"To stir that ancient being into reacting after hiding for so long…something must have caught Its attention." Hermes paused.
"My commission is this: whoever can provide me with a clue about It, I will grant a one-time favour, free of charge."
The Hunter raised his brows in surprise.
"Hooh, Mr. Hermes, that's quite the tempting reward you're offering. Too bad I'm not exactly familiar with this 'sea of collective subconscious.'"
"The sea of collective subconscious is merely a reflection of reality. Whatever exists will always leave traces behind."
"You're making it sound way too broad."
Hermes chuckled. "If it were really that easy to find, I wouldn't have spent centuries searching without success."
"I won't waste more of your precious time. I look forward to your good news."
With that, he fell silent, still as a stone statue.
Edward, however, was lost in thought: The psychic dragon Hermes spoke of…must be that Mind Dragon I once saw—'Ariehogg.' In the original timeline, it was from Ariehogg that Hermes learned the Russian priest's 'truth.' I didn't expect him to have started searching for It this early…
Wait—don't tell me Ariehogg's recent stirrings were actually related to me?
Just then, a voice neither male nor female suddenly sounded, "Mr. Eight, you seem to have thoughts about Mr. Hermes' words. Do you happen to know the whereabouts of that Mind Dragon?"
The speaker was a new member, seated two places away from Edward.
Immediately, every gaze in the church turned toward him.
Sharp insight…could this guy be an Spectator too? Edward muttered inwardly. Outwardly, he forced a helpless tone, "This…gentleman, or lady, whichever you are—I'm attending this gathering for the very first time. I don't even know who this 'Mind Dragon' Mr. Hermes referred to is, so how could I possibly know where It is?"
His reasoning made sense, but the old foxes present weren't fooled. They caught the undercurrent in his voice, and their stares grew more intrigued.
Edward simply shrugged and fell silent. Dealing with this bunch—one hundred tricks wouldn't be enough. Best to just sit back and munch melon seeds.
The ossuary-like church grew quiet for half a minute.
Then the man in the second seat on the right spoke again, "Does anyone have time to help me look into something? At No. 7 Rose Street in Trier, a villa has recently gotten new tenants. I'd like to know whether this person has any special identity or hidden purpose."
…Eh?
No. 7 Rose Street, a villa?
Why does the melon I'm eating suddenly involve me?!
The androgynous voice questioned, "But wait, isn't Mr. Intis called that precisely because he's from Intis? I remember you mentioned you live in Trier, didn't you?"
The man with the codename "Intis" replied blandly, "I've been away from Trier for a while."
"Then why would there be a new tenant in your villa? Could it be that the place holds something unusual?"
"Indeed," Intis said evenly. "I buried some things beneath the villa. I'd rather they not be discovered."
…Beneath the villa?
The underground of Trier?
Edward immediately caught onto the hint, piecing connections rapidly in his mind:
By previous guesswork, Lilith may have come to Trier because of the Conqueror's Beyonder characteristic. And now this 'Mr. Intis' just revealed he has something stashed underground beneath that villa…Could what he hid be related to the Conqueror's characteristic?
The Hunter chuckled.
"Oh, but now everyone here knows, don't they?"
"For members of the Twilight Hermit Order, I don't mind. You're all welcome to take it for yourselves," Intis replied calmly. "Though I fear none of you would find it worthwhile."
"…Since Mr. Intis puts it that way, then forget it."
Intis swept his gaze around.
"No one is willing to help with this, then?"
"What about the payment? Surely you don't expect us to do this for free?" The Hunter smacked his lips.
"…I can give you the whereabouts of a War Bishop. Whether you can hunt him down depends on your own strength."
The Hunter instantly retorted, "Are you kidding me, Intis? Sequence 4 taking on Sequence 3? If I had that kind of ability, I'd have taken care of the Iron and Blood Cross Order's War Bishop myself already. I don't need you to hand me one."
Intis no longer looked at him. His eyes passed over the rest one by one.
"Well then, what about the rest of you?"
A heavy silence fell.
No one here was foolish. Investigating a villa sounded simple enough—but who knew what was really hidden there? If it was that easy, why didn't Intis just check himself?
But Edward couldn't help being tempted. After all, this would just be me investigating myself—it's not actually dangerous. On the contrary, I might even find out what's really up with that villa.
But…wouldn't stepping forward at my very first gathering draw suspicion?
Damn!
Well, I've already been suspected once anyway. And with the Sefirah Castle shielding me, I'm not even afraid of that Russian priest—why should I be scared of you lot?
Edward once again used that low, raspy voice, "Mr. Intis, it just so happens I'll be passing through Trier soon. Perhaps I can help you take a look."
Swish!
As expected, the other seven immediately turned their gazes on him again.
This time, Intis straightforwardly asked, "What do you want in return?"
Edward mused for a beat.
