Chapter 235
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 235
Chapter Title: Aftermath and New Mysteries
While Berthelot was being treated like a state guest at the VIP manor.
After arriving at the Bureau, Loan briefed them on matters he couldn't convey by letter, took questions from the Bureau staff, and conducted a brief interview.
He then had a private meeting with Lazaros.
After showering him with praise for some time, Lazaros got down to business.
“You’ve arrived earlier than expected. There’s still a bit of paperwork left. Establishing an organization that is both independent and sustainable, without violating Grafton’s laws or the Union’s articles, requires quite a bit of preparation.”
He was referring to the launch of an organization that would unite the duchies to counter Grave.
From his explanation, it seemed there was little left for Loan to worry about.
Once the Bureau finished the paperwork, all he had to do was personally write and sign a letter to be attached to it.
“Something along the lines of expressing my agreement with the purpose and requesting cooperation should suffice, I imagine.”
“Yes. Understood. I know everyone is in a difficult situation, so I’m not sure if they’ll have the capacity to pay it much mind.”
“It is because of that situation that they will pay it even more attention. They are in desperate need of support. By the way, the news that Versa has promised its full support is most welcome. Having Administrator Berthelot here in person will surely add more weight to the cause.”
Lazaros concluded the topic by saying it was a stroke of heavenly luck that the Duke and young lord of Versa had survived.
Loan, too, had much to discuss beyond his official report.
Lazaros, with his exquisite blend of admiration and fanfare, made the conversation thoroughly enjoyable.
As their discussion was winding down.
When Loan took out and showed him the ‘Passage of the Soul’ he had received as a gift from the Duke of Versa, Lazaros’s eyes widened.
The aftershock even caused his third eyelid to twitch minutely.
“Hah… This is an interesting… no, that would be an understatement. You’ve brought back something incredible.”
“You know of this?”
“Of course. Is it not one of Versa’s family heirlooms? To have the gall to ask for this… no, I mean, you are truly audacious.”
“Ah…”
He hadn’t realized it was such a precious item.
Seeing Loan’s troubled expression, Lazaros gave a slight smile, stroking his smooth head as he nodded.
“This is perfect timing. The Governor-General asked to see you as soon as you arrived. If you show that to her, she may be able to offer some helpful advice.”
“Has the Governor-General finished her recuperation?”
The last time Loan had seen the Governor-General was at the previous Runner promotion ceremony.
Since then, the Governor-General had been secluded in the clock tower.
Only the Governor-General and Lazaros knew the reason was for Loan’s safety.
Lazaros beamed.
“Not yet, but she will know of your arrival. I will let you know when she emerges.”
“Understood.”
After finishing his meeting with Lazaros, Loan immediately returned to the Faith Division.
Commander Adrian, Vice-Commander Oscar, Lucas, and most of the other members were away from the Union on missions.
It felt a little empty, and he was worried about them.
After informing his seniors of his return, he visited the Honor Division.
The situation was the same there.
Only a few members remained in the central hall. And among them was a welcome face: Werner, the Tower Master of Manifestation, deep in discussion with them.
His face lit up when he saw Loan.
“Oh, Loan. You’re back sooner than I thought.”
“I have returned.”
“Commander Magda is apparently forming a defensive line up in the northern Highlands. She’s keeping Norfolk’s southern advance in check.”
Werner explained the situation as if he were a member of the Honor Division himself. His tone and demeanor had become remarkably more familiar than before.
Since Loan already knew this from the letters, he gave a slight nod and took out what he had brought from his pouch.
Both were small vials.
One contained a greenish slime, and the other held a black insect.
Werner and the other mages drew closer, their curiosity piqued.
“What is this?”
Loan recounted a summary of the events involving Marbas, the plague, the brainwashed people of Versa, and the insect.
It was a terrifying tale, yet not a single person backed away.
For mages, curiosity about magic and curses is an impulse as irresistible as this.
“The demon who wielded this plague is no more, but the plague it unleashed has filled the moat of Versa’s castle. It’s frozen for now, but it will be a disaster if it thaws. We must destroy it before someone can misuse it.”
Werner frowned as he looked at the plague vial.
“So it can be burned away with high heat, but the resulting smoke is dangerous. The Versa moat is comparable in size to Lake Schwerin, so that method is out. I suppose that’s why you had no choice but to freeze it before you left.”
“Yes. We must devise a way to eliminate it before spring arrives.”
“It would be good to send a sample to Schwerin for research as well. Can it be replicated?”
“Yes. It just needs to be bonded with a living organism. The concentration will be somewhat weaker, but it shouldn’t be a problem for research.”
The mages began to exchange ideas with their colleagues quite enthusiastically.
It was a very encouraging sight.
If many heads came together to research and experiment, they might find a clue.
“Please take a look at this as well.”
At Loan’s prompting, the mages now turned their attention to the insect.
Since it was dead, they couldn't observe its movements.
Philip, a Seeker from the Honor Division, extracted a small amount of the fluid smeared inside the vial and asked.
“So this insect enters people’s ears and affects their minds?”
Werner added his opinion.
“The form of this secretion is similar to what we saw with the dwarves.”
“Ah. You mean the ones who came from Versa?”
When Loan asked with interest, Werner added details of what had happened in his absence.
“A dwarf named Gradin led them here. Said he was greatly indebted to you, Loan. I heard all about their circumstances.”
“Are they all right?”
“Few would dare to pick a fight with over twenty dwarves. It seems they arrived without incident.”
