Chapter 49: The Inquisition
A few hours earlier.
Blackthorn Security Company—a place no divination could ever detect.
Klein sat stiffly on a stool, watching his colleagues set up tight defensive measures around him, watching the "sword of the goddess" who sat opposite him in a pitch-black wind-breaker, the high collar hiding the lower half of his face and leaving only a pair of eyes to scrutinize him. His body tensed even more.
Behind Crestet, the newly-arrived Spirit Medium of Tingen, Daly Simone, stood not far from Dunn, watching both Dunn and Klein, who was undergoing the review.
"You don't need to be so nervous."
Seeing Klein's state, Creste Celcima spoke in a tone that was not particularly stern:
"I heard your name from the cardinal at the Holy Cathedral. Though you're only a newcomer to the Church, you've already caught the eye of the cardinal and the Senior Deacons."
Huh? Klein froze, clearly not expecting such high praise from the sword of the goddess.
Hearing Crestet's words, Dunn quietly exhaled, his expression easing slightly.
"What you've been through is indeed worthy of the Cathedral's attention," Crestet continued, as if making casual conversation: "You need to understand that the Aurora Order's true might lies hidden in the shadows of this world."
"In terms of sheer Beyonder strength, the Order counts several demigods among its ranks and worships the evil god, the True Creator. Its overall power even approaches that of the Churches."
"Otherwise, why would the Church of Storms always list the Aurora Order alongside the Everlasting Sun Church and the Church of Knowledge as its most dreaded enemies?"
"Every one of the Order's envoys—those codenamed with letters—especially the higher-ranked ones, possesses terrifying capabilities at Sequence 5 or the equivalent. These envoys are directly appointed by the True Creator, not promoted from within."
"Therefore, you are now the Church member who has had the highest-level contact with the Aurora Order."
So the Aurora Order really is that formidable... When Klein had listened to Ning Lu talk about the Order, it had felt unreal; but now, hearing it stated outright by Crestet—a Sequence 5 Senior Deacon—he finally understood how exalted Ning Lu's position within the Order actually was.
He was not merely a squad captain like Dunn; in essence he equated to one of the Night Church's twenty-two Gentlemen—those bishops and deacons who answered only to the goddess—an envoy responsible solely to a deity!
Fortunately, Ning Lu, like me, has the gray fog to shield him; otherwise he would have dropped dead the moment he arrived. He hijacked the body of one of the True Creator's own envoys!
Klein broke into a cold sweat for his fellow countryman.
But the next moment Crestet shifted topics: "Next, I will use certain Beyonder means to question and assess you."
This time he gave Klein no chance to prepare and began to hum a gentle melody.
Klein suddenly felt as though everything around him had plunged into Darkness; light was swallowed whole, and boundless blackness surged toward him, leaving him exhausted yet unable to sleep.
A moment later, grating, irritating noises rang in his ears—like sharp claws or fingernails scraping across a blackboard, or metal screeching against metal—driving Klein nearly mad with discomfort.
I swear I want to smack him... Klein muttered inwardly, but, afraid of being thrown into the Nighthawks' dungeon, he could only endure in silence, steadying his emotions.
Yet after only a few dozen seconds the piercing din gradually ceased. Klein, who had involuntarily shut his eyes, exhaled and looked at the half-masked Crestet.
"You performed very well."
Crestet said in a deep voice:
"There is no trace of corruption by an evil god upon you, and your mastery of the potion surpasses that of ordinary Beyonders—even many veterans. Can you tell me how you managed it?"
"Or did Mr. L teach you some method for quickly mastering a potion?"
Here it comes... A flicker of tension rose in Klein, though he had anticipated the question.
He digested potions quickly; if he wished to apply early for the next potion, as Ms. Daly had, such questions were inevitable.
He could hardly admit that he had deciphered Roselle's diary and learned the Acting Method from it, could he?
Klein weighed his words:
"I drew inspiration from Ms. Daly's experiences and from the maxims Mr. Neil taught me."
Using these two points as cover, he vaguely described the Acting Method he had grasped. Crestet nodded, then glanced at Dunn and Daly, signalling them to leave and close the door.
Now only Klein and Crestet remained in the room.
"Very good, very good."
Crestet broke the silence:
"Your thinking is correct, though it still needs refinement. I will record today's performance and forward it to the Cathedral."
"In the future you may notice certain special sensations. When they occur, you may file an application to the Cathedral for the next Sequence potion."
Crestet paused, his tone turning mild:
"You played an important role in the antigonus family notebook incident, accumulating enough merit to apply for the next Sequence potion."
"After deliberation, the Cathedral has decided to promote you to full membership in the Nighthawks. Congratulations, Nighthawks Klein Moretti."
That simple? The thought had barely surfaced when Klein heard Crestet continue:
"In addition, the Cathedral assigns you a mission: you are to maintain contact with Mr. L of the Aurora Order, even to infiltrate the Order, to find out what is happening within it and what Mr. L is plotting."
As he spoke, Crestet solemnly drew the sword of the goddess he carried at his side:
"Now, swear upon the goddess's holy relic, and you shall receive her blessing and—"
"—her gaze."