I’m currently wandering out in the streets of Corrina Village about an hour after midnight, completely restless. It didn’t matter much, though. Soon enough I’ll be able to rest for eternity. I’ve had enough of this world. Enough of this second life. I just want it to be over already.

 

The moon is full and there are many stars in the night sky. The village seems quiet. Almost too quiet. Despite walking for a few minutes, I haven’t seen the light of a torch or a lantern from anyone. There were no guards in sight.

 

The only things I had in my possession were the bloody clothing I was wearing and the iron dagger on my belt which was covered with Mrs. Frost’s dried blood since I never washed it off back at the bakery. I take the dagger from my belt and look at it under the moonlight. 

 

Maybe I should just stab myself right here and now to get it over with. I put the edge of the dagger an inch away from my neck, but I slowly pulled away. No, this was the easy way out. I had to confess my crime, like I already decided. Everyone had the right to know it was me, and I had to be the one to tell them. Nobody else. 

 

I put the dagger back on my belt and keep going. I was sure to find a guard soon, although it was odd that I hadn’t found one yet. Maybe there were fewer guards patrolling at night than I thought. For the most part, this seemed like a safe village. Well, aside from the fact the common monster invasions I was told about.

 

Everything is quiet for a while, and I still see no guards anywhere. But then I start to hear something. I immediately recoil and stand still, listening carefully. I close my eyes and focus, and I can make out voices. I couldn’t tell what was being said because it was a mixture of different voices. These voices didn’t sound so happy either. Something was definitely going on.

 

I keep pressing forward, and eventually start to hear the commotion much clearer. There are also many torches lit in the crowd. It was more or less an angry mob. I keep walking until I move close enough to blend in with the crowd, and then I listen carefully. 

 

“We need answers, dammit! Who the hell did this, and why did it happen?!” a villager cries. 

 

“That’s right! I won’t rest until I see whoever did this to my wife burn!” said another. 

 

Wife? Oh, no… could this be?

 

“I know that you are all anxious, but please calm down. Me and the rest of the village guards are currently investigating to see what clues we can uncover. Please be patient!” 

 

Those words came from a man dressed in armor from head to toe. He was one of the guards. Probably one of the main guards. His armor looked more distinguished than the rest of the guards I’ve seen in the village thus far. 

 

“I swear to the Creator, I’ll rip apart whoever did this with my bare hands!” 

 

“Mr. Frost, I understand how you feel, but you know that’s not how we do things in this village. Once the culprit is captured, we must give them a fair trial. It’s how we handle every crime, no matter how it may be.”

 

A feeling of dread and guilt is surging through my body as I’m listening to this. Even if I do get a fair trial, what’s the point? It’d just be stalling the inevitable.

 

“I swear, I will have justice. What kind of monster would do this to a sweet, innocent woman?” Mr. Frost cries, losing control of his emotions.

 

The villagers try to comfort Mr. Frost, but he’s completely struck with anger and grief. And it’s all because of me. This was a better time than any to confess my crime. Especially since a great deal of guards and villagers are right here. 

 

I raise my hand up through the crowd. “There’s no need to continue investigating. I know who the culprit is. I know who murdered Mrs. Frost.”

 

The crowd of villagers instantly shuffles around and moves to make myself visible, and I easily get Mr. Frost’s attention.

 

“Huh? You know who murdered my wife?! Who?!” 

 

I slowly grab the dagger attached to my belt and throw it in the middle of the cobblestone street. “I did it. And this before you is the murder weapon. Dried blood is covering it. Blood from your wife…”

 

Mr. Frost goes completely pale and silent for a moment. “Guards… is… is this true? Was my wife stabbed to death? I wasn’t paying attention when I discovered her body because I was hysterical.”

 

The guard from earlier pauses for a moment before finally speaking. “Yes, sir. A couple of my men had already inspected the body. She was indeed stabbed. Many times, as a matter of fact. It was… a horrifying sight.”

