Chapter 4: Keeping Secrets

Chapter 4: Keeping Secrets

Emlyn fell silent for two seconds, lowered the chin he had unconsciously raised, and asked,

“Which… one is it?”

To him, angels were certainly worthy of awe, but what truly made him lower his head was that every great figure of the Sanguine who could be addressed as He was a witness to, and participant in, the long history of their race. They were the source of his pride.

“I don’t know. In short, you’ll be informed when the time comes.” Kasimi Odra shook his head.

…Coming because of the Ancestor’s revelation? Bringing follow-up instructions? Why didn’t the Ancestor directly give me a revelation? That would be even more hidden. I’m the Sanguine chosen by Him! Is this to avoid provoking Mr. Fool? One question after another flashed through Emlyn’s mind, and he answered them himself.

He said nothing more. Putting on his top hat, he left the Odra family’s villa.

At the entrance, he glanced at the bright sun that the thin clouds could not fully block. Curling his lip in distaste, Emlyn raised a hand to hold down his hat brim, lowered his head, and went straight for the hired carriage at the street corner, muttering inwardly,

“This kind of weather really isn’t suitable for going out!

“The medicine The World wants doesn’t use any rare materials. It’ll only take fifteen minutes to prepare… Mm, the materials I ordered earlier should all arrive today. The transaction I’ve delayed with Miss Magician for several days can finally proceed…”

…

Backlund, Cherwood Borough.

Fors arranged bottle after bottle of glass medicine vials on the altar. Looking at liquids that were either pale blue or golden, she inexplicably felt the pleasure of shopping.

“They look more tempting than cocktails. I wonder what they taste like. They might feel even better with some ice… What am I thinking? These are medicines!” Fors spat at herself and hurriedly began tidying the room.

After obtaining these medical potions, she had completed all preparations for the trip to the abandoned castle in Delaire Forest. Now she only needed to wait for Xio to return!

After organizing everything, Fors collapsed onto the sofa. As she casually picked up a few newspapers, she planned out today’s schedule:

“We’ll set off at dusk. We should reach the small town at the forest’s edge around dinnertime…”

While muttering soundlessly to herself, Fors flipped to an issue of Sea News.

Suddenly, her gaze sharpened, and a familiar name reflected in her pupils:

Gehrman Sparrow!

The adventurer had appeared at sea again. Together with a middle-aged man called the Death Consul, he had boarded the Black Tulip and killed Hell Admiral Ludwell, changing the composition of the Seven Pirate Admirals once more.

“…” Fors subconsciously patted her chest, though she did not know what she was feeling grateful for.

In that instant, she inexplicably felt that Gehrman Sparrow’s experiences were legendary enough to be written into a novel!

Unfortunately, he isn’t someone easy to deal with. Otherwise, I could work part-time as a biographer and publish a book about him… Haha, if I really wrote Gehrman Sparrow, I would definitely be watched by official Beyonders… Fors amused herself with these thoughts, then heard the sound of a key entering the lock.

She raised her head and saw Xio push open the door and step into the living room.

“You’re back so early?” Fors asked in surprise.

Xio rubbed the right side of her blond hair.

“I met with MI9 again and accepted a mission.”

“What mission?” Fors turned over and sat up, asking with considerable curiosity.

Xio casually tossed herself into the armchair.

“To investigate the origins of the mad adventurer Gehrman Sparrow.

“The information MI9 provided shows that the name used by this terrifying Beyonder is fake, and his identity documents are fake as well. Their source is in Backlund.

“They suspect Gehrman Sparrow has another identity here, and that he has accomplices or collaborators.”

When Fors heard the word accomplices, the corner of her mouth twitched uncontrollably. She very much wanted to tell Xio that MI9’s guess was correct: Gehrman Sparrow’s accomplice was sitting right across from her.

She coughed lightly and asked, pretending to be calm,

“Why are they investigating Gehrman Sparrow’s origins?

“Did he do something again?”

Xio glanced at the stack of newspapers beside Fors.

“You haven’t read today’s Sea News yet?

“Gehrman Sparrow killed Hell Admiral Ludwell and has been called the strongest adventurer of the Five Seas.

“Right, the people from MI9 also told me that Gehrman Sparrow is very likely a believer of that hidden existence called The Fool. That information has come from several channels, including the Aurora Order, and there are also traces of the Rose School of Thought.”

I can prove that part… They’re right… Fors forced a smile.

“That sounds rather dangerous.”

“Mm.” Xio nodded. “I only plan to gather intelligence. I won’t investigate too deeply.”

Fors did not continue the subject. Instead, she said,

“I’ve prepared the medicine. Shall we go to Delaire Forest today?”

Xio had become a Sequence 7 Interrogator a few days earlier and had gained the very useful ability of Psychic Piercing.

“Good.” Xio stood with decisive action. “Let’s leave now.”

“Ah? Can’t we wait a while? I was thinking dusk…” Fors resisted slightly.

She always wanted to delay until the final moment.

Before long, she had brought all sorts of items and was dragged out of their rented home by Xio. They climbed into a hired carriage and headed for a nearby subway entrance.

