The First Gate (5)
“It’s not definitive physical evidence, more like circumstantial evidence, but at this point it’s almost certain.”
Bernard shook the file in his hand as he spoke about the existence of a high-ranking Eyes of the Blue executive among the customers who had visited the Conjoining Sorcerer’s Operating Theater.
“The changes in the observation cycle of the Lighthouse illuminating the veil. The movements of the Watchers traveling across the frontlines......... all of it supports the fact that the Eyes of the Blue temporarily withdrew from the area near the gate.”
“With no issues concerning Lighthouse Keeper Lapis Falcia, there’s only one possibility left to consider.”
Bernard extended the file toward Lennok.
“Something the Eyes of the Blue needed to request from the Conjoining Sorcerer. Most likely surgery upon a high-level transcendent that only the Sorcerer himself could perform.”
“A request, huh......”
Bernard’s explanation omitted many details, but even so, Lennok could retrace the events at the gate through those words.
Because Lennok also remembered what the Conjoining Sorcerer had said when they met at the entrance to the gate city.
‘The moment he saw me, the Conjoining Sorcerer said discussions concerning the Lighthouse had already concluded.’
The Sorcerer had only manifested his consciousness at the gate because he sensed the Eye of Cheonhye in Lennok’s possession.
A message thrown toward Lennok under the assumption that he belonged to the Watchers’ side because he possessed the Eye of Cheonhye.
It was practically proof that the Conjoining Sorcerer and the Eyes of the Blue had struck a deal involving the Lighthouse.
If they had already agreed not to illuminate the area around the gate with the Lighthouse, and if the reason was because the Eyes of the Blue needed something from the Sorcerer—
Then, as Bernard said, that request was highly likely to be something only the Sorcerer himself could accomplish.
“Judging by your reaction, it seems you’ve already guessed some of it yourself. At present, the Brigade believes that the life of one of the Eyes of the Blue’s core Watchers is in critical danger.”
Looking at Lennok’s thoughtful expression, Bernard continued,
“Stopping the Lighthouse means that person is an extremely important asset to the Eyes of the Blue. And if they need the assistance of a famous physician like the Conjoining Sorcerer, then the injury must be severe.”
“But officially, the Eyes of the Blue only regards the Gido Cult and Pandemonium as enemies, doesn’t it?”
Angel asked while sipping whiskey beside them.
“It sounds like they must’ve had a major clash with either the cult or Pandemonium recently. The cartel hasn’t heard anything yet.”
“Who knows. The Eyes of the Blue tends to handle most matters quietly. Since their leader is the Lighthouse Keeper, they’re exceptionally skilled at blocking outside observation and surveillance.”
Bernard shrugged.
“Which means informants like me have to run around personally if we want information on the Eyes of the Blue. I discovered the changes in the Lighthouse observation cycle myself.”
“You definitely solved most of it with your innate psychic powers, so why are you acting like you worked so hard for it?”
“......Anyway, the ‘easy method’ I’m proposing is this.”
Clearing his throat, Bernard turned toward Lennok, who was reading through the documents.
“Make contact with the Eyes of the Blue executive who reserved surgery with the Conjoining Sorcerer, then enter the Operating Theater by acting as their caretaker.”
“......”
“We can provide items needed for disguise and concealment. The important part is simply obtaining the cooperation of that high-ranking executive.”
“A caretaker, huh......”
Lennok shook his head.
“I’ll admit it’s a clever idea. You gathered quite impressive information.”
The concept of infiltrating the Conjoining Sorcerer’s domain by piggybacking off a scheduled patient was not bad at all.
Lennok had to acknowledge Bernard’s abilities in gathering information regarding the nature of the Operating Theater, the timing of surgeries, and the schedules planned at the gate.
But despite Lennok’s praise, Bernard showed no particular reaction and immediately asked back,
“So? Can you do it?”
“There are two problems before we even discuss the plan.”
Tap.
Closing the file, Lennok answered.
“First, it’s been several months since I left the Eyes of the Blue. I never explained my reasons to the other Watchers.”
“......”
“I don’t know what the Watchers think about that fact. I don’t even know if they’d be willing to cooperate with me in the first place.”
Lennok glanced aside.
“At the very least, I need to know who the Watcher is that reserved surgery with the Sorcerer. Only then can I determine whether they’ll cooperate.”
“So it’s a problem involving the person themselves.”
Bernard nodded.
“Fine. We’ll secure the reservation list from our side. What’s the second problem?”
“The second problem is......”
Lennok placed the file on the table and rose from his seat.
“The Ability Awakening Brigade still hasn’t told me what exactly it wants from me.”
