Eight sacrifices, but only seven bodies remained...
The instant she heard this, Charlotte's scalp tightened, as though an invisible hand had seized her hair. Cold sweat seeped down her back, and she involuntarily sat up straighter.
A dim hall seemed to appear before her eyes: black-robed cultists chanting unknown prayers, a hand holding a bloodstained dagger aloft, and victims falling one after another. These images joined with her memories of the shrill screams she had heard when she first awakened in this body, the violent jolting she had felt, and her final plunge into darkness. Together with the blood on her dress and the bloodstained dagger she had carried, they pointed to a single fact.
She was very likely the eighth sacrifice, who had returned from the dead and escaped the scene.
This feels like waking up to find a hole in my forehead, a flintlock pistol in my hand, and a diary in front of me saying I'm going to die... No, this is even worse. If I died at home, only I would know, but now even the Church knows I came back from the dead... One absurd thought after another surfaced in Charlotte's mind, followed by an even more outrageous possibility:
Could the blood on her dress belong to someone else, and the dagger be the weapon used in the human sacrifices? Could she actually be one of the cultists, who had lost her memory after escaping the scene and then become the vessel for a transmigrator's soul?
No wonder I was so practiced when I drew the dagger and stabbed Etienne. I even instinctively aimed for his chest. This body already had the muscle memory... she thought with self-mockery.
But looking at Madam Viève's solemn face and the hint of concern in her eyes, Charlotte quickly calmed down.
No, there's no evidence that the Church knows all my secrets. Otherwise, the team that handles Beyonder incidents would have come to my door instead of waiting for me to visit the church... And the cultist theory is even more ridiculous. This body's memories are complete apart from last night, with nothing suspicious in them. If she had already joined a cult, there's no way I could have inherited her body and memories without noticing anything unusual... Taking all the previous clues together, the Church is more likely to think I'm a survivor who escaped the cultists' knives in the chaos, not an abnormal being who returned from the dead... Charlotte's thoughts raced, and she established her current situation in an instant.
Still, she let her earlier self-doubt show on her face. First she froze blankly, then slowly widened her eyes, as if she had finally realized something, and stammered:
"Could... could I be that... sacrifice?"
"I believe so." Viève nodded, her eyes holding either pity or concern. "One of the two Night Watchers Etienne injured was badly hurt and is still receiving treatment at Holy Palace Hospital in Suhit City. The other's testimony confirmed that the place where you woke up wasn't far from the cult's ritual site. Your missing memories most likely concern how you were abducted as a sacrifice, escaped the ritual, and finally collapsed from exhaustion in the alley."
As expected, that really is the most reasonable conclusion. But if that's the case, the original Charlotte Sauron didn't die. Where did she go after I transmigrated...? A new question arose in Charlotte's mind, but she dared not dwell on it, nor could she ask the nun before her. She could only change the subject:
"What exactly is this cult you mentioned?"
Seated opposite her, Viève stroked the Sun Holy Emblem on her chest. Her voice grew colder as she explained:
"They're all fanatics who worship so-called evil gods. Most of their organizers simply use folk legends or ancient relics to invent beings that can fulfill their followers' prayers, for one purpose or another, and accept offerings and sacrifices. But once their followers become caught up in it, they often grow even more fanatical than the organizers.
"Most such organizations aim only to amass wealth, swindling money from their followers in the name of gods. A small number of cults, however, go so far as to abandon all humanity, pleasing their evil gods through self-harm and self-sacrifice. They even abduct innocent people as sacrifices, offering them to the gods they worship in exchange for power."
The last kind must be the ones worth sending the Church and military to wipe out... By power, does she mean Beyonder powers? Henri said the Church's Beyonder forces deal with trouble caused by civilian Beyonders. Is this what she meant? Charlotte considered this and followed up with a question:
"So Etienne approached me pretending to be someone my father sent to find me because he wanted to take me back to finish the sacrifice, or drag me somewhere secluded and kill me to silence me?"
Viève inclined her head slightly and replied:
"We're still investigating his identity, but our preliminary findings show that there were indeed quite a few suspicious things about Etienne Marceau. He was nearly forty and still single, his living expenses didn't match his income as a lawyer, and he had little in bank savings. His social circle was small, and his whereabouts were often unknown... Of course, none of that proves he belonged to a cult. But after we received Baron Gustav's report last night, we discovered something abnormal on the body of Etienne, who had broken into the baron's home. That gave us the final clue and confirmed it."
Something abnormal... Charlotte's heart tightened, but her expression remained unchanged as she asked:
"What clue?"
"That falls under information ordinary believers shouldn't know." A faint smile returned to Viève's face, easing the atmosphere in the confessional. "If you want to know everything, you must promise not to tell any third party what we discuss next."
Charlotte blinked and pointed below the partition.
"Do I need to place my hand on the Holy Bible and swear again?"
Viève shook her head.
"No, because if you divulge these secrets, you'll only endanger those who learn them."
Is she threatening to kill anyone I tell to keep them quiet? Charlotte froze briefly. Looking at the nun's sincere expression and green eyes that seemed to glow, she felt that a Church devoted to an orthodox god would hardly go that far. Perhaps there were restrictions on the use of the Holy Bible that could detect lies, so Viève could only try to frighten her now.
"I swear by the Eternal Blazing Sun that I will not divulge what I am about to hear to anyone uninvolved."
