Chapter 112: Fawning Archbishop and the Rusty Faceless Angel

Fawning Archbishop and the Rusty Faceless Angel

Ciel retreated behind the crowd.

The potions obtained from Adele in the previous Judicator save file weren’t kept on her person. She was a “Judicator,” not a “Missionary,” and couldn’t heal injuries. She could only step aside and let someone with healing abilities step forward to provide treatment.

Watching the “Favored” Lucy lying on the ground nearby, her body still twitching and bleeding, Ciel couldn’t help but feel a flicker of doubt.

She raised her head, scanning the surroundings, her gaze falling upon the sanctuary platform not far away.

Apart from the giant rocks and bricks that had fallen from the collapsed dome, the layout inside the entire underground sanctuary was almost identical to when Ciel first saw it.

There were just some added blockade lines and white cloths used to cover certain religious symbols and slogans.

She bypassed the crowd, walking along the darkness towards the side corridor, lit the kerosene lamp there, and began checking each room one by one.

Cages, library, private prayer room...

The sealed diaries in the library had all been removed. Most of the books and scriptures inside were gone, likely taken by the people from the Church of the Savior Goddess.

Religious items in the private prayer room had also been cleared out; even the idol in the cage had been destroyed.

More than forty days had passed since those factions arrived here... The investigation had also been ongoing for over forty days.

Everything that needed investigating had been investigated. Everything that needed taking had been taken.

Forget forty days; with so many factions working together, the entire Deton Manor could probably be turned upside down in less than two weeks.

But why were so many people still here investigating now?

Were they investigating? Or waiting?

If it was to lie in wait for people from the Divine Advent Church, then there were too many people left here. And there were also many ordinary people assisting the investigation. Wasn’t staying here suicidal?

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Ciel walked into one of the secret passages and followed it upwards.

This passage led to Kitty’s office. The stone bricks carved with scriptures inside this passage had already been ground smooth with a file; traces of the Divine Advent Church’s presence were almost invisible.

She reached the entrance of the secret passage, pulled the switch. With a loud grinding of gears, some sand and stones fell from above. The bookshelf before her began to slide open slowly, but got stuck after opening a crack.

Had the mechanical instruments not been maintained or repaired for too long?

Two black shadows surged out from behind Ciel, each grabbing one side of the bookshelf, forcibly pulling it open enough for Ciel to pass through.

After the bookshelf opened, Ciel saw Kitty’s office brightly lit. Several young men and women wearing Church of the Savior Goddess robes were flipping through items on the bookshelf. Hearing the commotion from the secret passage, they all looked towards Ciel.

The two males were likely church attendants still undergoing their Reconstitution Rituals. Only the female was an “Ascetic.”

The female “Ascetic” reacted fastest. After being stunned for two seconds, she quickly walked up to Ciel, bowed slowly, and addressed her respectfully, “Your esteemed Excellency Judicator.”

The other two attendants also snapped back to reality and quickly stood behind and to the sides of the “Ascetic”: “Your esteemed Excellency.”

“Mm.” Ciel spoke calmly, nodded slightly, and said, “Thank you for your diligence. Return to your work... You, come with me.” Thanks for reading on ManaNovel!

With black shadows trailing behind her and wearing the robes Uris had given her, Ciel completely bluffed the Church of the Savior Goddess members opposite her.

The female “Ascetic” harbored no suspicion, followed Ciel, and watched as Ciel sat down in Kitty’s office chair.

Ciel casually pulled open the drawer whose lock core had been destroyed. The space where Kitty’s spiritual notebook used to be was now empty. Ciel looked up at the “Ascetic” and said:

“I just arrived in Berren City and haven’t had time to visit Priestess Uris and Bishop Hugh yet.”

“Can you tell me... why the investigation has taken so long?”

Ciel’s tone was calm, but an irrepressible anger flickered in her eyes, causing a trace of cold sweat to break out on the young female “Ascetic’s” back.

“Please do not blame us, Your Excellency Judicator. We have truly been investigating diligently.” Sweat beaded on the woman’s forehead, dampening the stray hairs at her temples. She continued nervously, “But we really haven’t found much remaining evidence...”

“We asked the Redemption Society to examine every corpse, but still haven’t found the bodies of the cultist priestess Kitty or the other unknown Bishop... They...”

“Don’t be nervous.” Ciel interrupted the woman’s speech. “Calm your breathing and recount your investigation again.”

“Be detailed, be clear.”

Ciel’s tone was noticeably calm, and she deliberately slowed her speech, yet unexpectedly, it made the person opposite feel even more nervous.

