After weeks of travel, Adrian finally arrived in Kanazawa.
He stepped out of the station and paused.
The air was different from London.
Cleaner.
Colder.
The streets were unfamiliar, yet somehow peaceful.
People walked past him without giving him a second glance. Shopkeepers opened their stores. Rickshaws and carts moved through the streets. Somewhere nearby, a bell rang from a temple.
For an ordinary traveler, Kanazawa might have been beautiful.
For Adrian, it was simply another place where something could kill him.
He adjusted his coat and looked down the street.
"So this is it."
He had spent most of the journey hoping he wouldn't have to go anywhere near Captain Ogun's territory.
Unfortunately, his luck had never been that kind.
His divination had pointed toward Kanazawa.
And Naomi had confirmed that Captain Ogun maintained a base somewhere in the area.
Adrian sighed.
"Why couldn't fate point me toward a bookstore?"
He started walking.
According to Naomi, Captain Ogun wasn't merely a powerful sorcerer.
He was something considerably worse.
A master ninja.
A warrior who had spent decades perfecting assassination, infiltration, and combat.
And more importantly—
a sorcerer capable of mystically binding other people to his will.
Ogun could imprint his own psyche onto another person's mind.
He could suppress their personality.
Erase their identity.
And replace it with his own.
Adrian's expression became serious.
That wasn't ordinary mind control.
It was something far more disturbing.
He doesn't just control people.
He can turn them into himself.
Adrian knew Ogun from the comics.
He remembered the name.
Ogun had been Wolverine's first teacher.
And eventually, one of his enemies.
That alone was enough to make Adrian cautious.
Wolverine wasn't exactly known for learning from weak masters.
Adrian slowed his steps.
There was one strange thought that had occurred to him.
If Ogun could overwrite someone's personality…
could Adrian resist?
After what happened to Naomi, perhaps Sefirah Castle might interfere with Ogun's abilities.
Perhaps.
But Adrian immediately rejected the idea.
Don't assume that.
Naomi's situation was completely different.
She had touched Sefirah Castle through her own mutant ability.
Whatever had happened afterward was something Adrian himself didn't understand.
That didn't mean Ogun's power would work the same way.
And if Ogun managed to overwrite his personality—
there might not be an Adrian left to figure out how to reverse it.
Adrian's expression became colder.
"Definitely not something I want to test."
"My Lord."
Adrian stopped walking.
He slowly turned around.
Naomi was approaching him.
She was wearing ordinary clothes, perfectly blending into the surroundings.
Her expression was calm.
But the moment she reached him, she instinctively lowered her head.
For half a second, it looked as though she was about to kneel.
Adrian immediately spoke.
"Don't."
Naomi froze.
She looked at him.
"Yes, My Lord."
Adrian glanced around.
Nobody appeared to have noticed.
He lowered his voice.
"What did I tell you?"
"That I shouldn't kneel in public."
"Correct."
"I apologize."
"And what should you call me?"
Naomi hesitated.
"Adrian."
"Good."
She nodded.
"Adrian."
He sighed internally.
This was going to take some time.
Having a follower was one thing.
Having a follower who genuinely believed he was an ancient god was another.
Adrian started walking again.
Naomi followed beside him.
"Tell me what you found."
"Ogun's primary location here is disguised as a traditional dojo."
"A dojo?"
"Yes."
Naomi's expression became serious.
"But the dojo is only the public face."
Adrian looked at her.
"What's underneath?"
"An Imperial military compound."
Adrian's footsteps slowed.
"So the dojo is a cover."
"Yes."
He looked ahead.
Wonderful.
Exactly what he had wanted.
A heavily guarded military compound controlled by an extremely dangerous sorcerer.
His luck really was exceptional.
Just not in the way he wanted.
"And Ogun?"
"He lives nearby."
"Nearby?"
Naomi nodded.
"His private residence is separate from the military compound."
Adrian considered that.
"So I don't have to enter the military base."
"That is correct."
Adrian smiled faintly.
"That might be the first good news I've heard today."
Naomi hesitated.
"There is one problem."
Adrian's smile disappeared.
"Of course there is."
"The dojo is heavily protected. Ogun's residence is also difficult to approach."
"Expected."
"And if Ogun discovers you…"
"I know."
Adrian looked at her.
"How certain are you that the thing I'm looking for isn't inside the military compound?"
"Your divination?"
"Yes."
Naomi shook her head.
"The information I gathered suggests the military compound contains weapons, documents, soldiers, and supplies. Ogun's private residence contains his personal collection."
