A dark room with only a single source of light in the center—light emanating from the moon that never ceased to shine. In that enclosed space, there was only one hole in the ceiling through which the moonlight could enter.
In the circular chamber stood several chairs placed far apart, occupied by individuals of varying ranks and authority.
Directly beneath that moonlight, Kaelan sat on his knees, unconscious, his hands and feet bound in shackles. His body was covered in blood and filth.
Standing near him was Lunaria, leaning against the wall with a relaxed yet serious demeanor.
"You seem to have found something interesting."
Lunaria looked toward a man taller than herself. He was a man with bronzed skin, a gentle-looking face, and a small scar on his cheek. He wore a brown leather coat, gloves, and a black hat.
"Yes," Lunaria replied with a smile. "That man—Kaelan Veradis. I found him during an expedition."
Lunaria had briefly reported Kaelan's situation. Since Kaelan had surprised her by being a Devourer, a hearing of this nature was required.
"Glad, as the captain of the archaeology team, what is your opinion of him?" Lunaria asked.
The man speaking to her was a former comrade from her days as a novice. Now, both had reached the same rank in different teams.
Glad looked at Kaelan with anticipation. "To be honest, whether he is affiliated or not, Kaelan Veradis should be executed. His background is unknown. It would be safer to eliminate him."
In this cursed world, even the existence of Devourers was limited. The Devour Art technique was not shared with the common people due to its immense risks. Therefore, a Devourer was almost certainly affiliated with a major organization.
"I doubt he is part of any organization," Lunaria stated, offering her theory. "I believe those people would have a much more sophisticated way if they intended to infiltrate."
The major groups hardly got along. They all walked different paths and indirectly offended one another.
"It would be better if Kaelan were being dishonest. That he fled the city because he accidentally discovered the Devour Art method."
Glad flinched at her words, furrowing his brow. "Are you trying to save him?"
Lunaria stared intently at Kaelan. "There has never been a case like this. I've had people search for even the smallest document, yet there is no record of a Kaelan Veradis."
Kaelan essentially did not exist on the inhabitant registry of any city. Lunaria was able to uncover this fact because her people worked efficiently.
"But that proves nothing," Glad countered. "Don't tell me… your intuition?"
As her former partner, Glad understood that Lunaria always possessed a sharp and accurate intuition. On one mission, he had survived thanks to sheer intuition alone.
"What do you feel from him?" Glad couldn't help but ask.
"Hope."
Glad was slightly taken aback, but before he could ask anything else, the sound of a gavel echoed. It signaled the start of the hearing.
The judge ordered someone to splash water on Kaelan to wake him.
Kaelan opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was a tiered circular room. There were tables and chairs with several people sitting there. He could not see their forms as they were shrouded in hoods.
He then saw Lunaria and a tall man.
"Kaelan Veradis."
Kaelan turned toward an old man wearing black robes with a thick book on his desk.
Observing his situation, Kaelan concluded that he was in the middle of a trial. His fate would be decided in this place.
"You were found right outside the city. Without any memory, you wandered and encountered members of Lunaria Veil's team."
Kaelan nodded. He remembered his previous conversation with Lunaria. A small bit of carelessness would bring great misfortune.
At this moment, Kaelan chose to be cautious. He would also mimic Lunaria, withholding as much information as possible.
"You claim to have no memory whatsoever, including how you became a Devourer. The only thing you remember is your name. Is that the reality?"
Kaelan gave a strained smile. "You could say that."
He didn't want to admit it directly, but he didn't deny it either. Kaelan at least understood that honesty wouldn't save him. They wouldn't listen anyway.
I have to act as if I possess something that doesn't actually exist.
Kaelan was playing at the edge of a cliff. One wrong step would send him falling. However, it was necessary to remain in a gray area so he could stall for time.
The old man appeared unfazed. "If there is anything you wish to say, now is the time."
"Will my fate change just because I speak?" Kaelan mocked.
"Perhaps."
Hearing that, Kaelan decided there was no point in being honest. He needed to show that he had value worth preserving.
But the problem was, he didn't know what he could use. Kaelan knew nothing. His only secret was that he had dug himself out of a grave.
Wait, maybe that could be useful!
Kaelan intended to use that as a card to play to keep himself alive.
To save himself, Kaelan needed to maintain as much of a sense of mystery about himself as possible.
"I once tried to commit suicide."
His statement made the old man, and even Lunaria, gasp slightly. Kaelan then wracked his brain harder to construct his lie.
"Why did you try?" the old man asked, his voice devoid of emotion.
