Chapter 438: All Sides

The northern region of the Kingdom of Loen, Winter County.

A towering Gothic-style black church stood amidst snow-covered mountains, occupying an expansive area.

In front of it was a sheer cliff, and all around was an endless expanse of white, devoid of any sound.

This was the headquarters of theChurch of the Evernight Goddess—Cathedral of Serenity, also known as theSanctuary.

Leonard Mitchell, with his dark hair and emerald green eyes, wore a black trench coat and red gloves. He was walking out of the town's post office at the foot of the mountain, intending to return to theCathedral of Serenitybefore nightfall.

Just as he reached the town's exit, he brushed past a man wearing a hooded ceremonial robe embroidered with intricate patterns and donning a wavy, long wig.

Leonard instinctively felt that this figure was somewhat familiar. However, when he stopped and carefully observed, he confirmed that it wasn't someone he knew.

He shook his head and sighed silently:

My memory seems to be getting worse.

I keep mistaking strangers for you guys...

This wasn't the first or second time such a thing had happened, so Leonard didn't pay much attention. He turned and was about to continue walking out of the town.

At that moment, he slightly tilted his head, as if he had heard something. He stopped again and quickly turned around, scanning for the man he had seen earlier, but found nothing.

"Old man, are you serious? That man had someone else with him? But why didn't I see her?" Leonard whispered under his breath as he searched the street with his gaze.

A slightly aged voice immediately echoed in his mind:

"Ever since you learned about theParasite, you've become more and more impolite...

I suggest you give up. If I'm not mistaken, the woman you missed noticing is a Saint of theSpectatorpathway."

"A Saint of theSpectatorpathway? Why would she come to Nighthaven Town?" Leonard asked, puzzled, but he heeded the advice and did not pursue further.

"How would I know? But considering this is theSanctuaryof theChurch of the Evernight Goddess, she's certainly not here to cause trouble," the aged voice replied with a chuckle.

"True... Such matters aren't for me to worry about." Leonard laughed self-deprecatingly and then asked, "Does theSpectatorpathway have stealth-like abilities?"

"It's nottrue invisibility, but a psychological effect that makes you fail to notice them," the aged voice explained.

"Old man, you seem very familiar with this ability."

"Of course, I've stolen and used it before."

...

In a two-story building in Nighthaven Town, Dunn Smith removed his disguise and the wig from his head, hanging them neatly on a coat rack. He sighed deeply and muttered in a low, steady voice:

"Leonard actually joined theRed Gloves... That's so unlike him... It seems what happened in Tingen really impacted him deeply."

After a brief moment, his sharp gaze fell upon the gently swaying rocking chair not far away. His expression turned serious as he asked:

"Miss Closfia, are you certain the murderer who killed forty-three people is hiding in Nighthaven Town?"

"I'm sure... I guess he thinks the most dangerous place is the safest. Unfortunately, he doesn't realize that a servant of the Evernight Goddess is practicing here and already knows of his crimes," a woman with long, golden curly hair appeared lazily from the shadows, casually reading a book as she spoke.

"A servant of the Goddess?" Dunn was visibly surprised.

If a servant of the Goddess already knew of the murderer's presence, why wait for me to handle it? Moreover, the relationship between the Church of the Earth Mother and the Church of the Evernight Goddess isn't particularly harmonious. Why would this servant allow Miss Closfia into Nighthaven Town?

"You are the loyal guardian of the Goddess in the night. Why worry about this?" Miss Closfia, orMiss Sloth, naturally noticed the doubts of hertool, smiling as she explained, "The man openly claims to be a devout follower of the Goddess, has donated large sums to the Church, and holds significant influence. Without sufficient evidence of his crimes, the Church cannot act openly."

"So, this is when arighteous herobecomes necessary?" Dunn said thoughtfully. At the same time, he confirmed that Closfia and the servant of the Goddess likely knew each other well; otherwise, they wouldn't have been able to handle this situation.

"But you must be careful... Because we're near theSanctuaryof theChurch of the Evernight Goddess, I won't be able to assist you today. And you'll have at most five minutes." Closfia put down her book, her tone uncharacteristically serious.

"I understand." Dunn nodded, his gray eyes deep and resolute.

...

About an hour later, following a storm of"Light", a man in his forties fell from mid-air like a broken puppet. The building beneath him, already half-collapsed, crumbled completely under the impact.

His limbs were mangled and torn. If not for the vest he wore absorbing some of the force, he would have been shredded by the"Light".

Wearing red and gold armor, Dunn descended. He activated a"Guidance"charm handed to him by Miss Closfia and asked the man in a deep voice:

"Why did you kill those forty-three people?"

