Hal was left at a loss for words after that statement, so it was because of a fellow scholar that the curse was stopped once before
This prospect baffled his mind as he stroked his sin gently, his eyes moved to the detective who had taken another sip of his beer and had an appreciative look upon his face.
"So how did the scholar stop the curse exactly?" The detective shook his head slowly, a cheerful glint in his eye.
"You have not yet answered my question whether you knew all I had previously asked.
Hal felt a little bit irritated by Mr Vandinel's words as he simply shook his head, "I thought you would have already been informed about this by now, but alas, I will have to feel you in"
He raised three things signalling the three things he had asked about, and placed one down, saying.
"First, the blue moon. It was long ago, several kings before our own took the throne, the King by then Grafis Van Haverfield started the selection ceremony, and with it the blue moon ascended into the sky, and the disappearances first began, and it was the only thing the blue moon brought us"
Albert extended close to the table, wishing to hear more attentively, which made the detective turn his eyes to him before continuing.
"Every time after the new high count has been chosen, the blue moon settles overhead the city and strikes the new high count with a disease known as the blue moon's curse, and that curse is the reason they die after ten years, causing the selection to start again"
"But why would the kings continue such a tradition if it only led to the death of the nobles after ten years?"
The detective turned his eyes to Hal, who was trying his best to understand that trail of thought.
"They did stop it, actually, but when a new high count selection wasn't started, the disappearances became unpredictable and random, taking anyone, and when the ascended, almost all nobles were struck with the curse"
"So did they die?" Albert sounded like a kid listening to the scariest part of their grandmother's story as the detective answered
"No, the king at the time had no choice but to restart the selection and condemn another noble to the curse, though these days it is considered an honour to be the sacrifice, hence why the role has so much power and influence"
Hal was stunned by such a discovery, but the question still lingered: why only the high count candidates and then, the curse lashes out at everyone else when denied the chance to harvest the candidates.
Hal's eyes widened as a whisper escaped his lips, "The curse did not lash out at everyone; it only went for the nobles. Could there be something special about them, or is there something controlling this phenomenon?"
The detective struck the beer mug with the spoon he found on the table as he cheered Hal for having deduced that outcome.
"Yes, I was also intrigued by how it only went after nobles, and that led me to think there is another force at play, but that left me with the question, what does the mysterious entity want?"
Mr Vandinel raised his hand yet again and brought down another finger
"And that brings us to the cultist known as the blue moon cultists, these fanatics having been roaming the streets of Malentei for years"
Albert interfered with the detective's words as he added a statement of their own
"I heard that there are even some nobles who are part of that group, and just a few years ago, one of them was arrested, only to disappear without a trace the next day"
Mr Vandinel nodded at Albert before proceeding to his own deductions
"I too had many encounters with them, but one moment their there and the other they're gone, though my grandfather did discover a lead about them"
The detective lowered his voice to a whisper as he leaned so that only the three of them could hear
"My grandfather was able to find out that the cultists appear at the house of whoever is about to go missing, but he never saw them actually carry out the kidnapping"
"Could this mean they might know how the nobles are disappearing and maybe what's behind it?" Hal made sure to keep his voice as low as possible as he spoke to avoid any unwanted attention
"That is what I suspect as well, but you heard from your friend Albert, those cultists are the most slippery people in this city, but I believe that I may have a lead on them"
"And what lead may that be?" The detective smiled at Albert before continuing to say, "Forgive me, but I will not disclose my information to you, for it will serve you no purpose"
Albert seemed disappointed and even hurt by Mr Vandinel's words, but what could he do? He was just a poor butler after all
The detective spared the poor butler a glance before leaning back into his seat and stroking his chin, saying
"Either way, I am not sure if this lead will bear fruit, nor who is a cultist or who is not, so for now I'll end our discussion on them and reach the topic you have been most eager for"
Mr Vandinel lifted his hand once more and finally let the last finger fall as he spoke with a mysterious tone in his voice
"The curse and disappearances were once stopped, you know, and it was a scholar who did it, but sadly, we don't know how he did it, but there is a story about it, though"
"And what story may that be?" The detective's smile widened as he again leaned in and made his voice deep and mysterious may be it was to improve the storytelling, or maybe something else, all Hal knew was that the detective's voice sucked him into his imagination as the images played in his mind
The words entered his mouth and blessed Hal's mind with imagination as they lulled him to a trance-like state, each word becoming an image in his mind
"Scholars are hailed for being servants of the lord of stars, seekers of knowledge and adventure and those who have helped the world in desperate times, but they have not always been on the world's side"
It was almost like the images of past scholars were spilling into Hal's mind as he listened intently to the detective's story
"The story says that two scholars came to investigate the disappearances that started in Malentei all those years ago, by the curse did not segregate who it spared, who it took, either noble or common folk, it took them all"
The detective let his voice deepen a little more as Hal felt the story pull him in more.
"But after a while, the two scholars came to a disagreement and parted ways, and that was when the first selection began, and the curse chose its prey, the candidates of this selection"
Each word blessed Hal's ears with a little bit more knowledge as the outcome of this story began to take shape.
"The curse took many from the city, and that is when the scholar of knowledge attacked his counterpart without warning and murdered her in cold blood before going into hiding in a silent spot. Years passed, and the selection came again, and that day he rose to the highest tower and announced,"
Hal felt the hairs on his skin raise as the detective paused for a minute
"That curse has been slayed but has not met its end. We should all beware the king who wishes to paint our world red. He then roared with madness and through himself down to his death"
Albert seemed to shiver in his seat, but Hal was captured by every word, especially "We should all beware the king who wishes to paint our world red"
This was not the first time he had heard this statement, for the mad woman who was plagued with forbidden knowledge spoke of the same
"I see that part has caught your attention as well, Scholar of Fernis" Hal's eyes widened as he turned to the detective with caution in his eyes
"Relax, it was Lady Roxanne who informed me of your role in this world, and it is that very reason that I would like to make you this offer"
The detective pulled out a card from his pocket and placed it on the table. There were cufflinks on top of the card, as the detective soon spoke
"That is a card that will allow you access to the archives of the Congregation of Knowledge, and those cufflinks are a soul-enchanted communication relic that we can use to stay in touch"
The detective leaned back once again "I want you to be my assistant in this case. If a scholar was able to solve the mystery then then another can solve it now"
Hal looked from the card to Mr Vandinel, and at this point, he really didn't want to think about it.. As an answer soon left his lips: "Of course I will, for there is one thing a scholar desires and that is to satiate their never-ending hunger for knowledge"