Chapter 137: The Woman Known as Mase
They fought with the Jester?!
My heart leapt, and I whipped my head around to stare at him. I made eye contact with Ordinary Man for a fleeting moment. The man had a poker face, as if what he just said was the most casual thing in the world. Raising his eyebrow at my baffled expression, he shot back, “What’s wrong?”
“No, nothing…”
I suppressed my surging emotions, shook my head, and then looked down to ponder for a moment.
Fighting the Jester and actually forcing him to flee without any obvious injuries? This man is surprisingly strong…
Plus, from what he said, the Jester wasn’t just accompanied by one or two people…
Those people must be part of the ten “bl**d Sacrifice” heretics from the initial intel. After all, in Alectine City, we only encountered three “bl**d Sacrifice” level ones. I killed two, Isaac killed one. Since the others didn’t show up, eight of them must be with the Jester.
“How many got away?”
In the deep, narrow passageway, we walked along illuminated by torches, the echoes of our footsteps rang clear. Ordinary Man pondered for a moment before replying, “Five.”
So, they had two people up against seven probable three-stage heretics, and still managed to escape, even forcing the others to retreat…
“bl**d Sacrifice stage?”
I asked again, and Ordinary Man gave me a sidelong glance and replied, “bl**d Sacrifice stage.”
“…Phew—”
Looks like my guess wasn’t wrong.
The Jester left three people in Alectine City, including the Fog Hidden, and brought the remaining “bl**d Sacrifice” stage heretics with him.
“You guys are really strong…” I couldn’t help but exclaim.
These three individuals being powerful was fantastic news for me. It meant I wouldn’t find myself alone in the dire situation of fighting multiple bl**d Sacrifice stage cultists. Before coming here, the thought of that had put some pressure on me, especially facing the Jester—I didn’t think I could easily defeat him.
But with these three around, the pressure lightened considerably.
“No, that’s not right.”
However, Ordinary Man shook his head slightly at my words. “Miss Silvya, I understand your thinking, but I must remind you, the Jester’s power should not be underestimated. The only reason we could push him back is that he didn’t want a prolonged fight.”
“He has things to do and doesn’t have time to entangle with us. If we dragged on until the Bishop and the Faith Organization in the forest arrived, it would result in a deadlock, which is not something the Jester wants to see, at least not right now.”
“He saw this and chose to retreat without hesitation. After we chased him a distance and moved out of the watchtower’s surveillance zone, we didn’t dare to pursue any further. Continuing might lead to a disastrous end for us, especially considering he’s someone who escaped from the Old Man’s sword.”
Ordinary Man shrugged.
“…”
So what he means is even if they have the ability to k*ll the other “bl**d Sacrifice” stage cultists, they still have deep concerns when facing the Jester—no one has confidence in defeating him.
I couldn’t help but frown again, “Where did the Jester run off to?”
“We chased him to the southern valley of Woodward Forest, where the terrain is perilous, and finding them again will not be easy. However, I don’t think they’ll remain hidden for long. Although the Jester’s goals are not entirely clear, we now have another lead…”
“What lead?”
As we delved deeper into the tunnel, doors began to appear on either side. The flickering torchlight illuminated muffled voices from within the rooms, as if people were softly conversing, occasionally mixed with the sounds of clinking objects. A man in cleric robes came out from the left door, bowed to Ordinary Man and the others. I walked past him, catching his eye; he froze for a moment and then smiled back.
“He just arrived from the Royal City a while ago, a member of the Faith Organization.”
After a few steps, the man in the cleric robes returned to the room, and the sound of the door closing echoed in the passage. I couldn’t resist looking back again, just in time to catch Ordinary Man’s solemn voice: “Now, he’s here to assist with the Abyss Mud sealing and exploration. Oh, it’s the monster that appeared over a year ago, located west of Woodward Forest… that chasm is very close to here.”
“…”
My heart jolted unexpectedly.
A year ago, west of Woodward Forest… isn’t that where I ended up?!
This place…
Is west of Woodward Forest!?
“The Abyss Mud in the chasm has mostly vanished, but the dark, decaying power remains. The surrounding plain for several kilometers has been severely eroded; the soil has turned coal-black. That dreadful power creeps slowly yet mightily, even the Sin Barrier struggles to halt its advance. If this continues for another year, perhaps even this place will be swallowed by the Abyss’s power…”
Ordinary Man spoke calmly as he walked, his gaze fixed on the flickering fire ahead. I looked at his profile, maintaining an equally indifferent expression, but my heart raced.
