The smell of burning incense lingered in the air.

"Thank you all for coming. I'm Cardinal Francis, and I will host the mass."

Cardinal Francis stood by the large auditorium, staring at the numerous cadets sitting

opposite him. Garbed in a white tunic, he faintly smiled.

"I would like to first thank those from Haven who allowed this Mass to happen. Without their help and contribution, none of this would've been possible..."

Though quiet, his voice managed to reach every corner of the room.

The eyes of several students shone at the presence of the Cardinal who he appeared like a ray of sunshine amidst the darkness that lingered across the dimly lit surroundings.

By his side, on either end, stood men clad in white, gripping their necklaces tightly. They were the priests of the Church of Clora.

They all stood in silence while watching the Cardinal speak.

Among them, a slender man with narrow slit eyes and brown hair blended nicely among the priests.

He listened to the entire mass attentively.

However, if one observed closely, one would notice his gaze occasionally drifting toward a specific cadet seated at the front of the mass.

With his blonde hair and pale yellow eyes, Caius was easy to identify.

'....So that's the target.'

Johan already had enough information on the target.

He knew everything that he needed to know in order to capture him. Though he wasn't stronger than a mere cadet, he was confident in capturing him.

That was after all his specialty.

As his eyes flickered, a weird tingling sensation curled around his hand. He looked down to see small black tendrils curling around his arm.

'Not yet...'

He placed his other hand over his hand.

'...Not yet.'

He mumbled quietly, pushing himself back into the row and paying attention to the mass

once more.

'There's another target that I need to look out for.'

***

"....Hmm."

Massaging my face, I sat on one of the benches scattered across the Academy campus. As of right now, I was supposed to be in the middle of attending mass.

...It was compulsory and I was probably going to get into trouble for missing it but I didn't really have the luxury of thinking of such matters.

'What exactly happened in the vision?'

I was currently torn on the situation.

I didn't know which scenario was the correct one. Julien taking over my body and killing someone important, or me killing the target set by Atlas.

'Logically speaking, it should be the first option.'

In the vision, I had clearly heard the words 'he did...'

Furthermore, it was unlikely that I would get into trouble for killing someone that the cult wanted me to. With their influence, and Atlas's help, it shouldn't be possible for me to fall under such a scenario.

....And yet, Atlas had also mentioned that those from the church of Clora wore white.

'Is it possible that something went wrong with the mission?'

"Ah."

A possibility ran down my mind.

'Both scenarios happened. I killed the priest, and Julien took over my body. He was the one who killed the priest.'

Given how I got caught and got into trouble, Julien did the killing in one of the areas that Atlas hadn't labeled as 'safe'.

A clear picture of the entire situation was painted in my mind.

Although there were a few bits and pieces that didn't make sense, this was the most plausible scenario.

"Mhm, this is good."

I stood up from the bench, feeling a lot more reinvigorated.

Now that I had a direction, I knew exactly what I needed to do. I wasn't so lost anymore and I didn't waste another second.

I extended my hand forward and a figure appeared over my arm. Another one appeared right beneath my foot.

"Owl-Mighty, Pebble."

"What is it?"

"....Why did you call for us?"

Pebble looked sleepy as it licked its own paws. The more I looked at Pebble the more it

seemed to act like a cat.

On the other hand, Owl-Mighty's eyes felt a lot more deep than they had been before.

It was almost a noticeable difference.

'Did Owl-Mighty have a breakthrough?'

That was interesting...

"I need your help. I want one of you to monitor a certain person.

"Monitor?"

"...Yes."

The two were the perfect eyes for me.

"I want to know their exact location at all times and what they're doing. It should be possible,

right?"

"Hmm, yes."

Owl-Mighty answered in its usual deadpan tone. That was when I looked at Pebble.

"I need you to stay with me."

I couldn't communicate with Owl-Mighty and Pebble if they were too far away from me. The same couldn't be said for them. For some reason, the two could communicate with each other

regardless of the distance.

This was good for me.

I could use one of them to relay the information back to me.

"Wait, why are you choosing him?"

Pebble suddenly protested, pointing at Owl-Mighty.

"Because Owl-Mighty can fly."

"Uh? But I can fit into tight spaces."

"...Yes, but you're also easier to spot."

The fact that Owl-Mighty and Pebble weren't real animals was not that hard to see if one focused hard enough. Although I didn't think either one would get spotted, Owl-Mighty was

the safer option.

"That makes no-"

"It does." "B-"

"Yes."

Pebble tried to protest but Owl-Mighty promptly shut all its attempts down. I thought Pebble would start a fuss, launching itself over to Owl-Mighty like it usually did, but to my surprise,

Pebble just lowered its head in defeat.