“And their minds?”
“Hmm. They seemed fine. We were tasked with investigating their brainwashing and hypnosis, but since they had already awoken, there was nothing more to be done. Still, we examined them closely just in case. They requested it as well.”
“And the results?”
“They all shared one consistent trait. Damage to their left ear. When we looked inside, we found shriveled remains.”
A Runner from the Honor Division brought over a powder contained in a glass case, which appeared to have the same components as the secretion extracted from the insect Loan had brought.
“It seems the insect died and its remains hardened like a secretion inside their ears.”
“That was our thinking as well. That something entered and left a trace. They were likely brainwashed long ago with these insects to make them dig the underground tunnels.”
“And by the time the insects died and lost their influence, their minds were already corrupted.”
“So it would be best to discover it in the early stages. How did you extract it?”
Loan couldn't give a direct answer to Werner's question.
“Well… you could say I used telekinesis. You have to work while incising the adhered parts without causing damage. After it’s removed, if the Stability Division performs a purification, their minds seem to return quite readily.”
“That will require practice. There aren't many who can wield telekinesis with your level of delicacy.”
When Loan sketched the insect’s location and size in a notebook, several members of the Honor Division bustled about to create practice models from skulls and animal hides.
They were all full of life, as if they had discovered a fun new game.
Werner, who had been watching them with a pleased expression, spoke to Loan.
“Separate from these two matters… a young lady named Bella came with the dwarves.”
“Ah, yes.”
“You suggested she come to the Union, I hear.”
That had been a long time ago.
The decision to gather her courage and come to the Union this time had been Bella’s own.
Werner continued.
“She suspects that she might be sharing a mind with the dwarves due to her possession by the puppeteer demon. She’s worried that some of the demon’s power might remain.”
He knew a great deal about the situation. Loan, without replying, wondered what this was all about.
“Magda left me with all sorts of requests before she took off, so I’ve been researching the young lady’s case as well.”
“Ah, I see. What kind of research?”
“Nothing too grand, just some counseling.”
“Was there any progress?”
“Hmm…”
Werner stroked his chin, choosing his words carefully. Then he gave a small shake of his head.
“I’ve formed a couple of hypotheses, but the evidence for them is weak.”
He had two main hypotheses.
One was that a portion of the puppeteer’s power—the ability to interfere with and control another’s mind—remained.
The second was that she might have gained the ability to access and influence another dimension, what we commonly call the spiritual world.
The first hypothesis was a concern for Bella as well. However, if she could control that power herself and didn't use it indiscriminately, it wasn't a major problem.
The key was that the demon’s reason and emotions must not remain and exert influence. Of course, carefully examining and uncovering that would be no easy task.
The second hypothesis, on the other hand, was uncharted territory even for Loan.
In fact, when Bella had been resonating with the dwarves, Loan had felt something similar.
That was why he had unconsciously asked her, ‘Where are you now?’ instead of ‘Are you okay?’
“I believe the spiritual world is the same as the inner world where the guardians reside.”
The guardian artifacts in Schwerin possess a special power that connects different dimensions.
Werner was saying that Bella had communicated with the spiritual world and influenced another’s mind directly, without such artifacts.
“Ah…”
Listening to Werner and speculating based on his own experiences, Loan was suddenly reminded of the ‘Passage of the Soul’ he had received as a gift in Versa.
He couldn't help but wonder if this series of interconnected events was all related.
Perhaps they were fated to find their voice, one by one, in his presence.
“But Miss Bella used the word ‘memory.’ If that place is indeed the spiritual world, is it possible to access the memories of others there?”
“Hmm. To be honest, stories about other dimensions are based on records from a very long time ago, from the age when gods existed. It’s safe to say that we know almost nothing about it now.”
Werner went on to tell Loan an analogy written in an ancient text.
Just as physical matter in the physical world has various characteristics like weight, texture, shape, and smell.
So too do all the intangible substances in the spiritual world possess similar characteristics.
Each with its own degree—
The sharpness of memory.
The richness of emotion.
The clarity of desire.
The sweetness of dreams.
“It’s also said to be a place where reason-based understanding and analysis are useless. One must rely on impressions and inspiration… but unless we go there ourselves, there’s no way to know.”
“What does Miss Bella say?”
“Well. It seems she’s still finding it difficult to open up, so our conversations feel a bit superficial. Her circumstances and being alone in an unfamiliar place must be affecting her.”
These were things an ordinary person would find difficult to endure.
Werner glanced at Loan's expression and added.
“But there is one thing that concerns me.”
“What is it?”
“Since this incident, she says she has been receiving a one-way transmission of a certain feeling, as if in a dream. It’s described as resolute, dark, and heavy. It’s still too faint to grasp its meaning… yes. I know that sounds strange. It seems the spiritual world is influencing the physical world.”
“A being from the spiritual world is doing this to Miss Bella?”
“We don’t know yet if it’s a being from the spiritual world, or if a being from the physical or demonic world is exerting influence through the spiritual world. It might also be that she’s picking up on an influence directed at someone else.”
“That’s true.”
“Well, she’s afraid she might come to some harm because of it. In any case, she came here looking for you, Loan, so she might be more willing to open up to you.”
“…Yes.”
The nuance of his words was a bit strange, but Loan was personally interested in Bella’s abilities.
He had always been curious about the inner world.
“Where is Miss Bella?”
“She should be in the annex area with the dwarves right now.”
Loan bid farewell to Werner and his seniors, then left the Honor Division.