North Borough, Saint Samuel Cathedral.
Crimson moonlight streamed through the stained glass windows, spilling across the corridor floor.
Two figures walked through the red-tinted light, the scarlet gloves on their hands gleaming as their footsteps echoed in succession.
"Lady Isabella, aren't we going after the Aurora Order today?"
Sensing the strange atmosphere, Leonard took the initiative to ask.
"No, we've caught most of the ones we can.
The rest have gone to ground, and hunting them down would be time-consuming and not worth the effort," Isabella replied.
"Cultists are like rats or cockroaches in the sewers. You can never kill them all, and they always multiply when you're not looking."
"It's a shame that A, their leader, managed to escape."
Leonard nodded.
That madman had caused them enormous trouble, and the fact that he'd escaped unscathed just proved how difficult Shepherds were to deal with.
As they spoke, the two passed through the corridor and entered a conference room.
So many people.
Leonard's gaze swept across the room.
To his surprise, among those present were not only Nighthawks but also several people in military uniforms.
At the front of the room sat Archbishop Anthony Stevenson alongside a black-haired, golden-eyed man whose presence felt as deep and terrifying as Anthony's.
He must be a demigod of the same rank.
Isabella led him into the conference room, patted his shoulder, then left him alone. She stretched lazily and took a seat at the back.
"Leonard, correct?"
Just as Leonard was feeling confused, Anthony Stevenson, dressed in his black robes with red trim, smiled at him and asked in a friendly tone.
"Yes, Saint Anthony."
Leonard quickly replied.
"These are our colleagues from MI9. They're also here to assist with the investigation into the events from a few days ago.
Take a seat over there.
In a moment, we'll need you to brief everyone on the situation and answer a few questions."
"Understood."
Leonard replied, sitting down reluctantly in the front row.
With two demigods right beside him, he sat stiffly, unable to lounge casually with his legs up like he usually did.
"Now then, allow me to review the sequence of events."
A well-dressed Nighthawk stepped forward and showed everyone a photograph.
"The incident began when one of our Church's priests received a message delivered by pigeon, written in flesh and blood.
It said that the offspring of an evil god was about to be born..."
"...That's the gist of it. By the time our people broke free from the Aurora Order's interference and caught up to Lanevus, he had already been killed."
He finished his detailed explanation and stepped down from the podium.
"Leonard."
Anthony called to the black-haired, green-eyed Nightmare. "Share your experience with everyone."
"Yes."
Leonard stood at the podium somewhat bewildered and recounted his experience once more.
He noticed the Military Intelligence members exchanging glances and whispering among themselves.
"From your personal perspective, what is the relationship between these two intruders and the Aurora Order?"
The black-haired, golden-eyed MI9 official asked.
"Enemies."
Leonard answered without hesitation.
"They must have been the ones who killed Lanevus, who was carrying the evil god's offspring.
Mr. A who caught up with us later was furious. His roar was so loud I could hear it clearly."
"What pathways did those two belong to?"
"One of them appeared to be a Magician. The other didn't display any particular abilities.
I only saw that he seemed severely injured, his expression pained, his body constantly regenerating."
The military demigod fell silent for a moment after hearing this, then said, "I see."
Leonard didn't quite understand.
Seeing that Saint Anthony had nothing more to add, he bowed his head slightly, turned, and walked to the back of the conference room to find an empty seat.
"...Military Intelligence's position is that this incident and the previous Capim case were likely committed by the same person."
The military demigod stated.
"And your reasoning?"
Saint Anthony asked calmly. This was precisely why MI9 had come to inquire about the case details.
"The reasoning is that in both cases, the actual perpetrator was connected to the Secrets Suppliant pathway."
The military demigod explained.
He continued:
"In the Capim case, everyone present, except for the innocent girls, was completely devoured.
Not a drop of blood or scrap of flesh remained. In this case, both the priest who received the message and the person who ultimately killed Lanevus appear to be Beyonders of this pathway.
We suspect he's at least a Sequence 6 Rose Bishop."
After hearing this, Saint Anthony didn't object. He simply pondered in silence.
"Wait, I have a question."
At that moment, the voice of "Wing of the Goddess" Isabella carried over the crowd.
"Beyonders of the Secrets Suppliant pathway are theoretically all brainwashed by the True Creator and only act according to that evil god's will.
But in the first case, the real culprit actually spared innocent little girls, reducing the flesh and blood offered to the True Creator.
In the second case, the person behind it was clearly antagonistic to the Aurora Order and even killed the True Creator's offspring.
No matter how you look at it, they're acting contrary to that evil god's will."
Among the crowd, Leonard heard this, and the relaxation he'd felt after stepping down from the podium vanished. His brow furrowed slightly.
He thought of his colleague from Tingen, who was a Beyonder of the Secrets Suppliant pathway.
Because of that disaster, he'd been forcibly advanced to Sequence 5 Shepherd.
"Perhaps he's not actually from that sequence."
The military demigod said. "He may simply possess a Beyonder item from that pathway."
"Hmm, that does sound more reasonable."
Saint Anthony nodded in agreement.
Leonard thought it over and seemed to accept this theory, though his expression dimmed slightly.
That's right. He's already dead. I collected his body and buried it in the coffin myself.
No matter what, he couldn't possibly come back to life and appear in Backlund to meet me.
I'm sorry, Silas. I still haven't found your sister.
Leonard thought silently to himself.
He hadn't forgotten the promise he'd made at his colleague's grave.
Since then, he'd actively searched for traces of Cecilia, hiring multiple detectives to investigate with Tingen as the center point. But the results had been fruitless.
For a moment, Leonard felt a wave of melancholy. He had no desire to participate in the discussion between the Nighthawks and MI9.
Only when the demigod called his name again did he snap back to attention and quickly stand up.
"...Leonard."
"Ah? Yes!"
"Regarding the scene at the time, was there anything else that left a strong impression on you?"
The demigod asked.
"Tarot cards."
Leonard thought for a moment and replied.
"Tarot cards?"
"Yes, tarot cards everywhere, covering Lanevus's body. Honestly, the scene looked both eerie and peculiar."
Leonard recalled what he'd witnessed, his expression growing somber.
Lanevus's twisted face, his mutilated corpse, countless cards with strange images scattered about.
Some depicted a leisurely man hanging upside down, others showed an angel of judgment raising a longsword. Blood had soaked the cards, making even the images on them seem bloody and mysterious.