"His magical collection?"
"Yes."
Adrian's eyes narrowed.
That was important.
His divination had pointed him toward Kanazawa.
But it hadn't given him an exact location.
He needed to confirm what it wanted him to find.
"Then tonight we'll investigate."
Naomi nodded.
"Yes, Adrian."
The hotel was surprisingly luxurious.
Naomi had apparently booked it before they even reached Kanazawa.
Adrian didn't ask how she managed it.
He was beginning to understand that being an Imperial spy came with certain advantages.
Once inside his room, Adrian locked the door.
He checked the windows.
Then the walls.
Then the hallway outside.
Only after confirming that nobody was watching did he finally relax.
He removed his coat and placed it over the chair.
Then he sat on the edge of the bed.
For a moment, he simply stared at the floor.
The journey had been long.
His body was tired.
His mind even more so.
But he couldn't rest yet.
There was something he needed to confirm.
Adrian closed his eyes.
His spirituality slowly spread through his body.
The physical world began to fade.
The hotel disappeared.
The sounds outside vanished.
And then—
gray fog.
Endless gray fog.
Ancient pillars emerged from the mist.
A magnificent palace stood beyond them.
Sefirah Castle.
Adrian's consciousness entered the castle.
He walked through the familiar chamber and approached the ancient throne.
Then he sat down.
The moment he did—
the familiar sense of authority descended upon him.
Adrian leaned against the throne.
For a moment, he simply looked at the endless gray fog.
Then he remembered Naomi.
His first follower.
The thought was still strange.
He had never intended to create a church.
He certainly hadn't intended for a woman to kiss him, accidentally touch Sefirah Castle, and then start calling him My Lord.
Yet here he was.
Adrian shook his head.
"One problem at a time."
He raised his hand.
Tonight, he needed answers.
Not guesses.
Not assumptions.
Answers.
Adrian began the prayer.
"I pray thee…"
His voice echoed through the ancient castle.
"The Fool."
"Dominator of Fate."
"Master of Sefirah Castle."
"Keeper of Mysteries."
He paused.
Then continued.
"Show me what I need from Captain Ogun."
The gray fog suddenly began to move.
Adrian's expression became focused.
The mist gathered before him.
An image slowly emerged.
A building.
No—
a house.
Traditional Japanese architecture.
The image shifted.
A room.
Dark wooden walls.
Shelves.
Scrolls.
Weapons.
And then—
books.
Dozens of them.
Some were ordinary.
Others clearly weren't.
Adrian's eyes narrowed.
Magical symbols covered several covers.
Ancient writing filled the pages.
One book seemed particularly old.
The moment Adrian focused on it, his spirituality instinctively reacted.
The vision vanished.
The gray fog returned.
Adrian remained motionless.
He slowly leaned forward.
"Books…"
His mind began working.
The divination hadn't shown him Selene.
It hadn't shown him Ogun.
It hadn't shown him the military compound.
It had shown him Ogun's magical collection.
That was significant.
Adrian closed his eyes.
So that's what I need.
But he immediately corrected himself.
No.
He couldn't be certain.
The vision hadn't identified a specific book.
It had only shown him Ogun's magical collection.
One of those books might contain what he needed.
Or perhaps all of them were important.
Either way, the message was clear.
The answer was inside Ogun's possession.
Adrian slowly smiled.
And then another thought occurred to him.
If the thing he needed was inside Ogun's home…
then eventually he would have to enter it.
Not the military compound.
Not the dojo.
Ogun's house.
The house of a master ninja.
A powerful sorcerer.
A man capable of rewriting another person's mind.
Adrian's smile became slightly bitter.
"Of course."
He stood from the throne.
The gray fog surrounded him.
For several seconds, he stared into the distance.
Then he whispered:
"Captain Ogun…"
His eyes became cold.
"I only need one thing from you."
He didn't know which book contained the answer.
He didn't know what traps were waiting inside the house.
And he certainly didn't know whether Ogun would discover him.
But one thing was certain.
Adrian hadn't crossed half the world to turn back now.
He had come to Kanazawa for a reason.
And somewhere inside Ogun's collection was the knowledge he needed to face Selene Gallio.
Adrian's smile returned.
This time, it wasn't nervous.
It was the smile of someone who had finally found a direction.
"Let's see what secrets you've hidden in your house."
The gray fog slowly swallowed his figure.
And far away, in Kanazawa—
the house of Captain Ogun waited.