Perhaps it was because the Judicator’s Court itself tended to make them nervous. At least, Ciel considered herself quite amiable.

After taking several deep breaths where she stood, the woman’s voice finally stopped trembling. She slowly began recounting the investigation process over the past days to Ciel.

Because it was Deton Group’s premises, after gathering their team, the Church of the Savior Goddess formed a convoy with Deton Group personnel and headed to Berren City at top speed.

But when they arrived, Deton Manor was already deserted. Many transcendent items had even been looted during the chaos.

Deton Manor personnel began assessing losses, identifying traitors, and investigating the identity of every cultist.

The Church of the Savior Goddess personnel, however, focused their investigation on the Divine Advent Church.

Not only did they find many cultists’ spiritual notebooks, but most importantly, they found the spiritual notebook of Kitty, the leader of this stronghold, and her letter, which seemed unsent.

The letter detailed how a cultist under Kitty named Georgine encountered a cult Bishop.

The letter clearly stated the time the Bishop was supposed to arrive, which coincided exactly with the time of the disturbance at Deton Manor. They naturally connected these two points, believing the Bishop was responsible for everything.

-

According to “Missionary” Uris, she clearly sensed the descent of a divine servant, an intimate yet terrifying feeling, almost stemming from the same origin.

Intimate because its aura was warm and pure; terrifying because—it wasn’t summoned by the Church of the Savior Goddess.

Uris’s faith seemed slightly shaken by this. She was currently recovering with Bishop Hugh’s help, while others focused all efforts on investigating the identity of that Divine Advent Church Bishop.

Almost all the mummified corpses had been verified by the Redemption Society, but none matched the characteristics of Kitty or a third-tier “Radiance Bishop.” Even Georgine’s body was missing.

They hadn’t even overlooked skin fragments and dried blood on the ground, yet still found nothing.

It was highly possible that the Bishop had already left with the descended divine servant.

Finally, Hugh was forced to use a forbidden church technique, using the cultists’ blood clots to perform a fragmented reconstruction of the situation at the time.

It was this reconstruction that revealed a shocking truth to Hugh.

The sacrificial ritual had actually succeeded.

Hugh saw the illusory divine servant, and the Bishop, whose appearance was unclear, knelt emotionally on the ground, tears streaming down his face. The image froze at that moment.

However, they interviewed everyone present at Deton Manor at the time but found no trace of any Bishop. Investigating here yielded no clues about who that person was—he was recognized immediately upon entering Deton Manor and walked in without using a membership card.

And the memories of those who saw his appearance had all been erased.

Now, apart from knowing the Bishop was male and a third-tier “Radiance Bishop,” no other information was leaked.

The trail ended here.

During this period, they also captured several Divine Advent Church members who had infiltrated the investigation team. They subjected them to harsh interrogation, even using brainwashing techniques, but obtained an even more baffling fact.

The Divine Advent Church was also investigating what happened.

They too were unclear about what occurred at Deton Manor. The Divine Advent Church might even know less than the Church of the Savior Goddess.

This summoning was the Bishop’s own unauthorized action!

Now, the investigation had turned into a race against time.

The Church of the Savior Goddess had to capture that “Radiance Bishop” faster than the Divine Advent Church, intercepting the summoning ritual and the divine servant from his hands before the Divine Advent Church reacted.

This was why the Church of the Savior Goddess still kept people investigating here.

“Oh...” Ciel nodded slightly.

So the Church of the Savior Goddess was stuck here... But they would probably never find that Bishop in this lifetime.

Because that Bishop himself didn’t know how the sacrificial ritual started, and he was eaten and absorbed by the divine servant shortly after, leaving no corpse behind.

The divine servant used Kitty’s body for its descent. Now it had sealed itself onto Amy’s back. Amy was under Avena’s protection. The Church of the Savior Goddess would never uncover the truth in this lifetime.

The letter Kitty left to absolve herself unexpectedly became false evidence misleading the investigation, allowing Ciel to completely detach herself from the incident.

Then the Church of the Savior Goddess and Hugh’s side could be disregarded... They hadn’t discovered her at all, so how could they inflict this misfortune upon her?

“What about the Deton Group people? Why have they been investigating here for so long? Have they made any progress?” Ciel asked.

“Uh...” The woman glanced cautiously at Ciel and hesitated, “I heard that in Ansu, the Deton Group is using the Divine Advent Church as a pretext to start a major internal purge...”

“If it were just recording the incident and assessing losses, those tasks were actually finished two weeks ago. We’re also not sure what they’ve been constantly searching for down there. They’ve practically pried open every brick to search...”

