950 Keeping Secrets (2/2)
She often wished to procrastinate until the last moment.
Before long, she was pulled out of their rented apartment by Xio while bringing all kinds of items along. They got a rental carriage and headed for the metro.
Amidst the sonorous whistle of the steam engine, the massive steam locomotive hauled its meandering body and entered the platform. Under the illumination of the wall lamps on both sides, it stopped.
Fors and Xio stood outside a carriage and waited patiently for the passengers to alight.
Suddenly, they saw two Red Gloves.
The owner of the Red Gloves was a man in his thirties. He wore a white shirt with a black trench coat. His collar was raised up high, covering his chin and mouth.
He had a pair of dark-green eyes with golden-brown sideburns. He held a silver chest that was big enough to put a tiny violin in it.
Fors and Xio exchanged looks as they lowered their gaze, staring at their toes.
…
As a high-ranking deacon of the Church of Evernight's Nighthawks, one of the twenty-two members of power in the Church, and one of the three bigwigs of the Red Gloves, Crestet Cesimir wasn't someone who cared about parading himself around. He enjoyed traveling alone, taking the transportation that commoners took, making him appear like an ordinary clergyman.
After transferring to another line, he eventually arrived in North Borough. He then took a rental carriage and headed straight for Saint Samuel Cathedral where he met Backlund diocese's archbishop, Saint Anthony Stevenson.
After greeting each other and praising the Goddess, Cesimir found a seat and said, ”I'll be troubling you to provide me with some help for the next couple weeks.”
The clean-shaved archbishop, Anthony, in his black robe with red accents sat down as well. He deliberated before asking, ”Is it something to do with Ince Zangwill?”
”Yes.” Cesimir nodded slightly. ”The Holy See wishes that I inform you that another servant of the Goddess, the matron of the Evernight cloister, Ma'am Arianna, will be in Backlund not long from now.”
This ascetic was ranked first among all the thirteen archbishops.
Without waiting for Saint Anthony's inquiry, he explained in detail, ”Ma'am Ilya learned plenty of important information from Ince Zangwill's remnant spirit, including his mental problems that 0-08 used to escape, as well as the details of his cooperation with the royal family and the Demoness Sect…
”After machinating the Great Smog of Backlund, Ince Zangwill was betrayed by 0-08 and had ended up being possessed by the Red Angel evil spirit. He headed for the Southern Continent alone in an attempt to set up a trap to hunt Ma'am Ilya.
”An important point to take note of is, that in Ince Zangwill's memories, there is a very important underground ruin. It's in the northwestern outskirts of Backlund, an area just before the Tussock River flows in.
”My mission is to find that ruin.”
Saint Anthony finished listening in silence before asking in thought, ”Ince Zangwill doesn't know of the exact location?
”He has never been there before?”
Cesimir shook his head.
”He had entered, but he was led in there and didn't grasp the required key information.”
Saint Anthony tersely acknowledged before asking, ”Have you figured out which batch of people from the royal family that Ince Zangwill was working with?”
”No.” Crestet Cesimir paused and continued, ”Based on normal logic, regardless of whether the partners donned disguises, if they meet, there should be the corresponding memory fragments, but inside Ince Zangwill's Spirit Body, there were no traces of that. It was as though it never existed.”
”Perhaps it's an influence of a deed. The source of the deed's power that even a Sequence 4 demigod can't resist is something worth paying attention to.” Saint Anthony nodded very slightly.
He thought and said, ”The telegram didn't include much. I do not know the exact sequence of events. Who exactly killed Ince Zangwill?”
Crestet Cesimir exhaled slowly and said, ”A name you might never believe, Klein Moretti.”
”The Nighthawk who died in the line of duty during the Tingen incident?” Anthony's wrinkles deepened.
”Yes, that's what Ilya sent back. No one knows how Klein Moretti, who was only a Sequence 8, had resurrected, or how he could kill Ince Zangwill, a demigod wielding 0-08…” Upon saying this, Cesimir's expression turned somewhat odd. ”The Holy See requests us to strictly keep this intel confidential. We are not to divulge this to anyone who isn't an archbishop or high-ranking deacon. Furthermore, we are not to pursue Klein Moretti, pretending as though he's still in his grave.”
Saint Anthony fell silent for a few seconds as though he recalled something trivial. He nodded and said, ”Perhaps, he's a Blessed of the Goddess…”
Cesimir suddenly looked up at Saint Anthony as though he was a lunatic.
His lips quivered, but he ultimately didn't say a word.
Anthony didn't continue the topic as he looked at the door and said sternly, ”Your mission might need plenty of investigations. This requires enough manpower. Hmm, Soest's team has completed their mission in the Southern Continent. I'll get them to return quickly and follow your instructions.”
”Alright.” Crestet Cesimir didn't put up any objections.
…
”Rest for the remainder of the day before returning to Backlund?” Leonard looked up at team captain, Soest.
Soest looked pitifully at Leonard, who had been silent for quite some time, and nodded.
”That's right.”
After watching this Spirit Warlock leave his room, Leonard sighed and leaned against the wall.
At this moment, dark red light surged out from before his eyes, enveloping him completely without any prior warning.