Chapter 139

The Round

The Steel City of Auckland remained as bustling as ever.

Blacksmith shops and metallurgical factories filled the city. Thick smoke rose in rolling columns from tall chimneys, and mine carts jolted along the muddy roads.

The air was heavy with the scent of gunpowder and dust. Most of the pedestrians on the streets were blacksmiths and workers; only occasionally would a lavishly decorated noble’s carriage pass by, creating a sharp contrast with its surroundings.

“Miss, we’ve arrived at No. 315, Ginkgo Street.”

The carriage slowed to a stop before a modest three-story building.

The silver-haired girl pushed open the door and leapt lightly down.

After the carriage departed, Lucy brushed the dust from her long dress and walked toward an inconspicuous wooden door.

Such secret strongholds of the Star Law Institute were often jokingly referred to as the ‘Gray Towers’. Hidden within the bustling quarters of major cities, one could only faintly discern the insignia of the Star Law Institute in some obscure corner.

After confirming the address, Lucy extended her finger and knocked gently on the door.

Moments later, the door cracked open, and a kind-faced woman peeked out.

“May I ask whom you’re looking for?”

Lucy did not answer. Instead, she raised her hand and lightly touched the woman’s forehead.

In an instant, the woman burst apart like a balloon, dissolving into a puff of green smoke.

The door then swung fully open, and Lucy stepped inside without hesitation.

Within was a spacious, brightly lit hall. Firewood burned in the fireplace with a sharp crackle, its warm glow reflecting off the polished wooden floor and the towering bookshelves lining the walls. The high ceiling and grand classical chandelier displayed a distinctly wizardly sense of taste and wealth.

A middle-aged man in a black robe quickly approached her.

His expression was calm; beneath his slightly disheveled hair was a pale face, and within his sunken eyes gleamed a light that could pierce the soul.

It was the quintessential image of a tower wizard.

He performed a wizard’s salute.

“Miss Lucy, I am Lann, a Tier-2 Wizard and probationary member of the Round Table.”

Lucy returned the gesture.

“Greetings, Senior Lann.”

At her words, Lann hurriedly waved his hand in modest denial.

Although it was true that he was a formal wizard, Lucy was a full-fledged member of the Divine Remains Round Table.

If the other members of the Round Table ever heard someone addressing her as “senior,” they would probably lose sleep for several nights.

Moreover, he had heard of her feats.

She had devoured tens of millions of souls, torn apart one of the Seven Gods of the Realm of Death—the Chief Arbiter and even abducted the Gatekeeper, Fenrir.

Such achievements, even within the Divine Remains Round Table, were second only to the Twelve Crown Wizards and a few of the top-tier Star Rings.

She was known by the epithet “Silver-haired Demon.”

In the wizarding world, there were no mistaken titles, only well-earned ones; to be given the name of a demon spoke for itself.

“You can just call me by my name,” Lann said earnestly.

“Wizard Lann.”

Lucy readily complied. After all, as the representative of Time Zone 8 in the Round Table, she did not need to adhere too rigidly to formalities.

Sitting down on the soft sofa by the fireplace, Lann served Lucy a cup of black tea.

“Where are the others? If I recall correctly, Wizard Karel was supposed to lead the group,” Lucy asked softly as she accepted the cup.

Lann explained, “Karel and a few other wizards are currently investigating the cultists’ movements. He asked me to wait here for you.”

Lucy took a sip of the warm tea.

“Then, Wizard Lann, could you please brief me? Have you found anything during these past few days?”

Lann nodded.

“After several days of investigation, we’ve confirmed that the Church infiltrating the Kingdom of Atley is called the Nightmare Faith. It originates from the Nightmare World and is most likely connected to the divine authority of the Lord of Desires.”

He handed her a piece of parchment. “What’s more troubling is that the Nightmare Faith has been active within the kingdom for over ten years, only recently becoming suddenly more aggressive.”

Lucy skimmed through the records on the parchment and had to admit—Karel’s abilities were indeed exceptional.

