**Chapter 601: Loyalty**
In the daylight, somewhere in the outskirts of Tivyán, several black carriages were swiftly moving along a wide road in the countryside. Under the coachman’s guidance, the horses were pulling the heavy carriage at full speed, their hooves and wheels kicking up clouds of dust, prompting nearby pedestrians and other passing carriages to hurriedly dodge out of the way. Some of them, after avoiding the carriages, looked towards the vanishing end of the road, cursing at the swirling dust in the distance.
When those black carriages rushed past a regular ordinary carriage, the coachman of that ordinary carriage glanced back at the vanishing black carriages before resuming his serious driving, continuing onward. Inside the carriage, Detective Ed also pulled up the curtain of the window, settled back into his seat, and then looked at Misha, who was bandaging a wound on her palm in the seat across from him.
“That’s a carriage from the An Yin Bureau; it seems your colleagues have already been dispatched.”
“That’s just the carriage for ordinary members; several captains should have arrived long ago. After all, they can fly. If I had come out any later, I might have gotten entangled with them.” Misha said to Ed as she finished wrapping her palm and removed her mask. Ed responded calmly.
“This indicates that those guys know just how quickly the An Yin Bureau and your family will respond. If they had directly used explosives to blast open the Glory Hall and searched for things, they would likely have been blocked at the exit by people arriving afterward. Therefore, they can only find a way to sneak into the Glory Hall, locate what they need, and then detonate the explosives to make their escape, which maximizes their time to get out of the tomb.”
Ed spoke with an expression of calm. Listening to Ed’s words, Misha adjusted her already bandaged palm, then frowned slightly as she spoke.
“When you first told me that the Eight-pointed might have targeted my family’s tomb, I was somewhat skeptical, thinking not everyone in my family works in the An Yin Bureau, and they shouldn’t know so much about Devenhill. Now it seems that I was naive…”
“Indeed. Although we had speculated that they might infiltrate the Glory Hall during your funeral, we had always considered it a low-probability event. It’s surprising to find out that they actually came. From the current situation, the reason they wanted to eliminate you likely isn’t just that you keep opposing them and are uncontrollable in their eyes, but also because they need a member of the Devenhill family to d*e soon to trigger a funeral that could open the Devenhill Glory Hall.
“The person you encountered inside the Glory Hall should have concealed himself within the projections of the funeral procession using his shadow-shifting ability, following you and the funeral team into the Glory Hall. He must have waited for the funeral team to leave before emerging from the shadows to search for Amper’s stone coffin.”
“It seems they’ve been plotting for a long time… Besides not anticipating our presence, they’ve accounted for everything else.” Ed analyzed while adjusting himself in the slightly swaying seat of the carriage.
In fact, after learning from John that Amper’s confidential letters had a backup with Barret, Doro had anticipated that the Eight-pointed might have already deciphered those letters and planned to take action against Devenhill’s tomb upon returning to Tivyán. The plan to eliminate Misha should be linked to infiltrating the tomb. After deciding to dispose of Misha, they already intended to use her funeral to enter the Glory Hall and retrieve Amper’s relics, indicating that they had been planning meticulously for this return to Tivyán.
Although Doro had expected the Eight-pointed would send people to infiltrate the tomb, she believed Misha, with her extensive combat experience, could adequately deal with any other extraordinary beings beneath the Red Tier. However, she did not anticipate that the person they encountered would be so difficult to handle. Fortunately, they ultimately succeeded in securing the items.
“Those guys… those guys… they not only wanted me dead but also to use my funeral; it’s infuriating… dangerous…” Misha murmured, gripping her hand as she furrowed her brow, recalling that mysterious figure from within the tomb. Gritting her teeth, she continued.
“That Eight-pointed minion can use the ‘shadow’ ability from three branches. His existence is undoubtedly linked to the plans that the Eight-pointed have been secretly executing. It’s a pity we couldn’t capture him; otherwise, revealing the Eight-pointed’s secrets would have been significantly helped… At least we could gather some information on what those guys are plotting!”
Hearing Misha mention the mysterious figure in the tomb, Ed fell silent for a moment. After pondering, he turned his gaze to Misha, who had finished handling her wound and continued.
“The bl**d Darkness Path, the Storm Path… We who reside in Prit and have long been dealing with the Eight-pointed are relatively familiar and have corresponding defenses. The critical point is that Shadow Path… It’s something we haven’t encountered much and thus have suffered losses because of it.”
“Shadow Path… I’ve only heard about that branch before; this is my first real encounter. It is an extraordinary branch inherited from the Osotris Royal Family. Osotris is located in the central-eastern part of the Main Continent, with limited interactions with Prit, making it quite mysterious for us members of Prit’s secret system.
