66 – S2. Resentment Brushing Against the Stars -1
The shadows of three individuals passed through the lamplit night street. In the silence, only the distinctly audible footsteps echoed. Thud. Thud.
Leading the way was Bennett, his steps careful. It was a direction focused on avoiding fanatics, if possible, steering clear of confrontations as much as possible.
Checking around corners and confirming the absence of people, he walked as if glued to the wall. Bennett led, followed closely by Niole and Tara.
Bennett’s heightened caution stemmed from the judgment that engaging in combat in their current state was not advisable. Especially considering Niole and Tara were still locked in shock.
Tara scanned her surroundings with eyes flickering like a predator hunting its prey. Niole, head bowed deeply, moved while keeping an eye on Tara and Bennett.
While both had recovered enough to move beyond their mental shock, their methods of coping differed, and both seemed somewhat twisted.
The flames of the mansion lingered in Tara’s eyes—anger, pain, resentment. She wanted to kill the fanatics immediately.
The mansion’s shadows weighed on Niole’s gaze—guilt, regret, compulsion. Still regretting his judgment, he wanted to make amends.
In dangerous situations, emotions must be suppressed. Bennett firmly believed that. Yielding to emotions could lead to perilous outcomes, as with his determination to reclaim his sister’s body.
As they approached Carter Street, sporadic individuals began to appear. Despite the late night, some were wandering the streets under the influence of alcohol. Others had been awakened by the fire and commotion at Abraham’s mansion.
“As much as possible… we’ll pass unnoticed. Avoid the lights, stick to the shadows. We can’t leave any witnesses.”
“…Abraham is already dead. Why would those guys chase us?”
“If it were me, I’d chase us.”
Why the Twilight Sect killed Abraham. They kindly explained it in letters, urging him to cease his research. A letter requesting the termination of his studies. They wished for Abraham’s research to be halted.
His data vanished, consumed by something the fanatics summoned in the end. However, suspicion naturally arose. What if… the three who escaped the mansion possessed Abraham’s research?
Therefore, if there was even a hint of suspicion, they would undoubtedly attempt to kill them to tie up loose ends.
In response, Tara uttered a faint sigh, saying, “Ah,” expressing a feeble exclamation.
“…We, as a matter of fact, know. The location of the remaining research data.”
Following Abraham’s guidance, we had investigated the rare book repository at Miskatonic University, and inside its vault were copies of research data. The twilight teachings of the Silver Dawn, the final legacy of an old man that they were so desperate to erase.
“Still, we can’t fathom why they’re obstructing the research, but… what matters now is that the zealots have ample reason to chase us. Let’s move.”
“…Indeed.”
The shadows cut through the darkness. The number of people gradually increased, and the streetlights shone brightly. Additionally, white hoods sporadically mingled among the crowd.
Bennett halted at a brick wall, raising his hand.
On the path ahead, there was a white hood, leaning against a utility pole, surveilling the surroundings as if on guard. The zealot paid no heed to the onlookers, glaring through people passing by.
Niole gestured anxiously. “I’ll handle this. Give me a chance. But Bennett, with determination, shook his head. The tarot card, poised to rush forward at any moment, was held back.
“Wait here for a moment. [Icicle].”
Reciting the spell lightly, a sharp icicle sprouted from Bennett’s sleeve. Concealing the icicle firmly, he moved.
Bennett hid behind passing revelers’ shadows and quietly approached. And when he got close enough to the zealot… Neither too fast nor too slow, at a natural pace.
Thud.
“Agh…!”
The icicle pierced through the zealot’s ribcage. Simultaneously, with his left hand, Bennett twisted the zealot’s neck and infused magic momentarily. With a discordant sound, the zealot’s eyes quickly lost their vitality.
Bennett held the zealot’s body and maneuvered, creating a posture where he leaned against the wall. After concealing the wounds ensnared by the icicle and ensuring the corpse didn’t show any injuries…
Bennett gestured. Tara and Niole stepped away from the wall and followed him. Niole breathed a sigh of relief, as if saying it’s fortunate that everything is fine, while Bennett carefully examined his surroundings.
On the other hand, Tara was staring at the zealot’s corpse. As if she needed to see the expression stained with pain, she lowered her head, inspecting the corpse’s countenance.
“Why did you use [Icicle]? To make it more painful?”
Breaking the neck would have sufficed. Asking with that implication, Bennett succinctly answered.
“I intended to freeze him from the inside. Sometimes, even if interfered with midway, the magic activates. So, I paid more attention. What they use is… a bizarre magic different from our common knowledge.”
“…I see.”
Leaving behind a cold corpse, the group entered Carter Street.
—–
Carter Street was filled with shops. Restaurants, clothing stores, hardware stores, and more. As it was a bustling street with money flowing, there were quite a few buildings with lights on even late at night. And there were also the silhouettes of people, peering down from the windows with the lights on.
They could also occasionally spot a fanatic wearing a white hood. To avoid being noticed, they had to be even more cautious in their movements.
Niora looked at the signs attached to the street and pointed in the direction of 201. Then, as if entrusting the task to someone, she walked ahead.
