Roys mana was fully replenished once he exited meditation six hours later, much to his relief. If he couldnt fully replenish his mana in one session, thatd make Guided Arrows useless in battle, since he would also have to spend mana on signs in the future.

He washed himself up before traveling to the palace. Dennis was already waiting for him, and together they went to the servants room. Roy wanted to look into the third victim that day.

On their way there, the duo came face to face with a few knights in shining armor, literally. The knight taking the lead was none other than the orders captain Cleveland. He was accompanied by two burly knights, and all of them looked frustrated. Roy could hear Cleveland cursing under his breath as they walked by them.

Curses. The wanted posters been hanging for days, but nobody managed to get anyone at all? The orders going to lose favor with his majesty at this rate. Hell, we might even get chased out of Ellander.

Calm down, Captain Cleveland. The portraits too vague for anyone to see. I can understand why nobodys turning anybody in yet. Besides, Mr. Lethos missing right now. Itll be hard for us to find someone whos deliberately hiding himself in a city this big without a witchers help.

Hold up. What did you say? We need a witcher Thats right! Cleveland looked around, and his eyes lit up at the sight of Roy. Have you found anything, Mr. Roy? He strode to Roy.

The young witcher shook his head. It took Letho two months to track down the killer. I just got here, so dont get your hopes up just yet.

I-I see. Cleveland froze for a moment. But the killer might be on the move again. He sighed. Hes already killed six civilians by now. I know hell kill again.

Im already looking into it, but I need time. Roy noticed someone was staring at him from behind Cleveland. And who might they be?

My partners. Theyre the pillars of the order. This one is Sebastian Beidi, while this one is Simon Patrigadin.

Sebastian was a burly man with a huge scar on his chin, and he looked unapproachable, while Simon had lustrous golden hair that resembled a lions mane and facial features fierce enough to pair with it. Roy could see a blue rose tattoo on Simons exposed neck, but that wasnt the point. The point was Roy recognized their names from Huckles list. Pleasure to meet you, knights. Ill tell you if I find anything, Mr. Cleveland.

Come to us if you need any help, Mr. Roy. Well be happy to assist. Cleveland then shot Dennis a dirty look before leaving them alone.

After the knights had gone away, Roy asked, Is Patrigadin an aristocrats kid?

Why do you ask?

Hes too good-looking to be a knight. And theres something else about him, so Im curious.

Dennis walked straight into the luscious flower bed beside them and took a deep breath. Ive been a guard for many years, and part of my job requires me to look into the noble families and their crests. Patrigadin used to be a big noble family in Nazair, a country south of Cintra, but ever since Nilfgaard conquered it, a part of the family moved to Temeria and stayed there. Their family worked hard for the kingdom and managed to reclaim their status of nobility.

What about the knight with a scar on his chin?

A native of Vizima. Hes a stubborn one. Dispatched to the city along with Cleveland.

You seem to know a lot about the order. Roy wanted to help Huckle out a bit with the case. The official knights, not the disciples.

Ive talked to all the members who got dispatched here. Not many. About twenty of them. Dennis pinched his beard. Had to do it, you know. We guards and them knights are always at loggerheads. Gotta be on the guard in case they try to pull anything funny.

Um, can you look into these people, then? Roy took out the list Huckle gave him. I want to know where they came from, their families, their idiosyncrasies, and their daily lives.

Dennis shot him a curious look, but he took the list without asking any question. Sure. Youve been helping me out with the case, so consider this a bit of repayment. Ill be in touch.

***

The duo finally went to see the guy of the day Alex. He was the roommate and friend of the dead servant, Chasel. And he was also a servant. Alex was wearing a dull brown jacket, blue pants with white stripes, and yellow boots. His face was clean shaved, and he looked slightly feminine. Alex had light makeup on, and his jet-black hair was tied up in a ponytail. Roy could also taste the scent of perfume on him.

For some reason, he reminded Roy of the boy toys kept by the aristocrats. And Alexs voice was soft and shrill, making Roy uncomfortable. The only saving grace was that Alex moved like a man instead of a woman.

Alex was disgusting to Roy, but the young witcher held down his nausea. Im sure the knights have asked a lot of questions, Alex, but thats not what Im here for. I need some different answers.

Dennis was playing the bad cop to make the investigation easier. This is important, so you have to tell the truth. Ill know if youre lying, and you wont get off easily.

O-of course, sir. Ill tell you everything I know. Alex bowed fearfully.

Tell me about your roommate. How did he get along with everyone? Roy stared at him, and Alex looked down at the ground.

He got along with everyone well. Says hi whenever he ran into anyone, and he was a nice guy, too. Never heard of him getting into trouble with anyone.

Was he a criminal, then? Petty thefts count, too. Farquhars case reminded Roy that not everyone was what they claimed to be at first.

No, no, no, sir, the servant answered nervously. Chasel wouldnt take anything from the castle, even if it were the last thing he did. Why, that would cost him his life. Nobody would do it.

Was he a lazy man, then? Did he slack off? Roy wanted to see if the killer had a specific trait in mind when he killed.

No. Quite the opposite, actually. Alex gave it some thought. He was a hardworking man.

Did he have any addictions, then? If the killer is a vigilante, decadence would be the first thing he would punish.

Well Alex hesitated to talk about that.

Is that hesitation, I hear? Dennis looked impatient. Keep any secrets and Ill tell the majesty youre complicit.

Alex quivered in terror. No, please. Ill tell you everything. Chasel Chasel loved to take a bite out of peoples food whenever nobody was looking.

He stole food? Roy and Dennis looked at each other, surprised.