She raised her chin slightly and solemnly swore.
At her invocation of the deity, Viève likewise assumed a solemn expression and stroked the holy emblem on her chest, bearing witness to her oath.
The nun then explained the basics of Beyonders, potions, Sequences, and Pathways to Charlotte in terms as simple and accessible as possible. This largely matched what Henriette had told her, though the terminology was more formal, resembling an organized system. For instance, she collectively called the Beyonder forces trained by the seven major Churches in Intis and other countries official Beyonders, while each Church used a different name internally. Those of the Church of the Eternal Blazing Sun were the "Purification-ers," and those of the Church of the Artisan were the "Machinery Hivemind." Meanwhile, apart from them and the military's Beyonders, those belonging to civilian cults or certain secret organizations, as well as people who had acquired Beyonder powers through chance, were all called Wild Beyonders.
That name sounds rather contemptuous. I wonder if it comes from the official Beyonders' sense of superiority... "Purification-ers" symbolizes sunlight purifying evil, while "Machinery Hivemind" relates to the machinery, levers, and gears the artisans revere. I wonder what the other Churches call their Beyonder forces... Charlotte analyzed Viève's explanation as she listened, then suddenly noticed the nun picking up the dagger she had handed over again.
"...After a Beyonder dies completely, their remaining power sometimes condenses in strange ways. It may appear in a part of their body, or be absorbed by an object they touched before dying, forming a 'Sealed Artifact' with supernatural powers and, usually, a variety of negative effects.
"Etienne was confirmed to be a Sequence 9 Beyonder, but no such change was found beside his body."
As she explained, Viève drew the dagger from its leather sheath and held the blade between them. Its surface was pitch-black, as though soaked through with dried blood.
Charlotte gave a start and asked in surprise:
"This dagger absorbed his power?"
With a swish, Viève sheathed the dagger and nodded.
"Keeping an object like this will only bring danger to you and those around you. You were right to hand it over. The Church will not forget your contribution...
"But the most important thing now is handling what comes next. The principal members of Etienne's cult are all dead, but there have been cases of members who escaped carrying out reprisals. They don't dare confront official Beyonders directly, but they treat killing survivors as a way to challenge the Church."
So they just bully the weak and fear the strong... Charlotte grumbled inwardly, then asked with a hopeful expression:
"Can the Church protect me? Or perhaps... give me some ability to defend myself?"
She had never forgotten one of her reasons for coming to the church of her own accord: obtaining an opportunity to become a Beyonder.
"If this matter can be resolved smoothly, perhaps you'll have that opportunity," Viève answered noncommittally. "While the Church tracks down the remaining cultists, you must not leave Suhit City."
"Is there anything else I need to do?"
Although she had already guessed what the nun meant, Charlotte asked one more question.
The nun shook her head, took a small glass bottle sealed with a wooden stopper from inside her robe, and handed it to her.
"For now, go about your usual life. Don't deliberately change your schedule, and don't go anywhere too secluded alone. If you do encounter someone suspicious, splash this bottle of holy water on them and try to buy as much time as possible."
Holy water... With a somewhat stiff expression, Charlotte accepted the little bottle of clear liquid, which looked utterly unremarkable. Her suspicions were confirmed.
The Purification-ers whom Viève represented most likely intended to use her, a survivor of a human sacrifice, as bait to lure out any remaining cultists and catch them all.
Charlotte would undoubtedly face considerable risk in the process. Although official Beyonders would be watching from the shadows, there would be a delay between her encountering danger and help arriving. During that interval, she could rely only on herself and this bottle of holy water whose effectiveness she knew nothing about.
Of course, risk came with reward. According to Viève, if they really did catch the cultists, that, combined with her contribution in voluntarily handing over the Sealed Artifact, might earn her a potion of her own.
The only question was whether this holy water would work on the cultists. Could it instead harm Charlotte, whose soul had transmigrated and possessed her current body?
Leaving the confessional, Charlotte was about to head straight out, but as she passed the long table of candles beside the prayer hall, a thought struck her. She bought an amulet bearing a golden Sun Holy Emblem from one of the clergy, as an expression of gratitude and praise to the Eternal Blazing Sun and Saint Roch.
Throughout this, she carefully observed her surroundings, trying to determine whether anyone was following and protecting her. Apart from believers coming and going, however, she saw no suspicious figures.
Did I misunderstand Madam Viève? Did the Church of the Eternal Blazing Sun simply take the Sealed Artifact and send me off with a bottle of holy water available at any church...? she muttered silently. Putting away the amulet, she returned to the carriage that had been waiting for her. She had intended to visit Baron Gustav's home in the Bols District, where she had received help the previous night, and thank Leon Gustav and Roselle. Then she remembered that a Purification-er might well be following her, and abandoned the idea.
But not going to thank them would seem rather deliberate, and it wouldn't be proper etiquette for a noble. I'll wait a few days and make a formal visit. Father should agree to that too... Having settled on a plan, Charlotte rode the jolting carriage back to Baron Sauron's residence at the other end of the Saint-Roc District, near the remains of the old city wall.
After repeatedly instructing the servants not to tell her father where she had been that day, she walked wearily through the front entrance and into the foyer where the family portrait hung, then froze.
Raoul Sauron stood beside the stairs with a stern expression.