"We've arrived."
As the only member of the three-person team who could drive, Leonard had taken on the task of steering the two-wheeled carriage. After three hours traversing country roads, the Nighthawks finally reached the town of Morse.
Klein heard Leonard's call from outside the carriage and pushed open the door, stepping down onto the ground. The sight before him—an expanse of golden wheat fields—drew an involuntary exclamation.
"It's harvest season. How beautiful..."
Leonard set down his whip and jumped from the driver's seat, dusting off his trench coat. Standing beside Klein, his emerald eyes swept across the endless fields. He took a deep breath, as if preparing to recite an impromptu poem befitting the scene.
But after a moment, he only managed to squeeze out: "How beautiful..."
"Inadequate performance, Mr. 'Midnight Poet.'"
A melodious female voice came from behind them. Klein turned to see Angel emerging from the carriage, one hand on the door frame, the other holding the sealed artifact "Mutated Sun Holy Emblem." The emblem emanated a distinctive warmth and purity, like a miniature sun that emitted no visible light. Its radiance made Angel's fair complexion appear even more beautiful and captivating.
"No, she said it was just makeup. It's normal for her to look better than usual..."
Klein thought to himself, his cheeks warming slightly as he averted his gaze.
A middle-aged man approached the trio. Dressed in a black clerical robe, he first traced the Crimson Moon across his chest before speaking.
"Excuse me, are you the friends sent from St. Selena's Cathedral to help us?"
"Yes, you must be Priest Sial," Leonard stepped forward two paces. "We've come specifically to handle the haunting incident."
"It's a suspected haunting incident, sir."
Priest Sial emphasized loudly, then lowered his voice. "My apologies. I don't want the townspeople to panic excessively."
"I understand. But rest assured—handling these matters is what we do." Leonard smiled faintly. He swept open his never-buttoned trench coat and, like a magician, produced bottles of holy water, several strings of garlic, a silver dagger, and an exquisitely crafted Dark Holy Emblem from his inner pockets.
The townspeople who had quietly gathered nearby upon hearing the conversation saw his "professional" preparations and broke into relieved smiles.
This fellow's Sequence 7 shouldn't be 'Nightmare'—he should switch to an 'Actor' pathway, if such a potion sequence even exists.
Watching Leonard's effortless performance, Klein recalled the "sequence swapping" he'd read about in Roselle's diary and couldn't help but inwardly complain.
After quickly dispersing the surrounding townspeople, the three followed Priest Sial to the town's only church—dedicated to the Evernight Goddess, the faith of nearly all the town's residents.
Once they'd settled the carriage, the three Nighthawks quickly filled their stomachs with a simple lunch of bread, bacon, and coffee.
"Six hours have mostly passed. We need to resolve this haunting quickly, then take turns recovering our strength before driving back to Tingen. Otherwise, we'll all turn into fools who can only praise the sun."
Klein wiped his mouth with a napkin and proposed to Leonard, who was currently safeguarding The Mutated Sun Sacred Emblem. The gradually intensifying purification effect was making him feel somewhat overheated. He nodded in agreement.
Beyonders could withstand the artifact's effects for six hours. If they hadn't reached their limit and left its influence for more than an hour, they could return to an unaffected state.
The return journey to Tingen would require three hours.
Leonard distributed the garlic and holy water he'd brought to the other two. The three Nighthawks, looking rather like charlatan mystics, followed Priest Sial to the nearest "haunted location"—the home of an elderly man who lived alone.
The priest knocked on the door. An old man missing his left hand first blocked the doorway with vigilant eyes, peering out. Upon recognizing the town's priest, he hospitably opened the door and welcomed all four inside.
"Thank you for coming all the way from the city. I've been tormented by those mysterious, terrifying footsteps for two nights now. They always remind me of my days in the war..."
Leonard was about to enter when Angel suddenly stepped ahead, blocking him.
