reychnalyn. I am here to find a student of your esteemed academy. Her name is Bethany Veerano."
"Oh? What do you want with a student of our academy?"
"I only want to ask a few questions."
While one of the two students asked Liam a few questions, the other browsed through a thick book. Liam knew that this book was a communication tool. The student was probably checking his information. Suddenly her eyes opened wide. She signalled to her colleague, who immediately stopped the questions and switched her tone:
"I apologize for delaying your important task, Sir. Please, follow me. I will immediately bring you to Miss Veerano's room."
The academy's security had indeed increased by several levels. They would not even allow Liam to move alone. Well, he had no reason to reject so he allowed the female student to lead him. They went through a door to the right, entering another corridor. Just from its decoration one could tell that no ordinary students would live here. They were either rich or talented. And Bethany Veerano? To Liam's knowledge she was both.
After a short walk they arrived in front of a door bearing the number 12. It was only a door, but it was intricately crafted from strong oak wood and engraved with flowers and trees. The female student leading Liam had a hint of reverence on her face as she knocked.
"Yes?"
"Miss Veerano? I am Fenvi, from the reception. Someone would like to talk to you."
"Tell them to come again later."
Poor Fenvi froze. She coughed lightly saying:
"This person is a distinguished guest, an adventurer working under Reychnalyn, Guardian of the nephilim. Please, Miss Veerano. If you could offer a few minutes of your time…"
"Hah, fine…"
A click could be heard as the door opened by itself. Fenvi stepped in and stopped behind the door, allowing Liam to pass. He curiously scanned the room. It was less luxurious than he had expected. But with dark wooden beams on the ceiling, fine leather couches, and large bookshelves it gave one an extremely comfortable feeling. The interior was definitely arranged by a very skilled person.
Liam's eyes stopped on the big window opposite the door. A young woman was sitting on the windowsill, which was also prepared with cushions. The woman wore a bright green magician robe. Her black hair was hidden under a cloth hat. Her refined face, the glasses resting on her nose, and the book in her hands gave her an intelligent, almost scholarly appearance.
As Liam scrutinized the woman she did the same. Eventually Bethany was the first to speak:
"You are an adventurer?"
"Yes. Bleary Mirage. Nice to meet you."
"Mhm. What do you need from me?"
"Miss, I'm afraid I bring bad news. You might want to compose yourself. And perhaps send unrelated people out for the moment."
Bethany frowned faintly. She didn't understand what the adventurer was hinting at. However, since the academy had increased its security it advised students not to meet alone with strangers. Thus, Bethany didn't send Fenvi away.
"Just say what you have to say. No need to be mysterious."
"Alright. Miss Veerano I am sorry to tell you that your brother is dead."
"What?!"
Bethany instinctively let out a shocked cry before forcefully calming her emotions, saying:
"I mean… I don't know what you are talking about. I don't have a brother."
"Miss…"
Bethany shivered under Liam's stare. She slowly put her book away and smiled at Fenvi:
"Fenvi. If you would give us some privacy for a moment."
"Ehm, but…"
"You can wait outside of the door. Don't worry I will call you if there is any danger."
"Alright…"
Fenvi reluctantly agreed and left the room. If the academy didn't have records about the adventurer called Bleary Mirage, she would never allow him to be alone with one of their students.
"Alright. We are alone now. So, what was that talk about my brother?"
Bethany looked at the adventurer coldly. Could it really be that her secret had been found out?
"No need to doubt me, Miss Uva van Deeran. I am not here to harm you or reveal your secret. I only want to ask a few questions."
The mana in the room surged chaotically for a moment, throwing a few books from the shelves. But Bethany, or rather Uva, quickly composed herself. She put on a mask of indifference as she stared at Liam.
"How did you find out?"
"How I found out that the daughter of the prestigious van Deeran family lives in Svebrial under a false name? Sorry, but I can't tell you that."
"You don't want to answer my questions, but I am supposed to answer yours?"
"Of course. I am sure you also want to find out how your brother died."
"Hah! That's where you are wrong! Why would I care about that beast?! Dirty little bastard. He's not a single bit better than his father. The world is better off without him."