This chapter follows Gregory’s PoV.

  Gregory moved through the village.

  On the surface, everything looked unchanged. Women still laughed together as they exchanged gossip and goods. Men leaned against tables or fences, mugs in hand, drinking and working with familiar ease.

  Children darted between adults, their laughter ringing as they played games that kicked up dust and mud. Smoke drifted lazily from chimneys, and the scent of bread and ale hung in the air.

  Yet beneath that ordinary rhythm, the oppressive pressure did not fade.

  '[Evil Detection]'

  Gregory could still feel it unmistakably.

  All eyes were on him.

  They did not blatantly stare at him, but only sneaked a glance.

  The attention pressed in from every direction as though the village itself were aware of his presence and deeply displeased by it.

  ‘The anomaly hasn’t vanished,’ he concluded grimly. ‘As expected… someone triggered it earlier.’

  That was precisely why he had warned his group not to question the village itself. Their intelligence on this place was incomplete. He did not know the exact nature of this village, so he had been cautious about poking the beast.

  A village marked with an unknown anomaly classification was never to be treated lightly, especially one that behaved this subtly.

  And yet, who would have known that an unknown boy would rope them into this so casually?

  “Captain…”

  Naomi followed closely behind him, lowering her voice so only he could hear.

  “What should we do?”

  “…”

  Gregory did not answer. He continued moving, ignoring the unseen stares, until they moved toward a secluded corner of the village, a small alleyway between two abandoned sheds.

  Only when they were shielded from the main square did he glance sideways at Naomi.

  Understanding his intention, Naomi raised her cane, the golden cross glinting.

  “Let there be light.”

  A small orb of light burst upward, streaking into the sky. Its glow briefly illuminated rooftops and tree branches before fading.

  Almost instantly, two more figures landed on the ground beside them, dropping from the rooftops.

  “…”

  A short woman in white attire, with long strawberry-blonde hair and a piercing gaze. Together with a man in the same white uniform, curly brown hair framed a friendly face. They both dropped down at the same time, creating a wave of dust.

  Hazel straightened from her landing, brushing dust from her long coat.

  Her eyes swept the surroundings, her brow furrowed.

  "tch."

  She waved her hand. Her eyes flashed golden.

  “[Barrier]”

  “What’s wrong, Captain?” Troy rose more casually. His familiar smile never left his face, as though this were nothing more than a mild inconvenience.

  Gregory nodded.

  “Mission abolished. We will rest for today,” he said evenly.

  “Understood.” Hazel accepted the decision without protest.

  “Ah, my dear Naomi!” Hearing the order to stand down, Troy’s face lit up immediately, his grin widening as he strode toward Naomi. He took her hand with theatrical enthusiasm.

  “Let’s go on a date!”

  “!Y–yes!” Naomi sheepishly answered, her face flushing a vivid red as she cast down her eyes.

  “Tch.”

  Hazel shot him a glance and clicked her tongue like she had seen the most disgusting creature in the world.

  She turned away from them and refocused on Gregory.

  “Captain, the anomaly…”

  Gregory cut her off mid-sentence.

  “Boy,” he said calmly, his gaze fixed on a shadowed corner nearby, “you may accompany our conversation. There is no need to eavesdrop.”

  His eyes flashed gold as he spoke.

  The other three froze. Following the direction of his gaze, they watched as a figure stepped out from behind the abandoned shed.

  A boy with a bandaged head emerged into view, his steps unhurried, completely unfazed by being discovered.

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  [Scan]

  ‘Normal pulse. Steady breathing. No visible sweat. Eyes calm,’ Gregory assessed this boy instantly.

  Of course, Gregory noticed him. This boy had followed them, hiding in their blind spots until Gregory chose to reveal him.

  The boy opened his mouth.

  “I believe—”

  [Evil Detection]

  “[STOP].”

  Before the word could fully leave his lips, Gregory inhaled his pipe and issued a command.

  Anon’s mouth snapped shut.

  The boy’s eyes widened as he looked down at his own lips, as if momentarily startled by his own compliance.

  Gregory shook his head.

  “My apologies. But I cannot answer your question.” he said coldly.

  The boy tilted his head. He tried again, and this time his mouth opened and closed. A flash of revelation and fascination appeared in his eyes.

  “So it’s a one-time thing,” Anon murmured. The voice was low, very low, but it did not escape Gregory’s extraordinary ears and eyes.

  ‘Smart.’ Gregory assessed the boy before him again.

