Illya appeared to be a woman in her thirties. Though she wore a veil, just the pair of eyes that resembled a starry sky made it clear her appearance was anything but ordinary.
She was a favored of the Goddess. It was because she wielded a holy artifact that she earned the title "Eye of the Goddess."
At present, she was mainly responsible for the Church's affairs on the Southern Continent. This time, it was only because the matter possibly involved Ince Zangwill that she had set aside her work and rushed to Backlund.
—Of course, this had been approved by the Holy Cathedral.
"Looks like your earlier warning worked." An aged laugh echoed in Leonard's ear.
Leonard didn't dare to speak with the old man in front of a Saint. As he stole a glance at Lady Illya, he muttered inwardly, Ever since he got that Time Worm from Amon, the old man's gotten bolder and bolder…
"No need for such courtesy. I should be the one thanking you for giving me this opportunity." Illya nodded kindly to Sost, captain of the Red Gloves.
It had been during her watch at the Holy Cathedral that Ince Zangwill stole the Sealed Artifact "0-08." As a favored, she had been assigned to the Southern Continent as a result of the fallout...
Ince Zangwill had become a persistent shadow in her heart, entangling her like a nightmare.
In the original story, Ince had sought to hunt the "Eye of the Goddess" in order to complete his advancement—not merely to prove to the Goddess he was superior, but also because Lady Illya was in poor condition and mentally vulnerable, easily manipulated.
"This was thanks to Leonard's sharp instincts." Captain Sost didn't try to take the credit, instead introducing Leonard to her.
After a few more polite exchanges, Illya finally listened seriously to Sost's account, gaining a preliminary understanding of the many coincidences in the "Duke Negan Assassination Case."
When she finished listening, Illya pondered briefly, then asked, "Captain Sost, why didn't you conduct a deeper investigation into the people who had come into contact with Jason Beria? There might be clues related to Ince among them."
"Duke Negan was a devout follower of the Lord of Storms, a representative of the Storm Church's interests in politics. The Punishers are already frantically seeking the real culprit... If we pay too much attention to this case, it might create conflict with them…" Sost didn't finish his sentence, but the implication was clear.
Illya nodded. "I understand…"
At this point, she paused, then said to Leonard, "Can you bring me the personnel files related to the 'Duke Negan' case? I plan to visit each of them afterward."
Leonard was momentarily stunned by the request and almost failed to respond. After all, those documents were right next door—why did she need him to fetch them?
Pallez's aged voice rang out again in his mind. "You really can't read the room. She's just trying to send you away."
Send me away? But why…? Wait a second… There are many demigods in the Church, but after the Captain suspected Ince was in Backlund, he specifically requested support from Lady Illya, who's all the way in the Southern Continent…
Could it be that Captain Sost and Lady Illya…?
Realization dawned on Leonard's face. He glanced at the captain, whose expression was a bit off, coughed lightly, and said, "I'll take my time picking them out and bring them over for you."
With that, he turned and quickly walked into the neighboring archive room, even thoughtfully closing the door behind him.
Inside the archive room, just as Leonard confirmed the door was shut and was about to curse softly, he saw a woman sitting quietly on the chair next to a file cabinet. She seemed unaware of his presence, her gaze fixed on a piece of parchment.
Daly? She didn't go out with Stuart of the Storm Church and Ikanser of the Steam Church today? What is she looking at? Leonard's curiosity was piqued. He stepped behind her and glanced at the contents of the parchment.
"The Fool who does not belong to this era…" Leonard nearly read it aloud by reflex. It was only because of Pallez's cold snort in his ear that he stopped himself.
At that moment, Daly noticed him and smiled. "Standing like that behind a lady won't make her feel very comfortable."
Leonard's face turned awkward. He didn't respond to the teasing and instead asked, "You're staring at the title 'The Fool' so intently—what are you thinking?"
At his question, Daly's gaze shifted slightly, and then her expression turned serious. She asked, "In your opinion… what's the best way to investigate a mysterious organization?"
