In a luxurious suite at the White Dove Hotel in Kankdar, Sister Vanya stood frozen in place with a look of astonishment, gazing with a hint of surprise at the translucent Sister slowly floating in the room. Seeing her unusual appearance, Sister Vanya's heart was filled with confusion.
'This… when did this Sister appear? How did she suddenly appear in my room… Her appearance, she looks like a Ghost, but it doesn't feel quite right… What is this…'
Sister Vanya stared in astonishment at the translucent Sister before her, who was dressed similarly to herself. However, this Sister, known as Sister Evi, had her gaze fixed on Inquisitor Clifton, staring directly at the simmering anger in his eyes with a detached look.
"Sister Evi, by obstructing me like this, may I consider you to be interfering with the Bureau of Judgment's official duties?"
"If your official duties seriously violate regulations… then it is…" Sister Evi continued to respond calmly to Clifton's words, while Clifton retorted sternly.
"I don't recall the Court of Salvation having the authority to supervise Inquisitors."
"Of course, I don't have the authority to supervise Inquisitors. What I am exercising is my authority as the head of the Court of Salvation to prevent and save the saint church from large-scale humanitarian disasters. The assassination case in Kankdar concerns the situation in Adus, and a single misstep could lead to an unnecessary large-scale war, not only impacting the spread of the saint church in Adus but also causing the deaths of a large number of innocent followers. In my opinion, this is a potential disaster, and in order to prevent this disaster from happening, I have the authority to supervise the investigation process of this case."
Facing Clifton's words, Sister Evi replied without yielding in the slightest. Hearing Sister Evi's words, Clifton's expression became even uglier, and he continued to speak sternly.
"Sister Evi, I need to remind you that Shadi Adus is an otherworld country, and the holy war launched against it is absolutely not a disaster for the saint church followers!"
"Whether Adus under the Shadi Regime is an otherworld country or not, the Cardinal Council has not yet made a definition. I don't know where Inquisitor Sir gets the authority to directly label a country with a population of twenty million as otherworld, substituting the Cardinal Council. The results of this case's investigation will have a significant impact on the Cardinal Council's decision, therefore I will truthfully record your investigation process here, and this record will later appear before the Cardinal Council, providing the Cardinals with a different perspective."
Staring at Clifton, Sister Evi continued to speak silently. Seeing Sister Evi's unyielding stance, Clifton then said coldly.
"Hmph, it seems that without realizing it, the scope of your Court of Salvation's jurisdiction is getting wider and wider, you're even managing things over our heads now."
"The feeling is mutual, Inquisitor Clifton. You also cannot torture a devout Sister based on fabricated charges without evidence, can you…"
Narrowing her eyes slightly, Sister Evi directly pointed out Clifton's purpose of taking Sister Vanya back to his ship, while Clifton directly refuted.
"As long as the suspicion is great enough, even without evidence, we have the right to interrogate!"
"Then… do you mean Sister Vanya is highly suspicious?"
"Of course. After the assassination case occurred, we immediately notified the Tivian Church to lift the divination protection on Sister Vanya, and then used divination methods to confirm if she had any connection with the otherworld. The result showed that after Sister Vanya lost the saint church's divination protection, there was still divination protection from an unknown source covering her, causing our divination to fail.
"This situation, in addition to Sister Vanya, also appeared on other members of the Adus delegation, and even the desert arrow crew. Being protected by an unknown anti-divination system outside the saint church, isn't this highly suspicious?"
Facing Sister Evi, Clifton directly stated some of their preliminary investigation results, while Sister Evi also responded calmly.
"Being protected by anti-divination from an unknown source doesn't prove anything. This is very likely a method of framing, it is not difficult to include someone in an anti-divination method, it only requires acquiring their relatively simple information and subtle traces. It is very likely that the real otherworld killer deliberately included Sister Vanya in their anti-divination to make her suffer injustice."
"That's just your guess!"
"Even if we don't talk about guesses and only talk about facts, you still can't arrest Sister Vanya? Sister Vanya not only didn't make any harmful moves during the assassination incident, but instead subdued an assassin and saved two victims. Everything she did at the time was to obstruct the assassination. No matter how you look at it, she shouldn't be the primary suspect. Inquisitor Clifton, as soon as you arrived in Kankdar, instead of questioning other more suspicious personnel, you came straight here to arrest a hero who saved innocent lives during the assassination. This is a bit unreasonable, isn't it?"