 

Mr. Frost lowers his head low and then charges at me. He said nothing, but he didn’t have to speak for me to know how much rage he was feeling.

 

The guards instantly intervened, and right before I was about to get struck head on by the grieving husband, he was pulled back forcefully. I saw the hatred in his eyes as he looked at me, fighting with all his might to get the guards off of him.

 

“Let me go! Let me kill this son of a bitch! Don’t you realize what he’s done?! He’s taken everything from me!”

 

“Calm down! Like I had already told you, this is not how we do things! This is not how we serve justice in the name of the Creator! If what this man says is true, we will be putting him on trial, and he will receive punishment if proven guilty. Until then, you must wait!” the guard says sternly to him, pulling Mr. Frost back even more.

 

“Murderer! Murderer! The Creator will punish you severely! Don’t think you’ll get off easy! I will make sure you suffer!” Mr. Frost yells, his voice echoing as he is being pulled away from the guards. 

 

I stand in silence. This was the anger of a broken man. A man who lost the love of his life. All because of me. I agree with everything he just said; I am going to get punished for what I have done, and I know that it’s going to be bad. I deserve it. I deserve all that comes to me. 

 

After Mr. Frost is taken away, guards surround me, their weapons out. One of them picks up the dagger and puts it away. 

 

“We will arrest this man. The rest of you, please leave. There is still much to investigate. We cannot be sure that this man is the culprit until we have interrogated him thoroughly.” 

 

There’s continuous chatter amongst the villagers who have witnessed everything. Soon enough, the crowd disperses. Some people refused to leave but ended up being forced away by the guards. I was surrounded by five guards, all armed and dangerous. 

 

The head of the guard looks at me slightly before turning to the rest of his men. “Put some bindings on this man and take him to the prison barracks for the night. We’ll start questioning him in the morning when he’s well-rested. He looks exhausted.”

 

I offer no resistance as bindings are placed on my hands. Even if I wanted to resist, there was no way I could. I was outnumbered and too weak. I haven’t slept in hours.

 

The guards forcefully marched me to the prison barracks, which was a pretty lengthy walk. It made me even more tired than I already was. After arriving, I get thrown into one of the cells in the bottom of the barracks. A dungeon. The guards don’t say a word to me as they walk away and the light from their torches grows dim, leaving me in pure darkness.

 

I’m unable to see anything due to the darkness, but the floor is cold and the whole place gave off a terrible odor. I guess this is what it feels like to be a criminal. 

 

There wasn’t much I could do in my current state, so I closed my eyes.

 

 I was undeniably uncomfortable due to being on a cold, hard floor in the dark with my hands bound, but I somehow managed to fall asleep easily.

 

Soon enough, light peaks through. I notice that there’s a small window up above the cell, probably for air. It was better than nothing, I guess.

 

“Shit. It’s morning already?” 

 

I haven’t slept too long. Only three or four hours, but I could tell by the light that the sun was just coming up. It was early morning.

 

I heard banging on my cell, but I couldn’t turn my body well enough to see what was going on. 

 

“Hey! Wake up!” one of the guards says as he continues to bang on my cell. 

 

“I’m awake!” I say instantly. “Good morning, sir.” 

 

The guard ignores my words and opens the cell door with one of his keys. Then he walks in and grabs me to make me stand upright.

 

“Come on, let’s go.” says the guard.

 

“Where are we going?” 

 

“You know where. We’re going to question you. The others are already ready for the interrogation. I hope that you are.”

 

“Yeah, I’ve been ready.”

 

“Hmph. You don’t seem very concerned or uneasy. This is rather usual. Most of the suspects that we detain are cowards, always trying to make it sound like they’re innocent. You’re different, though…” 

 

“Well, I’m definitely not a coward. And I’m telling the truth. I’ve confessed my crime already.” 

 

“Maybe so, but we still must make sure of everything before we even consider setting up a trial for you. Now keep silent and keep moving.” 

