Southwest outskirts of Tivian, north of Shield Hill, Barrett’s mansion.
In the mansion’s basement, Dorothy controls a male servant marionette to search through Barrett’s hidden room. On the wall of the study, she discovers a rather ancient cloth painting.
To deepen her understanding of this world, Dorothy had previously read many mundane books in the Royal Crown University library, including works on history and art appreciation. As a result, she recognizes that the shield emblem on the cloth painting is a typical artifact from the feudal period of the Mainland Continent. Such emblems usually represent a family or a faction. During battles, feudal lords would display these emblems on their shields, armor, and banners.
Dorothy had once flipped through a book titled "A Study of Pritt Noble Shield Emblems" and had seen many family and organizational emblems. However, the four-knight emblem on this cloth painting is something she has never encountered before.
“Four knights... Could this be the so-called Four Knights of Moonlight mentioned on the Arthur statue? Arthur is the Wind Knight, and there are three others?”
“Blood Knight... Wind Knight... Dream Knight... Spirit Knight... These correspond exactly to the four branches within the Shadow path. It seems to share a similar structure with the Goddess of Abundance Church.”
Sitting in a carriage several kilometers away, Dorothy uses the marionette’s vision to examine the ancient cloth painting while pondering. She has seen similar paintings before—in the Serenity Bureau’s evidence room, among Davic’s research materials, she once came across a parchment painting depicting the objects of worship within the Goddess of Abundance faith.
“If we interpret the crescent moon behind the shield emblem as the Mirror Moon Goddess, then the structure of Davic’s painting and this shield emblem painting is strikingly similar. Both feature a Pure-Color Deity accompanied by four hybrid subordinate deities. These four knights likely correspond to the four hybrid deities within the Shadow domain, the subordinate deities of the Mirror Moon Goddess during her period of dominance.”
“The Wind Knight is undoubtedly Arthur, the great hero of Pritt and the ancestor of the current Pritt royal family. It seems the Despenser family is descended from divine lineage, and their Storm Path originates from Arthur. Based on the legends I’ve read, it’s highly probable that Arthur has already fallen, and the divine seat of the Storm Path might still be vacant.”
“As for the Dream Knight and the Spirit Knight... aside from the fact that their shield emblems suggest they are female, there’s no other useful information. Unlike Arthur, the other three knights seem to have little connection to the Land of Pritt, so I don’t have much information about them. I only know that the Dream Devourer Path of the little fox in the dream might be related to the Dream Knight.” “Finally, the Blood Knight... Strictly speaking, this should be the deity of the Blood Shade Path under the Mirror Moon Goddess. However, this deity is male, meaning the Blood Knight and the Spider Queen, who is female, are likely not the same entity. The current deity of the Blood Shade Path is probably the Spider Queen, so the Blood Knight might have already fallen as the previous deity of the Blood Shade Path. Of course, this is all speculation. The Blood Shade Path allows for easy transformation of appearance, and for deities, changing gender is probably not a difficult task.”
Sitting in the carriage, wrapped in a blanket, Dorothy carefully analyzes the content of the cloth painting. Finally, she shifts her focus to the annotations on the painting made by Barrett. These annotations clearly state the origin of the painting, and within these brief notes lies a wealth of information.
“According to Barrett’s annotations, this shield emblem was created during the Wind King’s Rebellion, drawn by the so-called Traditionalist Faction. That would be over five hundred years ago, during the great civil war in Pritt. It was the banner used by one of the warring factions—a banner not recorded in mundane history.”
“Based on the contents of Barrett’s ‘The Influence of the Radiance Church on Pritt’s Traditional Culture’, the conflict of the Wind King’s Rebellion was not, as mundane history records, a struggle for the throne. Instead, it was a resistance by some of Pritt’s native forces against the cultural and religious invasion of the Radiance Church. This so-called Traditionalist Faction was likely an alliance of nobles dissatisfied with the influence of the Radiance Church.”
“These Traditionalists probably adhered to ancient customs, centered around the worship of the Mirror Moon Goddess and the legends of Arthur the Wind King, which were core elements of Pritt’s traditional culture. Thus, they created this four-knight shield emblem as their symbol. In their era, the worship of the Mirror Moon Goddess likely still had some remnants. They drew elements from the cultural remnants they sought to protect and ultimately created this emblem.”