"I felt like a stranger to this horrific world. Monsters, curses? Isn't living with such things a hell?"
Everyone fell silent. Kaelan seized the momentum to continue his story.
"This world might not be my place. Perhaps, I was meant to be born in a more comfortable era. I don't want to live with fear and suffering. Therefore, death was my answer."
He did indeed feel isolated in this world. Without memories, with no friends or relatives. Perhaps, he truly had lived in a different age.
"I know nothing of the Devourer you speak of. When I woke up, I was inside the corpse of a monster. But unfortunately, before I could do anything, other monsters chased me."
The old man closed his eyes and stroked his beard. Kaelan felt his heart pounding while waiting for a response.
"You lie quite well."
"Huh?" Kaelan was stunned. The story was perfect, but how that man knew was shocking.
"See? Your reaction is quite telling," the old man chuckled with amusement. "However, I believe that you don't remember anything. Attempting to lie in front of a Mantis Organa is proof you know nothing."
Kaelan furrowed his brow slightly. He had heard of Devourers, Sangu Carna, and now Mantis Organa.
There was too much information at once that he didn't even know. But strangely, only regarding the Devour Art did he feel as if he knew, yet didn't.
"I can see that your confusion is real. You can only sense your memories vaguely toward knowledge that feels familiar."
The old man seemed to start considering something. Kaelan felt a sense of anticipation. One way or another, his life was at stake now.
"You are not guilty simply for being a Devourer, but it would be troublesome to remain unaffiliated."
He delivered the verdict that someone without an identity was a rare case. Usually, it only surfaced in cases of espionage.
The suspicion toward Kaelan was nearly impossible to erase. Viewed from any angle, his sudden appearance was extremely suspicious.
"Elder, forgive the interruption. May I present a few points?"
"Lunaria Veil," he called. "Is there something you need?"
Lunaria bowed slightly and made a circular hand gesture in front of her chest.
"Regarding Kaelan Veradis… could you leave him under my supervision?"
"Let us hear it." The Elder smiled as if he had been waiting for Lunaria to take the initiative.
"As it is known, Kaelan Veradis has no memory. He even became a Devourer without knowledge of what it is or how to do it."
Lunaria began to explain the problem at hand. Kaelan stared at her, unable to fathom what she intended to do.
"A Devourer, in a certain sense, is also a threat. Therefore, we need to conduct strict surveillance on every Devourer."
The bearded Elder exhaled. "Just speak plainly about what it is you want."
Lunaria nodded. "I am volunteering to be the one responsible for him."
Her request was for Kaelan to be under her wing and receive her protection. Lunaria would take the responsibility of monitoring Kaelan and clearing the suspicion surrounding him.
Furthermore, Lunaria felt there was something peculiar about Kaelan. She aimed to uncover it slowly.
"He doesn't even recognize the environment he lives in, yet the Devour Art awakens his memories—at least, he feels a sense of familiarity."
The Elder nodded as if understanding. "But why you? I'm sure there are other teams more suitable."
Lunaria closed her eyes and nodded. She did not value herself so highly as to be more worthy than the others.
"Because we are a special squad. A team formed to search."
There were many teams with different tasks and functions. For example, the team led by Glad. They had tasks and functions very different from Lunaria's.
"I am the leader of the explorer team. Most of our time is spent outside the city. Heading straight toward the danger of powerful curses and corruption. With only one goal: to find fragments of hope."
One of the few teams with the highest danger level. The areas outside the city walls were extremely perilous. It wasn't just the monsters; the curse was also very thick outside the city.
"It is safer to keep him outside the city to prevent him from planning anything."
Furthermore, the explorer team remained the best option to monitor a Kaelan shrouded in suspicion.
Hearing that explanation, the white-bearded Elder and the other high-level echelons seemed to agree. They also clearly trusted Lunaria to carry out the task.
"Reasonable enough," the Elder appeared to agree.
His gaze focused on Kaelan. "As you have heard—you will be under Lunaria's supervision. Unfortunately, we aren't giving you another choice. Of course, there is always the option of death."
Kaelan stared intently at the old man, who gave a mocking smile. He felt irritated by the uncomfortable treatment he was experiencing.
However, he couldn't recklessly resist or even hurl insults. Carelessness would bring great misfortune.
"Starting today, you will be in a probationary period. Lunaria, you will be responsible for him."
"Yes!" Lunaria folded her fingers, straightened her thumb, and pointed it at her chest. She then formed a circle with her thumb.
Kaelan saw that it was some kind of salute here.
Lunaria walked toward him and showed the same warm smile as before.
"From now on, you will be part of us, the Radiant Covenant."