At Mrs. Venerable's question, Mr. Revenger fell into deep thought.
He had heard many rumors regarding the matter, but none of them were certain—nothing he could confidently present.
Sensing his hesitation, Mrs. Venerable shifted her attention.
Her gaze turned toward the figure seated on the High Seat.
Mr. Beyond.
She considered asking him instead… though the memory of their previous encounter still lingered, making her slightly uneasy.
Even so, she looked.
Through the blur, she tried to focus, tried to glimpse something more of his figure.
For a brief moment… It felt as though she almost saw him.
Then—
A sharp pain struck her head. Her expression faltered as she instinctively pulled back, the attempt abruptly cut off.
At that exact moment, Lumian heard a voice. A whisper, close to his ear.
"She's watching you."
...
Hearing the whisper, Lumian was slightly taken aback. But he quickly composed himself.
My Eidolon…?
To test it, he spoke inwardly.
Do you really think so?
A soft chuckle responded. The voice was feminine.
You're still very naive…
There was a hint of amusement, almost irritation.
I'm getting tired of saving you all the time. And that woman… she's clearly stronger than you.
Stronger…? Then that means she's at a higher phase than me… I thought she was only Phase 9…
The voice didn't answer. It simply chuckled again… then faded into silence.
This eidolon, could it have already gotten a consciousness. Maybe it's because I'm about to advance.
"Mrs. Venerable. "Mr. Revenger's voice broke the stillness. "My apologies. I don't have any confirmed information regarding elves."
He paused briefly. "However, there is a theory recorded in the Church of the Skywalker, one I personally find believable."
Mrs. Venerable gave a small nod, signaling him to continue.
"It states that elves did not originate from the Creator… but from the Goddess of Life and Prosperity."
He folded his hands together as he spoke. "During the Age of Divine Intervention—about fifty years after the Cataclysm, many humans perished in the aftermath of the Cataclysm. Because in the records, even though the gods protected us, some were still hurt."
"The Goddess of Life and Prosperity is said to have revived some of them… transforming them into elves."
Mrs. Venerable listened carefully, then asked,
"And what about dark elves? I've heard of them as well."
Mr. Revenger shook his head. "Those are believed to be the result of rebellion."
He continued calmly. "Some rejected the Goddess's ideals—life, harmony, balance. They opposed her… and ultimately lost."
"They were cast out."
Mr. Plunderer nodded. "Yes, I've heard similar accounts."
Then, after a brief pause, he added, "But what about something else entirely?"
He leaned forward slightly. "Researchers have discovered fossils, bones of unknown creatures. Massive ones."
"Could they have been dragons… or something else altogether?"
...
"No," Mr. Revenger replied calmly. "That matter is different." He continued, "Dragons are said to be extremely powerful, aligned with the Warrior Order, because that is how the Creator envisioned them."
He paused briefly. "They do not go extinct. They only appear during the Day of the Apex."
Mr. Plunderer frowned. "Then what about the fossils?"
Mr. Revenger let out a faint chuckle. "What people discovered… are not dragons."
"They are humans."
Humans…? Lumian's thoughts stirred, though his expression remained unchanged.
How? Are they corpses? Something else entirely?
Questions flooded his mind, but he kept silent.
Mr. Revenger continued, "Those fossils belong to dead beings, early forms of humanity."
He folded his hands as he explained. "You may wonder why their structures differ so greatly from us. That's because they were not created by the God of Beginnings."
"As you know, modern humans were created by the God of Beginnings."
"But those… were created directly by the Creator."
A brief pause. "The Creator had an idea of what humans should be—but failed to perfect it."
"What emerged instead were flawed beings… what we might call mutants."
He exhaled softly. "When the result did not meet His intent, He created the God of Beginnings, who then produced true humans."
"And as for those earlier creations…"
"Some were destroyed. Others were sealed."
Mutants…? No… those sound more like… forsaken humans..... Lumian said Inwardly as he crossed his legs.
...
Mrs. Venerable, still slightly disoriented, raised a hand to her blurred black hair and spoke evenly,
"I've never heard that from my father…"
She paused, then let out a soft chuckle, rubbing her chin. "So, if you think about it… the Creator is essentially the author of this world."
"But, Mr. Revenger, you once mentioned Celestials. Beings that existed before the Creator. Could you explain that?"
Mr. Revenger shook his head. "No… I haven't obtained that information yet."
Mrs. Venerable nodded, then instinctively glanced toward the High Seat.
Mr. Beyond sat there calmly, unmoving. For a brief moment, she seemed hesitant to address him. Instead, she turned back to Mr. Revenger.
