Not a Shepherd

"Luther, I think you need to give me an explanation."

The regret in Dunn's deep eyes lasted only a short time; he quickly became serious and resumed the demeanor befitting a captain.

"Hehe."

Luther was speechless and could only manage a bitter smile.

He was caught by the Nighthawks at the crime scene, covered in signs of a struggle, with the corpse of an extraordinary being who was clearly a follower of an evil god lying on the ground—no matter how he denied it, he was inextricably linked to what had happened here.

Moreover, due to his continuous use of "Language of Foulness," he now exudes a strong aura of Degeneration and doesn't look like a good person at all.

But Captain, why did you arrive so quickly?

Luther thought helplessly.

The police force in the East Borough was relatively weak, and it was within the sphere of influence of the Church of Storms. In his mind, the police would arrive slowly first, and only after they discovered the anomaly at the scene would they contact the official extraordinary individuals. By the time the Church of Storms ' "Mandated Punishers" arrived at the scene, he would have already dealt with the aftermath and escaped with Cecilia.

However, the result was that he was caught red-handed by the Nighthawks right after he had just dealt with Ms. M.

What to do?

"Captain, I..."

Luther had barely begun his explanation when he suddenly stopped, saying, "Captain, is it really that bad?"

It turned out that during their conversation, he noticed a slight change in his surroundings in an instant. Having become familiar with Dunn's abilities, he immediately realized he had been dragged into a dream.

This means that Dunn was already on guard against him and was preparing to arrest him.

"Kapim..."

The illusory Dream shattered like glass. Luther opened his eyes and saw Klein and Leonard surrounding him, pointing their dark gun barrels at him.

"Luther, come back with us, just for Cecilia's sake."

Klein's tone was almost pleading.

Behind him, the other Nighthawks gathered around, including Royale, Siga, Kenley... Their expressions were not pleasant either.

"Luther."

Cecilia got up, looked at Luther, her eyes resolute.

He knew his sister meant for him to make a decision: cooperate with the arrest, or fight them for that sliver of freedom? Whichever path she chose, she was willing to walk it with Luther.

However, Luther had already exhausted all his abilities in the previous battle. How could he possibly win against the numerous Nighthawks who were in good condition? Unless he sacrificed himself to summon the evil god, not only would everyone in the city perish, Cecilia's safety would also be at risk.

Forget it, at least he got to kill that damned Ms. M, and he saved his sister's life too.

"All right."

Luther let out a long sigh.

Facing the Nighthawks who had surrounded him, he slowly raised his hands.

The next day, underground at Blackthorn Security Company.

Gaslights embedded in the wall illuminated the black iron Chanis Gate, in front of which stood a huge metal cage. The cage was large enough to hold a table, where someone was sitting and struggling with the steak on their plate.

Luther lowered his head and diligently cut the bloody steak into bite-sized pieces, then used his fork to pick them up and stuff them into his mouth one by one. The tender texture of the steak and the unique aroma of the fat stimulated his taste buds, making him close his eyes in ecstasy.

If it weren't for the constant clattering of his hands against the plate as he cut the steak, and the chilly wind blowing against his face, he would have thought he was in some upscale restaurant.

Do you want more?

"Outside the cage, "Leonard asked.

"No."

Luther piled the empty plates aside and took a sip of water. After eating four or five large plates of steak in one go, the emptiness and hunger in his body were suppressed and replaced by the satisfaction of being full.

"You're really... not nervous at all."

Seeing him like this, even the usually frivolous Leonard shook his head helplessly, "Under these circumstances, you still have such a good appetite."

Ms. Siga, who had been silent to the side, nodded slightly in agreement. The gaslight cast long shadows of them, and as they moved, the large-caliber Steam rifles in their hands reflected the light, appearing cold and powerful.

More than ten hours had passed when Luther was taken back to the company's underground area by the Nighthawks. His usual workplace had suddenly become his Imprisonment, and this shift in perception gave him a strange sense of unreality.

According to regulations, Luther was originally to be locked in the cell behind the Chanis Gate. However, considering that it would be painful for his eyes to see what was behind the door, and to prevent him from losing control, Dunn arranged for him to be kept outside the door, under the constant supervision of two Sequence 8 "Midnight Poet".

They carried not only Steam rifles, but also other Sealed Artifact. They had the right to open fire and suppress Luze if Luther showed any abnormality.

"Even if I'm nervous, it won't make things better, will it?"

Luther said with a grin.

He realized that his actions had been aided and tacitly approved by the Evernight Goddess, and he was still useful to Goddess. The Cathedral probably wouldn't execute him, but what they would make him do next was hard to say.

As for her younger sister, she was an accomplice and wasn't even imprisoned; instead, she was left there as a guard.

"Speaking of which, where's the captain?"

"I've gone to clean up your mess."

Leonard said, "He's arguing with the captain of the 'Mandated Punishers.' You committed a crime in their jurisdiction, and they're very unhappy."

Nothing was done; it's because that crazy woman chose the East Borough.

Luther still felt somewhat depressed when he recalled Ms. M.

Looking back now, he still can't understand her final actions. Not only that, but thinking back on it, she didn't even Deprivation Luther's Beyonder Item before the final Ritual, even though she already knew what he had through the surveillance, yet she let him bring them to the scene.

It's practically suicide...

"Also, there's something else."

At this moment, Leonard spoke up, bringing him back to his senses, "... Klein, he asked me to apologize to you on his behalf. He failed to notice your condition in time, leading you to this point."

He doesn't need to apologize.

Luther smiled wryly.

It turned out that the reason the Nighthawks had come so early last night was because of Klein. That night, he planned to talk to Luther about seeing a play, but when he arrived at No. 6 Daffodil Street, he found the place empty.

Based on Luther's previous solo assassination attempt on the Demoness, Klein realized something was amiss. He performed Divination inside the house and was shocked to see Ms. M. He immediately rushed to Blackthorn Security Company to report the situation to Dunn.

When the Nighthawks found the East Borough through Divination, they arrived just as the battle ended and captured Luther on the spot.

That's why they arrived so quickly.

The two were chatting when suddenly footsteps came from outside, steady and deliberate. Soon, Dunn's face appeared at the edge of the lamplight.

"Team leader."

Several people shouted in unison, including Luther in the cage.

Dunn and the others nodded, then looked at Luther.

His expression seemed somewhat solemn.

"Luther, are you sure you killed Ms. M?"

"I'm sure... Captain, what's wrong?"

Luther was somewhat puzzled by his question.

Dunn slowly said:

"Judging from the Characteristic of the exudate from the corpse... Ms. M was not Shepherd."