This time, when Ashes returned to Backlund, aside from continuing the main quest involving the Black Emperor, he had another important reason:
Potions.
He had already fully digested the Trickmaster potion and now needed to consume the Astrologer potion.
The Kulala sisters had likewise finished digesting the Assassin potion, so they needed to advance to the Instigator potion as well.
However, because the sisters shared a single set of ashes, they only needed one Instigator potion.
Naturally, these potions were supplied by the Church of Evernight.
"Blessed One."
After Ashes consumed the potion, Anthony asked:
"Do you know about the Abraham Family?"
"The Abraham Family?"
A hint of confusion flashed through Ashes's eyes.
"I've heard of them."
The Abraham Family was descended from one of the most powerful aristocratic houses of the Fourth Epoch Tudor Empire.
In those days, the Augustus Family of Loen, the Einhorn Family of Feysac, the Sauron Family of Intis, and the Castiya Family of Feynapotter had yet to rise to prominence.
Even ancient families such as the Antigonus Family and the Zaratul Family were considered slightly inferior.
But that was all Ashes knew.
The family had once been extraordinarily glorious, but that glory had not survived to the present day.
After the War of the Four Emperors, the family seemed to disappear from history, with very few rumors remaining.
The only aspect of the family that interested Ashes was that they supposedly possessed the complete Apprentice Pathway.
Seeing his confusion, Anthony explained:
"The Abraham Family was once among the greatest noble houses in existence, rivaling even the most powerful secret organizations. However, their ancestor, Bethel Abraham, suddenly disappeared one day. With that, the family lost its greatest pillar."
"And after that, they were afflicted by a terrible and unknown curse."
"Every member of the Abraham Family suffered from it. Anyone carrying Abraham blood who became a Beyonder would frequently hear strange ravings and eventually lose control. There were no exceptions."
"Those who lost control due to the ravings would create even greater bloodshed."
"As a result, this once-prominent family declined with shocking speed. At one point, many even wondered whether they had already vanished from history."
"But according to the Church of Evernight's intelligence, the family still exists today. They are simply no longer as prominent as before. Internal turmoil appears to have further weakened them."
"Today, only a small number of Abraham Beyonders remain, and most of them are at constant risk of losing control."
"Nonetheless, the family's lineage has never been completely severed."
"Therefore, they should still possess the high-sequence potion formulas of the Apprentice Pathway. That is why I mention them."
"The Church of Evernight possesses Apprentice Pathway formulas only up to Sequence 5. If you wish to obtain higher-sequence formulas in the future, the Abraham Family may be your best option."
Anthony explained everything carefully, as if worried Ashes might misunderstand the Church.
Everything he said was true.
The Church's Apprentice Pathway was incomplete and ended at Sequence 5.
Among all major organizations, high-sequence potion formulas were closely guarded secrets.
Even within the Seven Orthodox Churches, Beyonders received prepared potions rather than the formulas themselves when advancing.
Since Apprentice-pathway Beyonders were already rare, and with the decline of the Abraham Family, higher-sequence formulas for the pathway had nearly disappeared.
Anyone hoping to continue advancing would likely have to rely on the Abraham Family.
"Ravings? The Abraham Family?"
Ashes fell into thought.
Fors was an Apprentice-pathway Beyonder and heard ravings during the full moon.
Could she be a descendant of the Abraham Family?
No.
She had mentioned that the ravings only began after she started wearing a stone bracelet.
That suggested the bracelet's side effects were responsible.
Still, even if Fors was not an Abraham descendant, the person who had introduced her to the world of Beyonders likely had some connection to that family.
If he truly needed to find the Abrahams, perhaps he should ask Fors first.
After thinking for a moment, Ashes asked:
"Besides the Abraham Family, are there no other organizations with high-sequence Apprentice Pathway formulas?"
"As far as I know, the Seven Orthodox Churches don't possess them."
Anthony shook his head.
"As for other possibilities, there are only two: the Aurora Order and the Tamara Family."
"As I mentioned before, the Abraham Family once suffered internal conflict."
"Some of them joined the Aurora Order. One demigod even became a Saint of the organization."
"So although the Aurora Order possesses Apprentice formulas, they may not include the high sequences. Even if they do, they are likely limited. My estimate is that they possess formulas only up to Sequence 3, and possibly only Sequence 4."
"As for the Tamara Family, they frequently intermarried with the Abraham Family for generations, so they may also possess high-sequence formulas."
"Unfortunately, traces of the Tamara Family are even harder to find than those of the Abrahams."