From behind, Klein could see Angel's entire back tensing, as if defending against an attack that might come from anywhere.
Then he too sensed the cold aura flowing from the doorway—his own spiritual intuition indicating that a spirit had indeed lingered here.
Leonard's expression grew serious. Watching Priest Sial usher the elderly resident away to avoid interfering with the "exorcism," he said quietly to Klein: "There are definitely traces left by unclean entities here, but they're very weak. Before long, the sealed artifact will eliminate them on its own."
"Now it's your turn. Stall for a few minutes." With that, the Midnight Poet revealed a strange smile and moved aside from the doorway.
Clearly you're the actor...
Klein grumbled internally but hung the Dark Holy Emblem he'd received from Leonard around his chest. With a "pop," he uncorked the glass bottle of holy water and began sprinkling it throughout the house while circling the premises. He then broke open dried garlic cloves—found who knows where—and tossed them piece by piece into the room's corners, muttering under his breath.
"Goddess of the Night..."
"The Crimson Mother..."
"The Lord of Silence..."
He dared not recite the complete prayer, fearing it might draw the Evernight Goddess's attention. If She saw what he was currently doing, She might strike him down with divine punishment before the haunting was even resolved—he'd be dealt with first.
The townspeople watching from nearby found it all quite novel and discussed among themselves in whispers. Some even murmured comments like "I can feel a warm, pure atmosphere surrounding us," and began praising the Goddess, complimenting the big-city priest's professionalism.
"That's The Mutated Sun Sacred Emblem's effect!"
Klein felt like a curly-haired baboon in a circus being judged by spectators. Unable to restrain himself, he interrupted his prayer to mutter his complaint, grabbed the holy water bottle, and vented his frustration by splashing it toward the door and the townspeople, drawing excited exclamations.
He suddenly felt his Clown potion digesting considerably.
...
After several minutes of "performance," Leonard entered the house and nodded subtly, indicating that the surrounding spiritual traces had been completely eliminated by the sealed artifact.
Klein breathed a sigh of relief. He tossed the last few garlic cloves into the corner as the final step of the "exorcism."
"Alright, this house is now 'clean.' We still have one last bit of follow-up work. Please leave temporarily and keep this area quiet."
Angel also addressed the watching townspeople at the door.
Having witnessed these "city priests'" methods, the townspeople raised no objections and obediently departed. Even the homeowner left with Priest Sial, standing at a distance.
"Good. You need to divine the cause, right?"
After closing the door, Angel asked Klein.
Such good cooperation!
Klein mentally gave his teammate a thumbs-up. He wrote down his divination statement on white paper, sat in a living room chair, leaned back, and closed his eyes.
While I know it's Mr. Azik's doing, maybe through divination I can clarify the source of his extraordinary power and solve the mystery of his origins...
He pondered this as he entered the dream realm.
In the illusory, hazy world, Klein saw a black pyramid. Its design resembled structures from ancient Earth civilizations, but it was inverted—the pointed tip embedded in the ground, exposing the wide, flat "base."
An inverted pyramid? Is this the Southern Continent style?
Recalling "his" knowledge as a history major from university, Klein opened his eyes and emerged from the dream divination. He described the scene to his two teammates.
"It sounds like the Balam Empire in the Southern Continent. They say the so-called descendants of the Death God there build inverted pyramids as their mausoleums. The scene you divined is likely a symbol of the 'God of Death,' which is undoubtedly related to spirits."
Leonard seemed to have some knowledge of history and immediately identified the structure's purpose.
The other Nighthawk, Angel, clearly knew nothing about any of this. Her gaze wandered, her expression bewildered.
Chuckling inwardly, Klein rose from the chair and headed toward the door.
"Let's go. There are several other 'haunted' locations waiting for us. Next time, Leonard will perform the exorcism while I wear The Mutated Sun Sacred Emblem."
Even if it helped digest his potion, he wouldn't do something that foolish a second time.