Chapter 25

81

I pulled up the weeds and wildflowers contaminated by my blood, wrapped them in the newspaper that had tried to bite me, and burned them. I shattered and reshaped my warped skull, took off my bloodstained coat, and draped it over my arm. Once the bones had finished rebuilding, I put my eyeballs back into their sockets, then regenerated my skin and hair in order. Finally, I wiped the blood and flesh off my glasses, neck, and chair, adding a little spirituality to knead all that mess into some flawless high-level charms. Everything was back to normal.

Roselle hung up as soon as he finished swearing, without giving me a chance to reply. He was always like that. I understood. After all, he only had a tiny window of lucidity to begin with, yet still had to find time to make nuisance calls to me and carve gravestones, then stuff the epitaphs into my head along with his ravings. It really did consume a great deal of spirituality.

The conversation had only lasted two minutes, and no one had passed by. But it would soon be one in the afternoon, and my leisurely lunch break was about to end.

I had barely any work scheduled over the next couple of days. I could slack off to my heart's content.

82

"I finally got out."

Lanevus pressed his hair down with a flat cap, concealing his distinctive broad forehead. Head lowered, he squeezed among the workers coming and going through the East Borough. He had raised the soles of his shoes by five centimeters and removed his round, black-framed glasses, disguising himself as an entirely different person. He had also painstakingly drawn two vicious scars on his face, altering its contours. Now, even someone standing right in front of him with his wanted poster would not immediately recognize him as Lanevus, the swindler who had absconded with ten thousand pounds!

"What's gotten into those filthy rats in the Aurora Order? Charity work, of all things... Ha! Do they think they're fooling toddlers? Who doesn't know they're a cult with centuries of notoriety?"

He had spent a long time weaving through the crowded parts of the East Borough and changed his coat before finally managing to shake off his two bodyguards completely.

He had originally thought he could really put his talents to use in the Aurora Order. Instead, after arriving, he was either assigned to raise funds or sent to play house with a bunch of brats at a welfare home. Besides, there was practically nothing to squeeze out of believers in the True Creator. They were either lunatics or paupers, and anyone with a little money handed it over to the church. Rather than remain a Blessed without even personal freedom, he would be better off escaping early and finding a way to destroy the Divine Gift inside him!

Luckily, those two hulking idiots got distracted by the gambling in the tavern today, giving me a chance to slip away unnoticed... Lanevus grumbled inwardly as he threaded through the dark, narrow alleys. Then his nose twitched. A strong smell of blood wafted from the corner ahead.

Tap, tap.

What was that sound? It sounded like footsteps, like something approaching from ahead. Yet it also sounded like blood dripping onto the ground, accompanied by low, hissing growls.

The enormous disparity in strength left Lanevus frozen with terror the instant he became aware of the other presence. Footsteps came from around the corner, echoing between the narrow walls, slow and heavy, drawing ever closer.

Tap, tap. One step, two steps.

Lanevus hurriedly hid himself, momentarily forgetting even to breathe. Then he saw a large black shape appear ahead.

The black shape advanced slowly on all fours. Blood spattered its body as though someone had thrown it over the creature, staining its fur a suspiciously dark color. In that dim, cramped alley, its very presence was a nightmare. Lanevus did everything he could to conceal himself in the shadows of a corner-a Devil! He realized it at once. He had seen the shadow's true form: a gigantic black dog! A bone of unidentifiable origin was wedged between its razor-sharp teeth!

Without a doubt, it was the true culprit behind the recent string of murders-a Sequence 6 Devil, a Devil on the verge of advancement!

Damn it, why did I have to run into it now?! Large beads of cold sweat rolled down Lanevus's forehead, making the cheap golden dye he had used to disguise his hair run slightly. A mere Sequence 8 Fraudster, he did not dare breathe as he watched the Devil slowly approach with a chunk of human flesh in its mouth... I'm finished! The divine flesh and blood inside me isn't intimidating it the way it should! Just then, the Devil Dog suddenly twitched its nose twice and stopped. Lanevus heard a puzzled voice drift from beyond the corner:

"Who does that greater Devil's aura on you come from?"

There's another Devil here! Lanevus nearly fainted.

"...Th-that's..." He struggled to form his words, sinking helplessly to his knees in overwhelming terror, his forehead almost touching the ground. "The Aurora Order's 'Abyss Angel.' He's in Backlund right now."

The man behind the corner fell silent. A moment earlier, he had seemed ready to kill Lanevus to silence him, but the instant he heard that title, he reined himself in. Lanevus caught his breath and keenly noticed that the Devil Dog, too, had become slightly restless, probably influenced by its master.

"How can you prove what you're saying? You're a low-sequence Beyonder. How can you prove that being is an Angel, rather than merely a high-sequence powerhouse?"

Confronted with the aggressive questions from the Devil behind the Devil Dog, Lanevus actually felt relieved, and a faint, subtle contempt arose within him. The man's reaction resembled the feeble final attempt at confirmation made by one of his victims just before he swindled away their entire fortune. He had come with hostile intent, only to become afraid the moment he heard that a stronger Devil was in Backlund. Of course, Lanevus knew how to read the situation. These two Devils were not to be trifled with, so he searched his mind for relevant information and answered obediently:

"...He has trouble distinguishing individual humans, and he can't remember my name. He always calls me 'Fraudster,' 'Assistant,' or by my Sequence. He basically identifies me solely by the mark on my body."

