Special State

Before the two carriages collided, Sifa realized they could not evade in time. He decisively lunged at the coachman in front, dragging him off the carriage. Using a Hunter's agility, he protected both himself and the coachman with movements that were hard to notice as they rolled to the other side of the street.

As they rolled, Sifa heard the violent crash, the startled neighing of horses, and a jumble of chaotic sounds.

When he came to a stop, he saw that the two carriages had already collided. As the enclosed carriage approached, the horse pulling it had instinctively tried to avoid the open carriage, causing the cabin to crash sideways into them. Now, half of Sifa's open carriage was embedded in the other carriage, wooden splinters littered the ground, and a wheel rolled past Sifa.

Sifa hurriedly shoved the stunned coachman. "Run!"

He climbed to his feet, drew his revolver, and calmly watched the man emerge from behind the enclosed carriage.

The moment he saw him, Sifa recognized him as the Lunatic he had driven back aboard the multi-masted sailing ship that night.

He really was the owner of that diary, the culprit behind all of this!

Taking his current situation into account, Sifa swiftly made a decision.

He had to do two things.

The first was to raise the alarm and have Lewis and the others from the baron's manor come over.

The second was to stall for time while exposing as little of his strength as possible. Fortunately, a Hunter's Sequence characteristics were not particularly obvious. As long as Lewis did not see him fighting this Lunatic barehanded, trading blows with him, he would not make that connection.

Bang!

Sifa fired into the sky. The gunshot carried through the street. Since the street was quiet, and the few households on it had all accepted the mayor's invitation that evening, the sound traveled far.

The reason he did not shoot the Lunatic directly was, first, that there was a high chance the man would dodge, and second, that it would ruin his following plan.

Seeing Sifa fire into the air, the Lunatic froze for a moment. Then a vicious gleam flashed through his eyes. Like an irrational beast, he let out a series of low growls from his throat and lunged at Sifa.

"Stop!"

"I'm Mr. Heimok's subordinate! Hurting me is the same as offending Mr. Heimok!"

Sifa spoke clearly, his voice bright and loud.

He remembered that the diary mentioned someone named "Haimok." Judging from the way the Lunatic referred to him, the man held Haimok in great awe.

Sure enough.

Upon hearing the name "Haimok," the wild-eyed man with disheveled hair stopped. His nose was almost touching Sifa's.

Huff, huff—

At such close range, Sifa could not only clearly hear his breathing, but even his heartbeat.

Then the Lunatic took two steps back and asked in a hoarse voice, "Are you really Mr. Heimok's subordinate?"

Under normal circumstances, Sifa knew it would be difficult to make him believe such nonsense.

But when this man fought, he had almost no rationality. That had already been proven aboard the multi-masted sailing ship.

With rationality missing, Sifa doubted whether he still possessed something like "thinking."

Even if he did, he probably would not think too much or too far ahead.

"Of course. Otherwise, why do you think I know the name 'Haimok'?"

Sifa shot back, not giving the other man time to think before quickly continuing, "Mr. Heimok sent me to find you. He wants to know how that matter is progressing."

The Lunatic's lips curled into a smile tinged with madness. "Very smoothly, very smoothly. The passage, the passage has taken initial shape."

Sifa nearly asked what passage he meant, but fortunately restrained himself in time and changed his words. "Where is the passage?"

"Somewhere safe."

"Be careful not to let anyone discover it."

"No, they won't."

The Lunatic spoke in disjointed fragments. Perhaps because of his lack of rationality, he could not form coherent thoughts.

"It is now in a special state. It exists in both the Spirit World and reality."

"It cannot be seen with the naked eye, nor can Spirit Vision see it clearly. It is now a moving ritual. Just one step remains before it can become a vessel for a god's descent."

Sifa was greatly shocked.

A moving ritual, a vessel for a god's descent!

He steadied himself and said, "That does sound quite successful. How did you create it? I need to report back to Mr. Heimok."

The Lunatic looked proud. "Following Mr. Heimok's suggestion, I modified the incantation and received a response."

"Twins were born. One died, and the other had no passage characteristics either."

"But after eating, eating his own brother, he displayed the characteristics. It was a miracle."

"Through a ritual, I prayed to the gods to stabilize his characteristics. I fed him fresh flesh and blood."

Sifa noticed that the Lunatic's eyes were gradually becoming less crazed. It seemed that he was recovering his rationality, and even his sentences had become much smoother.

He worried that if the man fully recovered his reason, he would realize he had been deceived and might flee.

Why hasn't Lewis arrived yet!

"Then, then, he slowly changed. A few days ago, I held a sacrifice on a ship. That ritual, along with that food, finally turned him into what he is now."

In other words, that so-called passage was the Monster named Gorey?

Had he already grown into that special state where he could not be seen with the naked eye or clearly perceived through Spirit Vision?

Seizing the time, Sifa asked, "Can the passage be captured by some special method?"

The Lunatic shook his head. "It is very difficult. To capture him, one must either enter the Spirit World, use the correct ritual, or smear his body with pure blood. But aside from the third condition, the others are difficult to achieve in this town."

No good. His rationality has almost fully recovered!

"Very good."

Sifa smiled. "You have done well. Mr. Heimok instructed me to give you a reward."

A fanatical light burst from the Lunatic's eyes, and he involuntarily took two steps forward. "What kind of reward?"

Bang!

The gunshot rang out through the street a second time. The Lunatic's body jerked sharply, and a bullet struck his chest, forcing him back several steps.

Sifa's smile vanished. With an almost cold expression, he said, "Mr. Heimok said that if the passage had stabilized, there was no need for you to keep living."

The rationality that had been on the verge of returning rapidly vanished from the Lunatic's eyes. He let out an enraged roar, leaned forward until he was nearly parallel to the ground, and charged at Sifa.

Just as Sifa was about to raise his gun and fire, a short rod engraved with incantations suddenly swept between them and struck the Lunatic across the face.

The blow sent the Lunatic reeling backward.

A pale-skinned man who looked as though he had not seen sunlight in years appeared in his field of vision.

Jeffrey!

He stepped forward and delivered another kick, sending the Lunatic rolling repeatedly across the street.

"Mr. Sifa, get back!"

Jeffrey stood in front of Sifa, watching the cloaked man warily.

Sifa hurriedly resumed the role of a "frail" young nobleman. He nodded without trying to act tough and retreated to the side of the street.

The Lunatic climbed back up, shaking his head as if trying to rid himself of the effects of that strike. Just as he was about to charge again, his eyes became unfocused.

It looked as though sudden drowsiness had overcome him, his eyelids slowly closing.

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