 

I stay silent as the guard holds onto my arm, leading the way upstairs. We reach the end of the hallway on the upper floor, and there’s a whole group of guards waiting for us. More than last night. There were at least ten from what I saw at first glance.

 

The guard sits me down at a table, and I’m sitting face to face with the same man from last night. He was definitely the captain of the guard, and he already had ink and a quill at the ready. He was prepared to write down everything I told them. 

 

“So, let’s get this started,” the captain says as he gently dips his quill into the ink. “Before anything, do you sir, swear to tell the absolute truth in the name of the Creator?”

 

I looked at all of the guards that were standing around the table and behind me. “I do.”

 

“Very well. And just so you know, refusing to answer questions will result in consequences.” 

 

Was he talking about torture? 

 

“There’s no need to worry about that. I have nothing to hide. I confessed my crime already, and I’ll tell you what you want to know.” 

 

“Well, good,” the captain nods slowly, “That makes it a lot easier for all of us. So, first question, and it’s pretty straightforward. What is your name, sir?”

 

“I’m Steven. Steven Bale.” 

 

The guard begins to write slowly on a large parchment in front of him and continues: “Okay, Mr. Bale. Tell us exactly who you are. What is your connection to Corrina Village and what is your occupation?”

 

“I don’t really have connections to this village. I’m a wanderer, and I came to the village very recently. Got officially registered with the Adventurers Guild.” 

 

“Do you have your Adventuring License with you? We will need to see that.” 

 

“No, it’s not on me. I currently have zero belongings with me other than my clothing. But you can talk to the guild. They’re familiar with me.”

 

The guard says nothing as he continues to write down what I’m telling him. “Next question. What is your connection to Mrs. Frost? What was your motivation to murder her? Especially in such a brutal way?” 

 

“I barely knew her, and there wasn’t really any motivation. If I had to give you an answer, I suppose it would be anger. Rage consumed me and I couldn’t control it.”

 

“What sparked this anger? Tell us exactly how the murder took place, and what you did afterwards.”

 

“Alright, I’ll tell you the whole story. The murder took place yesterday. It was nearly nightfall by then.The sun was about to set and there weren’t many people out and about. I had just gotten back from my first adventure, which lasted two days.”

 

“And did your adventure involve Mrs. Frost in any particular way?” 

 

“Yes, it did. The adventure involved a delivery with the Frost’s Bakery.” 

 

“So, you delivered goods from the bakery? I won’t press for details concerning what happened on your adventure by the way, so don’t worry about that. Please continue.” 

 

“That’s right, and when I returned to the village, I went to return the Frost’s wagon and horses that were used to help with the delivery. The door to the bakery was locked and there was only a dim light coming from inside. I knocked on the door, and Mrs. Frost opened it. The bakery had just closed, and she was finishing up for the night.”

 

I sigh and collect my thoughts calmly. I was about to get to the horrible part, so I had to keep myself composed. 

 

“I went inside, and we had a short discussion, which later turned into a heated argument. We were arguing over the details of the adventure.” 

 

“I would now like to know what happened on your adventure.” the captain says.

 

“Right… So, I ended up murdering someone on the adventure. But it was justified. I had to do it or else he was going to hurt me and my partner.” 

 

“Partner? You made no mention of a partner until now. Was your partner a witness?” 

 

“Yes, she was a witness to the murder of Mrs. Frost.” 

 

The guards look at each other, but don’t say a word.

 

“Keep telling us about this heated argument of yours, and how it spiraled out of control.” 

 

“We kept going back and forth at each other, and I ended up snapping once she called me a murderer. We ended up getting into a physical fight.” 

 

“Who started this physical fight? 

 

“Mrs. Frost did. She punched me square in the face, and I fell to the ground. It was at that moment that I lost all control. I ended up overpowering her and pushing her away. She was beaten at that point and was struggling to get up. I kept her down. Then I grabbed the dagger. The very same dagger that one of you collected. Well, you can probably guess what happened next. I stabbed her over and over in her chest and neck areas. There was so much blood…” 

 

I felt like I was going to throw up talking about this, but I had to keep cool, no matter what.