Amid thunderous whistles, a massive steam locomotive dragged its winding iron-black body into the station and stopped beneath the light of gas wall lamps on both sides.

Fors and Xio stood outside one of the carriages and patiently waited for the passengers ahead to get out.

Suddenly, they saw a pair of red gloves.

The owner of those Red Gloves was a man in his thirties, wearing a white shirt and a black windbreaker. His collar stood very high, covering his chin and lips.

He had dark-green eyes, golden-brown temples, and carried a silver-white case whose length and width were enough to hold a violin.

Fors and Xio glanced at one another, then each lowered their eyes and stared at the tips of their shoes.

…

As a high-ranking deacon of the Nighthawks of the Church of Evernight, one of the twenty-two powerful figures in the upper echelon of the Church, and one of the three giants of the Red Gloves, Crestet Cesimir was not someone who cared about pomp. He liked traveling alone, using the transportation of common people, presenting himself like an ordinary member of the clergy.

After switching to another subway line and arriving in the North Borough, he took a hired carriage all the way to Saint Samuel Cathedral, where he met the Archbishop of Backlund Diocese, Saint Anthony Stevenson.

“I will need to trouble you for assistance over the next period of time,” Cesimir said after they exchanged greetings and praised the Goddess. He found a seat and sat down.

The archbishop, his face clean and his body dressed in a black robe with red trimming, also sat down. After considering his words, Anthony asked,

“Is it related to Ince Zangwill?”

“Yes.” Cesimir nodded slightly. “The Holy See asked me to tell you that another servant of the Goddess, the abbess of the Evernight Cloister, Madam Arianna, will also be coming to Backlund soon.”

This ascetic ranked first among the thirteen archbishops.

Without waiting for Saint Anthony to ask, Cesimir explained in detail:

“Madam Ilya learned many important details from the spirit Ince Zangwill left behind. These include the details of how, after his mental state developed problems, he was used by 0-08 to flee, and how he cooperated with the royal family and the Demoness Sect…

“After plotting the Great Smog, Ince Zangwill suffered a backlash from 0-08 and was possessed by the Red Angel evil spirit that survived from the Fourth Epoch. He went to the Southern Continent alone, attempting to set up a trap and hunt Madam Ilya.

“The most important point here is that Ince Zangwill’s memories contain a very important underground ruin northwest of Backlund, somewhere along the section of the Tussock River before it flows into this district.

“My mission is to locate that ruin.”

Saint Anthony listened quietly, then asked thoughtfully,

“Ince Zangwill didn’t know the exact location?

“He had never gone there?”

Cesimir shook his head.

“He had entered, but always under someone else’s guidance. He did not possess the key information.”

Saint Anthony gave a soft “mm,” then asked,

“Have we determined which group within the royal family cooperated with Ince Zangwill?”

“No.” Crestet Cesimir paused briefly. “According to normal logic, whether the collaborator was disguised or not, since they met face-to-face, corresponding memory fragments should definitely remain. But in Ince Zangwill’s spirit body, not the slightest trace of that aspect can be found, as if it never existed.”

“Perhaps it is the influence of a contract. And if it could make a Sequence 4 demigod completely unable to resist, then the source of the contract’s power is worthy of attention.” Saint Anthony gave a very slight nod.

After some thought, he added,

“The previous telegram did not describe much. I don’t know the details of what happened. Who exactly killed Ince Zangwill?”

Crestet Cesimir slowly exhaled.

“A name you would never dare believe: Klein Moretti.”

“The Nighthawk member who died in the line of duty during the Tingen incident?” The wrinkles on Anthony’s forehead deepened at once.

“Yes. That was what Ilya reported. No one knows why Klein Moretti, who was only Sequence 8 at the time, came back to life, nor why, in less than a year, he was able to kill Ince Zangwill, who was a demigod holding 0-08…” At this point, Cesimir’s expression became slightly strange. “The Holy See instructed us to keep this information strictly confidential. It must not be leaked to anyone below archbishop or high-ranking deacon. Moreover… moreover, we are not to investigate Klein Moretti. We are to treat it as if he has been lying in his grave all along.”

Saint Anthony fell silent for a few seconds. Then, as though remembering something, he nodded almost imperceptibly.

“Perhaps this is… a favored one of the Goddess.”

Cesimir abruptly raised his head and looked at Saint Anthony as if staring at a lunatic.

His lips moved a few times, but in the end, he said nothing.

Anthony did not continue the topic. He glanced toward the door and said solemnly,

“Your mission may require a great deal of searching. That will need sufficient manpower. Mm, Soest’s team has completed their mission in the Southern Continent. I’ll have them return as quickly as possible and follow your arrangements.”

“Good.” Crestet Cesimir had no objections.

…

“Rest for a day, then return to Backlund?” Leonard raised his head and looked at the team captain, Soest.

Soest looked at him with pity, seeing how silent he had been for quite some time, and nodded.

“Yes.”

After watching the Spirit Warlock leave his room, Leonard sighed silently and leaned back against the wall.

Just then, crimson light abruptly surged before his eyes, completely engulfing him before he could react.