Tangled thoughts filled Xia Jienan’s mind. He set down the notebook in his hand, sorting through what he already knew while at the same time checking the surroundings to see if there was any other useful information he could find.
After searching thoroughly and confirming that nothing had been overlooked, he glanced one more time at the faintly glowing magic circle, then left the room.
He made his way to the last room and tried the door but it was locked as well. After a moment of thought, Xia Jienan decided not to force it open for now and returned to his own room instead.
Lying back down on the bed, he gradually finished organizing all the information in his head.
First of all, the repeatedly mentioned “him” was most likely referring to Sean. According to the notes, Sean seemed to have strongly resisted any contact with the Yellow King since childhood. Although he was an exceptionally suitable vessel for a divine descent, his own lack of cooperation had caused the ritual to be delayed again and again.
As for the golden honey wine mixed into the grape wine at Anthony Manor, it was probably some kind of bait meant to lure Sean back. It was also possible that anyone who drank it would be summoned back here but before Sean’s return, Anthony himself could not be certain of this.
Anthony had mentioned Alide before and so had the butler. Alide was most likely someone from the church’s side. Moreover, judging from the notes, Alide appeared to be the person who had destroyed Anthony’s plans the last time.
As for why Anthony believed this plan would succeed this time…… Was it because he had come up with a better one?
Did it have something to do with the line, “Using heretics as sacrifices to carry out the vessel’s final sanctification”? Did “heretics” refer to Alide? What did Alide’s death have to do with Sean?
Or rather, was there some kind of relationship between Alide and Sean?
Xia Jienan could not figure this out yet but he felt that he was already very close to the truth.
No matter what, he had to be cautious now. Since Anthony had already regarded him as a believer, approaching the situation and intervening from a “believer’s” perspective might make things much easier going forward.
He will wait for Du Yun’s message tomorrow. With those thoughts in mind, Xia Jienan drifted into sleep.
The next day, outside Anthony Manor.
Perhaps because she had gone to bed too late the night before, by the time Du Yun woke up, it was already close to noon.
When she sat up, Jiang Xing was holding the map Alide had given them, frowning as he studied the route marked on it.
“What are you looking at?” Du Yun asked with a yawn. “Where’s Sean?”
“The address of Carl, the one the nun said could send us out,” Jiang Xing said, tilting his head slightly. “Sean is still unconscious.”
Du Yun turned her head and sure enough, she saw Ye Yuzhi lying on the bed on the other side.
She stared at Ye Yuzhi’s face for a moment, stroking her chin thoughtfully, then asked, “What do you think, should we go find Carl and have him send the unconscious Sean out first?”
“I feel like Sean’s condition isn’t quite right. I’m afraid something might happen if he stays here.”
Jiang Xing didn’t have any strong opinions about it. His thinking wasn’t particularly fast and he was more suited to playing a supporting role. “That works too. I’ll check whether the medicine I brought is enough.”
Du Yun let out a sigh and said, “I’m just worried we might miss some crucial information from Sean and then something happens in the end… but we should still send him out first. The chances of something going wrong are higher if he stays here.”
As she finished speaking, she stood up. “I’ll go talk to the nun and see what she thinks.”
Jiang Xing nodded and put away the map, preparing to go with her but Du Yun refused him. “You stay here and keep watch over Sean, just in case.”
As for Du Yun’s suggestion, Alide was clearly in agreement.
Perhaps Du Yun’s sincere concern for Sean had earned her a great deal of goodwill. The usually stern looking nun’s expression softened somewhat.
“Carl is an experienced rider. If he’s the one driving the carriage, you don’t need to worry,” Alide said in a low voice. “I believe that once he sees Sean, he’ll also be willing to take all of you away.”
Du Yun nodded, doing her best to make her gaze look earnest as she said, “Actually, another person and I are planning to stay behind.”
Before Alide could ask anything, she immediately explained, “We came here in the first place because of the ritual at Anthony Manor. Please don’t worry, madam, we are not believers. On the contrary, we’re trying to figure out how to stop Anthony’s plan.”