"Hmm… infiltrate from within…" As he said that, Leonard suddenly stopped, eyes widening as he looked at Daly. "You… you want to recite His name and draw His attention? Are you insane?!"
"People always need some excitement. Life can't always be calm. Sometimes you have to climb toward the 'summit' and enjoy a bit of ecstasy…" Daly didn't deny it. She responded with a teasing tone. Seeing that Leonard was about to speak again, she added with a smile, "Of course, seeking this kind of thrill requires a certain degree of 'protection.' I wouldn't act recklessly during dangerous times."
"…You really haven't changed at all…" Leonard breathed a sigh of relief and said thoughtfully, "But I think your mood seems better now… When you used to make jokes like this, the 'flavor'—I guess that's the word—was way heavier."
"Actually, I've gotten more curious now. I'm plotting to obtain a 'dead man'..." Daly seemed to hint at something, though it also felt just like her usual tone.
Leonard's mouth twitched slightly, but he still said seriously, "If you're going to steal corpses from a cemetery, I'll report you the moment I find out… Though, for the captain's sake, you probably wouldn't go that far."
The captain here referred to Dunn.
It's precisely because of your former captain that I want "him"… Daly was silent for a few seconds, then smiled brightly and said, "You're worried I've lost control? Actually, I just want to pray to the 'Fool' and see if He might grant me a 'dead man.'"
That idea's even more dangerous than losing control! Leonard thought that to himself, but he finally relaxed. The other party should be well aware of the danger posed by a hidden existence. Saying something like this now was probably just a joke directed at him.
After all, dead people were everywhere—there was no need to pray to the "Fool" for one.
But Daly's gaze returned to the parchment again, as if lost in thought.
…..
The carriage exited the western district and turned south at a junction, soon arriving at a military base.
Having quietly followed Detective Isengard, Ebner quickly arrived at a hard-packed dirt square alongside his teacher. There stood a massive object painted in deep blue and pure white.
It was a dirigible. It stretched dozens of meters long, with a solid yet lightweight alloy frame extending from the body, intertwining and supporting an airtight, waterproof fabric that contained gas bags. Below were ports for machine guns, bomb bays, and cannon mouths.
At this moment, the high-combustion steam engine had yet to hum, and the corresponding propeller blades hadn't begun to spin. Everything remained very quiet.
Isengard had pulled some strings to board the dirigible and head directly to Rad County in the south. From there, he would transfer to a train, pass through Feynapotter, and return to Lenburg.
As for whose connection he'd used? Naturally, it was that of Major Kesia from Military Intelligence Division Nine, mentioned by Bishop Elissa Linton of the Lever Church. She was currently stationed in Rad County...
While waiting to board, Ebner once again bid farewell to his teacher and wished him a happy new year.
"You should head back first. Even though you have Miss Xio's pass and have transformed into her appearance, this is a military base. There's no guarantee a certain bigwig won't pass by and see through it," said Detective Isengard with a smile, lifting his suitcase.
Ebner glanced around and noticed that several other passengers nearby seemed to be people with similar "connections," just like his teacher. He shook his head and said, "Since I've escorted you this far, I should see it through to the end."
Isengard didn't insist. He merely laughed at himself. "Next time we meet, I should have advanced to 'Polymath.' I won't be trailing behind my student anymore."
No… even if you become a 'Polymath,' you'd still be one Sequence below me. Ebner didn't mention that he was already a "Mysticism Magister." After all, this promotion speed was far from normal—he didn't want to scare his teacher.
The two of them chatted a while longer. Finally, the dirigible began its "boarding check." Ebner watched his teacher hand over his documents and ID to the officer standing by the gangway and then step by step board the aircraft before turning and leaving the "airstrip."
Just as he reached the base gate, he suddenly saw a beautiful woman walking toward him, her features brimming with heroic spirit.
When she saw Ebner in Xio's form, she was momentarily stunned. Then her eyes deepened, and a thin mist seemed to rise faintly—but it vanished almost immediately, as if it had been an illusion.
(End of Chapter)