Crash!
The man was sent flying across the room before slamming hard onto the floor. After that, he stopped moving completely.
Lumian quickly activated his Mystic Eyes. Through them, he could see a faint red glow surrounding the man—clear proof that he was still alive and harbored hostile intentions toward them.
Yet strangely… he wasn't moving at all. Lumian slowly lowered the pressure in his head, and came to a simple conclusion.
He must have fainted. At that moment, the dim room—lit only by pale moonlight filtering through the window—was suddenly filled with falling flies. Dozens of them dropped from the air and landed on the floor.
Lumian and Vincent immediately began swatting and brushing them off their clothes, moving around awkwardly like children disgusted by dirt.
After a moment of frantic shaking and dusting themselves off, the two finally calmed down.
Carefully, they approached the unconscious man.
Lumian used a pen to gently turn the man over.
...
The man's face became clearer.
He had yellow hair and a slightly sagging mouth. Despite the tired expression, he was still relatively young.
Lumian glanced at him briefly before turning to Vincent with a small smile.
"Bro… I've been meaning to ask you something. Why do you only use feathers to fight?"
Vincent raised his brows slightly and smiled.
"It's simple."
He snapped his fingers. A cluster of feathers materialized in the air.
In the next instant, the feathers transformed into sharp knives. With another snap, they turned into flickering flames before finally disappearing altogether.
"You see," Vincent continued, "my order mainly works through envisioning elements. But first I have to understand the object I'm imagining. Then I imbue it with my spirituality to make it more lethal."
He shrugged lightly.
"And feathers are simply the easiest thing for me to visualize and control."
Lumian nodded thoughtfully.
"Don't worry. Once you advance another phase, you'll probably be able to envision more complex things."
He paused before asking another question. "Besides that, what else can you do?"
Vincent chuckled. "I can see quite far distances… sometimes predict outcomes, and envision environments."
Lumian nodded again. "And yet you say the Diviner Order is better than the Visionary one."
Vincent laughed. "Hey, I actually like it more. I don't even have to fight most of the time."
Lumian let out a dry chuckle.
"Hehe… so funny."
At that exact moment, Hargreaves descended the stairs, his blue shirt torn at the arm.
...
Hargreaves slowly came down the stairs, his blue shirt torn at the arm and his body slightly hunched.
Suddenly, he turned to the side and coughed violently.
Eugh!—Eugh!
A mouthful of blood spilled from his lips.
He wiped it away with the back of his hand, snorted lightly through his nose, and straightened himself before walking toward Lumian.
Reaching the unconscious man, Hargreaves studied his face carefully for a moment.
Then he spoke. "Lumian, call Rosanne and tell her to come here immediately."
Lumian blinked. "Right now?"
Hargreaves nodded. "From my order, I can sense that his mind has fallen into a hazy sea. That means he's not dead... he's asleep."
His expression turned stern as he looked directly at Lumian.
"Go. Quickly."
Lumian nodded without hesitation. He pulled out his phone and stepped outside into the quiet forest to make the call.
...
About twenty-five minutes later, with the help of a public taxi, Rosanne arrived at the house.
The pale moonlight still hung in the sky as she stepped out. Her black hair was slightly messy, and her violet eyes looked tired. She wore a black shirt and trousers that looked somewhat wrinkled, as though she had just gotten out of bed.
After exchanging a few quick words with Hargreaves and the others, she walked toward the unconscious man.
Rosanne knelt beside him and murmured a quiet spell. Then she placed two fingers gently on each side of the man's temples.
Cool and silent…
Cool and silent…
The sensation slowly spread through his thoughts until, his eyes suddenly opened.
Rosanne immediately stepped back.
"Captain, he's awake," she said. "What should I do?"
Hargreaves didn't respond. He simply adjusted the gun in his hand.
The man looked around at the group surrounding him, panic filling his face.
"Please… can you let me go?" he pleaded. "I'll do anything you want."
Hargreaves tilted his head slightly. "Anything, huh?" His voice turned cold.
"Then tell me… why did you possess the Duke?"
The man looked startled. Suddenly, his eyes widened.
Without warning, he rushed forward and grabbed Rosanne, hugging her tightly.
"My mummy!"
...
Seeing this, the group immediately rushed forward and pulled the man away from Rosanne. After successfully dragging him back, they dropped him onto the floor and surrounded him from both sides.
The man glared at them angrily.
"Where's my mummy?" he demanded.
Hargreaves glanced at Lumian before speaking quietly.
"It seems the organization he belongs to placed a spell on him. Whenever he tries to reveal something… he loses his sanity."
