After his working hours Baldwin travelled to Claus's house. The sun had already shone its last light, signifying arrival of the night.
Baldwin reached the house and stood over burnt wood analysing the location to locate the hidden cellar. He had analysed the photo for a hundred times to determine the location of the cellar.
He started to tap on the wood to find out whether there is a hidden cellar.
THOOK!!!
Finally, a dead spot in the wood. It meant the space beneath the wood was empty.
Baldwin knelt and started to move his hand around the dead spot.
"Rats!" Balwin reacted as he instinctively pulled back his index finger. Then he used the other hand to remove the splinter on his hand.
'The wood. It's a fake layer. Is this to cover a fake floorboard or to fix a broken one.' Baldwin thought to himself.
Baldwin then followed the floorboards to its end to find the ends of several boards connected.
Baldwin then took out Urumi and stuck the blade in. Then he covered the blade with ki and curved the end of his flexible sword to create a makeshift crowbar.
Baldwin then pried the fake floorboards to reveal a ten-foot hole. A hint of satisfaction coursed across his face. 'Finally! Finally, a new clue to continue the investigation.' Baldwin thought.
Then, Baldwin leapt inside the hole to see a four-foot door.
The door had a message inscribed on it.
Open furnace.
This was it. This was the answer Baldwin was looking for. Baldwin took the key out of his left pocket and inserted it in. The key fit perfectly. Baldwin slowly turned the key, as if he was trying to delay knowing whatever was inside.
CLICCK**
The lock had opened. Baldwin found readied himself and gave the door a gentle push to open it but the door did not budge at all.
"What!" Baldwin shuddered. The door wasn't opening. 'Is there another lock?' Baldwin questioned himself. Then to confirm his hypothesis; he moved his hand across the door to see whether there was any other keyhole.
Baldwin failed to find any.
'Then why was the door stuck?' Baldwin thought to himself. He then tried to unlock the door in many ways.
Finally, his patience ran out. He finally used huge amount of energy and pushed the door. Finally, the door screeched. It was a heavy 5 feet thick door. The hinges were large and rusted from the lack of use.
It took Baldwin all his strength without the ki to finally move the giant, heavy door.
As the door opened, a gush of eerie smell filled Baldwin's nose.
The smells made Baldwin almost puke, but he resisted. He knew of what the smell entails. He had smelt it a thousand times before. It was a smell of death. Baldwin decide to climb back up the cellar. He needed to gather his composure. He was a seasoned warrior who had faced death many times before, but it still haunted his to feel its presence secretly approaching him.
He needed at least a torch before he could enter the odourful secret room.
Baldwin did not have any light to investigate the room. In his mind he only wished to find if the secret cellar existed, but destiny had something more in store for him.
Baldwin decided to hurry back to the town to buy the needed supplies. This would also give him a chance recompose himself before stepping back inside the horrific room.
Baldwin returned within minutes with a cloth, some oil and a matchbox.
When he arrived back, he removed a wooden beam from the broken house and wrapped it with the cloth. Then he doused it in oil.
To make sure that the light would not be visible from outside he climbed back inside the cellar and lit the makeshift torch.
As Baldwin entered the room, his face slowly twisted, soon it flushed becoming red. His breath became shallow until; his training kicked in. What was inside the room could only be described as a serial killer's den.
'Goodness gracious. Claus! ' Baldwin thought, 'What have you done, you filthy bastard?'
What lay inside were five chairs.
Beside the chairs; on a table were rusted tools such as wrenches, hammers, nails, and pliers. Scattered around the room were thousands of small bones. A few from knuckles, a few from Toes and most of them pulled off the victims directly.
This entire scene wasn't even the worst part; as the worst part could only be the five skeletons with rotting muscles and skin nailed to the five wooden chairs.
The nails passed directly through the bones; with several of them missing teeth or smaller bones.
All the years of experience with death, couldn't prepare Baldwin for this scene. He felt nauseated. He was used to murder in his profession. He had taken many lives before. But, this wasn't just murder. This was torture, a way to give the victims an excruciating pain until they welcomed death with open arms.
Baldwin took out a handkerchief from his pocket and tied it around his nose. He wanted to smell at least something that might make him feel better. Something to remind him that this was a crime of past and not one he needed to live through, with the perpetrator, his only friend dead as a doornail.
Baldwin started to investigate around the room looking for the identity of the sorry individuals.
Baldwin the arrived at a blackboard during his search.
There were five name that were written on the blackboard. They were almost erased with through the passage of time. But, it was as if even time did not wish to erase these names.
Brick the slayer, Warren the meat cutter, Sureva, Kilon of thousand bodies and Silkon.
Baldwin failed to recognise any of the following names.
He took out a diary from his coat and wrote down the following names. Then he opened drawers of adjoining tables to see a file. Baldwin opened the file to find a list. Just one list- with serial numbers and locations - seven hundred and three of them. Baldwin recognised a few of them. They were local shop and businesses. A few of them were even military facilities.
The first twelve locations were crossed out. Baldwin decided to pocket the list and look for more clues. He found none.
As the moon started to set with the upcoming dawn Baldwin decided to close the room and the cellar. He believed that he might just find more clues but he couldn't right now, if he ever wanted to keep his investigation a secret.
Baldwin got out of the cellar closing the door behind.
Then he decided to directly go towards his office at the crimson knight's headquarters to continue his duty towards the kingdom.
٭٭٭
It was already 8 a.m. in the morning. The Royal court had begun to solve the issues that plagued the kingdom. Only prince Issac attended the meeting along with the king and the queen.
"Your majesty, the revolts have begun in the east. They want the retribution from the kingdom for not stopping the slave trade. Many of the citizens are dying to the slave trader as they capture our citizens." Said a noble man with a crest on his shirt.
"Do not fret, Viscount Freveen. I have already arranged a team to handle the situation." The king said. He was checking out his fingernails for something.
"Thank you, your Majesty." The viscount said as he bowed several times to his king. Then, he slowly retreated backwards.
"Tsk, why do these peasant always want something. We have already done more than we could. Haven't we; love?" The Queen said as she stroked the king's hand. Generally, this would not have been allowed even for the Queen, and would have been a breach of etiquette. But there was no noble in attendance; hence, no need to maintain etiquette.
"Well, it is our job to help and protect them. I mean they feel helpless, so it is our job to make their problems go away, isn't it?" The king said. Then he looked at the prince and commanded.
"Son, take Commander Harvey Benthal with you and handle this issue." The king ordered his son.
"How would you like me to handle this, your majesty?" The prince asked, he had immediately got up from the chair and knelt before his father. His face showed sincerity; sincerity to prove to his father that he is the right person for the job and to succeed the king.
"Make sure no one approaches us for this problem again. I want you to lead five thousand men with you, do you understand?" The king asked. His entire focus had now shifted towards the prince.
"Yes, your Majesty."
He stood, expression unreadable. "I will see to it... personally."
He bowed, but only slightly — like a man confident the crown already knew what he was capable of.
"Duke Hermen Skylar, approaching the Royal court." A guard appeared beside the king as he saluted waiting for reply from the King.
"Send him in. And make sure this is the last one this morning. I have something stuck between my nails; I wish to remove it as it is uncomfortable." The king instructed the guard.
"Yes, your majesty." The guard said bowing down and then leaving to inform the gates man.