Chapter 196: Encounter (10)
For a moment, Lancia thought she was seeing things due to exhaustion.
“……?”
But even after blinking several times, nothing changed.
Without realizing it, she stared intently at Lian’s collarbone, wondering what it was.
There was clearly a very faint, yet undeniably strange beam of light seeping through the opening of his collar.
‘What is that?’
At the same time, from the inside of her eyelids—already aching and sore—she felt a sensation swell up as if something were surging from within.
“Ah.”
At that moment, Lancia staggered instinctively.
Her vision was strange.
The scene in front of her eyes rippled like waves, and the boundaries of objects began to appear layered and doubled.
It was like someone who had just surfaced from a long time underwater—everything in the world seemed to waver in a dizzying blur.
“……Senior?”
Lian’s worried voice reached her ears, but even that sounded muffled, as if coming from underwater.
Lancia couldn’t answer.
“Senior, are you alright?”
“…….”
Instead of responding, Lancia reflexively pressed and rubbed her eyes.
After rubbing them vigorously several times, she cautiously opened her eyes again.
Her once blurry vision now clearly captured her surroundings, as if nothing had happened.
“……Ah, I’m sorry.”
Lancia gave a short apology.
No—was what she just said really an apology?
She wasn’t sure.
“…….”
The oddly flickering surroundings had returned to normal, and the overlapping forms were back in their rightful places.
But the first thing to disappear had been the faint light that had been seeping from Lian’s collarbone.
As if it had never existed in the first place.
“I think I was just a little dizzy. I stayed up a bit too late studying yesterday. Ahaha……”
Lancia forced a casual smile, pretending nothing was wrong.
Lian still looked at her with worried eyes.
“Shall I escort you?”
“Ah, no! I’m fine. It was just a little slip, that’s all.”
She waved her hand.
“You don’t need to worry about me. I was heading straight back to the dormitory anyway.”
“Still……”
“I really am fine! See?”
Saying so, Lancia began to lightly bounce in place.
Seeing her like that, Lian averted his gaze slightly and nodded.
“If that’s the case, I’ll be off then. Please rest well, Senior.”
“Yes, you too. Be careful on your way back.”
With that, Lian gave a light nod and walked away.
Left alone, Lancia watched his retreating figure for a while before slowly starting to walk again.
As she did, her gaze naturally drifted toward the cathedral.
Then, in her mind, resurfaced the contents of the report she had submitted to Cardinal Bruyant a few days earlier.
“…….”
The report began with an explanation of why her sword had shattered into pieces.
It went on to detail the events in the Forest of Secrets.
The hidden sanctum there and the existence of the Gravekeeper.
The unidentified pillar of fire that had shot up into the sky.
And it included detailed accounts of the true identity of Yul Runberg—who had considerable influence both publicly and within the Holy Sun Church—and of his death.
— Excellent, truly excellent! Wonderful, Lancia!
Cardinal Bruyant hadn’t hidden his deep satisfaction upon reading the report.
He had even gone further, ordering Lancia to submit a detailed report on everything concerning Lian Gwendil.
In fact, it was only natural.
Hadn’t Lian been someone Bruyant had been keeping a close eye on from the beginning?
And now, that very person was repeatedly becoming entangled in incidents deeply connected to the Holy Sun Church. For Bruyant, it was invaluable intelligence.
What’s more, Bruyant had often hinted at a keen interest in Lian during his past conversations with Lancia.
Even if it had been under the guise of atonement and compensation, the fact that he had used his influence to grant an indulgence—a staggering reward—to a mere academy student spoke volumes about his interest in Lian.
To someone like Bruyant, obsessed with expanding his influence and power, Lian Gwendil must have been a remarkably attractive asset.
And so, Lancia—Lancia Jintia, the Agent—had dutifully written a detailed report on Lian Gwendil, just as she had been ordered.
Starting with his appearance and personality.
His life at the academy and his relationships.
Information about his family, as well as hints of a complicated past.
His preferred weapons and combat style.
His exceptional divine power, and his extensive knowledge and experience in various fields.
It was a meticulous report—so thorough, it even included his minor habits.
‘……Why?’
And yet, Lancia had deliberately omitted one critical fact.
That Lian Gwendil could see the future.
“…….”
A vast secret she had learned during the now-distant Rahma incident.
Despite documenting even the most trivial habits, she had left out that monumental truth.
Not only that, she had even destroyed the crystal sphere and artifacts that held the records of that day.
Even now, she couldn’t fully explain to herself why she had made that choice.
