Chương 432: Chapter 419 - Blood in the Dust

Gregor exhaled slowly as he looked at Leonie across the desk.

"You lot… are really something else, eh," the Guild Master said with a broad smile, leaning back in his chair.

"Barely a month since you arrived in this little corner of the world, and already you've left this old man in the dust." He chuckled to himself and rubbed his beard.

"But that's good. Very good. Just knowing a group of future Mithril ranks passed through my Guild and worked under my watch for a while… that's enough bragging rights to last me whatever years I've got left." His eyes glinted with amusement.

"Hell, at the rate you lot are going, I wouldn't even be surprised if one day I hear you've stepped into Adamantite." Leonie offered a polite smile.

"We are grateful for your assistance during our stay, Guild Master. Your support has been greatly appreciated, and it will not be forgotten."

"Ah, don't fret about it," Gregor said, waving a hand dismissively, though the pleased look on his face betrayed him. He slid a small device across the desk toward her.

"Here's the letter. My personal recommendation. Just give it to Oliver, the Guild Master in Aldermere, and he'll see you settled in proper." Leonie took the device.

"Thank you," she said with a slight bow. Gregor nodded.

"Right then, let's skip the farewell. No point slowing down people with places to be and monsters to slay. Just remember that if you ever need something—information, contacts, a quiet word somewhere—send a notice my way and I'll see what I can do." He gave her a cheerful grin.

"I may be an old relic at this point, but I've got a few years behind me and a handful of connections that might still surprise you." Leonie inclined her head once more before turning toward the door. Downstairs, Lukas waited for her in the Guild hall. He glanced up when he heard her steps approaching.

"Well?" he asked lightly.

"All sorted," she replied.

"Let's go." Leonie quickly sent a message to the others, asking them to meet at the rented house once they were done with their matters. Confirmations came back almost immediately from Pablo and Imani, and a short while later from Ayu. Lukas frowned slightly. He then sent Chiara a private message." Are you at Alonso's place?" … There was no answer. Weird.

"Maybe she's sleeping?" Leonie suggested. Lukas shook his head.

"Chiara always keeps at least one mind active. She never fully sleeps."

"Then…" Lukas felt a faint unease settle in his chest. No matter what she was doing, Chiara always answered his messages almost immediately. The only explanation that came to mind was that she might be using Eclipse or another technique to isolate herself from electromagnetic waves. But even then, he knew she had enough control by now to filter incoming signals manually if she wanted to. He looked at Leonie, his mind already running through countless possibilities.

"Let's… check the rented place first." She nodded, and both of them moved immediately, their figures blurring through the streets. As Lukas reached the house, he sent another wave. Still nothing. He stepped forward, about to enter, when Leonie stopped him." Wait." Leonie's nose twitched slightly. Chiara's scent still lingered in the air, faint and fragmented, diluted to the point it barely registered even to her heightened perception. But there was something else.

Leonie crouched and studied the ground near the entrance. Her gaze swept slowly across the stone and the thin layer of dust that had settled over it. For a moment she remained completely still. Then she saw it. Two specks of dark crimson embedded within the dust. They were so small they looked almost like stray grains of pigment scattered across the stone. Someone had clearly cleaned the ground, sweeping the surface to erase the marks.

Yet even that effort had left behind microscopic remnants, either because the job had not been thorough enough or because whoever did it simply didn't care too much. Leonie's gaze narrowed. This… was not good. She stood and looked at Lukas.

"I found traces of blood on the ground," she said quietly.

"And her scent still lingers in the air. Very faint… but it's there." Leonie looked at Lukas for a brief moment before finishing.

"I believe Chiara has been captured." Lukas' eyes widened as he stared at the ground, yet his vision caught nothing at first. A moment later he released a focused EM scan, sending a narrow pulse across the stone and dust before him as the returning signals mapped the surface in precise detail inside his mind. That was when it appeared. Two microscopic flecks embedded within the dust. Lukas felt his chest tighten as the pattern registered.

He knew the molecular composition of Chiara's blood well enough to recognise it instantly, and the moment the structure aligned in his mind there was no longer any doubt. If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it. It was hers. His jaw slowly clenched as a cold weight settled inside him. Chiara had been here… and she had been taken. But… how? How could someone take her so quickly without even giving her the chance to send a signal?

Even among their group Chiara stood at a frightening level, and with three minds working in parallel she could react extremely fast and send highly encrypted waves to them. Yet she had vanished, leaving barely a trace. Right now the six of them stood at the absolute peak of Gold-rank standards, and they also carried official Guild tokens that granted them formal recognition across the region. For someone to act so openly and ignore the consequences meant the culprit either feared nothing…

or answered to an authority even greater.

"Outside of daemons, I can only think of two organizations that have the means to do this," Leonie said slowly.

"One is the Black Mantle." She paused briefly before continuing.

"The other… the Church." Lukas frowned as he absorbed the names. He knew both well. He had taken the time to study the geopolitics of this place and the major powers shaping it, and just as his sister had said, those two stood at the very top of the hierarchy. The Black Mantle was the most feared assassin guild on the entire planet, an organization with very few members, yet each operating at the highest levels of power.

The Church, on the other hand, was the dominant religion across more than half the land, an institution whose authority often surpassed that of kings and whose reach extended into nearly every kingdom.

"But the question is why," Leonie said, her voice tightening slightly as the implications settled in.

