After returning to Backlund, I'll ask Fanny for details about her family... As for the reason, it's simple—before dealing with enemies, one must understand one's own strength... Didn't Roselle say that famous quote about "knowing yourself and your enemy"?
After pondering for a moment, Ebner took out a "Courage" badge and handed it to Danitz as a "tip" for delivering the message.
After all, he couldn't be too stingy with Edwina's subordinate, could he?
This badge was actually an accessory to the mystical item "Irresistible Fear" he had previously sold in Bayam, designed to counteract that item's negative effects.
Ebner had made three of them back then but only sold two. The remaining one had stayed with him.
At that time, he was still Sequence 6, and items empowered by the "Pure White Eyes" only lasted three months...
In other words, this badge would expire in less than a week. It couldn't be sold now, so using it as a "tip" was perfect.
On the other hand, Danitz puffed out his chest and declined politely: "I'm already a brave man—I don't need an item to boost my 'courage'... Besides, this was the captain's task... It'd be better if the captain rewarded me..." The last two sentences were muttered under his breath.
Ah yes, "brave"—like when he became Klein's servant and hung outside the cabin to scare off pirates?
Mentally lampooning, Ebner smiled and deliberately said, "If you don't like the badge, how about I teach you a 'secret technique' instead? Hmm, I wonder how strong your foundations are? What has Edwina taught you so far? I can make a reading list—if you haven't covered certain topics yet, I'd be happy to tutor you for free..."
Before he could finish, Danitz's face twisted in dismay. He immediately grabbed the "Courage" badge and stammered, "This is great! No need for anything else...
"Oh, and I have other matters to attend to. If you don't need anything else, I'll take my leave now."
Now he finally understood why the captain valued this pretty-boy detective so much. His mannerisms, preferences, and tone were practically identical to hers... What was that Roselle quote again? Ah, "like wheel ruts from the same cart"?
I'm actually doing you a favor. At least with this badge, you won't piss yourself in terror when facing 'Creeping Hunger' later... Ebner silently mused before politely seeing Danitz off, watching him flee Mr. Gaston's house as if escaping for his life.
Once outside the island's only school, Danitz was jolted awake by the icy sea breeze. Details he'd overlooked during the conversation suddenly resurfaced:
"I was led by the nose the whole time... No, bad metaphor. More like, he controlled the entire conversation's rhythm, and I didn't even realize it?"
"Also, that detective seemed to know me. Otherwise, why would he immediately ask if the captain sent me? Have we met before? I can't recall..."
"Or... did the captain show him my photo?"
"The captain actually has photos of me?!"
Danitz's face broke into a foolish grin, but he quickly caught himself and sighed, muttering conflictedly:
"This is all speculation... But the captain definitely has that detective's photo—she showed it to me, otherwise I wouldn't have recognized him as Ebner Bryan."
"I need to gather intel on this detective!"
Although tales of the "Hero Detective" were widespread on the seas, Danitz—on his first vacation in over half a year—had only heard superficial stories and never looked deeper.
After getting his bearings, he headed toward the "Flying Fish & Rum" tavern.
Meanwhile, back inside, Ebner picked up the metal box traded by Litorio, the third mate of the Black Emperor, and opened it.
Inside was a parchment whose edges were slowly "burning"—a process dramatically slowed by the high-sequence abilities of the "Black Emperor" pathway.
Ignoring the near-frozen flames, Ebner focused on the contents:
1. "Admiral Deep Sea Howl Constantine hails from a coastal town in western Intis Republic, the illegitimate son of a playboy from the Delian family. After using various means to possess his mother, the man abandoned her, leaving Howl with a miserable childhood—even bullied by other townsfolk.
At 18, he stumbled upon an occult book titled Segest's Slumber and instinctively deciphered its strange script, establishing a connection with the sea monster 'Segest' and becoming its blessed, inheriting its bloodline... thus becoming a 'Sea Blessed.'
Upon gaining his powers, his first act was sacrificing the entire town to appease the sea monster.