Stealing food wasnt that much of a deal in the castle, but that depended on the situation. If Hereward didnt know about it, then all was well. Even if he did find out about it, he might laugh it off if he were in a good mood. But if he were in a bad mood, say because of a certain serial killer still on the loose for months on end, then he might just kill the servant off.

Dennis wanted to ask more, but he decided against it. I wont tell his majesty about this, so tell me everything you know. Dont worry about it.

Thank you, Mr. Cranmer! Alex was overjoyed and nearly groveled before them. Chasel wasnt a greedy man. He never showed any desire for money or power, but he loved food. And technically, Mr. Roys right. He stole a bit of food he served whenever nobody was looking.

A bit? Thats an understatement, isnt it? Roy asked.

Alex picked his next words carefully. The servants would finish his and her majestys leftovers. Chasel was a glutton, so he ate the most every time.

I see. Roy nodded and waved him down. Alex heaved a sigh of relief before scurrying off.

Roy spent a moment piecing the information he had gotten thus far together. Farquhar was killed because of his greed. Barre was killed because of his sloth. Chasel was killed because of his gluttony. Arthur If I had to say anything about that knight who tried to duel Letho, then I would say he was arrogant. So, pride, huh? We have six victims right now. The numbers not right, but its only a matter of time.

An idea struck Roy. All the crimes the victims had committed could be summed up in one phrase, but Roy found it unbelievable. He massaged his temple as he processed the possibility of that concept. Impossible, he muttered. Thats Christianity through and through. That concept shouldnt exist here. Ive never even heard of it. I might be imagining things, but I need more proof.

If he were truly a native of the witcher world, he wouldnt have even thought of that possibility, but since he used to be an earthling, he had an idea about the bigger picture.

Roy, about what you said earlier You were saying that Chasel was killed because he stole some food? Thats preposterous. Dennis broke his train of thought. He couldnt understand why Roy even posed that question to begin with.

Since Dennis was too short to be the killer, Roy thought he could tell him a bit about his assumption. They came to a quiet room, and Roy said, I think I finally caught on to the killers motives after all this time, but its just a guess.

Its fine. Do tell. Dennis was getting excited. Dont keep it to yourself like your mentor did. Thats going to make things hard.

Lets start off with Tailles. What do you think about him?

Dennis tilted his head. Lofty, arrogant bastard. Then he saw Roy squatting down and wrote Arthurs name on the ground before adding the word pride under his name. Roy looked at him quietly, signaling him to go on.

Think about the way he died. He was kneeling with his heart in his hands. I think the killers trying to tell him to be humble. Roy stopped for a moment to let Dennis process the information.

Next, Farquhar. I looked into his case and found out he did something before his death. He tried to take money from the bank. Roy added the word greed under Farquhars name. But he was killed before he could get away with it. His fingers were sliced off, and his eyes were gouged out. The killer was trying to send a message of self-control.

Chasel the servant snuck food out without anyone knowing. His sin was gluttony. The killer sewed his mouth shut to keep his gluttony in check. Bruce the butcher was a hothead, making wrath his sin. Barres sin was sloth. Boris the Fleetfoot used to be a racing champion, but he spiraled down a path of self-destruction after his loss. He envied his rivals, but he vented all that envy on his horse in the form of torture. His sin was envy.

He couldnt even love himself and stand back up, making him worse than his horse, who stayed by his side until the very end. The killer switched their insides to send a message of love. Twisted, Id say. Roy stopped for a moment. The victims embodied the worst sins of humanity.

Realization struck Dennis, but that only served to shock him more. Youre saying the killers cleansing the world of sins?

These are just petty crimes in most cases, so the killers probably a heretic or an extremist. Hes trying to perform a ritual through bloodshed. And a systematic one, at that. Roys eyes gleamed. He has cleansed six sins so far, so that means theres only one left lust. Thats the last of the seven deadly sins. The killer has one target left.

Wait, Roy. Dennis was intrigued. Whys it seven deadly sins? Care to explain? Why that particular number? Which religion started this?

Youve never heard about the seven deadly sins before?

Dennis shook his head. Im not a theologist, but Ive lived a long life. I had a conversation with a theologist about all the major religions doctrines, but not even one in all the northern kingdoms has the concept of the seven deadly sins. Not Lebioda, not Melitele, not Eternal Fire. Heck, not even small-time religions like Kreve or the Lionheaded Spider ever talked about that concept. The seven deadly sins effectively dont exist here.

Roy spaced out for a moment and smiled dryly. I could have been taking this the wrong way. The killer might just be doing this at random.

Dennis didnt want to douse Roys enthusiasm, so he continued, Maybe I havent been looking into this religion business deep enough. The deaths match your description, and eerily so, I might add. He might just be cleansing the land of the seven deadly sins, just like what you said.

Roy sighed. If not even the Eternal Fire or Kreve have the concept of the Seven Deadly Sins, then whats the reason behind the murders? Why do all the deaths match my assumption? Or could there be a secret religion in the city?

Dennis broke his train of thought again. If the final sin is lust, shouldnt we be keeping an eye out on all the brothels and inns in the city?

Roy pondered on the suggestion. Yeah, but keep it quiet, or the target will know somethings up. Dispatch a guard or two for every brothel and inn, and keep everyone else close to the palace. The deaths happened around this place, and two of the victims were related to the royal family. The killer might pick his final victim from the staff.

I need to make a trip to the temple, so get prepared in the meantime. Roy thought he could find some answers about the lands religions among the sea of books in the temples library, and Jarre the librarian could help him out too.