Lumian looked down at the man lying on the floor and nodded thoughtfully.
"Yeah… but right now he's acting like a toddler."
A mischievous smile appeared on his face. "Let's try the baby method, hehe. Maybe we can still get some information."
Hargreaves frowned slightly and sighed. He wasn't particularly good with children.
Still, he forced a smile and looked at the man.
The man immediately scowled.
"Give me my mummy!" he shouted.
Then his expression twisted with suspicion.
"Wait… no! You want to steal my mummy!"
He suddenly lunged toward Hargreaves in anger.
Hargreaves grabbed him by the shoulder and held him down. As he did, he noticed something strange. The man's eyes were glowing slightly red.
Hargreaves turned toward Lumian and Vincent. "No," he said grimly. "This spell is worse than I thought. It looks like if it continues, it will turn him into a curse."
He placed the struggling man back onto the floor and let out a tired sigh. "We need to extract as much information as possible before that happens."
Hargreaves rubbed his forehead.
This is exactly why I hate dealing with kids, he thought bitterly.
...
Hargreaves forced another gentle smile as Rosanne moved closer to Lumian.
"Are you scared?" Lumian teased quietly.
Rosanne frowned and pushed his head forward.
"Focus on what you're doing."
Vincent watched the two of them and chuckled inwardly.
What a great couple, he thought.
Meanwhile, Hargreaves slowly raised two fingers and pointed them toward Rosanne in an exaggerated, almost playful manner.
"Look," he said softly to the man on the floor. "Your mummy is right there. She's not going anywhere."
The man's eyes immediately shifted toward Rosanne.
Hargreaves continued in a calm, coaxing voice.
"You know what a talent show is, right?"
The man paused, thinking for a moment before nodding.
"Yes."
Hargreaves smiled warmly. "You see, your mummy brought you here for a talent show. She wants to test your knowledge."
The man's eyes widened with excitement.
"Test… my knowledge?" he repeated, amazed.
Hargreaves nodded encouragingly.
"Of course. Don't you want to make your mummy proud?"
The man nodded eagerly.
Hargreaves leaned slightly closer.
"Good," he said gently. "Then tell me… do you know a man called Duke Joshua?"
...
The man lowered his gaze, thinking for a moment before suddenly raising his head and nodding repeatedly.
"Yes! Yes, sir!" he said eagerly. "My friend told me to possess him. He said I would receive the Goddess's grace!"
Hargreaves nodded in satisfaction. A bright smile appeared on his face as he snapped his fingers.
"That's two points for you!"
The man beamed proudly.
Hargreaves continued calmly. "Now tell me… why did your friend send you to possess Duke Joshua?"
"That's easy!" the man replied excitedly.
"He told me the Goddess is searching for the text. He received information that it was currently with Lacey. But Lacey had disappeared at the time."
He paused before continuing. "So he told me to possess Duke Joshua's body and check when he returns."
Hargreaves nodded again.
"Excellent. Another two points for you."
Then he casually turned toward Rosanne.
"Mummy, are you proud?"
Rosanne forced a smile and gave an awkward thumbs-up.
"That's my son! Good job!"
Hargreaves clapped lightly before continuing.
"So… what is the name of your group?"
"The Obstaque Order," the man replied immediately.
I knew it, Lumian thought inwardly.
Hargreaves smiled faintly.
"That earns you a bonus mark."
The man nodded excitedly.
"And this goddess you mentioned," Hargreaves continued. "Which goddess is she?"
"The Pale Moon Goddess," the man answered.
Hargreaves nodded but forgot to award the points.
The man's face suddenly twisted with distress.
"W-Where's my point?!" he shrieked.
Hargreaves' mouth twitched slightly before he quickly raised two fingers. "Ah, yes! Another two points for you!"
The man calmed down immediately.
Hargreaves leaned forward slightly. "Now listen carefully. If you answer this next question… mummy will buy you a candy."
The man's eyes lit up.
Hargreaves spoke slowly. "What is your friend's name… and what exactly did he promise you?"
...
The man suddenly began giggling to himself.
"Hehe…"
He spun around madly, making Vincent tighten his grip on his gun.
"Hehe, sir!" the man said excitedly. "That's the easiest question you've asked!"
He clasped his hands together and chuckled again. "I don't know his real name… but he calls himself Mr. Alfore."
He leaned forward slightly, his eyes shining with fanatic excitement.
"And what he promised me?"
The man's voice trembled with joy.
"He told me that after this… I would receive the Goddess's grace."
His laughter grew louder.
