“The girl who went missing is named Leila. She’s a bit younger than me, eight years old I think, but she’s very lively. She was still playing with us yesterday. We were very close; our favorite thing was catching grasshoppers near the orphanage. There’s an open field there with lots of them. But every time we catch them, it makes the Headmistress angry. She doesn’t allow us to leave the orphanage, but we always find a way out...”
Rose spoke slowly.
Olivia listened intently. She felt that Rose’s words lacked substance and seemed to miss the point.
However, she couldn't interrupt. The child clearly had significant personality flaws and couldn't express her thoughts coherently. If Olivia rushed her, it might backfire.
When dealing with such a child, one could only follow their lead.
Fortunately, as Rose continued, her words began to reveal some critical information.
“Big sister, do you think the Headmistress is punishing me because we always run out to play? Leila hadn't even woken up when the Headmistress secretly carried her away to that place. I saw it; it really was that place! So next time, will she take me to that place too?”
Where was 'that place'?
Olivia suppressed the urge to ask, but she could already conclude that the story of Leila being adopted was indeed a lie.
This was exactly why Georgina couldn't show her the adoption registry; it would inevitably expose the truth.
So, where exactly was 'that place'?
Rose whispered, “Before this, people were often taken to that place. Three days ago it was Edmond, a week ago it was Jemina, and many others before that. But no matter who it is, once they go there, they never appear again. Now that Leila has been taken there, will she be unable to come out too? If that happens, we won’t be able to catch grasshoppers together anymore...”
'Maybe give the grasshoppers a break,' Olivia thought to herself.
On the surface, she kindly comforted Rose, making her voice sound as gentle as possible.
...
Meanwhile.
At the South District monastery, a carriage bearing the pentagram emblem of the Radiant Light Church drove unhurriedly into the grounds. Several nuns dressed in habits and hoods descended from the carriage.
They made the sign of the pentagram over their chests toward the guards at the monastery entrance and praised, “Praise the Goddess.”
The monastery nuns returned the gesture.
Then, a middle-aged nun leading the group said in a deep voice, “We have delivered the files on heretical organizations requested by the monastery. They are all in this carriage.”
The monastery nun nodded. “We have been waiting for these records.”
Recently, a large number of transcendents belonging to various heretical organizations had begun to converge on Kaliron. Even the Radiant Light Church had to be cautious in the face of such a situation.
After all, these were members of multiple heretical organizations, each filled with extreme ideas of evil, madness, and bloodlust. They could create a sickening bloodbath in the prosperous Imperial Capital at any moment.
As part of the Church, the monastery was also being very prudent, requesting a vast amount of relevant data immediately to ensure they could understand potential threats in advance.
The records had arrived.
...
Olivia finally learned from Rose what 'that place' was.
It was a location Rose deeply feared and dared not approach because she had witnessed many children go there and never return. It was like the gaping maw of an abyssal beast, swallowing all life.
Perhaps by going there, she could discover what secret the orphanage was hiding.
But Olivia didn't dare go directly. This matter was clearly linked to the supernatural; rushing in blindly likely wouldn't change anything.
She had to craft the talismans first.
After letting Rose and the other children go to their self-study, she tore several pages from The Goddess's Revelations, intending to use them as spiritual paper to craft the charms.
However...
'These talismans... they all seem quite ordinary.'
Olivia recalled the types of talismans the magic mirror had mentioned. They all seemed applicable only to daily life, making things more convenient but lacking any combat capability.
'Magic mirror, magic mirror, if I try to craft a talisman with obvious combat power, is it guaranteed to fail?'
【I cannot be certain of the success rate of talisman crafting. If you fail repeatedly, you might not even produce one before dark. If you want to possess talismans as quickly as possible, you can only choose the simplest ones.】
Olivia sighed at the response.
'Even if I make these, it’s hard to say if they’ll be useful. It’s a pity, magic mirror, that you don’t know who the enemy is. Now I’m a bit at a loss.'
【Master, I know who the opponent is.】
Olivia was surprised and quickly asked for an explanation.
The magic mirror soon provided the answer.
【Not long ago, a Church carriage entered the monastery, bringing numerous files and books on heretical organizations. Since I am aware of everything within the monastery, my knowledge of heretical organizations has increased.】
This unexpected pleasant surprise was something Olivia hadn't anticipated.
She instinctively gripped the spiritual paper in her hand, then quickly let go, smoothing it out to avoid damage.
'Magic mirror, magic mirror, have you determined the enemy's identity from the monastery's new records? Who is it?'
【In response to Master, according to the records, the forbidden artifact known as the Oblivion Pocket Watch currently belongs to the heretical organization Bloody Sickle. A member of the Bloody Sickle possesses this artifact. This person is named Ashley Hewitt, a twenty-five-year-old female. She has committed many bloody crimes and is a wanted criminal of both the Empire and the Church.】
Ashley Hewitt?
Olivia silently recited the name, feeling somewhat confused. She didn't know how this person was connected to the orphanage or what her relationship was with Georgina.
But she had an impression of the Bloody Sickle... or rather, there was an impression in the original owner's memories. This heretical organization had a very poor relationship with the Rose Legion; the two sides had engaged in many bloody battles in the shadows, with casualties on both sides.
'Magic mirror, magic mirror, what is Ashley’s class rank, and what abilities does she possess?'
【In response to Master, Ashley is currently a Pilgrim following the vampire path, possessing the corresponding abilities of that path. A vampire's abilities include adapting to darkness, summoning bats for physical attacks, and curse abilities that cause illness or misfortune, as well as...】
The abilities a Pilgrim of the vampire path could master were not a secret within the Church. The magic mirror didn't know exactly how many of these Ashley had mastered, so it could only list all possibilities.
Unless Ashley arrived at the monastery, in which case the magic mirror would instantly know everything about her.
Listening to the magic mirror’s answer in her mind, Olivia began to ponder.
She had heard of vampires. In the original owner's memories, it was a term the Rose Legion frequently used when discussing the Bloody Sickle.
Vampire was a transcendent path, a bias brought about by the advancement ritual.
All transcendents were the same at the Initiate rank. To become a Pilgrim, one had to complete an advancement ritual; different rituals represented different paths.
The vampire path was one controlled by the Bloody Sickle, and almost all their transcendents followed it.
Knowing Ashley’s rank made Olivia feel a headache coming on.
A Pilgrim had certainly mastered various supernatural abilities. Their combat power was not something an Initiate could handle. If the opponent was such a person, her best choice should be to flee and report the matter to the Church.
'Magic mirror, magic mirror, what is Ashley doing at the orphanage? This question... well, you probably don't know.'
Olivia sighed as soon as she asked the question. After all, this wasn't the monastery, and the magic mirror wouldn't know what was happening here.
She was just still puzzled, not understanding Ashley’s purpose or why she was using the Oblivion Pocket Watch.
【Master, I know what Ashley is doing. She is attempting to complete the second advancement of the vampire path.】
Olivia froze.
'Magic mirror, how do you know what she’s doing? You knew nothing about this before... Was it those records that entered the monastery again?'
【Yes, my wise Master. Those records mentioned Ashley and noted that she was close to her second advancement. Combined with some detailed information, I can make an accurate judgment. She is in the orphanage, undergoing the second advancement of the vampire path.】
The first advancement ritual was, naturally, the transition from Initiate to Pilgrim.
The second use was to go from Pilgrim to Sensate!
The threat of a Pilgrim was already terrifying; once she became a Sensate, her threat level would undoubtedly skyrocket.
Olivia couldn't help but ask out of curiosity.
'Magic mirror, do you know the contents of the vampire second advancement ritual?'
【Yes, I do. Prisoners from the Bloody Sickle who fell into the Church's hands in the past have confessed the details of this evil advancement ritual.】
The magic mirror then described the second advancement ritual of the vampire path.
As the details surfaced in her mind, Olivia’s expression shifted repeatedly. Her hand instinctively clenched into a fist, and she felt a surge of violent emotion uncontrollably welling up from her heart, nearly bursting forth.
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