Using her keen eye, she moved in unpredictable paths. Riding drainage pipes, climbing up the walls of buildings, jumping between rooftops, and sometimes hiding in bushes or narrow alleyways.
When they were about three blocks away from their destination.
“…!”
Niora pointed her finger at a police car parked on the side of the road. A police officer with a holstered gun was looking around outside the vehicle. Having spent time with Abraham and learned basic common sense, she knew they were security guards maintaining the city’s public safety.
The fanatics had brutally killed Abraham and set fire to the mansion. It was undoubtedly a terrible crime. So, if they sought help from them, perhaps things could go more smoothly.
They might be able to receive protection. With their cooperation, they might be able to completely destroy the Elysian Twilight sect. In this situation where their base was burning, Abraham was dead, and they were being pursued… there might be a chance to make amends, even if only a little.
If they could pick up the pieces of their own mistakes.
“Wait, Niora…!”
And so, despite Bennett’s objections, Niora ran towards the police. She borrowed a notebook and pen, intending to provide evidence of the fanatics’ crimes.
As the girl with short hair ran towards them, the police officer opened his eyes wide and asked, in a very businesslike tone, “What’s going on this late at night? You don’t look… very good, miss.”
“……”
“You can’t speak, huh? And with brown short hair…”
A line that seemed to confirm his impression. They should have felt something strange here.
The police cocked their guns, pulling them out of their holsters, and fired.
Niole’s face turned pale. The aimed barrel, the pulling trigger. Upon reflection, Abraham’s mansion was very close to the police station.
Despite the commotion, the police didn’t show up until the mansion was ablaze. And before that, there were the cat’s corpse and ominous threatening letters. Suspicious people casually monitoring the mansion…
If Abraham wasn’t a fool, he would have reported to the police long ago. But not once did he witness the police taking any action. The law enforcement was in cahoots with the secretive Twilight Order.
Bang!
Niole tightly closed his eyes. However, even after waiting, the shock and pain didn’t come. Wondering why, he opened his eyes gently.
“…Hold on, I said.”
In front of him, Benedict was suddenly there.
Swish!
Benedict drew a knife and swiftly sliced the police officer’s throat. The police, pouring blood with a bewildered expression as if not understanding what had happened, stiffened and died.
Niole, about to express gratitude, saw the blood flowing from Benedict’s left shoulder. It streamed down his arm from a gaping hole. Instead of protecting himself, Benedict had protected Niole.
“Ugh, ah.”
“Don’t go off alone next time.”
Benedict said nonchalantly. However, his furrowed brow and sweat trickling down his cheek told a different story. His trembling left arm clearly conveyed the magnitude of the pain he was experiencing. It was evident to Niole.
While Niole was trembling with guilt, Tara healed Benedict’s wound and peered inside the police car.
“Healing… Oh. Is there one more person in this armored carriage? Benedict, let’s kill him.”
Inside the car, a young man, trembling in fear, held up a radio.
“Response, requesting response! Captain Paul is here, and his throat is cut…”
Tara gathered magic into her fist. If she extended her fist now, she could smash the young man’s head along with the glass. At that moment, Benedict intervened.
“Why?”
Not all the police had defected to the Eun’s Twilight Sect. Even if the deceased ones were unknown, those inside were hanging crosses around their necks. That’s a symbol of a different religion.
“But still, you were with someone assisting the Eun’s Twilight Sect, right? So, you share some responsibility. You should face consequences.”
Bennett locked eyes with Tara. Blind rage was raging within her. The casual talk of killing people. Neore, who should have restrained Tara as usual, was now just wandering around burdened by guilt.
No witnesses should be left behind. So, killing the young man might be a slightly safer option.
However, Bennett felt like that shouldn’t be the case. He had killed numerous people already, and pretending to be righteous now wasn’t his style. Just…
The moment Tara killed the young man, her heart might be greatly disturbed.
“…The police shot after checking Neore’s identification. It means our presence has been exposed. Even if we kill him here, the body will soon be discovered. No need to spill more blood.”
“Why are you so unlike yourself?”
“Unlike myself… I’m not sure which ‘self’ you’re referring to. Let’s move. Since there’s already a commotion, we should finish the supply in the secret hideout quickly. No time to waste.”
“Sigh…”
“…………”
Leaving the terrified young man behind, the group headed towards the secret hideout. Since they killed the police on Carter Street, the net was closing in rapidly. So, after grabbing supplies in the secret hideout, they planned to leave quickly.
“This is…”
“Literally a ‘secret’ hideout.”
The secret hideout on the second floor of the Eastern Market, arranged by the investigator, was surprisingly sturdy. Double and triple-layered magic concealed it perfectly. If it weren’t confirmed in the report, one wouldn’t notice the existence of a hideout here.
The investigator seemed to have already completed the exception processing for the three members of the group. The secret hideout revealed itself, and the group entered.
The two murder cases on Carter Street. The police were investigating them with unusual zeal. However, despite searching every nook and cranny, they couldn’t find the trio of murderers anywhere.