Capítulo 4: Blue robe
Faced with this scene, Isaac felt his heart sink, the situation taking a turn he hadn't anticipated.
The smell of embers and dust pulled him out of his trance. He observed the scene in front of the house for a few moments before approaching a uniformed police officer.
As he moved closer, the officer suddenly turned around, scrutinizing Isaac with furrowed brows. He stepped forward: "William Moreau, I didn't expect to see you here..."
"You know me?" Isaac asked sincerely.
"You're very well-known..." The police officer ran his hand through his hair, brushing away the ash that had settled there. "And this isn't the first time we've met. I'm Mouri Hercule, commander of the Valoriah investigation team. Hercule is my last name, Mouri is my first. We met a few years ago regarding a case."
Isaac quickly examined Mouri. He was a man in his thirties, with brown hair slicked back, and his bright eyes gave him a sharp look.
He knew William. I need to be more careful. Fortunately, he didn't seem too surprised, their previous encounter must have been superficial, Isaac noted, recognizing the man standing before him.
This was Mouri Hercule, a very famous inspector. His name often appeared in the newspapers. I couldn't dream of anyone better to find out what happened here.
At this point, Isaac feared that the disappearance of the house was due to William. He wanted to confirm the state of his previous body as quickly as possible.
"I didn't recognize you, it's been a long time," Isaac imitated William's usual cold demeanor.
"That's not a problem. May I ask, what brings you here?" Mouri inquired.
Isaac gave an excuse he had prepared earlier: "I was nearby, I needed to procure materials for my research."
It's not unusual for established wizards like William to have material suppliers who wish to remain anonymous in a city like Valoriah.
Moreover, they were in a remote and seldom-frequented neighborhood that Isaac had chosen deliberately to avoid involving strangers in his ritual. In such places, material exchanges are common.
Mouri nodded, accepting Isaac's excuse. "I see, do you have any idea what happened here?"
Isaac shook his head negatively. "No, I came here by chance after hearing that an accident had occurred. I was curious."
Before Mouri could respond, another officer quickly approached and spoke in a restrained voice: "Commander, we've found several items amidst the debris. The building appears to have exploded following a failed high-level magical spell. We also detected traces of magic from a circle."
Mouri nodded, murmuring silently, then gestured for the officer to continue.
The officer seemed to notice Isaac's presence. He asked, "Is it okay to speak in front of a civilian?"
"He's not a civilian, this is William Moreau... Never mind, continue," Mouri replied.
Upon hearing the name, the officer instinctively straightened up and continued: "Well, we've also found the remains of what we believe to be an apprentice from the Rose Academy. We're still working to identify them, but it will be difficult—the body is unrecognizable."
Hearing this, Isaac felt his heart race. He spoke before he even realized: "Let me see the body."
Mouri turned to Isaac, studying him in silence for a few moments before replying: "You're a professor at the Rose Academy; I can't let you see it. The case has taken on a new dimension now that it's connected to the academy. You're no longer qualified to follow it."
Mouri's response was reasonable, yet the officer beside him couldn't help but tremble. William was one of the most influential people in the country. Rumors in the police force suggested that he once made an officer disappear who was investigating him.
However, contrary to the officer's fears, Isaac faced another dilemma. If I use the position of heir to the Moreau family, I could probably see the body and confirm whether it's mine or not.
However, this will make me a suspect. Investigating will make it easy to understand that my visit here isn't coincidental; it could even reveal that I've taken over this body. In that case, I can't imagine what the Moreau family would do to me.
William is a manipulator who doesn't want people to see his dark side. He probably wouldn't have acted publicly either...
Let's not take any risks for now.
Isaac, in William's body, turned to the police officer: "How did you confirm it was a student from the academy if the body is unrecognizable?"
The officer glanced at Mouri, seeking his superior's approval. Mouri nodded.
"We found a dark blue apprentice robe on the body. It was in bad condition, but the protective spells applied to it preserved it enough to identify it as belonging to a student of the Rose Academy."
The officer paused before adding: "We also found a crumpled journal from August 23rd in one of the robe's pockets. The other pockets seemed empty."
Isaac nodded, the doubt slowly fading. The elements reported by the officer matched what he thought. The body found was likely that of a young man: his own.
Mouri spoke in an indifferent tone: "Very well, I will examine all of this myself. In the meantime, extend the security perimeter and don't allow anyone into the neighborhood. Also, send a message to headquarters to inform them of the situation."
"William, you can't stay here either. You will see the progress of the investigation in the newspapers... You will be informed anyway since it concerns the Rose Academy."
Isaac didn't argue, and after bidding Mouri farewell, he turned back, retracing his steps, his mind in a chaotic state.
Behind him, Mouri, in his blue police uniform, watched him with a scrutinizing gaze.
William Moreau... This is strange... He slipped his hand into his pocket, pulling out a pen he began to twirl between his fingers.
The journal from August 23rd... I remember the main article was about William. Conveniently, it's in the victim's pocket. There can't be that many coincidences. From the beginning, Mouri had harbored doubts about William's presence at the scene of the accident.
However, I deliberately let him hear details about the case, but his reactions weren't those of a criminal returning to the scene of the crime, no... He seemed surprised by the explosion and the death of a person, but he wasn't surprised to learn that it was potentially one of his students...
A picture slowly began to form in Mouri's mind as he climbed over the debris to enter the ruined house.
He finally spotted a charred body emitting the smell of burnt flesh. As announced by his subordinate, the body was indeed unrecognizable; some of his men who had entered with him even turned away.
Suddenly, the commander's eyes darkened even more than the night, and the atmosphere around him grew heavy, making the space suffocating. His men, used to it, stepped back slightly, giving their commander the space needed to examine the scene.
After a few tense seconds, Mouri's eyes returned to their usual brown color, and he exhaled before addressing his men:
"Inform headquarters that this is the body of a woman between 20 and 25 years old. She weighed between 55 and 60 kilos."
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