"I'll ascend to godhood! Can you hear that? I'll ascend! I'll stand beside the Goddess herself and hear her words every day!"
His expression twisted into worshipful madness.
"Oh, the Lady of the Moon… the Pale One who walketh in darkness… the Lady who brings meaning to confusion… the Lady of clarity and obscurity!"
"He said I would be close to her… heheh. I helped him. I helped him!"
The man's breathing became heavier.
"He promised he would help me perform my laws. He even said he would give me a cursed item."
His eyes now, were glowing brightly red, almost crimson.
"Isn't that wonderful?"
Suddenly, his body jerked violently.
His mouth split open… dividing into three grotesque layers.
The group instantly jumped back. At the same moment, Hargreaves and Vincent fired their guns.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The gunshots echoed through the house. They didn't stop firing until the body finally collapsed and stopped moving.
Silence immediately came upon the room. Lumian activated his Mystic Eyes and examined the corpse carefully.
They was no activity, nor any intentions directed towards them... Nothing. The man was completely dead!
Hargreaves let out a tired sigh.
"This 'Mr. Alfore' he mentioned…" he said slowly.
He looked at the others. "Do you really think someone like that could describe a goddess's intentions so clearly?"
...
Vincent rubbed his chin and thought for a moment before speaking.
"No… I don't think so," he said slowly. "I believe their group is after the St. Mary Text, yes. But for someone to promise godhood? I don't buy it…"
Lumian nodded, but his thoughts drifted inward.
He even talked about helping him perform his laws… Even this man has a law.
Sadly, the captain and Vincent don't understand what that means yet.
Don't worry… I'll tell them soon. Let me first obtain a law myself.
I can just feel it in my gut, as I said before no less than three weeks...
Mrs. Hathway was supposed to leave today, I wonder whether she has, or the recent happenings had delayed thier travel... I need to speak with her about the Magician formula.
Before he could continue thinking, Hargreaves spoke.
"Yes," he said calmly. "Since the Obstaque Order is aligned with the Church of the Pale Moon Goddess, they naturally have believers. Promising divine favor in exchange for the text… that makes sense."
He paused briefly. "But for others to believe him so easily… it means this 'Mr. Alfore' likely holds a high position within the church."
Lumian nodded, letting out a quiet sigh inwardly.
How many people are after the St. Mary text... But wait the Pale Moon Goddess, also wants the text... but the man in question is promising godhood... could he be manipulating the goddess words for his own benefits... to get the text for himself, using the Church.
None of this would have happened if it hadn't been stolen…
Tomorrow, I'll confront Mrs. Theresa. Hopefully, I can recover it and put an end to all this.
"Alright," Hargreaves said. "Let's look around a bit more before we leave."
Lumian nodded and moved toward a door on his left, with Rosanne following behind him. Vincent stayed with Hargreaves.
After some time, they returned with nothing but a few rabbits and scattered clothes.
Lumian sighed. Then suddenly, an idea struck him.
If I can trace the man lingering thoughts spirituality... could I locate Mr. Alfore?
He was just talking about him... There should be something left. Even a trace!
Captain, let me try something," Lumian said.
"Alright," Hargreaves replied.
Lumian stepped forward, took out his amethyst pendant, and held it above the corpse.
There was only silence, nothing happened.
He frowned and said Inwardly. Nothing happened, this has never happened during my divinations... I need to amplify it.
In the next moment, Lumian began reciting a prayer.
"O Skywalker who rules the sky,
O Lord of creation and annihilation,
Grant me your grace and power,
To uncover the mysteries hidden beneath."
There was silence once more, nothing happened.
Lumian's expression slowly changed.
I see…
I'm not familiar with this spirituality.
Which means… Mr. Alfore isn't someone close to me.
That was the only conclusion the pendant could give him.
...
After some time, a graveyarder was called to handle the body. He arrived quickly and took the body, a faint look of satisfaction on his face.
To him, this was his third corpse of the day.
And that meant one thing—
More bonuses!
Soon after, the group exited the house, taking one last look at it, silently marking it as a place worth revisiting.
They got into the car and began the journey back.
Inside, Lumian chatted casually with Vincent and Rosanne, the tension from earlier gradually fading. Hargreaves remained mostly quiet, though he occasionally let out a faint chuckle at their remarks.
The car passed through Lamenti, the streets now calm under the dim night sky.
One by one, Hargreaves dropped them off.
First, the graveyarder at Lamenti.
Then Rosanne near Blackhead, close to the Hadgy residence.
Finally, Lumian and Vincent at Cornerstone.
After parting ways, Lumian returned home and quietly entered his room.
The night had finally come to an end.