“......What?”
Bernard’s response came just a fraction too late.
But Lennok did not miss even that tiny sense of incongruity.
Thud!!
Lennok pressed down on Bernard’s shoulder with one hand just as he tried to stand, staring at him expressionlessly.
“The stream of information you just explained to me. This isn’t a briefing prepared over the course of a few days.”
“......”
“The Brigade has been searching for a method to enter the Conjoining Sorcerer’s Operating Theater for a long time. Isn’t that right?”
Lennok had only decided to head for the first gate in order to obtain the veil fragments four days ago.
But the information Bernard revealed was not something that could be collected within merely four days.
Continuous observation of the Conjoining Sorcerer, the Order Federation, and the Eyes of the Blue.
Speculation built upon long-term intelligence gathering.
Wouldn’t that only be possible if the Brigade had been preparing for the same objective Lennok conceived four days earlier for far longer?
“This discussion is only possible because you’ve already completed your plans and are selecting personnel to execute them. And now you’re sharing that plan with me to guide me into carrying it out.”
Fwoosh!!
The flames rising within Lennok’s hand stretched outward and instantly spread across Bernard’s back.
The fire split apart like wings and wrapped around Bernard’s body as it flickered.
Looking at Bernard’s face frozen stiff from the heat brushing against his cheek, Lennok asked,
“Speak, psychic. What does the Brigade want from the Conjoining Sorcerer’s Operating Theater?”
There was no way they would share such information and plans for free without ulterior motives.
At the very least, the Brigade had to be pursuing either the same objective as Lennok or something even greater.
Most importantly, despite sharing all this information, Bernard had never once explained what the Brigade itself wanted.
Lennok understood that discussing the success rate of the plan itself was meaningless unless he first identified their true motive.
“......Sir Evan.”
Angel tried to say something with a stiff expression, but Bernard raised a hand to stop him.
The explorer quietly looked up at Lennok before slowly nodding.
“You’re right. We’re not sharing this information without expecting compensation.”
“......”
“But that only matters if you decide to accept this operation. Isn’t that true?”
Despite Lennok’s flames surging around his neck, Bernard merely hardened his expression without panicking.
As Angel had explained, that composure likely came from Bernard being a veteran who had survived countless battlefields.
“You can think of it as an advance payment. If we hadn’t shared this information first, you never would’ve trusted us at all.”
Bernard spoke slowly.
“You only listened this far because the Conjoining Sorcerer you encountered and the information I gave about the Operating Theater matched up. That’s also why you didn’t immediately doubt my story regarding the Eyes of the Blue.”
“You keep steering the conversation in strange directions.”
Bernard’s words had accurately guessed much of Lennok’s reasoning, but Lennok remained unmoved.
Because it was obvious Bernard was still avoiding the core issue by dancing around questions of motivation.
“Just answer the question. What does the Brigade want?”
“Haaah. This is why I didn’t want to handle this assignment.”
Bernard sighed quietly in complaint.
“High-ranking sorcerers are too good at spotting weaknesses and loopholes. Every moment, you try to read the hidden meaning behind conversations. Even when we deliberately put ourselves at a disadvantage, you won’t just let it slide.”
“Is that all you have to say?”
As Lennok raised his mana further, Bernard finally opened his mouth.
“The corpse of Brigade Seat Three, Mikal Zellich, is being preserved inside the Conjoining Sorcerer’s Operating Theater.”
“Seat Three of the Brigade?”
“It’s the title given to the ten strongest innate psychics in the Ability Awakening Brigade, ranked in order.”
Bernard’s explanation was far more cooperative now than before.
Stretching his neck carefully and loosening his shoulders, Bernard continued.
“Seat Three Zellich possessed one of the rarest trait-type innate abilities within the Brigade.”
Trait-type innate ability.
Lennok frowned, feeling a powerful sense of déjà vu from those words.
Retracting the flaming wings and pressing them beneath Bernard’s chin, Lennok asked,
“The third strongest psychic in the Brigade died inside the Conjoining Sorcerer’s Operating Theater and remains there as a corpse?”
“It was an unfortunate accident. Zellich Seat Three made an error in judgment.”
Bernard’s expression darkened momentarily as he answered.
“He possessed an ability more distant from death than anyone among the Ten Seats. He never imagined Conjoining Sorcery could affect innate psychic abilities to that degree. The problem is that after Zellich Seat Three died, his corpse fell into the Conjoining Sorcerer’s hands. Since the Sorcerer is an extraordinary physician, it wouldn’t be strange if he attempted to dissect and study Zellich’s body after seeing his ability.”
Bernard met Lennok’s eyes with a grim expression.