Hearing this, Ciel nodded. It seemed this “Ascetic” didn’t know much more either. To find out more, she would likely have to investigate herself.

“Okay.” Ciel nodded and casually asked, “Is Priestess Uris still at the Good Night Inn?”

“No, Your Excellency Judicator. The dehydration infection was completely eradicated some time ago. Priestess Uris and Bishop Hugh have returned to the Clock Tower church.” The woman replied.

“Mm, continue your investigation.” Ciel stood up and walked towards the door. As she passed the “Ascetic,” she reached out and patted her shoulder, startling her.

After Ciel left and her figure disappeared from sight, the two attendants looked at the dumbstruck “Ascetic” and asked cautiously, “Priestess, was that...”

“Yes... Definitely from the Judicator’s Court.” The woman nodded, took a deep breath, and wiped the sweat from her forehead with a handkerchief.

“Feels very scar...”

“Shut your mouth, say no more,” the woman raised her hand, cutting off the young man’s words. “Don’t casually discuss people from the Judicator’s Court behind their backs.”

Seeing the two resume checking every book, the woman finally sighed in relief.

They were still young, hadn’t been exposed to more internal secrets, unaware of the Judicator’s Court’s terror. That was normal.

They were the church’s swords, their edges pointed not only outwards but also inwards. Interrogation, torture, and brutal killing were the Judicator’s Court’s specialties. Each one was like a fanatic; once their minds were set, they would never change, easily resorting to extremes.

So even just talking to them required utmost caution, lest one be accused and taken away for investigation.

Calming herself, the woman resumed her work.

Those people hadn’t doubted the authenticity of that Judicator’s identity at all because the girl seemed just as awe-inspiringly terrifying as other Judicators. Moreover, the information the girl casually mentioned about the Bishop and High Priestess was convincing enough.

Even if she wasn’t aware of some recent changes in Ansu, it was quite normal; perhaps she was temporarily transferred from elsewhere and hadn’t been to Ansu.

-

Ciel, having obtained the intelligence, walked down the stairs, pondering with her head lowered.

This trip was somewhat worthwhile. Although she impersonated someone from the Judicator’s Court, she at least gained some information, knowing she was still safe after the sacrifice incident.

The advancement of the fated death wasn’t caused by the cultist sacrifice incident... Then what caused it?

The investigation list she wrote down surfaced in Ciel’s mind.

The Deton Group’s “Favored” required more investigation, but it was currently halted due to “Favored” Lucy’s severe injuries.

She wanted to know if Lucy’s misfortune was the same type as hers, to see if she could learn anything from Lucy.

As for the remaining individuals needing investigation...

Redemption Society: Professor Ashford.

Royal Family: Oppold Thaddeus.

Divine Advent Church: Archbishop Tara.

Professor Ashford was likely at the Redemption Society. She currently had no way to contact the Redemption Society. The only contact, Adele, had already left the Redemption Society.

Oppold from the Royal Family, Ciel also had no means of contact, only through asking Avena.

As for Archbishop Tara, Ciel had seen descriptions of her several times in the notebook.

Tara seemed to have already found Amy and started protecting her secretly. While protecting Amy, she continuously investigated Ciel’s whereabouts.

The simulated Ciel encountered Tara twice. The first time, Ciel didn’t recognize her as a cultist, and she didn’t pay attention to Ciel.

The second meeting, according to the notebook, was on the street.

That day, Ciel’s leg bone was fractured, and she was recuperating at home. Amy came to visit. When Ciel was seeing Amy off, misfortune struck abruptly. Bullets from a gang fight shot towards Ciel and Amy, triggering the seal on Amy’s back.

The divine servant instantly cut down all the bullets, then bowed respectfully towards Ciel. This brief scene was captured by Tara.

Immediately after, she rushed over without a word, knelt beside Ciel, hugged her leg, and unleashed a torrent of tears, leaving the simulated Ciel speechless.

After confirming with Tara that only she knew about the divine servant’s message, the simulated Ciel tricked her into hiding temporarily within the city. Ciel needed her to obtain internal information from the Divine Advent Church.

However, because the Divine Advent Church stronghold here had already been wiped out by Ciel, Tara hadn’t been of much use yet.

Thinking back now, after encountering Tara, she immediately suffered a misfortune that required using a transformation save file ability to barely dodge... Tara’s side could be investigated again.

According to the notebook’s description, Tara seemed extremely fanatical towards her, to the point where she would believe anything Ciel said. That’s why her simulated self kept her as an informant, also utilizing her identity and resources for convenience.

Moreover, Tara was clearly a higher rank than Bishop Braque, yet her potion digestion only reached “Missionary,” her actual strength only second-tier.