As she spoke, Du Yun let out a bitter smile. “I’ve encountered something similar before. Ever since my… one very important friend died because of something like this, I’ve been traveling from place to place, trying to stop things like this from happening again. Maybe I’m not a good person but when it comes to this matter, my stance is absolutely the same as yours. I’ve handled quite a few similar situations before, I have experience. You don’t need to persuade me to leave, because I won’t. I only ask that you tell me what you know. That alone would be the greatest help to me.”
Alide seemed not to have expected that Du Yun carried such an experience with her. She was stunned for a long while before letting out a slow sigh. “Since you say you understand, then you should also know that what Anthony is doing is blasphemy. What he wants to summon…”
When she reached this point, an uncontrollable look of fear emerged in Alide’s eyes. “That is something that should not exist in this world… The only thing I can think of is to burn down his manor, just like last time when I burned down his hospital but fire alone cannot kill that monster of his. Also, in his manor there is a raised stone circle. Underneath it, I had someone bury explosives. The fuse is beneath the first grapevine.”
“Thank you very much! The Lord will bless you!” After obtaining such crucial information, Du Yun forcibly restrained herself and showed a trace of joy.
However, once Alide had spoken those words, she seemed to age visibly. “There is no need for you to thank me. On the contrary, it is I who should apologize to you. It would have been enough for me alone to bear the sin of committing such deeds yet because I worried whether I could carry it through, I handed such a cruel task over to you instead.” She lowered her head, kissed the ornament hanging on her chest, then clasped her hands in front of her forehead and began reciting a prayer.
“Forgive me.”
After Alide finished praying, Du Yun cautiously probed, “You seem to have a very good relationship with Sean.”
Alide fell silent for a moment before saying, “Sean’s mother was an old friend of mine.”
Du Yun understood immediately. The two of them were certainly not just simple old friends, after all, Alide looked to be old enough to be Sean’s grandmother but since the other party was unwilling to say more, Du Yun did not continue pressing the issue. She said softly, “I’m sorry for overstepping.”
Alide shook her head without saying anything. She stood up, fetched a letter of introduction and handed it to her. “If you’re leaving, take him away now. It’s going to snow tonight and it won’t be convenient to travel then.”
Du Yun nodded, saluted her respectfully and returned to the innermost room of their temporary lodging.
“Can you carry Sean on your back to Carl’s place?” she asked Jiang Xing as soon as she entered.
Jiang Xing glanced at Sean. “It shouldn’t be a big problem.”
“Alright, then do it this way: you carry him over toward Carl’s and I’ll go ahead to find Carl and bring the carriage over. We’ll meet halfway,” Du Yun arranged.
Jiang Xing agreed.
The two of them packed up immediately. Before lifting Ye Yuzhi onto his back, Jiang Xing asked, “Should we give him some medicine first?”
Du Yun thought for a moment, then shook her head. “Let’s wait until we’re on the carriage. Save a bit for now. Once we’ve settled him properly, we’ll use all of it.”
However, not long after the three of them left, a group of people dressed like ordinary villagers, carrying farming tools, arrived at the entrance of the church.
Hearing the noise, Alide stopped wiping the candlesticks. She turned around but all she could see was a sickle swinging down toward her.
✦ ✧ ✦
Nycreth
[Translator]
☕ A LITTLE SOMETHING FOR THE TRANSLATOR
The Realm accepts offerings. The translator specifically requests coffee.
