After a few seconds, Lumian activated his mystic eyes.
Immediately, faint white silhouettes began drifting around him.
He slowly looked around, taking in the surroundings—the couch, the rocking chair, the television, and a makeup stand positioned to the left.
After that, he and Vincent moved around, checking the corners and other visible areas carefully. However, they found nothing useful.
Except…
Some colognes, protection items, aphrodisiacs, and various cosmetics.
Lumian's expression shifted slightly.
Then, he took out his amethyst pendant and activated it, entering a state of invigoration.
Closing his eyes, he began to replay the events that had taken place, carefully reconstructing everything in his mind.
...
Immediately, a scene began to play out in his mind.
In the image, Elizabeth—with her silver hair—was seated on a couch, her posture relaxed, almost seductive, as she calmly swirled a glass in her hand.
After a moment, she stood up and looked toward the crimson sun, pausing briefly.
Then she moved slowly toward a bookshelf and placed something inside.
After that, she turned—and her appearance shifted, transforming into an elderly man. Taking a walking stick, she quickly exited the room.
In the next instant, the scene shattered.
...
Lumian lowered the pendant, frowning slightly.
He had, in fact, recognized the woman.
Although… from the portraits earlier, he hadn't paid much attention to her face, his focus had been elsewhere entirely.
Hmm… so this is actually her home... but I've not stopped thinking about Dorothy to begin with, I've always wondered, was she actually forced to join the witches garden... Lumian Inwardly thought as he returned his pendant to his coat.
Without the luxury of thinking further, Lumian turned to Vincent, who was bent over near a flower plant, searching carefully.
"Vincent, check the bookshelf," Lumian said, pointing to his left.
...
Vincent stood up and gave Lumian a small smile before turning and walking toward the shelf. He paused for a moment, scanning it briefly before glancing back at Lumian.
"Where exactly?"
Lumian tried to recall the scene clearly, replaying the image in his mind until he suddenly remembered—she had placed the item inside a particular book. For a brief second, he felt like a bad friend for letting his friend check the danger first.
"That book, the fourth from the right," Lumian said, pointing.
Vincent nodded and reached out, pulling the book free. As soon as he did, a letter slipped out from between the pages.
Lumian's eyes narrowed slightly. A letter… that reminded him, she had purposely kept it inside the book. Did that mean she was expecting them?
Now more alert, Lumian stepped closer and looked over Vincent's shoulder as the letter was opened.
"You guys… well done, well done. I'm actually surprised you managed to find the man who took the text. I've got to say, impressive."
"Lucky for you, my lady said you could keep the text. Otherwise, I would've killed you, haha."
"But keep this in mind, my lady also told me you were coming."
"Guess what? I prepared a surprise for you. A meat surprise."
"Guess what again… it's actually your flesh, burnt, crisp, sweet and very tender."
"—love, the beautiful Elizabeth, who has lived for thousands of years."
...
After finishing the letter, Lumian heart immediately started pounding as he looked around the room.
Thwarmp! Thwarmp! Thwarmp!
What could make a human body, burnt, crisp, sweet and very tender?
Lumian was so gripped with fear, as he started piercing the clues left behind from the letter.
Wait, burnt, crisp, sweet and very tender... could it be that there's a bomb in here?
With that, Lumian turned to Vincent who had dropped the letter back.
"Bro... we need to get out of here immediately."
...
At that moment, Vincent also sensed that something was wrong. He gave a slight nod, immediately turning as if to leave. Lumian did the same, already moving around to follow, but just as he took a step, his diviner intuition suddenly flared.
The diviner intuition was informing him that something very dangerous was behind that shelf.
Lumian feeling that, knew there was not time to hesitate.
In that instant, Lumian released the pressure to his body, his figure blurring as he shot forward at incredible speed. Vincent, reacting just as quickly, followed right behind him without a word.
The two of them burst out of the house in a flash, reappearing at a far distance, stopping only when they had enough ground between themselves and the building. From there, they turned back, their eyes fixed on the silent structure.
For a brief moment, everything seemed… calm.
Lumian frowned slightly, his thoughts catching up to him.
Or could i just be overthinking things?
But in the very next second, a sharp beeping sound echoed faintly from within the house.
It started slow and quiet, then immediately went louder and faster, growing faster by each second.
The sound rose with urgency until,
Boom!
...
The debris from the house burst outward in all directions, the interior tearing itself apart as violent shockwaves rippled through the surroundings one after another.
Even from at least ten feet away, Lumian and Vincent were pushed back slightly, their footing shifting under the force of the blast.