"Because... to silence them..." the man stammered weakly.

"Why silence them?"

"I killed my partners and their families... We discovered a ruin near the Indore Port waters in Feysac...

Suspected to be a dragon's ruin... But there was a ritual circle set up with"Five-Colored Glorious Stones"... We couldn't go deeper...

To keep this secret and claim the treasure for myself, I... I killed everyone who knew about it... But I felt guilty... So I came to Nighthaven Town, to the place closest to the Goddess, to confess my sins..."

After extracting details about the ruin's location and general circumstances, Dunn ended the man's life.

The dream shattered abruptly. The crumbled building returned to its original state. Only the man was truly dead—his body intact, his face peaceful.

Leaving records of the man's crimes and his own symbol, Dunn departed into the night.

Ten minutes later, aRed Glovessquad arrived at the scene.

...

Backlund

Night had fallen in Backlund.

In a card room at theBravehearts Baron Iron Gate Street, Maric, dressed in a white shirt and black vest, was playing Texas Hold'em with a group of zombies.

At that moment, Jane, wearing a hooded black robe, pushed open the door. She scanned the room briefly before tapping one of the zombies on the shoulder, silently commanding it to give up its seat. Without hesitation, she sat down in the now-empty chair.

Maric's pale face remained expressionless, but he tilted his chin slightly upward, speaking in his usual low, gloomy voice:

"When didSpirit Mediumsstart being able to control zombies?"

After the previous battle with theRose School of Thought's indulgence faction, Jane had resolved much of her inner conflict. Her attitude towards Maric and Sharon had also softened somewhat.

On the surface, it simply seemed like they were becoming more familiar with each other...

"Spirit Mediumscan't, butSpirit Guidescan." Jane responded casually. She then carefully scanned the surroundings and asked with a hint of confusion, "Where's Sharon?"

She was wearing theHand of Mysteries, an artifact that allowed her to see theThreads of Spirit, and thus, she could confirm that theWraith Ladywas not present.

"Spirit Guide? So you've advanced... That was quick..." Maric muttered, a flicker of daze crossing his pale face.

The little girl in front of me was someone I personally led onto the path of Beyonders just a few months ago. How has she already advanced to Sequence 6?

And honestly... I might not even be her match in combat...

Maric sighed inwardly, pushing the thought away and changing the topic. "Sharon had something to deal with... Are you looking for her?"

"Sharon's been so busy lately... She hasn't been around for several nights." Jane muttered under her breath before organizing her thoughts and saying, "I'll be heading to the Southern Continent soon to handle something for that lady... I wanted to check if you two need anything done there."

She knew that both Maric and Sharon were originally from the Southern Continent and had been unable to return due to the relentless pursuit of theRose School of Thought.

Maric fell silent for a moment. Then, suppressing the emotions flickering in his eyes, he said quietly, "If possible... check on a few of our friends' families. If you can help them, please do."

He picked up a piece of paper and a pen, scribbled down a few names and addresses, and handed them to Jane.

Without the help of those companions, Sharon and I would never have escaped the pursuit, nor would we have survived long enough to receive aid from that lady... But after helping us, they were undoubtedly targeted for retaliation by the Rose School of Thought.

"Alright." Jane didn't say much more. She simply accepted the paper solemnly and carefully put it away.

...

Western District, 9 Bellotto Street, MI9 Headquarters

An elegant and mature man in a neatly pressed formal suit walked into Princess Vera's office. Smiling faintly, he addressed the sharp-eyed princess:

"Vera, there's a task for you. If everything goes smoothly, once it's done, you should have enough merit to apply for theImperative Magepotion."

From his tone and demeanor, it was clear that this man was also a member of the Loen royal family—and one of higher seniority than Vera.

"I'm thebait, aren't I?" Vera raised her head and spoke directly.

Her status and identity were inherently misleading, making her the perfect choice as bait.

"Vera, being too clever isn't always a good thing... Nor is being too direct." The man shook his head with a smile before continuing, "But don't worry. While you're bait, Georgina will be shadowing you in secret. And you're not the only bait in play."

Hearing that a Saint would be accompanying her, Vera's expression turned more serious. She furrowed her brows and asked, "What exactly are we transporting to the Southern Continent? Why can't you simplyTravelthere directly?"

"Travelinghas a higher risk of interception..." the man shook his head again.

At his response, Vera pondered for a moment before asking, "When?"

"Noon this Thursday. A ship will arrive at Pritz Harbor... Additionally, you can bring up to ten subordinates."

(End of Chapter)