It seemed her promotion wasn’t based on strength, but rather on extremely vast knowledge and her deconstruction of the Church of the Savior Goddess doctrines. These abilities earned her a high position within the Divine Advent Church.

Recalling Tara’s location described in the notebook, Ciel determined her next course of action.

If investigating Tara yielded nothing, she could also consult Tara about the “misfortune” under the guise of “I have a friend,” see if the knowledgeable Tara could provide an answer.

If the investigation there yielded no results, then she would find Avena and Adele again, contact Oppold and Professor Ashford through them, and continue investigating.

Ciel quickly reached the second floor. As she walked down the central staircase towards the main hall, she saw Redemption Society members slowly carrying a stretcher towards the entrance. They moved extremely slowly to avoid causing secondary injuries.

Lucy lay on the stretcher. A large group of Deton Manor employees followed behind. Their faces were hidden by masks, but their movements indicated they were even more nervous than the Redemption Society members.

After all, the people at Deton Manor were quite superstitious about “luck.” If even the strongly lucky “Favored” Lucy met with an accident here, they would probably quit or strike rather than continue working here.

But as Ciel descended the stairs, her brow furrowed slightly.

Because she heard an extremely painful and desperate whisper echo in her mind.

Looking up, the source of the whisper was actually Commissioner Lucy.

Just moments ago, when her head was nearly crushed by the giant stone, she showed little pain or despair. But now, after being given medicine to keep her alive, she began showing despair?

Ciel faintly felt that Lucy’s despair might be the key to investigating the misfortune; she definitely knew something.

If this were reality, Ciel might strategize before acting.

But in the simulation, she only had 24 hours of activity time. She had to act without hesitation. If there was any possibility of obtaining intelligence, she had to strike decisively.

A black shadow rapidly shot along the carpet like a swimming fish towards the stretcher, then slowly rose in front of it.

A “Physician” noticed the anomaly and immediately shouted, “Stop!”

The burning black shadow distorted before the “Physicians.” After a few flickers, Ciel’s figure appeared in front of the group, blocking their path.

“Your Excellency, what is this...” The leading “Physician” asked doubtfully. He naturally knew this was someone from the Church of the Savior Goddess but didn’t understand why she was blocking their way.

“Wait a moment.” Ciel raised her hand, interrupting his words. She took a few steps towards the stretcher and leaned slightly closer, listening intently.

Lucy’s eyeballs had completely rolled back, entirely bloodshot. Even so, she kept moving her throat and lips, speaking, even though her teeth and jawbone were shattered.

“Let me... gurgle...”

“Go back...”

“Let me...”

“Go...”

-

Ciel’s action silenced the originally noisy crowd. Those nearby could almost all hear the words Lucy kept repeating.

“You want to go back?” Ciel spoke. “Go back where?”

As if her words finally received a response, tears instantly streamed down Lucy’s face. Blood mixed with tears flowed from the corners of her eyes, disappearing into the dark brown long hair at her temples.

“Underground...”

“Sanctuary...”

Ciel spoke again, confirming, “You want to return to the underground sanctuary, is that right?”

Although Lucy didn’t know who the speaking girl was, and couldn’t see the girl’s appearance clearly now—blood had stained her eyeballs, dyeing the girl’s hair red before her... now she couldn’t even distinguish the girl’s original hair color.

But she seemed to grasp onto some lifeline, using her last bit of strength to say, “Yes!”

“Cough cough cough...” After speaking, she coughed up a large mouthful of blood. It seemed her ribs had pierced her heart and lungs.

Ciel straightened up, looked at the people before her, and said, “What are you standing there for? Carry her back to the underground sanctuary.”

“But...” A physician started to say something but was interrupted by Ciel.

“You’re from the Redemption Society, right? Professor Ashford is still in Berren City. Go back, ask Professor Ashford to come treat her. The treatment costs will be covered by Lucy and the Deton Group.”

“But...”

“Double.”

“But...”

“Triple, plus an extra 100-pound reward for you.”

“Okay, I’ll go right away.”

“Cough cough cough!!!” Lucy on the stretcher seemed to hear Ciel’s words too, coughing up blood in agitation, but soon, she slumped down again, as if resigned to her fate.

Ciel looked at the Deton Group employees and said, “You, why aren’t you down there yet? Quickly clear an area for Miss Lucy’s surgery.”

“Oh oh... Quick, brothers, go down and clear a spot!” The green-chip and red-chip employees quickly dispersed, rushing towards the underground sanctuary and starting to clear the area.