The fences flew in different directions, as other fragments of windows scattered across the street.
Inside nearby homes, civilians who had been sleeping peacefully were jolted awake. Lights flickered on one after another as doors creaked open.
People stepped outside, their voices overlapping—confused, alarmed, and rising into a wave of commotion.
"What was that?"
"An explosion?"
"Is someone hurt?"
...
The quiet night was gone in an instant.
Lumian and Vincent who did not want to be seen, quickly blurred once more, as they understand that if they were seen, the matter would likely escalate to the saying that sorcerers were likely behind it.
...
They soon reached another street and quickly booked a private taxi, heading straight back to Lamenti.
Lamenti, Moonlight Watchers Faculty.
With their faces still filled with lingering fear, Lumian and Vincent stepped out of the taxi and hurried inside.
The interior of the faculty was unusually dark. A power issue across Lamenti had knocked out the main supply, leaving the building dim and shadowed.
Only a single candle flickered on Lury's desk, its weak flame casting long, shifting shadows across the room.
Hargreaves, dressed in a blue shirt and black trousers, sat calmly on the couch, reading a newspaper as if nothing was wrong.
At that moment, Lumian and Vincent entered.
Guided by the faint candlelight, they approached him.
"Captain," Vincent spoke up. "We just returned from Azamthal."
Hargreaves lowered the newspaper slightly, his interest immediately piqued.
"What did you find?"
...
"Captain, we didn't find anything concrete," Vincent began, his tone steady but tense. "We only confirmed that the group intentionally allowed us to retrieve the St. Mary Text… and that their supposed leader instructed them not to attack us."
Hargreaves looked at the two of them carefully, his dark eyes sharp even in the dim candlelight. "Then I have to ask," he said slowly, "what's making you both so agitated? Did something happen?"
Lumian and Vincent exchanged a brief glance before Lumian answered. "Captain… there was a bomb. She blew the place up."
Hargreaves frowned slightly, confusion flashing across his face. "Wait. I thought you said she was willing to keep you alive?"
Vincent shook his head. "That's exactly what I thought too, Captain. But I came up with a theory… what if she didn't intend to kill us, but to injure us instead?"
He paused briefly before continuing. "In the letter we found, she mentioned wanting our flesh to be 'crispy and tender.' "
Hargreaves fell silent for a moment, his expression turning more serious as he processed the information.
"This is… troubling," he said at last. "If that's the case, then they may be planning something else entirely."
"Could it be that stealing the text was never the real objective… but simply a way to divert our attention?"
...
"Captain, you're absolutely right. That should be the case," Vincent said, nodding slightly. "Something as valuable as the St. Mary Text couldn't have been found so easily. And with everything I've heard from this Witches Garden—the True God, Lacey's case, and Tom's case, there's a high probability that something bigger is going on."
Hargreaves nodded in agreement. "Yes… that seems likely."
He shifted his gaze toward Vincent. "Vincent, go back to the street and try to calm them down. Tell them you were just passing by and happened to perform an exorcism. We can't allow this incident to be traced back to us."
Vincent nodded without hesitation and quickly made his way out.
After a brief silence, Hargreaves stood up and began walking.
"Lumian, follow me."
...
Hearing that, Lumian was slightly taken aback, but he chose not to question it. Instead, he quietly followed his captain.
They soon reached a staircase leading downward and began to descend, their footsteps echoing softly through the dimly lit passage. Candles were fixed along the walls, their faint flames casting long, shifting shadows as they moved deeper below.
After a while, they arrived at the lowest level.
But to Lumian's surprise… it was a dead end.
He frowned, confusion evident on his face as he glanced around the small, enclosed space.
Without saying a word, Hargreaves raised his hand, pressing two fingers together as he began reciting an incantation. Then, without hesitation, he stepped forward, and passed through it.
What…? For a brief moment, he was stunned. This… it felt familiar. Could it be the same mechanism as that forest? But this time, the captain had used his Night Crosser abilities.
Letting out a soft breath, Lumian didn't hesitate any longer and stepped forward as well.
The moment he entered, the space rippled like water, distorting around him before suddenly solidifying again.
A chill ran down his spine.
He couldn't help but recall the last time he experienced something like this, the unsettling image of curses hanging upside down still lingered in his memory.
Bracing himself, he looked around.
At first, there was only darkness.
Raising the pressure to his head, he activated his mystic eyes.
Immediately, faint white silhouettes began drifting within his vision, revealing the hidden details of the space, with thier colours.