The Devil remained silent for a long time, and the Devil Dog grew even more agitated.

"You're telling the truth. That matches the information I received. Why didn't he kill you?"

"...Because I'm helping the Aurora Order complete an important task, so he didn't kill me."

By now, Lanevus was absolutely certain that he had frightened the man, and regained a little composure. But at the thought of that utterly terrifying dream, the Fraudster still could not help trembling all over. Immersed in the horrifying memory, he began unconsciously scratching his arms:

"But he-he gave me a warning. When I was preparing to escape, he descended into my dream and awakened my consciousness, and soon my limbs would regenerate... Heh heh, it went on like that for a very, very long time. Only after I promised for the countless time that I would never escape again did he let me go. I opened my eyes, saw the sunlight outside the window, and realized it had all been a dream."

Lanevus muttered with vacant eyes. This time, his terror was nine parts genuine and one part performance.

The Devil, however, considered torture of that degree positively gentle. It had merely tormented the mind and offered a little intimidation. According to the Beria Family's tastes, it ought to have been carried out in reality. Sever both hands on the first day, cut off both feet on the second, then chop off a measured section of the limbs each day... He would leave Backlund once the task to assassinate Duke Negan was complete anyway. He could try it on the servants at the manor and see how long a human could survive.

Jason Beria indulged in fantasies of blood, screams, and ordinary people who would soon become chunks of meat.

Suddenly, an idea struck him: Andariel and Nois were already in decline, while that elder in his own family seemed to be planning an advancement ritual and had issued a request for Angel clues within the Blood Sanctify Sect and the family. If he could send back the precise movements of the "Abyss Angel"...

His bloodthirsty smile widened. The madness brought on by the potion made him cast his elders' warnings to the back of his mind. He stared fixedly at Lanevus as though looking at a juicy piece of meat. After a few seconds, Jason Beria composed himself and spoke hoarsely. "Someone is approaching. I've memorized your scent. When I contact you, tell me everything you know. If you hide anything, I'll feed you to my beloved dog."

Lanevus dared not refuse. The two Devils swiftly vanished from his perception.

A few breaths later, he was certain they had gone far away. Only then did he slowly stand. After leaving the dark alley, he quickly picked a direction and fled.

83

Mr. A looked at the man opposite him.

Mr. Z looked back at him.

The two Oracles of the Aurora Order sat in the cramped confinement room, staring at one another in silence. Half an hour later, Mr. Z could not resist asking, "What got you in here?"

Mr. A's face twisted, and he turned his head away. "...Before asking someone else, you should confess your own mistakes first."

"Fine. My mistake was losing His Excellency the Believer. No, he's a fugitive now." Having made successive mistakes over the course of two months, causing his standing and reputation within the organization to plummet, Mr. Z sighed over his bad luck. "Saint Tenebrous has given me a final ultimatum. Once I'm out, I'll continue overseeing our cooperation with the Pilgrimage Church, but if I make another mistake, the title of Z will go to someone else. What about you?"

"...My mistakes were..." Mr. A closed his eyes and leaned his head against the wall in resignation. "First, when assassinating Ambassador Beckland, I completely forgot the Saint's instructions to keep a low profile for the time being. After transforming into a Devil, I was controlled by negative emotions. Not only did I kill the ambassador, I also used his blood to write 'The Aurora Order claims responsibility' in huge letters on the wall."

Mr. Z fell silent for two seconds. "I understand. After all, that's how we're supposed to operate."

"The second was... Ah, the Lord delivered a Divine Revelation, telling us to shepherd his lambs upon the earth and cooperate more with the Pilgrimage Church. Helping our allies is helping ourselves... His Excellency the Saint even drew up a Work Assessment Form for this. Every month, the Best Believer will be chosen, and the prize is a charm bestowed by the Lord himself. Z, my brother, do you know what that means?!"

"I do!" Mr. Z grew somewhat excited. He saw blazing flames in Mr. A's eyes. "So what does that have to do with you?"

"From the day the Lord saved me, I swore to become his most devout believer. With an opportunity like this, how could I not give my all to win his favor?" Mr. A declared passionately, then slumped back into the corner. "Then I got too excited. On the very first day of this month, I fought with some of our brethren over the available slots, and we all ended up in confinement."

"I really envy you," Mr. A said. "You may keep making mistakes, but you're in charge of staffing. As long as I can rack up twenty days of work, first place is mine for sure. Z, my friend, could we work something out? I'll make it well worth your while."

"No."

Mr. Z was adamant. "I want a charm bestowed by the Lord, too."

The atmosphere in the confinement room grew tense. The two devout Oracles glared at one another, and the little boat of their friendship capsized without a sound.

TBC

Edward: Using up their labor isn't enough. You have to motivate them.

True Creator: Then how about this? To encourage everyone to actively participate in charity work (as unpaid labor) and give me more, stronger anchors, I've decided to select an Outstanding Employee every month and award first place a charm I personally kneaded.

The Aurora Order went wild at the news. From Mr. A down to Sequence 9, they stopped eating and sleeping, spending every day working hard at the Charitable Organization to compete for results. Richard came back to Backlund for a visit and, saving money by leaving the lights off, felt his way through the dark. He took five steps and tripped four times. The floor was covered with Aurora Order members sleeping on makeshift bedding in their frenzy of competition.

Richard: What's going on? Has the Aurora Order occupied my Foundation?!

Richard: Oh, so that's it. The Lord is so good. He found me so many kindhearted workers. Thank you, Lord!