Secrets Suppliant

When Luther came out of the room, the scene had already been cleaned up thoroughly. The altar covered in blood and flesh had vanished without a trace, and police officers were wiping the floor. Sirius's body had been wrapped in a white sheet and carried out through the front door by several officers.

"Captain."

Upon seeing Dunn, the green-eyed Nighthawk stepped forward voluntarily. "What do you think?"

He slightly raised his chin toward Luther, asking Dunn how they should handle him.

"Temporarily safe."

Dunn replied, "They were merely innocent people caught up in this."

"Since everything's fine now, can my brother and I leave?"

Cecilia ran to Luther's side, linked her arm through his, and asked.

"I'm afraid not."

Dunn said gently but firmly, "The two of you must come with me."

Cecilia furrowed her pretty brows.

"Why?"

She asked stiffly, even somewhat rudely, her hand unconsciously tightening around Luther's. "Do we need to pay bail? Officer, we don't have a penny to our names right now. You won't get any money out of us..."

Cecilia's small body trembled as she stood in front of Luther and glared at Dunn, looking like a mother tiger protecting her cub. In fact, when Dunn had wanted to question Luther alone, she had already protested fiercely, only to be soothed by Luther. Now that her hope of leaving had been shattered, all the dissatisfaction she had been holding back erupted at once.

Dunn calmly looked at the little girl challenging him. There was not the slightest anger on his face; on the contrary, his expression was very gentle.

"Calm down, Cecilia. It isn't like that."

Luther hurriedly interrupted his sister. "It's because there are still bad people at large. Mr. Dunn is protecting us..."

After a careful explanation, Cecilia finally understood the situation. She agreed to accept their protection and go to the Nighthawks' headquarters.

After greeting the busy police officers at the scene, the three Nighthawks left Sirius's house with the Rondal siblings. Two carriages had long been waiting outside. Both were four-wheeled, single-horse carriages with drivers, and the sides of the cabins bore the insignia of the police system—two crossed longswords surrounding and guarding a crown.

Luther boarded one carriage with Dunn and the green-eyed Nighthawk, while Cecilia boarded the other with the brown-eyed Nighthawk. To avoid suspicion, a female police officer had also been assigned to that carriage.

When he opened the door, Luther found the carriage lined with thick carpets. It seemed to have been scented as well, giving off a soft fragrance that made one feel at ease.

The interior really wasn't bad. It looked far more upscale than the outside...

Luther thought to himself. He raised his head, then suddenly jolted.

Deep inside the carriage hung a peculiar emblem, as large as his sister's fist. Its background was black, adorned with stars that surrounded exactly half of a crimson moon. Overall, the emblem seemed lofty and holy. It was the Holy Emblem of the Evernight Goddess, symbolizing the Evernight Goddess.

The instant Luther's gaze met the emblem, it suddenly released an invisible ripple that drilled directly into his body. That was why Luther had suddenly shuddered.

The invisible ripple made a circuit through his body before finally vanishing. Nothing happened.

What the hell was that?

Luther grumbled inwardly, but when he turned around, he saw the two Nighthawks staring intently at him, their hands resting near their weapons.

"What is it?"

He could not help asking.

"...Even the Goddess's Gaze detected nothing unusual about you. It seems you truly have no problems." Dunn watched him quietly for several seconds, then relaxed and said flatly, "Get in. Sit wherever you like."

He made it sound casual, but Luther's eyes widened.

So they had not completely trusted him after all. They had prepared a means of investigation and launched it suddenly while he had let his guard down.

What an experienced man.

Luther gave Dunn a deep look. If he had guessed correctly, his sister should be undergoing the same test in the other carriage. As expected, anyone capable of becoming the captain of a Beyonder organization was no ordinary person.

Once they were seated, the carriage swayed and began moving.

Now that I'm no longer a suspect, maybe I should try asking about the situation.

Luther thought.

Stepping on the soft carpet, he carefully chose his words.

"Mr. Dunn, what exactly are Beyonders and the Beyonder world? After what happened to me today, I'd like to learn more. If possible, could you explain it to me?"

"Of course."

Dunn removed his police cap, revealing a receding hairline. "Then I'll explain some common knowledge."

Thus, over the following period, Luther learned some basic information about Beyonders, including Beyonders, potions, Sequence pathways, Beyonder Abilities, rituals, and more.

So this world really did have Beyonders capable of wielding mysterious powers.

Luther asked with equal parts anticipation and concern, "Then what's going on with me? Why did you think I was already a Beyonder? Uh, I think I heard you mention it in my dream..."

"This part involves confidential information, so I cannot explain it in too much detail. I can only give you a brief account. And even so, after hearing my explanation, you cannot spread this information carelessly. Can you accept that?"

Dunn asked as he stroked his police cap.

"No problem. I won't spread it around."

Luther's life and future were in their hands right now. Even if he had been unwilling, he could only agree. Besides, he really was curious.

"Mm... Before that, I need to ask you something. After Sirius died, did you come into contact with any peculiar substance that seeped out of his body?"

As soon as Dunn asked that, Luther immediately thought of the little black sphere.

"Uh, I did eat a little sphere that came out of his palm. I felt terrible for quite a while afterward... But I didn't deliberately touch it. Sirius suddenly came back to life and pounced on me. I got scared and accidentally swallowed it."

Luther downplayed the matter as he answered. "Could that be why I became a Beyonder?"

"Mm, that's more or less what I guessed."

Dunn nodded. "Regarding that, I can only tell you that a dead Beyonder's body may undergo changes and possibly produce a Beyonder Characteristic. Under certain circumstances, others may inherit characteristics from the deceased. Whether by luck or misfortune, you became a Beyonder in this way."

Oh, no wonder!

That little sphere was why I became a Beyonder!

Luther immediately understood. "So when you arrived at the scene and saw no Beyonder Characteristic, you suspected that I had eaten it?"

"You could say that."

Dunn nodded. "However, we learned the specific details through divination by Klein—the Nighthawks in the carriage over there. He is a Sequence 9 Seer."

A Seer? That sounded like an impressive profession. I wonder how far his divination can go... Surely he couldn't discover my secret. Otherwise, they would have captured me and dissected me for research long ago.

Luther thought, half fearful and half reassured.

"Then which pathway did the Beyonder Characteristic I consumed belong to, and what is the name of its Sequence 9 potion?"

The moment his question left his mouth, he saw the expressions of the two men opposite him darken for an instant.

What's going on? Could my pathway be dangerous?

That seems possible. After all, it belonged to a cultist's Sequence!

Luther thought.

He saw the two exchange a glance. In the end, Dunn slowly spoke.

"According to the Nighthawks' internal records, the Sequence 9 potion of Sirius's pathway should be called..."

"Secrets Suppliant."