"So in the end, it still comes down to the Abraham Family."
Ashes shook his head.
It seemed this side quest was unavoidable.
Unless he wanted to stop at Sequence 5 forever.
While he didn't rely heavily on pathway abilities, he still believed in a certain saying:
Having no sword and choosing not to use it are two entirely different things.
"Blessed One."
Seeing that Ashes accepted the information, Anthony continued:
"The remaining members of the Abraham Family are scattered across the world. The Church is attempting to track down their whereabouts, but it may take time."
"No rush."
Ashes shook his head.
"I'm only Sequence 7. Sequence 5 is still far away."
Based on fragments of memory, advancing from Sequence 7 to Sequence 6 required at least two months.
From Sequence 6 to Sequence 5 required roughly four more months.
And fully digesting Sequence 5 would take another...
Two months?
Ashes looked slightly puzzled.
Why did advancement from Sequence 5 to Sequence 4 seem to require even less time?
Whose example was that based on again?
Oh well.
He couldn't remember.
In any case, by that estimate, he had around eight months before the issue became urgent.
As long as he found the Abraham Family within that period, everything would be fine.
"Of course."
Anthony smiled and watched Ashes leave.
After Ashes disappeared from sight, the smile gradually faded from Anthony's face.
It was replaced by deep worry.
More than a month had passed.
Not only had they failed to slow the Blessed One's investigation, but the pace had accelerated instead.
And Lady Arianna was currently absent from Backlund.
How was he supposed to handle this?
Help the Blessed One investigate?
Leaving aside the fact that he knew very little about the so-called Black Emperor, the possibility that such actions might interfere with the Goddess's plans alone was enough to make him hesitate.
Refuse the Blessed One?
That was even more impossible.
The Goddess had issued a revelation commanding them to satisfy every request from the Blessed One unconditionally.
Anthony found himself completely trapped.
Helping was problematic.
Not helping was problematic.
After much deliberation, he ultimately decided to report everything to Arianna.
After all, she was the one responsible for this matter.
What did it have to do with a mere Sequence 3 Archbishop like him?
Winter County, Cathedral of Serenity
Standing before an enormous painting, Arianna suddenly sensed something and looked up.
A moment later, she vanished.
When she reappeared, she was already inside the cathedral's Grand Prayer Hall.
Standing beneath the altar with her eyes closed, she reported:
"The Blessed One has returned to Backlund."
"A suspected evil god, likely the Primordial Moon, impersonated the Mother Tree of Desire and sent revelations to the Rose School, attempting to trick the Blessed One into collecting the twenty-two Blasphemy Cards, especially the Moon Card and the Mother Card."
"Qonas Kilgor's soul has fallen into the Blessed One's hands. He has already learned of the existence of Ruin No. 1."
She faithfully delivered all the information Anthony had passed on.
Soon thereafter, the Goddess responded.
"'Not one, but two. Be wary of the Moon.'"
Arianna opened her eyes in shock.
Two evil gods had used the name of the Mother Tree of Desire to send revelations?
So that was why the revelation had arrived in two separate parts.
The first revelation instructed the Blessed One to collect the twenty-two Blasphemy Cards, especially the Moon Card.
Then another evil god learned of this revelation and sought to use the Blessed One for its own purposes.
Thus came the second revelation:
"And the Mother Card as well."
One evil god desired the Moon Card.
Another desired the Mother Card.
Perhaps both sought to descend into the world through those cards.
Perhaps the cards, like the vessel of the True Creator, served as containers for them.
But why could both gods transmit revelations through the Rose School?
The Rose School worshipped only the Chained God, who was an incarnation of the Mother Tree of Desire.
Then Arianna realized the answer.
The authorities of these three evil gods must overlap.
Only through this overlap could the other two exploit a loophole and send false revelations under the Mother Tree's name.
The overlapping authority was obvious:
The Moon.
Everything could have proceeded unnoticed.
But a third evil god detected the scheme and took the opportunity to add a new revelation requesting the Mother Card.
The Mother Tree still failed to notice.
However, the strange interruption raised suspicion among its followers.
That ultimately exposed the entire affair.
"Mother Tree of Desire. Primordial Moon..."
"Then who is the third evil god?"
By now, at least four evil gods had become connected to the Blessed One:
The True Creator
The Mother Tree of Desire
The Primordial Moon
An unknown evil god associated with Moon authority
All of them were trying, in one way or another, to achieve some objective through him.
