Night had deepened, and the lights in Baron Suolun's residence in northern Telier had long been extinguished.
Avoiding the front entrance where someone might still pass by, Xialuote climbed the wall into the back garden.
The arm that had been struck earlier by the bald Hunter still ached faintly, and her clothes were coated in dust and black soot left behind by the gunpowder explosion. Fortunately, there were no bloodstains, so she could just barely pass it off as taking a spill while walking in the dark.
As for who would actually believe an aristocratic young lady was wandering about in trousers and a coat in the middle of the night, taking a tumble and getting into such a state—that was not a question she needed to worry about.
*In any case, Father is most likely asleep already. Once I wash up thoroughly and threaten the maid into silence, I can pretend tomorrow that nothing ever happened...* Lightening her steps, Xialuote slipped into the residence through the side door used by the servants. Guided by the crimson moonlight filtering through the windows, she made her way through the rear hall and along the corridor to the first-floor foyer.
Just as she prepared to head upstairs to her bedroom, a soft *flick* sounded from beside the wall, and a spark of flame flared to life in the darkness.
Xialuote froze in place. Her neck turned slowly, watching the little flame draw close to an oil lamp and set its wick aglow.
The dim yellow light fanned out, fully illuminating her dust-caked clothes, her slightly disheveled hair, and Lawuer Suolun, who stood by the wall watching her with an impassive expression.
*I'm done for...* Xialuote parted her lips, momentarily at a complete loss for how to explain herself.
Tonight, she had originally intended only to head to Saint Weiyefu Church and pass the intelligence she received from Madam N that afternoon to the Purifiers, answer a few questions at most, and accumulate a modest bit of contribution.
Who could have guessed that Duonowan would turn around and draft her straight into the operational squad, dragging her into a mission that nearly cost her life?
A fall certainly could not account for the smell of gunpowder on her, and stumbling across a street brawl would hardly leave someone looking as if they had just crawled out of a collapsed building. As for telling the truth... if her father knew she had not only been sneaking out every night to play vigilante, but had even accompanied an official squad infiltrating an armory today to battle a powerful cultist head-on, he would probably nail her bedroom window shut with his own hands tomorrow.
After an agonizing silence, Lawuer finally spoke:
"Where did you go?"
Before Xialuote could answer, he added:
"Have you figured out how to cover it up yet?"
*It seems Father already assumes I won't tell the truth...* Feeling rather embarrassed, Xialuote abandoned the idea of concocting a story full of holes and chose her words carefully:
"I went to Saint Weiyefu Church and joined a small impromptu operation... There was no real danger, I just slipped and fell."
With that, she guiltily averted her gaze, looking down at her narrow-sleeved shirt, dark trousers, and short boots, as well as the coat thrown over top that reached only to midthigh. Even in the fashion capital of Telier, an outfit like this was enough to become the subject of talk at the noble ladies' tea parties.
*I suppose only Her Majesty the Queen would appreciate an outfit like this...* Thinking this, she gathered a bit of confidence and raised her head to look at her father, straightening her slightly bowed posture.
Father and daughter stared at each other in silence for a moment before Lawuer finally sighed, the sternness on his face softening.
"It seems we ought to return to Suxite sooner after all."
"Why?" Xialuote asked instinctively.
"If we stay in Telier for another two weeks, I'm afraid I won't even recognize my own daughter."
*Strictly speaking, the daughter you knew is already gone...* The thought abruptly surfaced in Xialuote's mind, tangling her emotions. She could only press her lips together and offer no further defense.
Seeing her silence, Lawuer softened his tone even further:
"It's enough that you came back safe.
"If you must go out at night in the future, at least let me know in advance. Don't be like before, making everyone search for an entire night."
Xialuote immediately recalled the night she had first transmigrated into this world.
"I understand."
She gave a small nod, resolved to stay peacefully at home for the next week... or at least three days.
Lawuer regarded her for a few seconds before pointing toward the stairs.
"Go on up. I had Laila prepare hot water. Wash yourself clean quickly, or tomorrow the royal family's secret agents will come knocking to see if we've been hoarding gunpowder."
A faint sting touched Xialuote's nose. Hastily lowering her head, she murmured, "Good night," then turned and hurried up the stairs.
Standing beside the oil lamp, Lawuer watched his daughter's figure vanish down the second-floor corridor and let out a quiet sigh.
Not long after, footsteps sounded from outside the residence. A manservant he had sent out earlier to inquire about movements in the city walked briskly into the hall, took off his hat, and reported:
"My lord, I went outside to look around. Saint Mar District was in an uproar tonight, and the surrounding roads have all been cordoned off by the army."
"What happened, exactly?"
Lawuer asked with a furrowed brow, an ominous premonition rising within him.
"They say an explosion went off at the armory. The noise could be heard several streets away, and people from the Church seemed to be involved..."
Hearing this, the father turned to look toward the staircase where his daughter had just vanished, the expression on his face freezing bit by bit.
***
After washing away the layer of grime with Laila's help, Xialuote changed into a loose nightgown and finally felt as though she had returned to the land of the living.
