"Do you feel any better?" Schiller bandaged Batman's head wound while telling him about his conversation with Old Siltec and what he had found in the laboratory.
Batman listened in silence, seemingly deep in thought. Once Schiller finished wrapping the bandage, he said, "The key isn't the secret hidden behind all this, but the person hiding it."
"You mean Old Siltec?"
"Yes. He's the person we can reach who knows the most secrets. You said he left Farainess. That wasn't a good choice, unless he had a reason he absolutely had to do it."
"Why do you say that?"
"If he wanted to use his informational advantage to negotiate with the church, he had to make sure he was the only one who walked out of here alive. Never mind that we're all still alive—even ordinary people had survivors. He rushed off without cleaning this place up. Something must have happened."
"What are you planning to do next?"
Batman turned to ask him instead, "Will you cooperate with me?"
Schiller set down what he was holding, walked to the front row of the church pews, and sat beside Batman. "Tell me your plan first."
"The monsters wandering through the village are strong evidence that another disaster has struck. Old Siltec isn't the only one who can use an informational advantage to negotiate with the church. We can do it too."
"You want me to contact the church?" Schiller said softly. "But I'm afraid it won't be that simple. Although I'm a member of the church, and theoretically might even be part of the Pope's Imperial Guard, the church has many factions. I suspect some of them are in league with Old Siltec."
Schiller sighed, looking out through the window behind the cross. "I suspect there are cultists within the church.