In just a few days, they had already uncovered over a dozen gathering sites and partial records of several bishops.

“How much information do you have regarding the Dream-Eating Black Worms?” she suddenly asked.

Lann paused for a moment, then retrieved another document.

“This is precisely why we’ve been holding our position.”

“Based on our deductions, a cult operation of this magnitude must have a regional archbishop commanding it from the shadows. All Dream-Eating Black Worms are most likely under his control.”

“To completely purge the kingdom of the heretics, we must first locate this archbishop. However...”

He hesitated briefly. “It seems he’s already aware of our movements. He’s gone into deep hiding, and Wizard Karel is currently tracking him down with all his resources.”

Even though Lucy had already anticipated the grim state of affairs in the Kingdom of Atley after witnessing the devastation at the Brotherhood’s camp, she still found the situation to be far more dire than expected after reviewing the investigation report.

How many provinces did the entire kingdom have? And yet, more than ten sub-churches had already taken root.

Once the number of fanatical believers within these churches reached a critical threshold, the entire kingdom would be overwhelmed by divine contamination and fall into transformation as a divine nation.

What was even more unsettling was that, according to the Star Law Institute’s intelligence, the Kingdom of Atley was considered relatively stable. The situations in other regions were likely far worse.

Clearly, the wizards’ retaliation had indeed forced the Final Secret Council to pay a heavy price.

But it also revealed the power of the force operating behind it—one capable of making the Seven Gods bow their heads, willing even to sacrifice underground networks built over decades to conceal themselves.

“How many wizards have come for this investigation?” Lucy set the document down and asked.

“Eighteen,” Lann replied. “However, only five of us, including yourself, are stationed here in the Steel City. The wizarding forces within the Kingdom of Atley have already been notified and can provide support at any time.”

Lucy nodded, idly flipping through the pages in her hand.

When the Star Law Institute lacked sufficient personnel, it was common for local wizard towers to provide assistance.

After all, maintaining regional stability was one of the responsibilities of these towers. When an evil god descended, it was always the towers that suffered the first blow.

“Miss Lucy, what are your plans next?” Lann asked.

According to Wizard Karel’s plan, once he finished handing over the task to Lucy, he was to head out to continue the investigation, while Lucy would remain stationed at the ‘Gray Tower’ to coordinate with the other investigative wizards.

However, before he could explain the plan, Lucy slapped the parchment onto the table, pointing to a name written on it.

“I’m interested in this one. Please notify the other wizards and have them leave him to me.”

With that, she lifted the teacup and drained it in one gulp. “The task of coordinating communication will be yours. Good luck!”

“Eh?! Wait—”

Before Lann’s protest could even finish, the wooden door slammed shut, leaving only the cold wind swirling through the hall.

“This isn’t what we agreed on…” he muttered to himself.

Although Lucy was officially still a trainee wizard, her title as a member of the Divine Remains Round Table meant that, strictly speaking, even Karel had to obey her orders.

After standing dazed for a moment, Wizard Lann sighed helplessly, picked up the parchment from the table, and glanced at the name Lucy had pointed out.

“Nightmare Faith priest—Morris. Joined the cult ten years ago, the most senior heretic in the Steel City parish…”

According to the hierarchy of the Church, the higher ranks were as follows: Pope, Cardinal, Archbishop, and Bishop. Below them came the priests, who served as the main force of the Church’s missionary work—only half a step away from becoming bishops themselves.

Although Morris had indeed been a member for quite some time, Lann could not see anything particularly remarkable about the man.

If there was anything notable at all, it was that Morris’s childhood had been a miserable one.

His father had died in a mining accident, his mother of pneumoconiosis, and when he was on the verge of starving to death, the Nightmare Faith took him in at about ten years old and made him a clergyman.

Perhaps because of that, Morris was extremely loyal to the Lord of Desires.

But such stories were common throughout the entire Kingdom of Atley. Lann truly could not see what was so special about this man that Lucy would want to deal with him personally.

After pondering in vain, Lann finally circled Morris’s name in red ink and set the question aside—for now.