'Fine...'

Pebble mumbled quietly, kicking the floor with its foot.

"....?"

The scene left me stunned.

Since when...

"It learned its place."

Owl-Mighty spoke from next to my shoulder as its eyes squinted.

"...Pebble will no longer trouble us."

Owl-Mighty proceeded to pat me on the head with its wings, its beak curling in what seemed

to be a smile.

"I've taken care of the trouble."

"???"

The hell...

I didn't even know how to react.

Fwap-

I only snapped out of it when Owl-Mighty started to flap its wings. I blinked my eyes a couple

of times and quickly gave Owl-Mighty a picture of the man that Atlas had told me to kill.

"He should be in the Birmin Hall alongside those that worship goddess Clora. They all wear white so you'll know exactly where to go if you go up high enough. Wait until the mass is over

before following him. Keep me updated on the situation."

"Okay."

Owl-Mighty flapped its wing and started to fly away from the spot. I watched as its figure slowly started to blend with the sky before turning my attention to the grief-stricken Pebble.

"Are you okay?"

"....No."

Pebble's voice looked to be full of grievances.

'How the mighty have fallen...'

...In terms of power, Pebble was actually the strongest of the three of us. Its form wasn't supposed to be that of a cat, but because its soul had been weakened so much due to what

Aurelia had done back in Ellnor, it could hardly put up a fight with Owl-Mighty.

'Not to mention that back when he was sealed, he was still just a newborn.'

Pebble's life was rather pitiful.

Not only was Pebble suppressed by a little girl, but by a tree as well.

Its pride had probably been utterly crushed.

"You'll recover soon enough."

I comforted Pebble while looking at my hand.

"The stronger I get the more you'll recover. The situation will reverse when that happens,

don't worry."

Not only that...

But I would also get stronger.

After all, the stronger he became, the stronger [Step of Supression] would become.

...It was just barely at its base form.

***

Creaak-

A wooden door creaked as the gentle 'click' of a heel resounded throughout the confines of a

small room.

Delilah's steps paused right after entering the room, her eyes falling over a figure that sat on

the opposite end, his murky white eyes vacantly staring around the room.

"Hm?"

Sensing her presence, the Pope turned his head.

"Ah."

He smiled.

"It looks like you sensed my presence, Chancellor."

Delilah didn't answer and just stared at the elderly man with a blank look. She had sensed his

presence from the moment he had entered the Academy grounds and had been keeping tabs on him ever since.

His strength, while waning, was something that was enough to make her wary.

He wasn't stronger than her, but he could certainly cause a lot of trouble if he had the

intention to.

Perhaps noticing the strange tension that lingered on Delilah's face, the Pope laughed.

"Haha, there's no need to be so tense Chancellor. I'm not here to make trouble."

"...."

Delilah remained silent.

It was only after she was sure that there was nothing wrong with the surroundings that she

spoke.

"What is your purpose?"

Her tone was blunt, devoid of any respect or reverence.

She was a non-believer.

It was all too boring for her.

And for that reason, she had no need to talk herself down under such figures. #

"My purpose?"

The Pope smiled gently.

"...It's nothing big. I'm only here to check up on Ambrose and see how he's going to do."

"Then why hide your presence?"

"That would bring a lot more trouble than is needed."

Delilah's eyes narrowed.

She didn't buy his words at all.

"If you wanted to do it more quietly, you could've told us about your presence. We would've

kept your presence a secret. Furthermore, it would've helped us prepare better."

Delilah's eyes started to grew darker.

They spun quietly, seemingly trying to suck the Pope in.

"...I know."

The Pope remained unfazed, his tone growing gentler.

"I am sorry for that. It's just that..."

Closing his eyes, the Pope leaned back on the chair.

"I don't have much time."

Delilah cocked her head.

"I'm going to die soon."

ײן

Her eyes returned to normal.

"Do you-"

"This is probably the last time I'll see Ambrose perform the mass. I didn't say anything in

advance since nobody knows this. Not even Ambrose. By the time the Summit is over, I'll..."

The Pope stopped, but his words were clear. Deliah's face changed subtly.

She didn't seem as wary as she was before. Of course, just because she was less weary didn't

mean that she could just leave him alone.

"I'll be keeping an eye on you."

As those words left her mouth, her gaze drifted toward the right corner of the room and her

frown deepened.

She then shook her head and made her way out of the room.

"....Don't overstep your boundaries."

Clank!

The door clicked shut, leaving the room in a hushed, motionless silence.

Closing his eyes, the Pope leaned his head back.

His hands were trembling.

...But it wasn't out of fear.

No, it was out of excitement.

Soon...

He was going to meet 'him'.

He couldn't wait.