"Thank you for your grace, great witch. So, let me begin. I am investigating the murder of Tem van Deeran. I heard you have known him quite well?"
"Eh? Tem is dead? Of course I knew him. He was my boyfriend four years ago. A pity, he was quite fun…"
Liam watched Cecily closely. He could see that she was shaken but trying to put on a transcendent facade.
"How would you describe your relationship with Tem? Isn't it strange for a witch of your stature to be together with an unremarkable mortal?"
"Why would it be strange? We had a good time. Of course, from the start our relationship was destined not to last forever but it was nice while it lasted."
"So, why did you break up?"
"Hmpf. Wasn't it because that pig is insatiable?! I, the great witch, lowered myself to form a relationship with him and yet he still lusted after other girls. Hmpf!"
Liam's brows rose faintly but Cecily was fuming and didn't notice it.
"You mentioned other girls. Did you know about his hobby of torturing girls?"
"Of course. That's what made him so fun. Often, I deliberately wouldn't heal those wounds…"
"Ok, no need to say more!"
Liam hastily interrupted Cecily. He really wasn't keen on hearing more about the topic. The hint of craziness deep in her eyes already told him more than enough.
"Did Tem betray you in the end? Is that why you broke up with him?"
"Who says I broke up with him? That pig broke up with me! Didn't even tall me a reason! Hmpf! I think he was simply bored of me after switching from girl to girl. Tsk. Really, men are the worst!"
"Oh? So Tem was the one who broke up with you? Did this make you very upset? Did you feel like he owed you?"
"Owed? Maybe. But I, the great witch Cecily Hellstone, have lived for more than 200 years. What haven't I seen? If you want to ask if I killed him, I can confidently say no, I did not. I even went to see him a few times. The last time was only three weeks ago. However, that arrogant pig didn't even pay me much attention. He was only talking about this new woman he was infatuated with, stating that for her he hadn't been with any other girl in more than half a year. Heh, as if I would believe that!"
Surprise showed in Liam's eyes. Why had no one mentioned this so far? And why would Tem still enter his torture room if he was alone? Perhaps it was as Cecily guessed, and Tem lied to her?
"Do you know anything about this other woman?"
"Nope. I only know that he called her his saintess. The most beautiful woman in the world."
"Mhm."
Liam fell silent, feeling as if he had hit a wall. However, looking at Cecily he wasn't entirely convinced. The witch had a crazy streak. On one hand she seemed to care about Tem but on the other she was an old witch and certainly had her own pride. If anything, Liam had seen witches toy with men but never the other way around. Would she really not retaliate against Tem?
"Great witch. Let me ask you something else. About the way Tem died. He was hit with a curse called the 'curse of the debtor'. This curse can kill people who owe a debt to someone. And you felt like Tem owed you, right? Furthermore, as a witch you are adept at curses. So…"
"Tsk. Still thinking I killed him? I can only say I didn't do it. Toxanerla could bear witness. We have been holed up here for more than half a year as we perceived the upcoming turmoil of the war against the void. However, since you chased her away you can only believe my words."
Liam secretly rolled his eyes. As if he would believe Toxanerla if she vowed for Cecily. Of course, the two witches would stick together. The only one he could fully trust was the quest notification. As long as it didn't let him know that he found the culprit he would keep searching.
At this point Liam fell silent as he went through his thoughts. He couldn't think of more questions to ask Cecily. Through his visit he learned some new information, especially regarding the woman Tem was seemingly infatuated with. But this alone didn't help him solve the case.
Just as Liam was pondering how to find this mysterious woman, he noticed the smug smile on Cecily's lips. He raised his brow, asking suspiciously:
"What's with that grin of yours?"
"Hehe, adventurer. I know something which might interest you."
"Let me hear it then."
"No, no. Not so fast. First you need to admit that you as an adventurer can't compare to a great witch like me. Then take a deep bow. Then jump on one leg and sing…"
A crisp sound could be heard as Liam drew his swords. Cecily instantly jumped backwards waving her hands.
"Ok, ok, ok. I was just making a little joke, alright? No need to be violent. I will tell you what I know."
"Please…"
"You said Tem was killed by the 'Curse of a Debtor', didn't you? This is indeed quite an advanced curse. It is extremely difficult to trace back through magic and one can only find the caster through clues about the debt. But as people go through life, they accumulate so many debts, which makes this curse quite remarkable."
Cecily made a short pause to build suspense.
"Earlier, you said the 'Curse of the Debtor' can be used to kill people who owe one a debt. And that is correct. But did you know that this curse can also be used on behalf of others by transferring the debt?"
"Yes."
"Oh…"
Cecily coughed in embarrassment but she still continued:
"Well, I wasn't finished. Here is the real piece of secret information. Only known to a small amount of people. The 'Curse of the Debtor' can also be used by the debtor to kill the person they are owing a debt to!"
Liam opened his eyes wide. This was indeed new information to him. In his past life he hadn't heard anything about this curse. He was uncertain if it only played a role in this specific quest. However, this didn't matter right now. What mattered was that this was new information.
The 'Curse of the Debtor' was first mentioned by Priestess Ivreya. Did she not know better or… did she hide this information on purpose? But why would she? Liam needed to make sure, asking Cecily:
"Let's say someone died to the Curse of the Debtor and there is still dark magic surrounding their corpse. This dark magic is dangerous and needs to be cleansed. Does the one who cleanses this dark magic need intricate knowledge of the curse? Including the part you just told me?"
"Well, that depends. If the one doing the cleansing is much stronger than the one casting the curse, they can forcefully erase it without having knowledge of the curse. But if their strength is roughly equal, the one doing the cleansing has to have a deep understanding, yes."
Liam frowned deeply upon hearing this. Priestess Ivreya was just a normal priestess. She didn't have a high rank, and her level would usually not be that advanced. In his mind she wasn't a powerful figure. Thus, being able to cleanse the curse, she should have a deep understanding of it according to Cecily. And yet she only mentioned a part of the information. Why would she hide something from him?
Discovering such a strange matter Liam felt that he was getting a big step closer to solving the puzzle. He had no questions left for Cecily. He bade his farewell, left the secret realm, and took the fastest route back to Talor.
The temple of the Goddess of Light was easy to find. However, the population of Talor wasn't very religious. The temple couldn't compare to the vast estates owned by the twenty plutarchs. Looking at the unadorned stone building in front of him, Liam suddenly had another doubt. According to the others, Tem van Deeran was unusually pious, often coming to the temple. What was the reason for this? Instead of believing that someone like Tem developed a deep faith Liam had another guess. What if the woman Tem was infatuated with was Priestess Ivreya?
This new suspicion ran through Liam's mind as he entered the temple. He looked around for a bit but didn't find Priestess Ivreya. Just as he thought about searching the side buildings, a young acolyte appeared. Liam swiftly approached, politely acquiring about Priestess Ivreya's whereabouts. Surprisingly the acolyte informed him that Ivreya hadn't returned all day.
Liam felt more and more doubtful. After thanking the acolyte, he stood still for a moment. The temple was silent except for the acolyte's footsteps. A few candles produced a comfortable, warm light. However, although the atmosphere was nice, something was missing. Despite having been in the temple for a while Liam didn't receive a blessing from the goddess of light. There were a few possible reasons for this, but the most common one was that the priests hadn't done their duty or had lost the favour of their god!