Ciel’s black shadows surged out from behind her, took the stretcher from the “Physicians’” hands. The black shadows carried Lucy ahead, while Ciel, passing by those “Physicians,” asked them for some medicine.

Of course, the cost was put on the Deton Group’s tab.

Upon entering the secret passage leading to the underground sanctuary, Ciel waved her hand gently behind her, closing the door.

The black shadows carrying the stretcher stopped in place. Ciel walked to Lucy’s side and fed several bottles of life-sustaining potion into Lucy’s mouth.

Lucy Silva’s breathing stabilized slightly due to the potion, and some bleeding from her ruptured wounds showed slight improvement.

Ciel looked at Lucy lying helplessly on the stretcher and asked calmly, “Do you want to return to the underground sanctuary?”

“Yes...” Lucy endured the intense pain, slightly rolling her eyes towards Ciel. “Thank you... Your Excellency Judicator...”

“Why do you want to return to the underground sanctuary?” Ciel ignored her thanks and continued pressing.

The secret passage was unusually cold and damp. Four burning black shadows held the four corners of the stretcher, standing motionless in this dim tunnel.

Lucy felt a palpitation she hadn’t felt in a long time, as if saying the wrong thing would cost her life right here.

Do I... know her?

Lucy tried hard to see the girl’s face clearly in the darkness, but to no avail.

“Not staying below...” Lucy remained silent for a long time, then struggled to say, “I will die...”

“Why?” Ciel ignored Lucy’s evasiveness, pressing relentlessly in the conversation.

She now somewhat regretted not logging in with the “Instigator” save file. If “Instigator” Ciel had acted, Lucy might have revealed everything without such intense pressure.

“I... don’t know...” Lucy’s tone held a hint of helplessness; she seemed to have given up trying to convince this girl. “I only know... but when I’m not below... my luck becomes... very bad...”

Speaking of this, Lucy seemed to remember something. She arduously reached out her blood-covered right hand, fumbling towards her waist pouch, but just as her hand entered the small black leather pouch at her waist, a 20-sided die fell out of her bag.

Clack... clack clack...

The die tumbled down the stairs, finally stopping steadily four steps below. Ciel controlled a black shadow to move forward a few steps, confirmed there was no danger, then stepped forward herself and saw the number on the 20-sided die.

“What’s my... number...” Lucy seemed desperate to see the number, but couldn’t do so now.

“2.” Ciel replied.

Lucy’s hand dropped limply. She said, “You see...”

“If the number is too low, you encounter misfortune?” Ciel asked.

She didn’t know if Lucy was friend or foe, but in a simulation, exposing information didn’t matter as long as she could extract intelligence.

“Yes... Could you please take me down... quickly...” Lucy’s tone now carried a plea.

Ciel didn’t make things difficult for her any longer, controlling the black shadows to carry her further down.

Later, another figure on the list, Professor Ashford, would arrive. There was no need to completely burn bridges with Lucy here, because she would need to contact the professor later.

With Lucy’s current injuries, even if Professor Ashford arrived, Lucy couldn’t defeat “Judicator” Ciel in this simulation anyway.

Ciel had Lucy carried down to the underground sanctuary. By now, a clear area had been prepared on the periphery of the sanctuary, covered with carpets, upon which clean white cloths were laid.

An employee noticed Ciel had brought Lucy down and quickly signaled others, clearing a path for Ciel, allowing the black shadows to carry Lucy to that spot and place her down.

Lucy, who had been extremely tense, immediately relaxed her spirit upon feeling herself lying in the underground sanctuary, falling directly into a semi-conscious state.

Ciel, meanwhile, controlled the black shadows to search the area where Lucy was crushed earlier, while waiting for Professor Ashford’s arrival.

Soon, over ten minutes passed. Professor Ashford hadn’t arrived yet, but Ciel found a strange “iron coin” amidst the ruins.

The coin stood unsupported in the middle, the front showing a faceless angel stained with rust, the back a seemingly bleeding black eye demon.

Ciel’s eyes narrowed slightly. She withdrew the black shadows, no longer approaching the coin.

This is... a sealed artifact?

Lucy’s?

The simulation hadn’t ended yet, so Ciel didn’t know the artifact’s information. She didn’t rashly reach out to touch it.

Just as Ciel was about to turn and leave, the coin wobbled slightly, then fell to the ground.

The rust-red faceless angel, wings spread, faced the shattered dome.

The next moment, footsteps sounded. The secret room door was pushed open directly. Several “Physicians” wearing black robes and raven masks, flanking an old man wearing a silver raven mask, walked towards Lucy.

“Professor, right over there.”

Professor Ashford had arrived.