Bab 94: The Unburnable Evidence
Alerted by Elyra's warning, Grayson and Andros hastily covered the bodies again, instructing Elyra to revert them to their original size. They barely had time to hide before the hall doors swung open, and they quickly concealed themselves behind the colossal corpses to avoid being seen by the newcomer.
A giant clad in a golden robe strode in from outside. His head was crowned with a sparkling diadem, its centerpiece a fierce golden lightning bolt, and his blue eyes, exuding an icy chill, swept across the hall before stopping in front of the three bodies.
"Your Majesty," a Titan general followed closely, shutting the hall doors and respectfully addressing the golden-robed giant, "Sire, the soldiers brought by Tyrrel have been causing unrest, demanding an explanation from you. What should we do about this?"
"Didn't I say I would give them an answer? Investigations take time!" Solon, now declared King of the Titans, looked down at the corpses at his feet, speaking slowly.
The Titan general fell silent, seemingly at a loss with Solon's response. After a moment's hesitation, he spoke again, "Your Majesty, you did say that, but it's not enough to appease them. Tyrrel's loyal general Stark is growing increasingly impatient, even speaking of mutiny."
"He dares!" Solon turned, glaring venomously at the general as if he were the one who had uttered such words. The general quickly bowed, "Forgive me, Your Majesty. Stark did say that, though we're not afraid of their numbers, this unrest could lead to trouble if left unchecked."
He pondered for a moment before tentatively suggesting, "Perhaps we should strike first and eliminate all of Tyrrel's men..."
"That's out of the question!" Solon rejected the idea without hesitation.
He walked to the side of the hall, gazing up at a massive portrait on the wall, "Everyone knows Tyrrel was murdered. If I were to act rashly now and exterminate his followers, wouldn't that be admitting guilt?"
"What should we do, then?" the Titan general stepped forward, looking anxiously at the king's back.
"Can't you think of something? Find the culprits quickly!" Solon turned, his voice deep, glancing at the general.
The general scrutinized Solon, an epiphany dawning on him, "Oh, I understand, Your Majesty. You mean to find some scapegoats!"
"Who said anything about scapegoats!" A thunderous voice interrupted, and the hall doors were flung open. A robust, white-haired old Titan clad in full military garb strode in. Solon's face fell upon seeing him; it was their mentor, the head of the Titan Senate, who had taught him and his brothers, Tidus and Tyrrel.
Solon hurried forward, greeting him with the utmost respect, "Teacher, what brings you here?"
"I heard someone killed your brother, so I came to see for myself!" The old Titan marched into the hall, followed by one of Tyrrel's loyal generals and a fully armored guard.
Solon glanced at the general's hostile face, then turned back to the old Titan with a smile, "Unexpectedly, you've heard too. I was planning to report to you once the investigation was complete!"
"No need for more words, which one is Tyrrel?" The old Titan walked to the bodies, eyeing the three giant corpses on the ground.
"I don't know, they're all similar in stature, and the fire has made it impossible to tell," Solon answered helplessly.
"Besides Tyrrel, who are the other two?" the old Titan pressed, his gaze fixed on Solon.
"They're Tyrrel's guards. There were two standing guard outside his room. General Stark would know better than I!" Solon deflected to the general following the old Titan.
"Yes, Your Excellency," Tyrrel's loyal general Stark spoke up, "Indeed, there were two guards outside His Highness's room, along with his beloved dog Kadarin."
"Tyrrel always did love dogs," the old Titan sighed. Suddenly, he frowned, turning to Solon and Stark, "But why, with such a fire, did the dog not bark? Did no one hear it?"
"I was too far from Tyrrel's room to hear anything," Solon spread his hands.
"I asked the patrolling soldiers at the time, and no one heard the dog," General Stark affirmed, exchanging a glance with the guard beside him.
"Were there any suspicious persons nearby?" the old Titan continued to probe.
"Only one servant had been to Tyrrel's room," Stark said, casting a cold glance at Solon.
Solon quickly added, "Yes, teacher, we suspect that servant is a prime suspect. Not only him, but two soldiers have also disappeared without a trace. I suspect they were bribed, used poison to knock out my brother and his dog, then set fire to burn them, trying to create the illusion of an accidental fire."