“Ah, we are certainly striving to prevent that from happening. So, many members of the Faith Organization have actually been dispatched here, though most have camped on the edges of the scorched earth… um, I probably shouldn’t be telling you this, as it is church confidentiality… sorry, Miss Silvya. Let’s return to the previous topic.”
“Hey, what’s your name…?”
“Daniel.”
“Daniel, have you ever been to…”
I wanted to ask him if he had been to the ‘clinic’ at the Gate of Truth. If he had, I wanted to know what he saw there…
However, I c*t myself off mid-sentence.
“…no, never mind.”
I shook my head softly.
The man named Daniel turned to me with a puzzled expression. I blinked and changed the subject, “What was that lead you mentioned…?”
The ‘clinic’ thing is a secret investigation by Angel, still lacking clarity. Very few people know about it; even his trusted inner circle, like Margaret, might not fully understand. Not to mention these people…
They are untrustworthy and could collaborate without knowing the full scope. After the turmoil in Silgaya, even I can tell that the church is severely fractured. While Ordinary Man may listen to Angel, who knows which side they truly belong to? If this gets exposed in advance, the consequences could be terrifying…
I had to be cautious.
The immediate concern was still the Jester. No matter what, I absolutely cannot allow anything to jeopardize Grandma Claire’s village. As for the abandoned ‘clinic’… I will have to confirm it with my own eyes once everything wraps up.
“Well, Miss Silvya, let me briefly outline our next actions.”
Ordinary Man nodded, no longer probing; he got straight to the point: “Perhaps you don’t know, but recently in the Royal City, someone stole Sister Teresa’s relic from the church.”
The passage turned a corner ahead, becoming more spacious. Ordinary Man led me to a new stone chamber, which was smaller than the previous one, but there seemed to be quite a few people inside.
Clerics in white robes and cloaked figures rushed in and out of various rooms and passageways with expressions of urgency, and the bustling voices filled the air. I observed them while saying to Daniel, “No, I know about that.”
I vaguely recalled Angel had mentioned this incident when I was in the Royal City.
At the time, I thought it was taken by a rabid fan, so I didn’t pay it much mind; later, I didn’t know if the person was caught… What does this have to do with the Jester?
“Oh really? Well, Miss, you must not know, but the person who took those items didn’t dawdle at all. They jumped into a carriage and hurried to Silgaya, and currently, they are at a border town of Woodward Forest.”
…Huh?
I turned to look at him, my expression puzzled.
What’s going on…
“After the incident, it seems the Pope didn’t think much of it. He just ordered a check. Unexpectedly, this check turned up something surprising… During the time the relic went missing, a silver-haired, blue-eyed woman visited the church to pay respects to Sister Teresa.”
“…Silver-haired and blue-eyed?”
I seemed to grasp onto something.
Scratching my head, I furrowed my brows, listening as Daniel continued, “Yes, silver-haired and blue-eyed. This is a characteristic of the Eborista people from the Eastern Continent; nearly everyone there has silver hair and blue eyes. Of course, due to Eborista’s desolation over the centuries, many couldn’t survive and had to move to the Western Continent in droves.”
“Order Royal City, being one of the four great human kingdoms, has welcomed countless outsiders. Seeing silver-haired, blue-eyed individuals there shouldn’t be that surprising. But if it ties back to Teresa… Miss Silvya, you understand, right? The nature of this matter changes.”
“…Indeed.”
I took small steps, looking up at him.
This person knows Sister Teresa’s identity…
“We discovered the woman’s identity. During the time of the festival, to appease the people, the church invited many famous bards and wandering performers from various places to entertain in the city, creating a festive atmosphere. That woman infiltrated the city with one of the artist troupes. She was a newcomer dancer, and her stunning appearance and exceptional swordsmanship endeared her to the audience.”
Wandering performer troupe…
…Dancer.
Suddenly, a light bulb lit up in my mind!
That night during the festival, I went out with Sarah and Daisy, and I saw a woman just like that in that crowded square… silver hair, blue eyes; her swordsmanship was sharp, and her gaze sent chills down the spine. That strikingly beautiful face was nearly unforgettable for anyone who had seen it!
I abruptly halted, staring at Daniel’s face as my pupils dilated, “She is…”
“That woman took Sister Teresa’s relic. After the performance, she left the artist troupe and headed to Silgaya on her own. Recently, we tracked her location; she has since assumed the alias Mase and joined a new wandering artist troupe right at the border town of Woodward Forest.”
…!
“Miss, she’s one of the people from the Gate of Truth.”
