Watching Patriot turn and walk toward his quarters, Jeanne and Talulah shared a glance before dutifully following him inside.
Patriot's residence wasn't far—it sat right in the center of the cluster of houses they had built themselves. Even if someone didn't know which room belonged to him, they could identify it at a glance. Due to the height difference, Patriot's house was a full size larger than everything around it; among a sea of "short" buildings, this giant's dwelling was exceptionally conspicuous.
"This is it. Come in," Patriot said, opening a door that was significantly taller than those of the other rooms.
As for the interior, it was simple to an extreme. Aside from essential living supplies, the most abundant items were bandages and medicine. There were so many that Jeanne's first impression was that this looked more like the guerrilla's medical ward than a private bedroom. Aside from his weapons and armor, there were hardly any personal belongings to be found.
However, the entire room was incredibly tidy. Clothing, blankets, and everything else were arranged with a level of precision that would make anyone with obsessive-compulsive tendencies feel deeply comfortable—everything was lined up in perfect ranks.
"Find a place to sit. Let us pick up where we left off... Hoo... How did you confirm they had discovered it? Or did you trigger something?"
Even though Patriot had learned about the object's past through his ancestral memories, it didn't mean he was privy to every detail of the present. After all, the Wendigo inheritance consisted only of memories; he wouldn't know about scenes his ancestors had never witnessed.
Jeanne nodded and recounted her experience of breaking the Laterano curse, explaining the deductions she made regarding the abnormal phenomena that occurred at the time.
"Using the souls of the living as material? Such a spell is far too... malicious, no matter how you look at it. And their 'casting materials' were their own kin?"
Hearing that the souls of those Sarkaz had been sealed upon the skin of a Goliath, even Talulah, who had seen her fair share of horrors, felt a wave of discomfort. Yet, upon hearing about a curse capable of sealing souls, she felt a flicker of interest. She wondered if Patriot knew anything more about such things.
As for who she wanted to use it on—Jeanne could guess even without being told. This dragon definitely wanted to seal Kashchey inside something. Perhaps a block of metal or stone that she could bury somewhere for decades; once dug up again, she'd see if the old snake had finally "given up on thinking."
It was only because Terra lacked a concept of space travel; otherwise, Talulah would surely find a way to hurl that man's soul into the void of the cosmos.
"This is desecration! An unforgivable sin! No matter how heinous a Sarkaz may be, they should not suffer the punishment of soul imprisonment!"
Unlike Talulah's silent revulsion, Patriot's voice carried a clear, booming anger. He was furious that someone had dared to tamper with the souls of the Sarkaz. In the understanding of the Sarkaz, they could fight without fear of death and fall on the battlefield for a belief, but they could never tolerate someone preventing them from returning to the collective of their kin after death.
The reason the Demon King received such support was the ability to let a Sarkaz see the visions they most desired before death, allowing them to return to the race full of hope. The thought of someone desecrating the souls of Sarkaz warriors for their own ends—even if the event happened a millennium ago—caused the fire in Patriot's heart to burn fiercely.
However, Patriot wasn't at all surprised that the victims belonged to the Goliath branch. Those people would follow the Demon King's orders even if they knew what they were facing. Aside from their powerful bodies, that race had nothing special; they were generally not very clever and lacked talent for schemes. Thus, they were the most loyal to the Demon King, never flinching even in the face of death. They knew the Demon King would let them experience unprecedented beauty before they passed, allowing them to rest in peace forever.
The reality that such warriors' souls were exploited for a hidden purpose, leaving them without peace for a thousand years, moved Patriot to deep sympathy for the Sarkaz of that era.
"Please calm down, old man. Since you understand the history of this thing, do you know which faction might know its specific details?"
Jeanne watched the rarely furious Patriot, surprised by the sheer pressure radiating from his anger. His crimson eyes were glowing even brighter now, flashing like a pair of high-beam headlights in the dim room. With the aura he projected in this state, Jeanne believed Patriot could make many people lose their will to fight just by standing there.
"Hoo... My apologies. My emotions became too intense upon hearing this. To be honest, I had almost forgotten the last time I felt such rage."
Hearing Jeanne's voice, Patriot regained his usual calm, and his eyes dimmed back to their normal intensity. Talulah was also surprised by the oppressive aura Patriot had just released; it surpassed even the state he was in when fighting enemies.
The reason Patriot had erupted with such terrifying pressure was that it wasn't just his own aura. It was the collective roar of all the Wendigos within his memory who had learned of the exploitation of Sarkaz souls. Such a resonance from the depths of the bloodline was indeed a rare occurrence.
Responding to Jeanne's question, Patriot fell into deep thought. This was a difficult matter to pin down. Every faction within the Ten Royal Courts likely coveted such a world-ending weapon—especially old monsters like the Sanguinarch or the Nachzehrer King who had lived for countless years.
But if he had to choose who was most likely... based on the mention of soul-related matters, there was one primary suspect.
"The Confessarrii. They are among the most mysterious figures in Kazdel. Even I do not know how many secrets are hidden beneath that family."
If one were to name those among the Sarkaz who specialized in soul-based witchcraft, a Confessarius was certainly at the top of the list. However, they were not currently members of the Royal Court; instead, they were a family-based organization that moved through every corner of Sarkaz history.
"The Confessarrii? I've only heard of them as a Sarkaz relief organization. I didn't know much else; I thought they were just a medical institution organized by the Sarkaz themselves," Talulah remarked.
She truly didn't know much about the name. Although Kashchey had lived long enough to surely know their specifics, he had kept that information from her. Perhaps he felt the knowledge was useless to her, or perhaps he feared their soul witchcraft might affect him? After all, his greatest reliance was his ability to parasitize the souls of others. The only things he truly feared were the Sarkaz—specifically, the Demon King's mastery over souls.
"They are no mere medical organization. They have existed for many years. Furthermore, aside from the Demon King, they are the most adept at matters of the soul. That is why I suspect them."
Unfortunately, Patriot hadn't had much dealing with that family, so he didn't know the extent of their secrets. What he did know, however, was that the current head Confessarius was very close to Theresis. Their shadows might even be lurking behind the current civil war.