At dawn, the first rays of morning glow spilled across the land, and the kingdom's leading ministers gathered at Emerald Palace.
Looking at the pile of corpses on the ground, everyone's expressions darkened.
"It probably wasn't suicide. There are two points of suspicion.
"The first: although there were no signs of resistance at the scene, the victims' eyes had been forcibly closed. That should not happen in a suicide.
"There are many ways to kill someone without leaving a trace on the continent. Marquis Millers, Count Roman, and Marquis Gadley were not particularly strong. It would not have been difficult to disguise murder as suicide.
"The second: all three took the same poison. They couldn't possibly have arranged a group suicide, could they?
"Moreover, the poison they used was no ordinary toxin. It was Soul of the Skeleton, the Skull Society's most commonly used poison. After taking it, even the soul would dissipate.
"No normal person would be so ruthless when committing suicide!"
Archbishop Tyron's professional assessment made the matter even more baffling.
Still, Caesar IV found murder easier to accept than suicide. Three key officials he had promoted had betrayed the country at the same time—just how terrible would his judgment of people have to be?
Of course, criticism was still unavoidable. Under normal circumstances, anyone holding such a core position had to be at least a seventh-rank powerhouse.
This was especially true for the Captain of the Palace Guard and the Commander of the Imperial Guard. They were responsible for the king's safety and were generally eighth-rank powerhouses.
If their own strength was insufficient, then when an accident happened, who exactly would be protecting whom?
Clearly, none of the three dead men met the requirements. If they had been powerhouses themselves, they would not have been "suicided" in