Crossing her hands in front of her, Sister Evi calmly explained to Clifton. Hearing Sister Evi say this, Clifton's eyes became even more dangerous, and he continued to speak.
"Sister Vanya's act of saving people was very likely to better hide herself. Although she stopped one assassin, another assassin still succeeded. Although she saved people, the most important Prince Mazhaler still died. She seemed to be obstructing the assassination, but the ultimate goal of the assassination was still achieved. Therefore, Sister Vanya's act of obstructing the assassination was very likely a performance with her own people, a performance to clear herself of suspicion, after all, her status is special, it would be too regrettable for the otherworld if she were directly arrested there.
"So performing a play, achieving the main goal while ensuring Sister Vanya's safety, is quite worthwhile for the otherworld. According to the detailed report at the time of the assassination, Vanya stopped the first assassin, causing everyone's attention to focus on her and the first assassin. At this time, the second assassin suddenly acted, catching the guards on the scene off guard, resulting in a large number of casualties. It is difficult not to think that Vanya's action of stopping the first assassin was rehearsed beforehand, with the purpose of covering the second assassin's action."
Staring at Sister Vanya, who looked panicked, Clifton directly made his assertion, while Sister Evi smiled slightly, then spoke with a hint of sarcasm.
"Performing a play? What a good idea, Inquisitor Clifton, your guess just now is even more convoluted and daring than mine… So my guess is meaningless, and your guess is meaningful?"
"You…"
Facing the translucent Sister with a slight smile before him, Clifton's anger spread directly from his eyes to his face, clearly surging with rage. He tightened his grip on the scripture at his waist, then spoke to Sister Evi.
"Sister Evi, it seems you are going to oppose me to the end this time? Do you think you have the ability to oppose me?"
"Oppose? No, I am merely fulfilling my own duty, Inquisitor Clifton. We are all loyal servants of the Three Saints, and we all perform our respective duties within the saint church. How can this be called opposition? Let us cooperate with each other to handle this incident, do you think that's alright?"
Facing Clifton, whose face was flushed with anger, Sister Evi continued to speak without changing her expression. When she noticed Clifton's tightened grip on the scripture and the dangerous aura spreading around him, her eyes narrowed slightly, and she spoke with a dangerous tone.
"By the way, if Inquisitor Clifton thinks that I, currently before your eyes as merely a projection, am insufficient to cooperate with your work, then you don't need to worry. Although I here am a projection, the relay equipment it borrows is only one."
"Only one relay…"
Listening to Sister Evi's words, Clifton froze for a moment, then his eyes widened as he stared at the translucent Sister before him. The anger on his face instantly vanished, replaced by a subtle astonishment. After the astonishment disappeared, his expression immediately turned serious, and he spoke again.
"Sister Evi, did you really come to Kankdar?"
As he spoke, Clifton glanced out the window at the empty sky, then turned his gaze back. Sister Evi, after hearing Clifton's words, still spoke calmly.
"I am currently cruising 114 nautical miles north of Kankdar, and I am expected to arrive at Sand Submerged Island Military Port in 42 minutes. From that location, I can easily observe the situation within Kankdar. If I wanted to personally come to Kankdar, I could arrive very quickly. I will be stationed there until this incident is resolved, so in the coming days, please take care of each other, Inquisitor Clifton."
Facing Clifton before her, Sister Evi spoke slowly, her tone carrying a clear sense of danger. Listening to Sister Evi's words, a trace of confusion flashed across Clifton's face. After hesitating for a moment, he secretly gritted his teeth, and the emotions on his face calmed down again. He then shifted his gaze to Sister Vanya beside him and spoke.
"Heh... It seems Saint Amanda truly values Sister Vanya. Since Sister Evi has arrived, we won't disturb you here. Farewell..."
Saying this, Clifton turned and left the hotel suite, walking out the door. Hajeta, who was beside him, was momentarily stunned by this scene. After glancing at Vanya and Sister Evi in the room, he immediately turned and walked out the door as well. Soon after, only the two Sisters remained in the room.
Clifton's departure marked the failure of his plan to forcibly arrest Vanya, thwarted by Sister Evi's pressure. Though unwilling, he could only leave.
After seeing the aggressive Clifton leave, Vanya breathed a sigh of relief in her heart. She then turned her gaze to the illusory Sister beside her, wanting to say something but unsure how to begin. After a brief, nervous hesitation, she finally spoke.
