The Goddess's Sword

At one in the afternoon, people came and went through the train station, crowding its spacious platform.

Since it was the hottest part of the day, all three had sensibly taken to the shade.

"What's a senior deacon?" It was Leon's first time hearing the term. He tilted his head slightly and asked Klein.

Klein leaned close to his ear and explained in a low voice, "The Church is generally governed jointly by thirteen Archbishops and nine senior deacons. Supposedly, quite a few of them are powerful High Sequence figures."

"Those twenty-two men and women are entirely equal in status. They follow only the Evernight Goddess's oracles and answer only to the pontiff."

"The person who signed your letter of appointment was probably one of those thirteen."

"I see." Leon nodded discreetly.

As the two whispered to each other in plain sight, Dunn Smith straightened the hem of his clothes and said in a deep voice:

"The person in charge of this mission is Crestet Cecimir, one of the Nighthawks' nine senior deacons. His title is 'Goddess's Sword.' Sending him shows how much importance the Sanctuary places on this matter."

"Goddess's Sword?" Leon murmured. It didn't sound like the name of someone easy to deal with.

He narrowed his eyes at the train in the sunlight in the distance, which had yet to enter the station. To his surprise, he felt a little anticipation.

He was finally beginning to encounter higher-level figures in this world. Leon considered how to get the information he wanted out of him.

What if we accidentally fall out...

Klein, meanwhile, seemed rather quiet. Even though he knew that the little things he and Leon had done behind the scenes weren't a big deal, and that compared with the central issue of the evil god's invasion, Old Neil was merely a poor old man caught up in it.

Besides, he had divined Old Neil's future beforehand, and the result showed no problems.

But this was still his first time meeting such an important figure, so he couldn't help feeling a little nervous.

After all, the higher someone's Sequence, the further they were from being human. The captain had once said that, starting at the Mid-Sequence, every advancement meant facing an increasingly greater risk of losing control.

It was hard to imagine what kind of personality a person like that might have. Klein's thoughts began to wander.

Dunn checked the time on his pocket watch and nodded gently.

"Don't be nervous. Although he's a senior deacon, Crestet is only Sequence 5. He hasn't reached the level of a 'half god, half human' yet, so there's no need to be too afraid of him."

"Mm, as for his title, it's because he gained the recognition of a Sealed Artifact that matches his abilities. So, in theory, his combat strength should be no worse than that of someone who has just advanced to Sequence 4."

As soon as he finished speaking, the train's whistle blared. A hulking mass rumbled toward the platform, rolling over the rails.

A few minutes later, the brakes hissed, and the train came to a stop. Passengers began to disembark.

Klein instinctively scanned the people getting off, but even when all the transferring passengers had arrived and the train was about to depart again, he still hadn't seen anyone who might be their target.

Just as Klein was about to ask whether the captain had gotten the time wrong, Leon's voice sounded beside his ear.

"He's here."

Klein instinctively turned to look.

As the train prepared to depart, great clouds of white vapor billowed from beneath the cars and from the smokestack at the front. Amid the surging steam, a man in a black trench coat slowly emerged to the sound of the whistle.

At the sight of his entrance, the same ill-timed thought occurred to both Klein and Leon.

Klein: Holy shit, what a show-off!

Leon: Holy shit? What a show-off!

Leon openly studied the man who had "king of show-offs" written all over him.

The newcomer was around thirty, with golden-brown hair cut almost to his scalp and dark green eyes that were calm and profound. The collars of his shirt and trench coat were turned up high, hiding the entire lower half of his face in shadow.

What drew Leon's attention most was the concealed mouth. Even though he wasn't actively using any perception abilities at the moment,

he could still sense several different spirits within the man. Those spirits seemed to be stored around his mouth.

Is this the ability of Sequence 5 of the Sleepless Pathway? Leon analyzed it quickly.

In complete contrast to Leon, Klein's gaze was cautious and polite.

His attention was drawn to the silver-white metal suitcase held in one of the man's bright red gloves.

That suitcase... is that the "Sealed Artifact"?

Klein instinctively wanted to investigate.

Whoosh!

The suitcase moved slightly as the red-gloved hand adjusted its angle.

Realizing how rude he was being, Klein immediately raised his head and stopped looking at the suitcase.

The hand's owner paid it no mind and walked straight up to Dunn without breaking stride.

"Welcome to Tingen, Your Excellency Cecimir."

Dunn bowed in greeting.

"Good afternoon, Captain Dunn."

Crestet Cecimir nodded slightly and responded warmly, then went straight to the point. "Time is limited. Let's first take a look at Old Neil's condition."

Outside a private room at Tingen City Hospital, Dunn, Klein, and Leon stood before the closed door. None of them spoke.

All was quiet. A dreadful black aura was slowly seeping through the door, while Crestet Cecimir conducted his examination inside.

Everyone knew that although Old Neil had yet to wake up, as long as he passed the senior deacon's examination, he could be cleared of further suspicion and return to a normal life.

A minute later, the fluctuations behind the door gradually subsided, and Crestet Cecimir stepped out.

"Old Neil is awake. There are no traces of corruption on him," Crestet said with certainty, making Klein, who had kept a tense expression throughout, breathe a sigh of relief.

But before he could finish that sigh, he heard Crestet continue, "However, since he has a history of being corrupted, he is no longer suited to continue working as a Nighthawk."

Klein's expression stiffened a little, and he feared there might be further changes.

After all, he had been willing to take such a great risk because he didn't want that kind old man to suffer unjust pain in the final years of his life.

"So the Sanctuary has decided to let Old Neil retire early. He will go to the Hillston District of Backlund, where the Cathedral of Serenity is located, and live freely under the Church's care."

Fortunately, there were no more twists. The final decision about Old Neil lifted the weight from Klein's heart completely.

He couldn't help feeling somewhat emotional. Old Neil had ultimately left the post he loved, but perhaps the present outcome was the most suitable for the old man.

At least he wouldn't meet the fate the captain had spoken of: few Nighthawks lived long enough to retire.

After the three briefly spoke with the newly awakened Old Neil, they returned together to the alchemy room beneath the Blackthorn Security Company.

Gas lamps illuminated the underground space as Crestet Cecimir's gaze swept over the three of them.

Klein knew that Old Neil's situation wasn't the reason the senior deacon had come.

The real reason was the hidden existence Leon had deliberately brought into the open.