Perhaps it was because of what Ilionel had once said—that he respected silence and secrets.
Or maybe, it was the last shred of decency remaining in her, already so deeply fallen.
If not that…
‘What if.’
Suddenly, Lancia recalled Lian Gwendil’s face.
If he truly could see the future, a powerful impulse surged within her—she wanted to ask if her long-held wish could be fulfilled.
If she could find and exact revenge on that headless demon.
If she could finally end the hellish past that haunted her.
If she could break free from the memories of that day, free from the nightmares.
If she could be released from the roles of sword, lantern, and torch.
Suddenly, she wondered.
“…….”
But deep inside, she had a feeling that she wouldn’t even be allowed to voice such a question.
No, perhaps it was more accurate to say that she had no right to do so.
With a complicated heart, she glanced once more at the cathedral.
Then, she turned away and hastened her steps, searching for a place—any place—where she could lean on for a moment.
An unbearable fatigue was pressing down heavily on her whole body.
After leaving the cathedral and parting ways with Lancia, Lian retraced the recent encounter in his mind.
Cardinal Bruyant.
He began reviewing the conversation he had with him and organizing the current situation.
‘He was a strange man.’
Lian’s conclusion was simple and clear.
Cardinal Bruyant was a strange man.
And not just ordinarily strange—he was bizarre to an unusual degree.
He had summoned him to the confessional, a secretive place, and the things he had said were incoherent and unnatural.
It felt like watching a clumsy actor reading from a poorly written script.
‘And that strange sound he made in the middle of it.’
It was a repulsive noise—one that sent chills down his spine like the sound an insect might make.
The fact that he continued talking as if nothing had happened after making such noises was nothing short of unsettling.
Above all, the things he had said were even more suspicious.
‘A miracle, he said…….’
It was the sort of nonsense one might hear from heretics or frauds luring people on the streets.
And then, to say he would show a miracle and ask him to join…
The way he pushed for an answer with childish bait—it was not the conduct befitting a cardinal.
‘Anyway……’
For now, he had escaped the situation by asking Bruyant for time. He decided to put that matter on hold for a while.
Right now, there were far more urgent matters facing Lian—ones that made the so-called miracle seem utterly trivial by comparison.
Dragons.
Yes, the more pressing issue involved the dragons.
“…….”
The first thought that crossed his mind was—why was the story so tangled?
The account he had heard from Menoruka and the story Amaruah had told him clashed head-on.
Yet neither of them showed any signs of lying.
‘There’s not much time left.’
He briefly considered asking Menoruka again for more details, but then shook his head.
In truth, she had likely already told him everything she could.
The bigger issue was whether she even trusted him—and there simply wasn’t enough time to build that kind of trust.
‘Well……’
Since Amaruah had asked him to leave this matter to her, perhaps he should trust her and wait for now.
‘For now, I should meet with Professor Windy May.’
He needed to explain in detail the subtle discord between the dragons that Amaruah had told him about and hear more about the investigation Windy May had conducted in the underground sewer.
Having come to that conclusion, Lian turned and began heading toward Windy May’s office.
However, not long after, Lian stopped in his tracks.
That was because Windy May—the very person he had intended to meet—was floating through the air toward him.
More importantly, she wasn’t alone.
Two people were accompanying her.
Cecilia.
And unbelievably, the other was Velita.
‘W-What the……?’
Caught off guard by the completely unexpected combination, Lian blinked in confusion—just as Professor Windy May, having spotted him, started waving her hands wildly in the air.
Lian approached them and offered a short greeting.
“Professor.”
“Ah, Lian. What perfect timing. I had something to discuss with you as well.”
“Yes, I was actually just on my way to see you.”
He glanced cautiously at Velita and asked carefully.
“But why are you with the Princess……?”
“Ah, well, it just happened that way.”
Windy May shrugged as if to say it couldn’t be helped and murmured,
“I needed to show Miss Velita the Room of Memories.”
Lian fell silent at her words.
It wasn’t just the mention of the Room of Memories that surprised him—it was also the fact that Velita, of all people, was suddenly entering that place.
“So I sent a message to Yeriel and started heading over first. I had a few things to prepare in advance anyway.”
“Ah……”
Windy May then asked Lian,
“So, what will you do?”
“Pardon?”
“Are you coming with us?”
As she said that, Windy May subtly signaled to him with a quick glance.
—Lian.
Her voice rang in his ears, leaving no doubt that he hadn’t imagined it.
—I have something to tell you. It’s urgent.
She was clearly telling him to follow.
Lian had no choice but to nod.