☕ BUY THEM A COFFEE →
✧ (づ｡•ㅅ•｡)づ ☕ ✧
✦ thank you for reading ✦
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ChaptersChapter 1 · Guerrero’s Lair (1)Chapter 2 · Guerrero’s Lair (2)Chapter 3 · Guerrero’s Lair (3)Chapter 4 · Guerrero’s Lair (4)Chapter 5 · Guerrero’s Lair (5)Chapter 6 · Guerrero’s Lair (6)Chapter 7 · Guerrero’s Lair (7)Chapter 8 · Guerrero’s Lair (8)Chapter 9 · Guerrero’s Lair (9)Chapter 10 · Guerrero’s Lair (10)Chapter 11 · Guerrero’s Lair (11)Chapter 12 · Guerrero’s Lair (12)Chapter 13 · Guerrero’s Lair (13)Chapter 14 · Guerrero’s Lair (14)Chapter 15 · Guerrero’s Lair (15)Chapter 16 · Guerrero’s Lair (16)Chapter 17 · Guerrero’s Lair (17)Chapter 18 · Guerrero’s Lair (18)Chapter 19 · Guerrero’s Lair (19)Chapter 20 · Guerrero’s Lair (20)Chapter 21 · Guerrero’s Lair (21)Chapter 22 · Guerrero’s Lair (22)Chapter 23 · Interlude (1)Chapter 24 · The interlude (2)Chapter 25 · The interlude (3)Chapter 26 Part 1 · Calling in the Wind (1)Chapter 26 Part 2 · Calling in the Wind (1)Chapter 27 · Calling in the Wind (2)Chapter 28 · Calling in the Wind (3)Chapter 29 · Calling in the Wind (4)Chapter 30 · Calling in the Wind (5)Chapter 31 · Calling in the Wind (6)Chapter 32 · Calling in the Wind (7)Chapter 33 · Calling in the Wind (8)Chapter 34 · Calling in the Wind (9)Chapter 35 · Calling in the Wind (10)Chapter 36 · Interlude (4)Chapter 37 · Interlude (5)Chapter 38 · Interlude (6)Chapter 39 · Interlude (7)Chapter 40 · Interlude (8)Chapter 41 · Interlude (9)Chapter 42 · Welcome to Doville (1)Chapter 43 · Welcome to Doville (2)Chapter 44 · Welcome to Doville (3)Chapter 45 · Welcome to Doville (4)Chapter 46 · Welcome to Doville (5)Chapter 47 · Welcome to Doville (6)Chapter 48 · Welcome to Doville (7)Chapter 49 · Welcome to Doville (8)Chapter 50 · Welcome to Doville (9)Chapter 51 · Welcome to Doville (10)Chapter 52 · Welcome to Doville (11)Chapter 53 · Welcome to Doville (12)Chapter 54 · Interlude (10)Chapter 55 · Interlude (11)Chapter 56 · Interlude (12)Chapter 57 · Interlude (13)Chapter 58 · Interlude (14)Chapter 59 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (1)Chapter 60 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (2)Chapter 61 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (3)Chapter 62 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (4)Chapter 63 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (5)Chapter 64 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (6)Chapter 65 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (7)Chapter 66 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (8)Chapter 67 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (9)Chapter 68 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (10)Chapter 69 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (11)Chapter 70 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (12)Chapter 71 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (13)Chapter 72 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (14)Chapter 73 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (15)Chapter 74 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (16)Chapter 75 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (17)Chapter 76 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (18)Chapter 77 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (19)Chapter 78 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (20)Chapter 79 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (21)Chapter 80 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (22)Chapter 81 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (23)Chapter 82 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (24)Chapter 83 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (25)Chapter 84 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (26)Chapter 85 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (27)Chapter 86 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (28)Chapter 87 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (29)Chapter 88 · Tunnel in the Dark Night (30)Chapter 89 · Interlude (15)Chapter 90 · Interlude (16)Chapter 91 · Interlude (17)Chapter 92 · The Promise of Hamelin (1)Chapter 93 · The Promise of Hamelin (2)Chapter 94 · The Promise of Hamelin (3)Chapter 95 · The Promise of Hamelin (4)Chapter 96 · The Promise of Hamelin (5)Chapter 97 · The Promise of Hamelin (6)Chapter 98 · The Promise of Hamelin (7)Chapter 99 · The Promise of Hamelin (8)Chapter 100 · The Promise of Hamelin (9)Chapter 101 · The Promise of Hamelin (10)Chapter 102 · The Promise of Hamelin (11)Chapter 103 · The Promise of Hamelin (12)Chapter 104 · The Promise of Hamelin (13)Chapter 105 · The Promise of Hamelin (14)Chapter 106 · The Promise of Hamelin (15)Chapter 107 · The Promise of Hamelin (16)Chapter 109 · The Promise of Hamelin (18)Chapter 110 · The Promise of Hamelin (19)