“According to legend… a person’s shadow is their ‘second soul,’ reflecting the essence of the soul in the world’s shadow layer. Thus, an extraordinary being from the Shadow Path can control their opponents by manipulating shadows… Hah, I initially thought it was something similar to the Soul Binders’ abilities. I didn’t expect it to be so intricate in actual combat. Not only can they manipulate shadows, but they can also meld into them and even create shadow clones. It feels like their abilities align more closely with the characteristics of ‘shadow’ extraordinary powers than my own Storm Path abilities…”
While sitting in her position, Misha continued speaking, elaborating on her understanding of the Shadow Path. After hearing Misha’s description, Ed stroked his chin, contemplating before slowly speaking.
“The shadow… is a person’s second soul? That’s quite an intriguing statement… If so, the spiritual composition of the Shadow Path comprises a primary focus on ‘shadow’ and a secondary aspect of ‘silence’… Miss Misha, it seems the powerful soul adept you were searching for last year has now shown up…”
“The powerful soul adept we were looking for last year…” Listening to Ed’s words, Misha first frowned, then, after a moment of contemplation, she realized something and exclaimed in surprise.
“A soul adept, and a shadow assassin at that. Are you suggesting that guy is the Night Demon?!”
“Only with such capabilities could he match the deeds of the Night Demon—able to k*ll Duke Barret with wind powers amidst that tight security, making the victim’s soul unable to be summoned… The ability to manipulate multiple extraordinary branches aligns perfectly with the Night Demon, doesn’t it?”
As they sat in the carriage, Ed nonchalantly spoke to Misha. Upon hearing Ed’s words, the surprise in Misha’s gaze shifted to understanding; she could not help but nod.
“Indeed… it really does match up. I mean… aside from the Night Demon, where else could the Eight-pointed find such a strong assassin in Tivyán, apart from the Red Tier? The Night Demon has had no activity for half a year after the Duke Barret’s assassination, and now it seems like he too has returned with the Eight-pointed forces.
“We initially thought the Night Demon’s ability to hinder summoning was obtained through some exceptional extraordinary item, but it appears that the situation is far more complicated than that…
“Furthermore… that mysterious person just fought with me inside the Glory Hall. There were the restrictions from the Devenhill bl**d ritual, but that guy’s abilities seemed not to be significantly weakened; if that mysterious person is indeed the Night Demon, then it proves… he could very likely be a member of our Devenhill family…”
With an expression clearly laced with worry, Misha murmured. Ed across from her continued.
“Haven’t you mentioned before that Devenhill has had many intermarriages with multiple nobles of Prit? Many children of other families share your Devenhill bl**d. The Night Demon could also be one of those families, or perhaps he found some way to bypass the bloodline restrictions within the Glory Hall.”
“Regardless, the Night Demon is highly likely to be a noble from Prit in Tivyán, possibly even an old upper-class noble. This is an important lead for us. After I return, I will find a way to organize our family’s genealogy to see if I can uncover any clues.” Misha said. After finishing, she let out a slight sigh of relief, then continued.
“Although this operation had a bit of a mishap, thankfully we did not allow the Eight-pointed to achieve their goal. Thanks to your unique abilities, I was ultimately able to preserve Amper’s relic. To be honest, compared to the Night Demon, the unique and powerful ability of yours, as well as your so-called Goddess Akasha, are what truly astonished me today. Speaking of your goddess…”
“Shh…”
Just as Misha was about to say something more, Ed suddenly placed his finger on his lips, signaling her to be quiet. Seeing Ed’s action, Misha, confused, closed her mouth. Ed, with a hint of mystery in his tone, continued speaking.
“At all times, do not speak lightly of deities…”
“…Understood, my apologies…” Glancing at the mysterious and serious expression on the man’s face, Misha seemed to realize something, sensing that she had touched on some sort of taboo regarding his society. After swallowing hard, Ed nodded in acknowledgment, then pulled out an item from his clothing; it was indeed the relic of Amper that Misha had seized back from the Night Demon, an ancient pendant.
The chain and pendant of this pendant were silver, and the pendant had the shape of a shield. The front of the shield was engraved with a quadripartite coat of arms, depicting the likeness of four knights in each section. Doro knew this was the emblem used by the Respect Ancients faction of Prit during the Wind King’s Rebellion; the four knights represented the four riders—Wind, Dream, bl**d, and Spirit—of the Mirror Moon Goddess.
