In one of the estate buildings overlooking the burning villa, a set of eyes quietly observed the unfolding events, calmly watching as a trio of vermilion-robed men disappeared from the rooftop of the scene.
The owner of the pair of eyes nodded slightly, before covering the blinds and retreating into the darkness-filled room.
The person immediately got down on one knee, his tone one of reverence and respect.
"It all seems to have ended well, sir."
A voice echoed out from somewhere within the dark room, while also being accompanied by the sound of swirling liquid within a glass cup.
"That's good then. We should be heading out as well. The DSS are quite thorough, I'm sure they will investigate the surrounding villas once all of this is over."
The still kneeling man kept his head down, showing no sign of attempting to rise from his position.
"As you wish, sir." He then faltered slightly, wanting to raise a question. "I'm sure this may be seen as impetuous sir, but do you mind if I ask a question."
"Sure, why not?"
The shrouded figure replied with an air of leisure, all the while still savoring the drink within his glass.
"I fail to understand why we need an officer of your caliber in attendance today, sir. This doesn't seem to be the type of mission that requires our direct intervention and supervision, more so for an officer of as high a standing as you, who is the Fourth Authority of our organization.
"I could easily have handled everything properly if I brought along just a few members with me, there was no need for you to personally oversee the attack."
The individual referred to as the 'Fourth Authority' sighed slightly, his tone sounding quite helpless.
"What can I say? It was a direct order from the Second Authority, so I had to come here myself. Those lunatics from Bloody Independence aren't too reliable you know? If I had my way I would be enjoying myself in a tavern while being surrounded by beautiful Lorrainian and elvish women right now but orders are orders.
"I don't need to remind you of how important the upcoming operation is, do I?"
The crouching figure hummed affirmatively, signifying that he was aware.
The Fourth Authority took a moment to savor the last big gulp of his drink, before gesturing to his subordinate with a wave while rising from his seat.
"Good, good. Immediately round up all the members scattered throughout the neighborhood, we are leaving."
The man responded solemnly, before immediately dispersing to carry out the order.
The person known as The Fourth Authority calmly walked to the window while swirling around his empty cup, his drowsy eyes casting one final glance at the burning estate villa.
"Heh... I can't believe he was able to kill a Third Layer Blood Demon while having just opened his first seal just a couple of weeks ago. As expected of someone the leader has his eyes on.
"He sure is in for a multitude of surprises in the future. I just hope that tonight's events won't be enough to kill his spirits, as it is much too early for that, don't you think?"
The man chuckled while turning away from the window, leaving the blinds to slowly drape over, blocking out the previously faint source of light as the room was once again enveloped by the pitch-black presence of darkness.
...
An elegant carriage steadily moved down the streets of Estica, passing by numerous shops and buildings that were still alight even in the wee hours of the night.
Night markets and stalls were now in full swing, making the well-renowned island city seem as busy in the night as it was during the day.
Music and lights littered every corner, creating an awfully captivating scenery with no room for inactivity or laziness.
However, within the moving carriage, the atmosphere couldn't be any more different. The carriage was bleak and quiet, bringing with it a mood that made its inhabitants seem quite tense and on edge.
There were two people on each side of the carriage who were seemingly quiet and engaged in their own inner musings. It was apparent that almost nobody was in the mood for a conversation, as they all kept to themselves while tacitly maintaining the current atmosphere.
Professor Windsor looked at his students with pitiful eyes, as he felt like the evening's events had been quite a hard blow on them.
He was relieved that they all got out of the ordeal safe, but was still a bit worried about whether they could mentally accept and adapt to all of the unplanned events that had taken place during the banquet that evening.
He was especially worried about Elias, as the young man hadn't said a word after recounting his side of events to the DSS officers who were in charge of taking witness testimonies of the attack.
The young man seemed like a shadow of his former self and hadn't even said a single word to the professor or his friends after initially making sure they all made it out safely.
'Taking a life is no small matter. It is capable of breaking the minds of even the strongest of men, talk less of a child as young as he is.
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'I need to make sure he doesn't sink into a pit of negativity, lest he makes a choice he will later come to regret. I'd hate to lose a student as talented as him.'
Professor Windsor felt like it was his responsibility as a teacher to confirm and ensure his students well being so he decided to make small talk with Elias, irrespective of the tense atmosphere within the coach.
"Elias, is there anything on your mind?"
Elias was currently staring out of the carriage, his eyes listlessly taking in the passing scenery as if lost in thought. Professor Windsor's voice prompted him back to reality, and he then offered his professor a reply with a steady voice.
"Yes, sir. Quite a lot actually."
Ne'em and Damien—who were both seated beside Professor Windsor and Elias respectively, both offered Elias varying looks of pity and concern, as if immediately having an understanding as to what he was thinking about.
Professor Windsor released a heavy sigh. He also seemed to have an idea of what could be plaguing Elias's mind.
'As I suspected, the murder must be weighing heavily on his mind. I should try to give him a pep talk, maybe that will help relieve some of his mental burdens.'
Professor Windsor regarded Elias with a soft gaze, one that was uncharacteristic and rare for him to show.
"Well, you can talk to me. What is it?"
Ne'em and Damien also looked towards Elias, waiting for him to speak.
The young man placed his hand on his chin in thought, oblivious to the meaning behind the gazes being cast at him.