“The era of the Wind King’s Rebellion was several hundred years after the Mirror Moon Church withdrew from Pritt. They might not have fully understood the meaning of this emblem, but it was sufficient to rally people. However, judging by the current outcome, the Traditionalist Faction must have lost. Today, Pritt’s religious and cultural landscape has been thoroughly influenced by the Radiance Church, and the legends of Arthur have been distorted beyond recognition. Only in remote villages can one occasionally hear stories of the Lady of the Lake.”
Looking at Barrett’s annotations on the cloth painting, Dorothy analyzes in her mind. Suddenly, she recalls the message carved on the wall of the underground ruins beneath the university, likely left by a clergy member of the Mirror Moon Church.
“Pritt’s Wind King’s Rebellion erupted as a resistance against the cultural and religious invasion of the Radiance Church. Although the native nobles of Pritt raised the banner of the Mirror Moon Goddess to oppose the Radiance Church, this was merely a spontaneous action by the nobles and had little to do with the Mirror Moon Church itself.”
“In the message left in the ruins, the Mirror Moon Church voluntarily withdrew from Pritt due to some kind of ‘agreement’ and headed east. The church’s withdrawal occurred long before the Wind King’s Rebellion and seemingly without any conflict. What was the content of this agreement? And was the other party the Radiance Church?”
Recalling the message found on the wall of the underground ruins beneath the university, Dorothy ponders. Based on the information she has gathered so far, Dorothy can roughly piece together the timeline of the decline of the Mirror Moon Goddess faith in Pritt.
The message in the ruins was written in Imperial script, so the Mirror Moon Church’s departure from Pritt must have occurred around the beginning of the Radiance Calendar, at the start of the Fourth Epoch. At that time, the influence of the Third Epoch Empire under the King of Light was still strong. The timing of the Mirror Moon Church’s departure coincides closely with the arrival of the Radiance Church in Pritt, so it’s possible that the Mirror Moon Church’s agreement was with the Radiance Church. What kind of agreement could have led the Mirror Moon Church to abandon all of Pritt?
In the centuries that followed, the Radiance Church began to spread widely in Pritt, aggressively erasing the influence of the Mirror Moon Church. The image of the Mirror Moon Goddess transformed from a deity to the Lady of the Lake in folklore. Later, the Radiance Church didn’t even want to leave the Lady of the Lake in folklore, and under further suppression, even the legends of the Lady of the Lake were gradually replaced and reshaped by the Three Saints of the Radiance Church. This cultural eradication by the Radiance Church provoked resistance from Pritt’s conservative forces, who, led by some nobles and royal family members, initiated the Wind King’s Rebellion. The final result was the ascension of the current royal family, supported by the Radiance Church, leading to the present situation.
"In terms of spreading faith, the Radiance Church is truly domineering. This Fourth Epoch can be said to be an era dominated by the Radiance Church. Thankfully, I don’t have the need for large-scale evangelism, or else being targeted by the Holy Knights would be disastrous."
Sitting in the carriage, Dorothy reflects on the decline of the Mirror Moon Goddess’s faith in Pritt. Then, she has the marionette put down the shield emblem painting and turns her attention to the desk and bookshelves filled with documents.
"Barrett’s research materials are truly extensive. I’ve already found many valuable documents. If I can go through all of them, it should be a great harvest."
Dorothy murmurs with a smile. After speaking, she continues to control the marionette to search through the study, hoping to find more valuable materials.
…
While Dorothy is busy controlling the marionette to search through Barrett’s hidden room, inside Barrett’s mansion, Kenk is still leading a group of assassins in search of the entrance to the hidden room. However, after rummaging through every corner of the mansion, they still haven’t found any clues.
"Damn it! Where on earth did Barrett hide his study?"
Standing in the foyer, Kenk looks at the chaotic scene before him and curses in frustration. He and his men have searched every corner of the mansion, even tearing off wallpaper and prying up floorboards, turning the entire mansion into a demolition site. Yet, they still haven’t found the entrance to the hidden room. In his growing desperation, Kenk glances at his watch and realizes that dawn is approaching. Continuing this fruitless search will only increase the danger.
“If I can’t find it... I might have to set the mansion on fire and create some trouble for the Black Dogs…”
Just as Kenk is about to order his men to burn the mansion, he feels a slight sting on his arm. It’s the Face Spider hidden in his clothes biting him.