And that objective might be related to the transmission of the sacred flame.
Arianna immediately lowered her head and drew the symbol of the Crimson Moon across her chest while softly reciting the Goddess's honorific name.
She dared not think further.
Even though she was an angel on earth and among the world's strongest Beyonders, she was still insignificant before true gods.
Even under the Goddess's protection and within the Cathedral of Serenity, becoming involved too deeply could attract the attention of those evil deities.
As for the Black Emperor...
Arianna chose silence.
She knew what the Black Emperor was:
The Sequence 0 of the Lawyer Pathway.
She also knew that the Black Emperor of the ancient Solomon Empire had once attempted apotheosis and eventually failed.
At her level, knowledge of ancient history and the twenty-two pathways was hardly unusual.
Yet before the Blessed One appeared and before the Goddess mentioned the Black Emperor, she never realized that the Kingdom of Loen was attempting to create a god.
Even now, despite knowing that fact, she still knew neither the process nor the location.
She had considered investigating.
But ultimately abandoned the idea.
More than one deity was clearly involved.
Other gods must be sheltering and concealing the operation. Otherwise, so few traces would not have been exposed.
Even the Goddess herself appeared well informed and had reached some kind of agreement with the True Creator over the matter.
Regardless, none of this was something Arianna should pry into.
And since the Goddess had not instructed them to stop the Blessed One's investigation, they would simply let events unfold naturally.
They would observe.
And when the Blessed One required assistance, they would provide it.
Back in Backlund
After leaving Saint Samuel Cathedral, Ashes returned to the Hillston Borough.
More than a month had passed.
Yet Backlund looked much the same.
The sky remained gray and gloomy beneath endless black fog.
Not a single ray of sunlight could penetrate the haze covering the city.
Although he had finally returned, Ashes no longer felt the excitement he once had.
He wandered aimlessly through the streets.
Before he realized it, he had arrived on Böningham Street.
He had intended to return directly to No. 117 Böningham Street.
But while passing a café, he stopped.
Through the window, he saw a familiar figure.
A graceful woman sat inside, wearing a cream-colored high-collared dress trimmed with ruffles.
Her brown hair fell softly around her shoulders.
Although her back faced him, he recognized her instantly.
Fors Wall.
Across from her sat an elderly man wearing a coat and a half-top black hat.
His blue eyes contained barely concealed disappointment.
Ashes did not enter.
He simply stood by the road and watched.
Meanwhile, he bought a newspaper from a scrawny newsboy struggling to sell copies.
The boy looked half-starved, his weak voice barely audible.
His satchel was still almost full.
Perhaps because it was already afternoon.
Most people bought newspapers in the morning.
Only someone like Ashes, newly returned to Backlund, would need one now.
He glanced at the date.
No wonder the papers weren't selling.
They were several days old.
Looking at the front page, he saw a bold headline:
"11! Another Woman Murdered! Sivellas Yard Remains Helpless!"
"Hm?"
Ashes frowned.
Before he left, Miss Daly from Tingen had already taken charge of the case.
She was a Sequence 6 Beyonder.
Yet even after more than a month, the serial murder case remained unsolved.
Wasn't that efficiency a little low?
Ashes shook his head.
Loen's police really were terrible.
Still, this farce had dragged on long enough.
Hopefully it would be resolved soon.
Inside the café, Fors took a sip of Fermo coffee and carefully chose her words.
"I used to be a doctor at the nearby Yosef Clinic. Mrs. Annalisa often came there for treatment. At that time, her husband, Mr. Lauro, had already passed away."
"I would occasionally chat with her and help with small matters..."
"That's why, in her will, she left her savings and cash to me while donating her jewelry, books, furniture, and other possessions to charity, supervised by a law firm she designated."
Fors was not lying.
Everything she said was true.
She was simply leaving out certain details.
She already knew that the elderly man before her was named Lawrence Nord.
He claimed to be a public-school teacher from Conston City in Midseashire.
He had come to Backlund searching for Mrs. Annalisa's husband.
Given that Annalisa had become a Beyonder through inheriting her husband's legacy, and Fors herself had become a Beyonder because of Annalisa, the old man before her was very likely a Beyonder as well.
At the very least, he knew that Beyonders existed.
Therefore, Fors politely declined his request to speak in a private booth and instead chose a table near the window.
At the same time, she concealed the fact that she herself had become a Beyonder.
After all, Emperor Roselle had once said:
"You should not have the intention of harming others, but you must never lower your guard against them."
(End of Chapter)