"I'm a bit curious about the identity of tonight's attackers. They seem to be an organization I know nothing about and their supernatural abilities seem to not conform with any of the five standard Apostolic Paths of Orthodoxy. This aroused my curiosity, most especially when the lady I fought with said her power was related to something known as the Blasphemy Crests.
"This got me thinking; is there a way what she said is true? Is there a way to achieve supernatural power without following the paths laid out by the five divine gods?"
Elias's flurry of questions caused the air within the carriage to stagnate, as even the sound of breaths could now be heard quite clearly.
Damien regarded him with an expression that seemed to say; 'Huh, is that what you are worried about right now?' while Ne'em appeared quite a bit shocked which was a rare look for him.
Professor Windsor simply looked at him with interest, before letting out a soft laugh.
'Interesting. This young man just keeps surprising me.'
He was quite shocked that Elias wasn't hung over the gruesome events surrounding his attack and survival but was instead ruminating over the simple details that had sparked his curiosity.
This was a sign of strong mental fortitude, as not everyone could carry out a high-stakes battle of endurance, survive while taking a life for the first time, and then play the whole thing off while not allowing it to affect them mentally whatsoever.
He couldn't tell if Elias was faking or if he was genuinely unbothered, but he felt like it would be best to allow the young man to cope in whatever way he saw fit.
Professor Windsor nodded to Elias, his voice gentle.
"I see... It makes sense for you to have these questions. These are topics we aren't trying to hide from you, as they were normally supposed to be taught during your second year. However, due to the peculiar nature of the situation, I think I can give an answer to these questions, as you three have earned the right to know."
Ne'em and Damien straightened up in their seats while Elias listened attentively.
"Such as there will always be an opposing force aimed to destabilize the balance of good in the world, likewise there will always be unorthodoxy where there is orthodoxy. Where there is a right way to do things there will always be a wrong way, as right and wrong can only exist while being in parallel to one another.
"Now to answer both of your questions, yes everything she said is true and there is actually a way to achieve supernatural power while not following the path of the Echelon of Faith. In all honesty, there are two different ways, but I will only talk about the Blasphemy Crests and leave the other case for when you are officially taught in class."
Elias narrowed his eyes at this point. He couldn't have imagined that there was more than one to gain supernatural power aside from the Echelon of Faith path, as only the existence of one singular alternate method had come as quite a shock to him.
Damien and Ne'em reacted in tandem, signifying that they had similar thoughts.
Professor Windsor noted the surprise in their eyes, remembering how he was also quite shocked when he first found out as well. He continued his explanation, all the while trying to ignore the burning feeling emanating from his chest.
"The Blasphemy Crests are heretical symbols of unknown origin that came to the notice of the five churches at the start of the New Testament Calendar and the current epoch. They seem to share certain similarities with the Wisp of Blessings and Totemic Tattoo—almost appearing as a crude imitation of both, as it works as a power holder while also acting as a symbolic representation.
"So far we know that the Blasphemy Crests are separated into three layers, with another possible level above the First Layer. We suspect that the crests were made by an unknown demonic god to represent the seven deadly spiritual sins, as the crests we have knowledge of so far have been made to represent the sins of Wrath, Pleasure, and Envy." His gaze landed on Elias, "The lady you fought was a Third Layer user of the Crest of Wrath, a level which we later came to know was referred to as Blood Demon by these cursed heretics."
'Blood Demon...' Elias felt like it fit the characteristics displayed by his robed aggressor, as her entire fighting style emanated intense bloodlust and insanity. She seemed to be starved for blood as if her resentment would only be appeased once her blade had drawn blood of equal weight to her anger.
A part of the Professor's explanation didn't make sense to Elias though, prompting him to ask a question.
"But professor if the Blasphemy Crest is triple-layered, then how does it compare to the Apostolic Path levels?"
Professor Windsor smiled.
"Well, that's a bit tricky to explain. The Third Layer of the Blasphemy Crest is stronger than the Apostolic Deacon level of the Echelon of Faith, yet slightly weaker than Apostolic Priests. That also corresponds with the higher levels as well."
"So doesn't that mean that every layer of the crest basically corresponds to two Apostolic Seats?"
Ne'em voiced out his thoughts, with both Elias and Damien having similar thoughts.
"Well, I guess you could see it that way, though it is a lot more complex than that. Wait until you become second years, then you will get an advanced class on how it actually works."
The trio nodded, noting their teacher's intention to not speak further on the topic.
Elias slowly thought over his battle, realizing how lucky he was that his opponent was more interested in playing around with him rather than finishing him off. It was very clear and obvious to him now that if she wanted to, he and Damien could have died during their first encounter, talkless of their long drawn-out fight.
She let her emotions take over and was overcome by the insanity and bloodlust born from her dreadful powers, which then allowed Elias to take advantage of the situation with his wits and brains.
It was quite obvious to Elias that such unnatural luck isn't repeated twice, so now his main concern was to get stronger while gaining a proper understanding of his irregular abilities. He never wanted to experience such a situation again.
He now understood the meaning of a famous saying from the slums of Lowe, one which the commoners often used to sarcastically berate the state of their pitiable lives.
'Being powerless is truly the worst type of disease, and only the strong may have a chance of seeing the dawn of tomorrow.'
The coach continued towards its destination as the evening breeze drifted through the air, bringing with it a sense of relief and calm to the otherwise dark night sky.