"There's… another matter. There's someone we've been searching for—a fugitive."
"He murders women… and uses their bodies to form the letter 'A'."
…The letter 'A'? Mr. Revenger echoed Inwardly.
How is that possible…? That case was reported in Montmartre… not Betyl…
He straightened immediately. "Where was he last seen?" he asked quickly. "Do you have a name?"
For someone like Mr. Revenger to react like this…. Catherine observed quietly. This must be serious.
She shook her head slightly. "I'm afraid not. He's a swindler, a drug dealer… and a killer. He goes by many names."
Lumian, who had been listening in silence, finally spoke. "Mr. Revenger… why do you need this information?"
Mr. Revenger's usual composure was gone. There was a visible tension in his voice now. "Mr. Beyond… this case was reported where I live."
"I'm worried… this might be a message."
A message… Lumian said Inwardly. Could it be the Holy Communion. With that he spoke up.
"Could this be related to the Holy Communion you mentioned before?"
Mr. Revenger gave a slow nod. "Yes… that's what I suspect."
Silence lingered for a moment, after some moments, Lumian leaned back slightly before asking,
"Then let me ask something."
His gaze swept across the others, and landed on Mr. Revenger.
"Are all of us here… sorcerers?"
...
Mr. Revenger hesitated. He still wasn't entirely sure whether he could trust Mr. Beyond. Nevertheless, he spoke.
"Yes… I am. But I recently consumed a potion."
Lumian gave a faint smile. So you're finally being honest…
"Then tell me, do any of you know about the 'laws' granted by the Creator when one performs their role?"
Mr. Plunderer and Mr. Revenger exchanged brief glances, then nodded.
Catherine, however, frowned slightly.
"No, Mr. Beyond. What do you mean by that?"
Lumian exhaled quietly in relief. Thank Skywalker, someone doesn't know, if not I would have looked like a fool. He smiled and looked at Mrs. Venerable... Sometimes you might be very nosey... But your a good lady in your own way.
He rested his hand lightly on the armrest and spoke calmly, "From what I understand, if you want to advance safely, you must properly perform your role… and in doing so, obtain a 'law' from the Creator."
"Laws?" Hearing that, Catherine was very confused. "I'm already Phase 8, yet I've never obtained anything like that."
Lumian nodded. "Then you simply succeeded through probability."
There was a brief silence. Catherine placed a hand over her chest, her thoughts turning inward.
Oh dear. This is good news. Since Father does not want to create alliances for the betterment of the Kingdom, I can help by leveling up.
A faint smile appeared on her lips. "Thank you, Mr. Beyond," she said sincerely. "It seems accepting your proposal to form this organization… was not a mistake."
Lumian waved a hand lightly.
"You're welcome."
He leaned back slightly before concluding,
"That will be all for today's gathering."
One by one, they rose.
Their figures blurred… then gradually faded from the White Kingdom.
...
Montmartre Heights, Defent Street.
Mr. Revenger jolted awake at his desk.
For a brief moment, he remained still, his thoughts catching up as he straightened from his slumped position. He reached toward his computer.
Bang!
The door burst open.
"William, what is it?"
William, his orange hair disheveled, stood at the doorway, breathing heavily.
"Detective…" He swallowed. "There's been another murder."
"This time… the letter is 'B.'"
...
Meanwhile, Lumian slowly opened his eyes. He was still seated on the tree, the night air cold against his skin.
He waited in silence for a while, watching the suspended curses.
Only when his replacement finally arrived did he move.
Without a word, he dropped down from the tree and left the Olympic Coast behind, heading straight to report to the captain.
As he walked along the road, Lumian was stopped by a man offering to perform a divination.
The man spoke quickly, insisting on testing his fortune. With a casual flick, he flipped a coin into the air.
Seeing that he still had time, Lumian didn't refuse.
Afterward, he left. The coin, however… he forgot to return it.
...
He soon arrived at the faculty and reported everything to the captain.
Once he was done, he left again, strolling toward Cornerstone.
On the way, he bought a drink for six pounds, quenching his thirst as he walked.
When he finished, he stepped into a nearby alley and tossed the empty bottle into a trash can.
Bam!
As he turned, He paused. Someone stood at the mouth of the alley.
For a brief moment, Lumian relaxed. Rosaane...? That's obviously her figure and outfit.
The figure slowly turned. For an instant, it was her face.
Then it twisted. Stretching, warping into something unnatural… something wrong.
The skin distorted, the features collapsing and reforming.
Until it revealed another face. It was the Angel of Gamble, Abel!
Silence lingered.
Then he said with a chuckle. "Where's my coin?"