Secrets Suppliants were a profession with exceptionally high spirituality. Compared to ordinary Beyonders, they were more likely to notice hidden, terrifying entities. They could make use of such entities, but more often, they would be driven mad by their influence.
The instant he saw the strange eye behind Old Neil, Luther suddenly recalled what Dunn had once said. How right he had been. It would have been even better if Dunn had mentioned that there was something this dangerous right inside Nighthawks headquarters.
The sinister aura from that terrifying eye surged into Luther's mind. He quickly lowered his head, avoiding its gaze, and only then did he feel a little better. His nose itched slightly. When he wiped it, he found blood on his hand.
The illusory sound of ocean waves faintly echoed in his mind, and the suffocating pressure weakened considerably.
"Luther, you finally made it... What's wrong with you?"
Before Klein could finish welcoming him, he noticed that something was off about Luther.
"I'm fine."
Luther quickly wiped away the blood, then looked up and smiled at him. "It's a little dark in here. I hadn't adjusted yet, so my vision blurred for a moment."
He had no intention of exposing anything. For now, he would pretend nothing was wrong.
"You're Luther Rondal, aren't you?"
Old Neil smiled from behind the desk. "Dunn already told me. From now on, just come here on time and study with Klein..."
"Hello, Mr. Neil."
Luther kept his eyes on the man's face, maintaining his smile as he tried not to look at the enormous eye floating behind him. It was a dreadful, bizarre eye, lashless and so transparent it was nearly illusory. Its gaze was full of coldness and indifference. It clung to Old Neil's back, drifting with his movements, as though it were some new tissue growing from his body.
What was going on?
What the hell was that?
By instinct alone, Luther was certain that this enormous eye was no benevolent existence. On the contrary, it gave him the same feeling as the True Creator he had once seen in an illusion—evil and insane.
In other words, it was very likely connected to an evil God.
Another evil God... Damn it, if I'd known, I never would've joined. Captain, didn't you say the work was usually easy, the danger level was low, and encountering an evil God was extremely rare? What a load of crap!
Luther's smile stiffened as cold sweat gradually broke out across his back.
Klein, seated nearby, remained perfectly composed, as if he could not see the eye at all. For a moment, Luther truly envied him.
"...Hey, young man, are you listening?"
To make matters worse, the old man had started talking to him and looked as though he was about to come over.
"Of course I'm listening, Mr. Neil. It's an honor to become your student in mysticism."
Luther slightly raised his top hat in respect.
"Have a seat. Next to Klein will do."
Old Neil pointed at the chair opposite him.
Luther had no choice but to sit down. At the same time, he rapidly considered how he should handle this.
Shouting or running away on the spot would definitely be the stupidest thing he could do. Leaving aside whether anyone would believe him, Old Neil had been perfectly fine until now. If Luther instantly escalated things and made him lose control, Luther would be the one out of luck.
Since that was the case, his best choice was to pretend nothing was unusual for the time being.
So Luther could only force himself to act normal and listen as Old Neil continued.
"Luther, tell me about your education."
"I never attended school, but I can read and write well enough."
"Oh, right, Dunn mentioned that... In that case, you probably haven't learned Hermes or Ancient Hermes, have you?"
Luther shook his head.
Old Neil watched Luther's reaction, confirmed his guess, and explained, "Simply put, both of these are languages imbued with mystery, languages that can communicate with God. There are also Ancient Feysac, Ancient Elvish, and so on... But Hermes is the most commonly used. If you want to learn mysticism, you must master this language. Understand?"
Luther had only heard of these languages before. He had not expected them to serve such purposes. Without looking at the eye behind Old Neil, he asked seriously, "Then where should I begin?"
"Klein knows them all. Let him teach you."
Old Neil grinned and tossed the responsibility to his colleague. "He's an outstanding history student from Khoy University. Teaching you will be no trouble at all."
"If you don't mind."
Klein did not seem to care either way.
Over the next while, Old Neil gave Luther a series of basic lessons in mysticism, roughly covering what they would study later: astrology, pendulums, herbs, ritual magic, Beyonder creatures, and more. His words were humorous and engaging. If not for the terrifying eye behind him constantly asserting its presence, it would have been a vivid and interesting introductory lesson in mysticism.
"Oh, right. There's something I need to especially remind you of."
Old Neil spoke solemnly. "Never pray to any mysterious existence outside the Seven Gods. Otherwise, you may bring about consequences beyond imagination. Your pathway makes it easy for you to encounter hidden entities, so you must be especially careful! Be cautious, be restrained!"
You've got some nerve saying that to me...
Luther narrowed his eyes at the thing behind him and muttered inwardly. That thing had clearly been drawn here by him.
Old Neil also specifically taught Luther an ability called "Spirit Vision." According to him, it was the most common and basic ability in the mystical domain. It allowed those who activated Spirit Vision to see more mysterious things, as well as entities they would otherwise fail to notice.
Hearing that, Luther immediately found an excuse to decline, saying only that he had not been sleeping well lately and did not want to try. You've already made my nose bleed without Spirit Vision. If I activated it, wouldn't my brain get cooked?
And so, relying on the protection of the Illusory Sea in his mind and his own efforts at pretending, Luther finally endured until the lesson ended. He and Klein bid Old Neil farewell, chatting as they left the underground area and followed the spiral staircase up to the corridor aboveground.
"Oh, right. I have something to discuss with the captain."
Luther looked perfectly calm as he spoke to Klein.
"Then I'll head off first."
Klein waved to him and left ahead of him.
Luther watched him disappear into the distance, then walked to Dunn's office and knocked. After receiving Dunn's permission from inside, he pushed open the door and entered. Dunn was still sitting behind his desk just as he had been before, except the air now carried the smell of burnt tobacco.
"What is it?"
Dunn looked at him calmly.
Luther took a deep breath.
He had actually considered whether the captain was trustworthy. Even Old Neil, the most experienced member of the Nighthawks, had turned out like this. Dunn might not be free of problems either. But when he thought back on what had happened, Dunn had fully carried out his duties as a Nighthawk and, as an enforcer, had even shown a little extra humanity. Moreover, his eyes had only revealed something wrong with Old Neil. If Dunn were a bad man, then in theory he should also bear the mark of an evil God—yet clearly, he did not.
So Luther decided to trust Dunn.
"Captain, do you believe me?"
Having made his decision, he spoke earnestly.
Dunn gave him a strange look. "What are you trying to say?"
"Old Neil... There seems to be something wrong with him."
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