 

“After you committed this crime, what happened to your partner? Was she involved? Did she try to help you cover it up?”

 

“After my partner witnessed me killing Mrs. Frost, she ran out of the bakery. The whole time that Mrs. Frost and I were fighting, she was trying to stop us. But I didn’t listen to her. I didn’t even acknowledge her words.”

 

“What is the name of your partner, Mr. Bale?”

 

“Her name is Madeline. She’s a new adventurer, just like me. Only fifteen years old.”

 

“If what you’re telling us is true, we will have to question your partner Madeline about this as well, since you did state she was in fact a witness to the crime. And if what she says matches up with what you’ve told us, then your trial is guaranteed.” 

 

“Yes, I understand.” 

 

“Back to questioning, then. What did you do after you committed the murder?”

 

“I tried to cover it up myself. I didn’t want to risk anyone finding out.” 

 

“You tried to cover it up? That’s rather odd, considering the fact that you outright confessed to this crime…”

 

“That was before I was struck with guilt. The only thing I was focusing on after the murder was covering up all of the evidence. Firstly, my hands were incredibly bloody. I had to take care of that first. I searched around for a key until I finally found it on Mrs. Frost’s body. I unlocked the door to the baking area and found three buckets of water. I used two of the buckets to wash my hands, clothing, and my face. After that, I decided that I was going to get rid of the body somehow. But as I was about to exit the baking area, I heard the front door of the bakery unlocking.”

 

“And what did you do then?” 

 

“I panicked. I turned around and ran as fast as I could to the back of the bakery. Using the key that I collected earlier, I unlocked the door and made my escape. The last thing I heard was the sound of a man screaming. Mr. Frost…”

 

The captain sighs after he writes down what I tell him. “Is that everything? Or is there more that you can tell us?” 

 

“That’s everything regarding the murder. The place is definitely still bloody, like how I left it last night. I thought I would have gotten the chance to clean up all of the blood after disposing of the body, but I never got that chance. The crime scene alone is enough to tell you I did it.”

 

“What did you do after making your escape from the bakery? Where did you go?”

 

“I headed back to the guild for the night and made my report. Then I had a drink and fell asleep. I woke up around midnight and rented one of the rooms in the guild. After that, I decided I couldn’t take it anymore. I had to confess my crime. I couldn’t live with myself. So, I left the guild without saying a word to the receptionist and made my way out onto the streets. That’s when I came across all of the commotion. The crowd.”

 

“Well, it all certainly adds up. From the timing of the events to the overall specific details. But even so, we still need to question your partner before setting up a trial.”

 

“Is that all you need to know from me? I can answer any other questions that you might have.” 

 

The captain looks over the parchment. “I think we have plenty of information for the time being. A couple of my men will go search for your partner and question her. If what she says lines up with what you’ve told us, you will be given a fair trial, like we have already mentioned many times before. In the meantime, you will remain here in the barracks. Men! I think we’re done here. One of you, bring the suspect back to his cell. The rest of you stay here. I will give you your orders.”

 

One of the guards grabs ahold of my arm and leads me back down to the dungeon area on the lowest floor.

 

“Hey, can you remove these bindings already? They’re starting to get really uncomfortable. I’m in a cell, so I can’t really do anything to escape.”

 

The guard stares at me coldly. “No can do. Captain’s orders.” 

 

Of course. Well, I guess I was going to have to bear with it for the time being. I was going to be here for a while, but it wasn’t the first time I’ve been imprisoned… 

 

The memories from the time in the Capital were all flooding back now. Well, this was already much better than when I was imprisoned by those slave traders. I’m not in rags now and I don’t think these people are inhumane enough to allow me to starve. 

 

I lean against the wall and think of everything that happened so far. Confessing my crime made me feel so much better. It felt so good to get this off of my chest. People deserved the truth. I close my eyes in an attempt to get more rest. 

 

The only thing that I can do now is to wait to see what happens next.