2. After growing stronger, Howl sought revenge against his father and the Delian family—only to despair upon discovering that 'Segest' was actually allied with them!
"From his birth, growth, acquisition of that occult book, to becoming the sea monster's blessed—everything was meticulously arranged by the Delian family..."
"3. Concerns the secret I originally discovered... That 'Admiral Deep Sea Howl Constantine' long ago lost his autonomy, becoming the sea monster's puppet... The force controlling him—keeping him fully conscious and furious yet utterly devoted to serving the monster—was initially unclear to me... But when the Count cleansed certain 'contaminations' from me, he revealed it originated from the 'God of Lost Hearts'."
Delian... Isn't that the family behind Intis's special envoy Owen? Recalling his research while assisting Fanny days prior, Ebner knew this aristocratic family—originally nobles under Sauron's rule—had played pivotal roles in overthrowing the Gustave dynasty...
Like the Fleiss family behind Johnson, the Delians ranked among Intis's most powerful clans today, wielding formidable influence both politically and mystically!
While their family might lack an angel, they certainly possessed demigods—likely multiple.
The Delians' alliance with the sea monster probably secured their maritime trade dominance while crushing competitors.
As for why "Segest" cooperated—perhaps to receive "sacrifices" discreetly without church interference... Judging from intel obtained in the fifth layer of the "Dream Labyrinth Tower's" elf temple, the creature's condition was precarious, requiring regular living "offerings" to maintain sanity.
Finally, "Prophets" can't control others as puppets... Is this a self-developed secret technique or mutation from indiscriminate characteristic consumption?
And what is the "God of Lost Hearts"?
The term feels familiar yet eludes recall... Likely knowledge shielded by my "Pure White Eyes"...
Within moments, Ebner resolved to complicate the Delians' affairs in Intis—ideally ruining them entirely!
Publicly, their collusion with the sea monster meant countless abductions for sacrifices—crimes rivaling the Loen royalty's atrocities, perhaps more repulsive than George III's deeds.
Privately, securing Segest's "Prophet" characteristic required weakening its allies first. Moreover, if Special Envoy Owen participated in Mr. Surry's murder, that justified further retaliation.
...
8 Williams Street, Backlund – Basement
The "White Saint" Katarina finally seized another chance to visit. Scanning the empty floor, she waited patiently.
After roughly fifteen minutes, she sensed the controlling force slightly receding and immediately spoke in her mellifluous voice:
"I've identified a 'Gatekeeper' from the Spirit Cult... ready to deliver anytime..."
"But you must share something about this control... What is the 'God of Lost Hearts'?"
Silence lingered before an unseen force pricked her finger, drawing blood that formed ancient Feysac script:
"Certain you wish to know? Even if it turns you monstrous?"
The text's mocking tone—likely from a "Hunter"-aligned entity—unnerved her. Yet the implication of "knowledge as pollution" terrified this nearly two-millennia-old ageless demoness who vaguely understood such dangers.
After consideration, Katarina probed: "Surely there's some information I can safely know."
"For the 'Disgrace of Demonesses,' you've not entirely wasted these centuries bedding men—you've learned something."
Unfazed by insults, Katarina remained expressionless.
"You've heard: 'The body is the mind's cage'... Your desires were exploited to forge a cage imprisoning your heart, making you a puppet."
"Normally, conquering your desires breaks free... But your controller used items imbued with the 'God of Lost Hearts' aura—carrying vestiges of divine authority... Thus, without angelic intervention, escape is impossible!"
"Only authority counters authority."
The blood script shifted thrice, each paragraph in distinct fonts.
"'The body is the mind's cage'... A 'Rose School' tenet, yet this interpretation differs from both Abstinence and Indulgence factions... So this is another perspective...
"Then who is the 'God of Lost Hearts'? 'Abomination' Suah? 'The Chained God'? Or... 'Mother Tree of Desire'?" Katarina murmured, half to herself.
(End of Chapter)