“Although we didn’t let the Night Demon steal Amper’s relic, it probably won’t have much impact on the Eight-pointed. They might have already achieved their goal.”
Looking at the old pendant in his hand, Ed spoke slowly. Hearing Ed’s words, Misha was momentarily taken aback, then furrowed her brow in confusion.
“Achieved their goal? How could that be? We clearly reclaimed the relic!”
Taking the pendant in hand, Ed began to examine it closely, fiddling with the silver ornament at the end while continuing to speak.
“I’ve already checked; this relic is just an ordinary pendant, not an extraordinary item, and it bears no traces of spirituality. The significance of this relic doesn’t lie in the object itself, but in the information it holds.”
As he spoke, Ed flipped the silver ornament to reveal the edge on the back, showing it to Misha. There, along the border of the shield-shaped silver ornament, were engraved tiny letters. After seeing this, Misha furrowed her brows and remarked.
“These are… Ancient Prit characters? Is this the secret that Amper concealed on the relic? Not the relic itself, but the information left on it?”
“Yes… So, if the Night Demon has already seen this information and memorized it, then the most important significance of this relic has already been acquired by him. He just needs to take the recorded text back to the Eight-pointed, and their main objective will be accomplished as well… From the Night Demon’s decisive abandonment of this relic for an opportunity to escape you at the end, it’s highly likely he has already memorized the information, rendering the relic of little importance to him.”
Shrugging, Ed spoke with a slightly regretful tone. Hearing Ed’s words, Misha clenched her fists and struck the side of the carriage in frustration, saying indignantly.
“d*mn… I thought we could seize the advantage this time!”
Observing Misha’s demeanor, Ed collected the pendant and then spoke slowly.
“After I return, I will immediately have the collaborator of Duke Barret decipher the text on this. For now, let’s hope our progress in tracing Amper’s secret won’t lag far behind the Eight-pointed.”
Listening to Ed, Misha could only take a deep breath to calm her emotions, then leaned back against the back of the carriage to rest her eyes. Watching her, Ed remained silent for a few seconds before continuing.
“By the way, is it really necessary for you to go this far to counter the Eight-pointed, Miss Misha?”
“What do you mean by ‘go this far’?” Misha slightly opened her eyes, questioning Ed, who then continued.
“To the extent of separating from your family, hiding from your superiors, leaving the organization, and wandering alone… What deep-seated hatred do you harbor against the Eight-pointed to resist them so relentlessly? Can’t you just let things flow naturally and avoid being the thorn in their side in their eyes, ignoring their schemes in the An Yin Bureau and Tivyán? After all, given the influence the Eight-pointed has over the An Yin Bureau, if something serious really happens, it won’t be blamed on you. You shouldn’t be risking everything for a cause that isn’t within your control.”
Ed spoke to Misha with a grave tone. His point was clear: currently, Misha was the only one in the official An Yin Bureau, and indeed among all of Prit, opposing the Eight-pointed quietly, which was far beyond her duty and could cost her life. Given the Eight-pointed’s insidious infiltration and grand conspiracies, even if Misha completely abandoned her responsibilities, no one would blame her if problems arose in the end. Those of a higher status who couldn’t fulfill their duties because of the Eight-pointed’s infiltration wouldn’t be held accountable; what could a small White Chalk knight like her achieve? Misha only needed to let things happen naturally, and no matter the outcome, no one would fault her.
Listening to Ed’s words, Misha let out a cold laugh from her position, then replied, as if it were obvious.
“I am a royal knight. I pledged long ago to do everything in my power to defend Despenser and Prit. Whenever the underhanded schemes of villains threaten the nation, I will never stand by idly.
“‘Prit above all, our loyalty will be the foundation of this lofty principle’—this is the family motto of the Devenhill family and also the decree set down by our ancestor Amper. I have grown up hearing this saying, and I will not forget it…”
Misha said firmly, and after speaking, she closed her eyes once again to rest. Doro, borrowing Ed’s gaze, looked at the knight in front of her and could not help but internally muse.
‘Loyalty to the state, huh? But… your ancestor Amper was the biggest turncoat among those who adhered to Prit’s tradition during the Wind King’s Rebellion…’
Having thought this in her heart, Doro decided not to dwell further on the topic with Misha. She leaned back with Ed in the carriage, crossing her legs, and took out a newspaper to start reading. As the newspaper unfolded, the first thing that caught her eye was a large black-and-white photograph of a young nun with a smiling face, with a striking headline next to it.
“Renowned Relic Pilgrim Sister Vania Chafillon, after many pilgrimages, has finally returned to her homeland of Tivyán, receiving a grand welcome at the East District port…”