"This location is..."
Feeling the bite of the Face Spider, Kenk frowns, his expression turning serious.
With a grave expression, Kenk extends his hand, and a particularly colorful Face Spider crawls out of his sleeve and onto his palm.
Seeing this more vibrant-than-usual Face Spider, Kenk’s expression changes. He places the spider on the table in front of him and immediately kneels on one knee, bowing his head respectfully.
"Your Excellency Priest of Fangs..."
All traces of anger and impatience vanish from Kenk’s face as he addresses the colorful Face Spider with the utmost humility. The patterns on the spider’s body shift, and a hoarse, low voice emerges.
"Have you found Barrett’s research materials?"
"Reporting to the Priest... Due to issues with Jed’s soul summoning, we failed to summon Barrett’s spirit. Without this crucial information... I haven’t been able to locate the study yet..."
Swallowing hard and calming his nerves, Kenk responds to the Face Spider. Hearing Kenk’s words, the spider continues in a calm tone.
"Without Barrett’s spirit, you can’t find anything?"
"Uh... This... I apologize, Your Excellency! This is my incompetence! My failure to find the materials is my fault! Please punish me!"
Hearing the spider’s response, Kenk immediately pleads in fear, his head bowing even lower. His body trembles slightly, as if under immense pressure.
"Enough... While you are indeed somewhat incompetent, the responsibility for this matter doesn’t lie entirely with you. Tonight, we’ve been targeted, and others have made bigger mistakes than you. But now is not the time for punishment; it’s the time to solve the problem..."
Speaking in a steady tone, the colorful Face Spider continues to stare at Kenk with its many eyes.
"Regardless, Barrett’s materials must be destroyed. Since you’ve spent so much time without finding any leads, I’ll have to step in..."
"You!? Your Excellency... Is it really necessary for you to intervene personally?"
Hearing the spider’s words, Kenk exclaims in shock. The spider, however, remains calm.
"Of course... For this operation, we’ve already exposed too much, even deploying the Night Demon. If we don’t completely destroy Barrett’s materials, the consequences will be endless."
"But... but... If you act near Tivian, the Radiance Church’s Archbishop will sense it..."
"Don’t worry about that. This mansion is far enough from Tivian’s Cathedral District. Francesco’s Rank Vision is already weak here. I’ll use some of my collection to shield the interference from the derivative bodies.”
"Right now, I need a Shadow Facade as a ’medium.’ There’s no time to waste. You do have ’Blood’, don’t you?"
The Face Spider speaks to Kenk, then falls completely silent, lying motionless on the table. Kenk swallows hard, takes a deep breath, and stands up.
Kenk walks to the front of the spider, then takes out an ornate small box from his clothes. Opening the box, he reveals a specially crafted syringe filled with dark red blood.
After placing the spider back into his sleeve, Kenk takes the syringe from the box and removes the protective cap from the needle. He then walks up the stairs from the foyer to the second floor of the mansion. After looking around, he finds one of his subordinates searching through items and calls out.
"George, come here."
"What is it, sir?"
Hearing Kenk’s words, the assassin named George walks over respectfully. Kenk examines him for a moment before speaking.
"Take off your mask."
Following Kenk’s order, George removes his mask, revealing a young and handsome face. Seeing this, Kenk nods, pats George on the shoulder, and says.
"Good lad... I’ll remember you..."
As soon as he finishes speaking, Kenk swiftly jabs the syringe into George’s body and injects the dark red blood. George lets out a painful scream and stumbles back.
Clutching his arm in agony, George collapses to the ground, writhing and screaming in pain. The other assassins rush over, some attempting to help George, but Kenk stops them.
Under Kenk’s cold gaze, George’s body begins to change. His face contorts, his body shrivels, his hair rapidly turns gray and falls out.
Soon, George’s screams cease. The hunched figure on the floor slowly stands up, and when he fully rises, Kenk is faced with an entirely different person.
A hunched, monstrous old man with sparse, balding hair, bulging eyes, deep wrinkles, pale skin, and a gaunt frame. The old man looks around with a cold, detached expression.
Facing this old man, Kenk immediately kneels on one knee and bows his head respectfully.
"Your Excellency..."