"Well…since you were willing to offer the Hunter the whereabouts of a War Bishop…could you perhaps provide me with the whereabouts of a Wanderer?"
"Wanderer?"
Before Intis could reply, Hermes interjected calmly, "Unfortunately, there are no living Wanderer left in the world. If you wish to find a Wanderer's Beyonder characteristic, you may try to track down the remnants of the Abraham family."
"Then does Mr. Intis know of any clues about the Abrahams?"
"I don't," Intis said flatly. "Pick something else."
"…I see."
Edward pretended to mull it over, then asked hesitantly, "Do you happen to know any leads on a Dream Weaver?"
The Hunter laughed.
"Oho, so that's why Mr. Eight had ideas about the Mind Dragon? You're after It as well?"
"You guess."
"…"
Intis replied, "Go look for the Psychology Alchemists. That organisation has at least one Sequence 3 Dream Weaver."
"Can you provide me with his whereabouts?"
"I don't know."
Tch. Then what the hell use is that?!
No wonder none of the others took his commission seriously—they must've long realised this Intis fellow never had anything of real value or intel to offer.
"Hahahahaha!"
The Hunter threw back his head, laughing and gesturing wildly. "Oh, I wish I could rip that mask off your face and see your expression right now! Hahahaha! Back then, I almost couldn't resist killing him myself!"
Intis stayed silent for a moment, then said, "I know of a Fourth Epoch ruin on the border between Intis and Feynapotter. It may be connected to the Abrahams. I can't be certain what dangers or gains lie within, but if you're willing to take the risk, I can offer it as payment."
An Abraham ruin?
Just now he swore he knew nothing about the Abrahams, and now suddenly he 'whips out' a ruin possibly tied to them? Suspicious as hell. But…what if it's real?
"Oh? Sounds good. Where exactly is it?"
"When you've completed the investigation, bury the results under any tree in Trier's Quartier de l'Observatoire. I'll retrieve it and leave the map to the ruin there in exchange."
The Hunter chuckled darkly.
"Careful, Eight—what if Intis is just waiting there to hunt you?"
Edward smiled faintly.
"I'll be careful. Thank you for your concern, Hunter."
"Hahaha, I only hope you're still alive for the next gathering."
Edward pressed again, "Mr. Intis, I just want to confirm—whatever it is you've buried beneath that villa, I'm truly free to take it?"
"…Do as you please."
It seemed impossible to pry further details from him. Still, at least Edward had confirmed that the previous murder case was more or less connected to Intis.
But something didn't add up. If one really wanted to keep a place from attracting attention, the best method was to make it look ordinary—indistinguishable from its surroundings. Making it stand out only screamed "there's something here!"
At that point, Edward turned toward the Witch.
"Miss Witch, may I ask—are you a member of the Demoness Sect?"
The woman blinked, then smiled slyly.
"You guess."
"…"
Great. Instant karma.
"If you are, I happen to have something I'd like to inquire about."
She covered her mouth and laughed.
"Whether I am or not depends entirely on what you're about to ask."
"I'm looking for a certain witch. I'm not sure if she's with the Sect. She called herself Lilith. Have you heard of her?"
In truth, his question was aimed more at Hermes than at the witch—for this was someone who had witnessed the entirety of human history. Surely he would have crossed paths with Lilith.
Yet Hermes remained utterly unresponsive, as if the matter was beneath his notice—or as if he truly knew nothing.
"Lilith?" The witch blinked in surprise. "Isn't that the name of the progenitor of vampires? Why would a witch use that name? Are you sure it's her true one?"
Edward shrugged.
"I can't be sure if she was lying. All I know is, she nearly killed me at the time."
"Fufufu." She chuckled. "You're certainly entertaining. But tell me—if I were a witch, and the person you're after also belonged to the Sect, do you think I'd tell you?"
"You would. It'd just be a matter of price."
"Pity. I've never heard of her, and I'm not with the Sect anyway. Afraid I can't help you."
Then she lowered her hand slightly, speaking in a voice everyone could hear while pretending to whisper, "Tell me, what price were you planning to pay for such information?"
"How about the Beyonder characteristic of a Sequence 2 Catastrophe?"
Of course Edward didn't have it, but by now he'd roughly figured out how the Twilight Hermit Order operated. Bluff first, sort it out later.
"…"
The witch froze for a few seconds, then licked her lips.
"Now I see why she wanted to kill you. If it were me, I couldn't resist either."
Edward swept his gaze around the others.
"If anyone else here can provide clues, I'll gladly pay accordingly."
But there was no response. Especially the two who had yet to speak since the beginning—they seemed wholly uninterested in the discussions.
"Very well. Then I'll have to investigate slowly on my own."
At that point, Hermes spoke again, "In the days ahead, there are two matters we must address…"
———
[Note]: Don't forget to VOTE. It keeps me motivated.