"Thank you very much just now, um... Sister Evi. If it weren't for you, I might have been arrested by now..."
Listening to Vanya's words of gratitude, Sister Evi floated and turned around, saying with a faint smile.
"It's nothing. Under the Light of the Lord, no innocent person should suffer unjust imprisonment. This incident stems from greed and grows with madness. If not properly resolved, it will have a very negative impact on the future of the saint church. Therefore, I was ordered by Saint Amanda to come here to ensure the basic justice of this incident."
"Amanda... Could it be Saint Amanda, that Saint... She's actually paying attention to me?" Hearing Sister Evi's words, Vanya spoke in astonishment. She hadn't expected that a Saint, one of the truly high-ranking figures of the Shining Light Church, whom she had only ever heard about in stories and rumors, would directly pay attention to her, a small Sister.
"Of course, Saint Amanda has been paying attention to Sister Vanya for a long time. Some of your deeds and character have earned her recognition. You have been under her gaze since a long time ago."
"I... have been under Saint Amanda's gaze for a long time. Then... Sister Evi, can Saint Amanda help me escape my current predicament?" Vanya said to Sister Evi. Listening to Vanya's words, Sister Evi slowly replied.
"My purpose in coming here is precisely that, but the current situation is very complex and involves too much. Resolving the predicament will not happen in a short time. We need to plan carefully."
Sister Evi spoke thus. As she spoke, her gaze turned to the door of the room. At that moment, a priest in a long robe walked in, came before Vanya, and presented her with a box.
"Open it and take out what's inside..."
Following Sister Evi's words, Vanya opened the box and took out the item inside. Upon closer inspection, she found it was a small metal mechanism ball. She could see tiny, precise gears operating inside, emitting a faint sound from within. A circle of crystals was embedded around it, reflecting light. Seeing the mechanism ball, Vanya couldn't help but ask curiously.
"This is..."
"This is a relay receiver. What exactly is it for? You don't need to know the principle. You just need to know that as long as you carry it, my projection can appear by your side anytime, anywhere, and I can clearly perceive all the situations around you. As long as you keep it safe, no one will dare to harm you directly with malicious intent..."
Facing Vanya, the illusory Sister Evi explained simply. Listening to Sister Evi's words, Vanya couldn't help but be stunned. She suddenly realized that this thing in her hand was not only a protective tool but also a surveillance tool. If she carried this item, what if the secrets about Rose Cross and Aka were discovered...
Just as a trace of worry appeared in Vanya's heart, a familiar voice sounded within her. Upon hearing this voice, the worry that had just appeared in Vanya's heart immediately vanished. She breathed a sigh of relief, accepted the small mechanism ball, and thanked Sister Evi.
"Thank you, Sister Evi. I will take good care of this."
"Mm..."
Looking at the obedient little Sister who responded, Sister Evi also smiled and nodded in response. However, in the depths of her illusory eyes, there was a hint of other emotion.
...
At dusk, in another hotel in the Kankdar foreigner residential area.
Sitting on the hotel balcony, Dorothy gazed at the distant sunset while pondering the information she had just gathered from Vanya's senses. Dorothy was fully aware of everything that had just happened in Vanya's room.
"Inquisitor Clifton, Sister Evi of the Court of Salvation... I really didn't expect it. In one day, two waves of people came directly from Holy Mountain. It seems the situation is becoming even more chaotic..."
Rubbing her head, Dorothy murmured to herself. People coming from Holy Mountain was within her expectations, but the specific nature of the people who came was completely beyond her imagination. She hadn't expected that the stance of Inquisitor Clifton, as the Church's investigator, would actually be problematic, that his bias would be so strong. She also hadn't expected that the Church faction that had originally treated Vanya as a political tool would now choose to openly appear and strongly protect Vanya.
'Things are getting more and more complicated. I didn't expect the internal conflicts within the Church to have escalated to this extent... But fortunately, the conflict has escalated, and at least there are people within the Church who can support Vanya... This Sister Evi seems really interesting...'
Stroking her chin, Dorothy thought thoughtfully. At this moment, she had become interested in what kind of being that projected Sister was.
'In any case, regarding this matter, that Sister Evi and the Church power she represents can be considered my allies. Since they are allies, I need to find a way to contact them and exchange information.
'But how should I approach that Sister now?'
Thinking about this question, Dorothy fell into contemplation while enjoying the sunset.