“At present, the Ability Awakening Brigade’s highest priority at the first gate is recovering the remains of Seat Three Zellich preserved within the Operating Theater.”
“......”
A high-ranking executive of the Ability Awakening Brigade who had died at the hands of the Conjoining Sorcerer.
And now, at this moment, they were sharing with Lennok the plans they had been preparing in order to infiltrate the Operating Theater and retrieve that corpse.
There was only one thing the Brigade wanted from him.
That Lennok, once inside the Operating Theater, would recover Zellich’s remains on their behalf.
“I understand that the Brigade wishes to recover Zellich’s corpse.”
Lennok tilted his head.
“But carrying a corpse out would inevitably attract the Sorcerer’s attention. That objective contradicts your earlier infiltration plan centered around stealth. The risks seem considerably higher.”
“We’re not asking you to recover the entire body. Given the Conjoining Sorcerer’s personality, it’s unlikely Zellich’s corpse even remains intact at this point.”
Bernard answered calmly.
“Headquarters believes Seat Three’s body has already been dismantled into individual organs and internal structures.”
“......”
Bernard’s tone made it clear he held absolutely no expectations regarding the Sorcerer’s treatment of the corpse.
Those words alone revealed just how vile and sinister the Sorcerer’s reputation truly was.
“There’s only one body part of Zellich Seat Three we wish to recover from the Operating Theater. The brain—the decisive organ in the operation of innate psychic abilities.”
Bernard tapped his own temple with one finger.
“Specifically, the cerebral cortex, where the flow of thought is most clearly observed.”
“You’re asking me to recover the cerebral cortex from among the fragmented pieces of brain the Sorcerer dissected?”
“It shouldn’t be difficult to distinguish. The Conjoining Sorcerer would naturally know which body part is most important to a psychic.”
Crossing his arms, Bernard nodded.
“He’s surely preserving Zellich Seat Three’s head separately. He may already be conducting research on it. By now, I assume you understand what we’re proposing.”
Looking at the silent Lennok, Bernard spoke calmly.
“Infiltrate the Operating Theater and retrieve both the veil fragments you desire and the remains of Seat Three Zellich. That’s the entirety of the deal we wish to offer.”
“......”
“We revealed this information first partly to gain your trust, but also because recovering Zellich’s remains may make achieving your own objective significantly easier.”
“Achieving my objective would become easier?”
Lennok’s eyes sharpened as he looked at Bernard.
“Are you saying the innate psychic ability preserved within Zellich Seat Three’s remains is that powerful?”
“Among all innate psychics, Zellich Seat Three possessed the ability furthest removed from death itself.”
Click.
Bernard pulled out a pale white case glowing faintly and smiled bitterly.
“He was an immortal based upon semi-permanent super-regeneration, and at the same time—”
Lennok fell silent the moment he saw the symbol engraved clearly upon the case.
A bizarre emblem resembling a single path converging toward restoration.
The symbol of the Gido Cult.
“He was one of the original subjects of the cult’s immortal-body experiments.”
***
Jjeolleong, jjeolleong!
Purple chains tangled throughout a dark room.
Dozens of corpses hung suspended from them by the neck, swaying slowly.
Using the swaying corpses like curtains, a middle-aged man sat alone in the darkness with his back turned.
“Lord Oedon.”
One of the Brigade psychics standing behind him quietly called his name.
“Evan Martinez has arrived at the gate city.”
“At present, Bernard is explaining the Brigade’s plan to Treadburn and attempting to persuade him. If things proceed according to plan, there should be no issue, but......”
After hesitating, the psychic asked,
“Considering Treadburn’s personality, if conflict with the Sorcerer becomes unavoidable...... Given the loyalty that flame-like mage devoted to the Eyes of the Blue, it’s hardly surprising.”
Merely speaking in a low voice caused the chains to shake violently as the sound thundered throughout the room.
Each time that happened, the dozens of corpses hanging from the chains swayed wildly.
“That man seeks places to burn his own life away no matter where he goes. He hasn’t changed at all since the labyrinth.”
The middle-aged man who had been sitting with his back turned slowly rose while bracing one hand against his knee.
Several psychics standing beside him hurriedly approached.
“Lord Oedon. Your power adjustments still aren’t complete. If you move now—”
“I’m not foolish enough to ruin adjustments that have taken over a week to stabilize.”
The man replied with faint amusement in his voice.
“But allowing complications in the recovery of an immortal body we’ve pursued for over half a year would be an even greater problem.”
“Then......”
Beyond the man’s face as he turned within the darkness, violet eyes gleamed sharply.
“I’ll go meet Treadburn personally.”