  Was that why this boy always had mild malicious intent whenever he asked? It was an evil intention for sure, but it was only at the level of a prank.

  What was the reason? To probe their abilities, testing their limits?

  Gregory had encountered many prodigies in his time. The Chief Adjutor was an example, a child genius who moved up the ladder at the age of fourteen, and Hazel, reaching the Foundation stage at the age of sixteen.

  So this was either another one, a genuine prodigy, or an anomaly in human form…

  Gregory’s vigilance rose to its peak. He shot Troy a brief glance.

  Standing beside Naomi, the man with curly brown hair gave a subtle shake of his head.

  ‘I haven’t seen him around,’ Troy implied with his eye contact alone.

  "..."

  Hazel slipped her hand under her coat. She took a glance at Gregory and awaited his command.

  ‘Where does this one come from?’ The question hung unspoken between them.

  “Why?” The boy asked in a cautious tone, probing the refusal.

  "Our business is yet unfinished. Rescue only comes when the investigation is concluded; another group shall be tasked for civilian extraction.”

  His words meant two things:

  ‘I don’t trust you enough to take you out of here.’ And ‘We are not responsible for your safety.’

  Gregory did not bother to soften it. Who knew what kind of abomination might emerge if they brought this boy along?

  Outsider or not, he had to be investigated and verified before any decision could be made. After all, the most dangerous Curse was the one that looked innocent.

  Anon nodded his head, accepting the logic without complaint.

  “That’s fair.”

  ‘As expected,’ Gregory thought. ‘He understands.’

  The boy smiled, a knowing expression on his face.

  “What is your mission? May I ask? Let us cooperate.”

  Gregory knitted his brow. He detected no immediate malice in the request. He fell deep into his thoughts

  “In exchange,” Anon continued, “lead me.”

  ‘Out of this place.’

  Although he did not say it out loud, avoiding the trigger phrase, Gregory understood his intention.

  ‘I see. Equivalent exchange,’ Gregory concluded. Since Anon could not leave the village on his own, he offered assistance to accelerate the mission, in exchange for their protection on the way out.

  Gregory glanced at his comrades. All three looked back at him, waiting for his judgment.

  Hazel raised her voice, breaking the silence.

  “Are you aware of the kidnapping case?”

  Anon paused, studying her face for a brief moment.

  “I’m aware.”

  “!” “!” “!” “!”

  The four immediately went on high alert!

  ‘[Lie Detection]’

  Gregory looked at Hazel and gave a slight nod.

  ‘It’s the truth.’

  Before any of them could press further, Anon spoke again.

  “I’m also a victim.”

  ‘!!’

  ‘!!’ Gregory widened his eyes, his pipe almost slipping from his teeth! ‘The truth?!’

  “Then!” he blurted out, urgency breaking through his composure. If Anon were a victim, he might know where Lady Amelia was, or even the identity of the kidnapper!

  “Unfortunately, the assaulter… has already departed.” Just as Gregory had his hopes up, Anon dropped a bucket of cold water on him.

  “…”

  “But I know a little. That’s why I maybe could be of some help,” the boy spoke calmly, as if the situation did not relate to him at all.

  Gregory studied him for a long moment.

  'He barely reveals anything, doesn't he?'

  Strictly speaking, they could detain Anon right now and force the answer out of him.

  But it risked enraging the anomaly here, when they still had no information about the village.

  Gregory raised his tone, asking Anon more seriously.

  "Where do you hail from?"

  “...”

  Anon did not answer.

  He only smiled and lifted his gaze, meeting Gregory’s eyes directly, the unspoken response clear.

  ‘Why should I tell you?’

  ‘I see,’ Gregory acknowledged inwardly. ‘He is wary of us as well.’

  That was only natural. Cooperation did not mean trust. That was the very basis of equivalent exchange.

  “One last thing,” Gregory inhaled from his pipe again, smoke curling around his face as his eyes flashed gold.

  “Are you human?”

  “...”

  The temperature dropped. Everyone from the Proctor Cross fixed their eyes on the boy.

  Hazel’s hand slipped deeper into her coat pocket. Troy’s grip tightened, his usual smile fading inch by inch. Naomi lowered her stance slightly, both hands firm on her cane, eyes locked on Anon with intensity.

  They were preparing themselves.

  For a heartbeat, Anon frowned and glanced around, a flicker of something unreadable passing through his eyes.

  But he soon regained his composure and relaxed his posture.

  Anon smiled and opened his mouth.

  “A living human, what else can I be?”

  —

  (Moonday, four days left before the full moon Rite starts.)