"Who do you think bribed them to kill Tyrrel?" The old Titan's scrutinizing gaze landed on Solon, who replied calmly, "I wouldn't dare to speculate. But Tyrrel made many enemies over the years, otherwise, our father wouldn't have sent him to the distant Hurricane City."
The old Titan stared at Solon for a while before nodding lightly, "Regardless, I want you to find the real murderer quickly. There have been too many misfortunes in the Titan royal family lately. First, your father's accidental fall from a cliff, then your brother Tidus's murder in the wilderness, and now the killer is still at large."
The old Titan sighed deeply, "Too many tragedies have unsettled the people below; this cannot continue."
"Rest assured, teacher. I swear on the honor of the Titans' ancestral monarchs, I will find the murderer of my brothers and avenge them!" Solon stepped forward, supporting the old Titan with determination.
The old Titan nodded in satisfaction and left the hall with Solon's help, the two Titan generals and the guard following behind, heading toward the reception room.
As the door closed, Grayson and the others emerged from the shadows. The hall was empty. Katheren turned to Grayson and Andros, "That Solon is such a liar. He killed his own brother and yet he dares to swear on the honor of past monarchs!"
"That's not important. What's important is the key points they've just revealed," Grayson said thoughtfully. "First, the old Titan general raised a question: why didn't anyone give a warning when the fire broke out in Tyrrel's room? There were two guards outside the door and a dog inside, yet no one knew until the bodies were burned beyond recognition."
He looked at the contemplative expressions of the two and continued, "Secondly, Tyrrel was a great general, skilled in combat. Solon couldn't possibly have sent an ordinary servant to assassinate him. Even if the two guards at the door were caught off guard and killed, it's unlikely that two guards and a servant could easily subdue Tyrrel, let alone a dog."
"Perhaps those two guards and the servant were assassins nurtured by Solon, disguised as soldiers and servants to commit the act, then vanished without a trace," Andros hypothesized.
"If we were those three assassins, how would we carry out the assassination plan without anyone noticing?" Grayson asked, looking back and forth between the two.
He didn't wait for an answer, continuing, "First, the servant enters the room. According to Solon, he uses the food and drink to knock out Tyrrel and his dog with poison, which isn't difficult. Common potent poisons may not kill a Titan, but they can knock them out."
Andros and Katheren nodded in agreement, and Grayson went on, "Then, two assassins disguised as soldiers kill the guards outside the door, enter the room, and assist the servant in lighting the fire to burn Tyrrel and his dog to death."
Grayson paused, a puzzled look on his face, "But why burn Tyrrel with fire? If the fire were discovered, their actions could be exposed, and Tyrrel might be rescued!"
He looked up at the giant corpses beside him, "They could have used a simpler method. Wystan had already obtained the Treasured Serpent's venom, lethal to Titans. Why not just poison Tyrrel directly instead of using ordinary poison to knock him out? And why not simply cut his throat with a sword after he was unconscious?"
Andros and Katheren exchanged looks, Grayson's questions clearly making Solon's previous statements seem contradictory and full of holes.
"Also," Grayson pointed at the Titan corpses, turning back to the two, "I checked the oral cavities of the three bodies earlier and found no signs of high-temperature burns or soot, indicating their mouths were closed while being burned. Only the dead would keep their mouths shut during a fire!"
He dropped his hand, gazing at them, "So the question is, why did the murderers burn the bodies? Their goal was to kill, and they should have left quickly after the deed. Why waste time burning the bodies? What exactly were they trying to cover up?"
"You mean, this case isn't as straightforward as it seems?" Andros asked, furrowing his brow at Grayson.
"Exactly," Grayson nodded slightly, then suddenly looked up, "Earlier they mentioned Tyrrel had a dog with him. Do you know where the dog's body is?"
"I saw it being carried away by Titan soldiers when I arrived at the scene," Andros replied.
"Let's go, we'd better find it," Grayson said, heading towards the hall door, "Last time, I told you the dead can speak. Now, I'll say it again: dead dogs can speak too."
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone