With the massive explosion from the outskirts, all of Hope County seemed to shudder violently three times.
The hotel window glass let out an overwhelmed groan.
A distinct tremor also rippled through the floor.
Inside the room, Elias was still comforting Charlotte, who had become even more upset after hearing his story.
His expression shifted instantly. He strode to the window and threw it open.
Two blocks away, a plume of thick smoke was billowing upward.
"A mushroom cloud?!"
Elias spoke with a surprise he couldn't hide.
"Are you joking at a time like this?"
Old Ed's voice immediately rang out in his mind, sounding a bit shaken.
"Such an explosion is rare even in the Kingdom of Velen!"
The old man clearly didn't understand the modern pun.
"I've lived a long time, and I've never seen such a ridiculous commotion."
On the bed, Charlotte was also startled by the thunderous noise.
She scurried over to the window with quick, short steps.
Following Elias's gaze, she couldn't help but let out a cry of shock.
"What... what is going on?!"
Charlotte had never seen such a scene. Her slightly flushed face turned deathly pale, filled with shock.
Elias retracted his gaze.
Seeing his sister's terrified expression, he habitually reached out and patted the top of her red head.
"Minor issue."
His tone was flat.
"Maybe some shoddy factory exploded."
"That is why people must pay attention to industrial safety. If fire protection is not up to code, everything goes up in smoke sooner or later."
"What are you even talking about!"
Charlotte was stunned.
Because of that deafening explosion and Elias's ill timed nonsense, her attention was finally successfully diverted.
Her previous emotional distress had mostly dissipated.
She frowned and swatted Elias's hand away from her head.
"What kind of bad habits did you pick up while you were at sea?"
Charlotte glared at him, puffing out her cheeks.
"It is bad enough that you talk in circles, but why do you keep patting my head?"
"I am not a kitten!"
"Uh..."
Elias's hand froze in midair.
He hadn't quite broken the habit of how he treated his younger siblings in his previous life.
"It is... it is nothing..."
He rubbed his fingers awkwardly and withdrew his hand.
However, he let out a long sigh of relief in his heart.
He really had to thank that explosion.
If not for that loud distraction, the counterproductive effect of the story he had just brainlessly told would still be lingering.
"Good timing on that blast," Elias thought to himself.
Of course, if Ms. Cecil, who was currently at the center of the explosion, knew what he was thinking, she would definitely want to skin him alive.
...
The eastern outskirts of Hope County.
The center of the explosion.
The terrain here had been completely transformed.
With Mester's alchemy puppet as the epicenter, a massive crater had been blasted into the ground.
The enormous shockwave had swept through the area like autumn leaves, completely leveling a nearby factory.
The ground was covered in scorched bricks and twisted steel.
The people at the heart of the blast were now in an incredibly wretched state.
At the edge of the crater.
Finn was pressed tightly behind Cecil, his bloodshot eyes staring in terror.
In the instant the explosion's energy was fully released.
He had seen with his own eyes that Ms. Cecil, who stood at the very front, had pulled out seven spell scrolls at once!
Every single scroll was imprinted with a Scale Three defensive divine spell of the Three-Phase Moon—
【Moon's Protection】.
Finn remembered this spell vividly.
Back in the sewers, Blaine had used only one such scroll to stubbornly withstand the attacks of that siren for a long time.
And now?
Seven layers of 【Moon's Protection】!
In that terrifying torrent of explosive energy, the first six layers of shields had shattered instantly like paper!
Now, only the final layer remained!
Cecil was half kneeling on the ground in front.
She struggled to lift her head, looking at the single remaining layer of 【Moon's Protection】 above her.
The silver dome was already covered in a web of cracks.
It could collapse completely at any moment.
A flash of horror crossed Cecil's eyes.
Was this the core explosion of a Scale Four alchemy puppet?
This level of destructive power was not something they could contend with.
If she hadn't had enough trump cards, everyone would have died here today.
A strong sense of frustration welled up in her heart.
Under her personal leadership, the Seventh Agency investigation team in Hope County had nearly been wiped out.
But she had no time for despair.
Cecil took a deep breath, forcing down her churning blood.
"Finn! Mel!"
She turned her head sharply and barked an order in a raspy voice.
"The two of you, take them to the nearest royal hospital immediately!"
She pointed at the two investigators on the ground who were still in a deep coma.
The one armed man with the handlebar mustache grit his teeth, using his remaining right hand to grab the collar of his unconscious comrade.
"Yes!"
Cecil stood up, her gaze fixed firmly on the center of the city.
"I have left a signal on the Origin Web. Reinforcements will arrive soon."
She tightly gripped the short barreled shotgun in her hand.
"I need to go back to St. John's Cross."
"I must confirm exactly what happened there."
Finn and the one armed Mel didn't waste any words.
Supporting each other, they hoisted their comrades onto their shoulders and quickly vanished into the night at the edge of the ruins.
...
St. John's Cross.
Ten minutes later, Cecil rushed back to the ruins of the treatment room building.
The situation here had been brought under control.
Police from the East District Police Station had set up ropes to cordon off the scene, surrounding the collapsed building.
The area was crowded with citizens watching the spectacle, their chatter never ceasing.
Cecil frowned, forcing her way through the crowd.
Her gaze passed through the ranks of police officers toward the depths of the ruins.
Suddenly, her breath hitched for a moment.
Several police officers were using a stretcher to carry a bloodied person out of the debris.
Cecil saw the face clearly.
It was Mester!
Her mind was a bit muddled.
Was this the original body, or another spare shell?
Next, her gaze locked onto the center of the ruins.
There, a person was still standing.
It was a blonde woman dressed in church robes.
However, her Dawn Church robes were worn extremely casually, with the hem tucked up.
Beneath the robes, one could catch a glimpse of a very practical dark suit and a pair of tall leather boots.
This outfit was completely at odds with the rigid style of the church.
Cecil ducked under the crowd.
She walked to the cordon, pulled out her special Seventh Agency identification, and showed it to a police officer.
The officer immediately let her through.
Cecil stepped over the broken bricks and entered the ruins.
As if sensing the footsteps.
The blonde woman standing in the center of the ruins slowly turned her head.
She glanced at the disheveled Cecil, her eyes filled with undisguised disdain.
"What exactly is your Seventh Agency doing?"
The woman's voice was crisp.
"If you handle supernatural cases this sloppily..."
"Then perhaps you should let the Dawn Church take over."
Rate on N.U.
