Kallen looked at Gaitenbert. From their first encounter, he had found it strange that this former gatekeeper of the Order Temple now seemed so fierce on the outside and weak within.
That was also why he was certain Gaitenbert was no longer the Gaitenbert of old. Someone who had held that position, carried out important secret missions, and appeared in the church's murals could not possibly have been this sort of character.
When talking to patients, he needed to observe and analyze their psychology through their words, microexpressions, and small movements. But facing another soul consciousness directly allowed him to skip those steps, because their communication now consisted of fluctuations in their soul consciousnesses.
Gaitenbert seemed to have guessed something, such as what the ability to impose Order on a bloodline inheritance actually meant.
Then he panicked and grew afraid. The cowardice and helplessness he conveyed were so clear and direct.
Kallen even felt that if Gaitenbert still had a physical body and remained in that lion form, he would probably have curled up in a corner like a dog, trembling.
Even if he was not the real Gaitenbert, as an outside consciousness that had entered later and assumed Gaitenbert's identity, he should not have behaved like this.
Kallen could not help wondering whether someone had trained him.
Some people and animals seemed normal ordinarily, but once the stimulus reached a certain threshold, they would instantly enter another state.
Kallen said, "Now, relinquish control of that Round Shield."
Gaitenbert immediately replied, "Yes."
The Round Shield left Gaitenbert's control, and Kallen drew it over. The Chains of Order appeared again and completed its purification, just as they had done with the Short Blade.
A careful observer would have noticed a trace of purple on the chains Kallen used for "purification."
"Ugh..."