"Why would either of them be interested in Chiara? We've kept to ourselves this whole time, haven't we?" Lukas stood there in silence, his thoughts running along the same line as his sister's. Why? From everything they had experienced so far, The Tower didn't interfere with them in such a direct way, abruptly shifting events without any buildup. Its trials were harsh, yet they always followed a certain structure, even when that structure only became clear after the fact.

And more than that, this stage had shown them how established the reality around them truly was. Cities, factions, guilds, religions, and individuals with their own grounded and logical motivations… everything followed its own internal logic, like a real world in almost every sense. Actions taken against them should follow that same logic… right? In any case, that was not important now.

"Alright… we need to find her." Leonie looked at him and immediately noticed the tension in his voice. She knew her brother well enough to recognize what was pressing on him right now.

"If this involves a daemon, the Church would normally be the best place to start," Leonie said.

"But since they are also one of the possibilities, we have to be careful with how we approach this." She thought for a moment before continuing.

"I have two men inside the Church. I'll have them start digging into it quietly. We should also speak with Gregor. Even if we need to tread carefully on the subject, he might be able to help." She held Lukas' gaze.

"I'll handle that part. And… don't worry, Lukas. We'll find her." Her voice softened slightly.

"I promise." Lukas nodded slowly.

"Thanks." He drew a steady breath, forcing his thoughts back into focus.

"I'll meet up with Ayu, Imani, and Pablo. I'll see if they've noticed anything or heard something unusual."

"Chiara got kidnapped!?" Ayu's eyes widened. She knew Lukas well enough to understand he would never joke about something like that.

"Yes," he nodded slowly.

"We're still uncertain who is behind it, or what the reason might be. Do you know anything? Maybe she mentioned something in one of your conversations, hinted at a problem, or said something unusual." Imani and Pablo remained silent, each going through their memories of recent conversations with Chiara. After a moment, both of them slowly shook their heads. Ayu did the same, her mind running back through the last few times she had spoken with her in private. Most of it had been casual.

They had talked about the differences between their States and paths, exchanged a few jokes, and sometimes drifted into the usual girl talk about Lukas and Alonso. Nothing that would explain something like this.

"No," she said quietly in the end.

"There is one thing I've always been a bit curious about," Imani began, drawing the others' attention toward him.

"It concerns Chiara's weapon. The small wooden cane."

"What about it?" Lukas asked. He knew the weapon well enough. Chiara had told him it was a gift from Alonso, a Grade 4 item he had obtained from one of the special bosses during his journey across the West.

"Well… it's the only piece of gear that Chiara has never given me to temper," Imani said. Lukas frowned. He hadn't known that. More than that, he knew Chiara was extremely particular about her equipment. She usually made sure every piece matched her aesthetic and was fully tempered to maximize her Pillar aptitude. Passing on that… was certainly unusual. Then a thought struck him. It… couldn't be… Lukas swallowed, his face turning slightly pale as a cold shiver ran down his spine.

Yet the more he thought about it, the more the pieces began to fall into place.

"Lukas… what is it? Are you alright?" Ayu leaned forward, worry written across her face.

"…"

Leonie had just finished speaking with Guild Master Gregor when a pulse reached her phone. It was from Lukas. As she read the message, she froze. Without wasting a second, she contacted Stephen and Madelaine, the two who had volunteered to enter the Church. Despite Chiara and Lukas warning her about the risks, Leonie had still considered it necessary to place eyes inside such a powerful organization. She waited. A reply arrived from Madelaine first." I haven't heard anything unusual from my side."

A few moments later another message appeared. This one from Stephen." The Holy Knights have been active in our branch lately. You may be right. I will try to find out more." The words struck Leonie like a bucket of cold water. The Holy Knights. One of the most powerful forces within the Church. Perhaps the most feared. In many ways they functioned like the Inquisition back on Earth, except here their purpose was the eradication of daemons.

Every single one of them stood at a level of power far beyond where Leonie and the others currently were. If they were here… Then a daemon had to be involved. And that aligned perfectly with Lukas' suspicion. Leonie slowly lowered the phone.

"…fuck."

Hours passed in mounting tension as they searched for any trace that could lead to the place where she was being held. Yet every lead they followed ended the same way. A dead end. Stephen could not uncover anything further from within the Church. Gregor's contacts came back empty. Even the quieter channels Leonie used through The Shadows returned nothing useful. Wherever the Holy Knights had taken Chiara… it was clearly a location hidden from public knowledge.

And recklessly attacking one of the known Church branches would have been less a rescue attempt and more an act of outright suicide. It was not until nearly half a day later that something finally appeared in Riviera. A notice had been posted on the main board in the central plaza. The parchment bore the unmistakable seal of the Church, fixed in place with deep crimson wax. Even from a distance the symbol was clear enough that the crowd gathering around the board had already begun murmuring among themselves.

It read: By decree of the Holy Church and the authority of the Order of the Holy Knights Let it be known that an agent of the Daemons has been apprehended within the lands of Brithelm. After sacred inquiry and the discernment of the Holy Knights, the accused has been judged guilty of possessing a corrupted artefact and thus spreading corruption among the faithful. By order of the Church, the condemned shall face Judgment by Flame, that the stain of the Abyss may be purged and their corrupted soul returned to ash.

The execution shall take place two days from this notice, in the public square of Westmarch. Let all faithful gather and bear witness to the cleansing of evil. May this stand as a warning to those who would walk the path of darkness. The Light of the Church sees all