To his left, he saw a bookshelf, containing many books, and at his right and left front, he saw some cupboards tightly wrapped with metal chains.
Looking ahead, he saw the captain with his dark eyes staring at him.
...
Seeing Lumian's reaction, Hargreaves smiled and walked to his left, taking a candle from the shelf.
He placed it on the table in front of them, then reached into his black trousers and pulled out a lighter.
With a flick of the lighter, the candle ignited.
In an instant, the dark room was filled with a warm yellow glow, casting long, stretched shadows of both men across the walls.
Hargreaves looked at Lumian.
"This is where I've relocated the cursed items… and the St. Mary Text," he said with a light chuckle. "Isn't it safe?"
He gestured casually toward the room. "I've also informed Vincent and the others. They help monitor and protect it."
At that moment, there was a loud thud.
One of the chained cupboards suddenly began to shake violently, as if something inside was pounding against it, trying to break free.
Lumian noticed it and immediately felt great fear wash over him as he asked. "Captain, is that a cursed item?"
...
"Yes, Lumian," Hargreaves replied. "It's actually one of the Idea-class artifacts, an idea 1 as I've told you before—the Wheel of Perception. It's natural for it to act like that, since it's one of the strongest artifacts created in the Age of Divine Intervention. So from time to time, I have to come and check on it, putting it back to sleep."
"The item is extremely dangerous. It can manifest whatever the user or observer perceives… and even allow one to 'win' against all outcomes."
He let out a faint chuckle. "But there are side effects. According to previous researchers, the artifact has a tendency to enforce victory in its own way, meaning the 'win' it produces may not always be a good outcome."
Lumian gave a short, uneasy laugh and nodded.
At that moment, Hargreaves's phone rang.
He paused, then stepped slightly aside to answer it. Before leaving, he pressed his fingers briefly to his forehead, then gestured toward the cupboard as if stabilizing it.
"Lumian, keep watch here for me. I'll be back shortly."
With that, he left the space.
...
At that moment, Lumian felt a slight unease. He walked forward and sat at a desk, noticing a newspaper on the table. He picked it up and glanced at the date—an early morning copy of the Arclif Article.
Hmm… the captain usually comes here… Lumian thought inwardly as he began to read.
...Remarkable… truly remarkable, the recent election held today has concluded, selecting a new Duke to succeed the honorable Duke Joshua.
The election featured three main parties: the Arshal Party, headed by Louis Harvile; the Varylt Family faction, led by Master Gary of the Gary Family; and a newly rising group—the Eugene Party.
While most had expected Louis Harvile to secure the position, the results took a different turn. The Eugene Party's candidate, Higilar Eugene, has been crowned the new Duke.
May he bring prosperity to Betyl…
...
Lumian finished reading and shook his head slightly.
And I didn't even know the election was held today…
But thinking about it, why would the people of Betyl choose a new party and leader? Or are they simply looking for something new?
Lumian thought inwardly as he folded the newspaper, placed it back, and stood up.
...
He looked at the shelf and stepped closer, scanning the books.
I don't think this is dangerous… since it isn't sealed.
He picked up one book titled "The Theories on Orders and Phases." From the markings and writing style, Lumian quickly realized it was likely authored by the main branch of the Church of Skywalker.
He returned to the seat and sat down, now genuinely interested in the subject. Then he opened the book and began to read.
...
…To be honest, I've long tried to uncover the mystery behind what St. Mary left behind. I've been researching it for years, and I believe I may have finally reached a plausible conclusion.
As recorded in the Book of Wisdom, individuals can obtain power and ascend through Orders by consuming potions.
It is commonly stated that those who reach Phase 4 are regarded as "Angels," and that upon reaching Phase 0, one becomes a "God."
However, this interpretation is incorrect.
Based on my study of the Book of Wisdom and the Book of Testament, what St. Mary actually implied—but only left fragmented—is that reaching Phase 0 does not make one a God.
Instead, one becomes a "Wizard"—a being who has fully mastered their Order, or has become its embodiment, either through taking a wrong Order potion, or deliberate divergence.
The term "Wizard" applies to both men and women. They cannot simply be classified as witches, as it was stated that the Creator envisioned them as distinct existences.
However, I do not believe they are succubi or similar beings with Witches. I cannot confirm their exact nature at this time.
What I understand for now is this: even at Phase 0, one does not become a God, but rather a Wizard. There is no known ritual or method to surpass this state… and I currently have no information on how one might become a true God.
...
Lumian lowered the book, his expression filled with confusion.
…Wait. So you don't become a god when you reach Phase 0?