She waited until Laila gathered the clothes and bath towels and left before returning alone to her bedroom, rubbing her still-aching arm as she walked toward the bed.
*The next time I encounter a mid-Sequence Beyonder, I must never rush forward just because of the confidence given to me by the Dagger of Verdict...* Xialuote reminded herself once more. Closing the door behind her, she was about to feel her way back toward the bed when her gaze stopped upon the desk by the window.
Through a slit in the curtains, the crimson moonlight from outside spilled into the room, outlining the contour of an object.
It was a roll of parchment.
Xialuote's weariness vanished instantly. Picking up a candlestick, she lit a candle and warily inspected her surroundings.
The window remained latched from the inside with no signs of tampering on the lock. Everything seemed just as it had been when she stepped out this afternoon.
In the end, she stopped beside the desk and slowly unfurled the familiar-looking parchment. Clear, neat Intis script immediately met her eyes:
"Sequence 8: Magistrate.
"Main ingredients: A pair of eyes from a Fear Demon Bug, the right paw of a Silver Battle Bear.
"Supplementary ingredients: 20 milliliters of Fear Demon Bug juice, 100 milliliters of Silver Battle Bear blood, 10 drops of monkeyflower essential oil, 1 appointment document for a magistrate or similar office, not necessarily belonging to the consumer."
Beneath this lay several lines of delicate handwriting:
"Nikolai will no longer cause you any trouble. Thank you for your help, Miss Arbiter.
"In addition, the gatherings will be suspended starting next week.
"N."
*This is... a potion formula?* Her heart leapt into her throat, making her forget even the pain in her right arm.
Judging by the style of the parchment, it was undoubtedly the very one the wooden-masked seller had entrusted to Madam N that afternoon. According to their original agreement, she would have had to hand over ten thousand feierjin at the next gathering to take this formula away.
Yet now, it had appeared silently in her bedroom.
*Madam N secretly left it here...* The image immediately arose in Xialuote's mind of the short-haired woman in a black robe emerging from the shadows, looking around, and setting the roll of parchment on the desk.
*So that's how it is. Everything makes sense now.*
The bald man who had fought the Purifier squad was "Nikolai," and Madam N had likely long known he was preparing a conspiracy and trap targeting her. Unwilling to enter the armory herself, she had leaked the intelligence to draw out the official Beyonders of the Church of the Eternal Blazing Sun to clear the way for her, exhausting most of Nikolai's preparations and using a Sealed Artifact to inflict heavy damage on him. All she had to do was wait along his escape route, and she could easily dispose of this traitor to the True Creator.
No wonder the Machinery Heart members who arrived before they left the armory claimed they had also received word of a possible attack there, arriving late only because they had to verify the information.
Seen this way, Madam N had clearly prepared more than one plan. Even if Saint Weiyefu Church had not moved immediately, the Craftsman Church would have dispatched people in the end. And if both sides were sufficiently cautious, she might well have arranged other backups to ensure someone stepped into Nikolai's trap on her behalf.
Afterward, knowing she would inevitably draw the attention of the two major Churches, this member of the Aurora Order simply called off the underground gatherings to lie low... *Should I feel fortunate that she remembered I was the one who passed the message, and thus delivered a formula worth ten thousand feierjin to my desk?...* Staring at the coveted Magistrate formula, Xialuote found it impossible to feel pleased.
After all, Madam N had been able to enter her bedroom without alerting any servants or leaving a single trace, then casually walk away after leaving the formula.
This expensive gift was both a token of gratitude and a warning:
*I know who you are, I know where you live, and I can come to your bedside at any time to leave or take something away.*
*It seems Father was right; we really ought to leave here soon... The Beyonder gatherings in Telier are more formal than in Suxite, and potion formulas are easier to come by, but there are far too many Beyonders here. They're either madmen who dare to bomb an armory, or schemers who treat even official Beyonders like pawns... The big city is far too dangerous; I want to go back to my cozy hometown...*
Composing her thoughts, she reviewed the formula's ingredients and quantities several times until she had committed them to memory. Then she rolled the parchment back up, hid it deep within a drawer, and checked the windows and door once more. Confirming nothing was amiss, she blew out the candle and lay down in bed.
The exhaustion accumulated over the entire day surged forward in an instant. Before Xialuote could even begin to reflect on tonight's battle, her consciousness sank into darkness.
***
Amidst an endless expanse of grayish-white fog, beneath the domed ceiling of a palace supported by towering stone pillars, beams of deep crimson light flared up one after another. Five figures materialized out of thin air on either side of an ancient long table, settling into different high-backed chairs.
At the head of the table, a figure enveloped in thick gray fog had long been seated, as though He had never departed since the palace and the gray fog first came into existence.
As Xialuote's vision gradually cleared, she finally took in the magnificent palace around her, the rows of high-backed chairs, and the figures seated along the table whose faces were likewise shrouded in fog.
Looking left and right in bewilderment, she lowered her head to glance at the loungewear gown she was wearing, completely unable to fathom what was happening.
All she had done was toy with that antique candlestick Moerwan had "returned" out of afternoon boredom... How on earth had she ended up in this bizarre place?
Chapter 68