Chapter 16:
Master
"Come in."
The moment Sylvia's voice fell, the door was pushed open, and a silver-armored knight stepped inside.
"Reporting, Your Grace!"
With a dull thud of his right fist striking his left chest, a loud voice followed:
"We’ve discovered traces of the Full Moon Sect in the Monne District, and the clues point toward the Brick District."
Already found something? That was fast.
But… the Brick District?
Upon hearing the name, Sylvia's brows furrowed slightly.
Among the five districts of the City of Alova, the Eplington District in the north, the Ruls District in the northeast, and the Monne District in the west fell under the jurisdiction of the Church of Radiance.
Meanwhile, the Stadcon District in the east and the Brick District in the south belonged to the Church of Industry and Machinery.
The Stadcon District housed nearly all of the factories in the City of Alova, and its adjacent Brick District was the gathering place for workers and the impoverished.
"Upper or lower district?"
Loruze’s calm voice rang out.
"Lower district."
The silver-armored knight answered succinctly.
That made it even more troublesome.
The upper part of the Brick District was mostly home to factory workers, a group that still maintained a degree of decency. The lower part, however, was Alova’s slum.
Chaos and disorder reigned there.
Sylvia pondered for a moment before giving instructions:
"Coordinate with the Church of Machinery and report the presence of the Full Moon Sect."
"Huh?"
At that moment, both Loruze and the silver-armored knight were stunned.
"What is it?"
"They are an illegal faith, a secretive organization."
"And what are we? We are the Orthodox Church!"
"The Church of Machinery is our ally, our partner in justice!"
"Then, we’ll carry out a joint operation, sweep through the lower part of the Brick District, and drive those sewer rats into the open."
"Even if there’s an apostle among them, we need not worry."
"Even if I don’t make a move, someone will handle it."
"You should know, the angel of our church has been nearby lately."
The puppet girl’s lips curled slightly, and the rhythm of her fingers tapping the table grew lighter and more cheerful.
Yet at that moment, Lakdevo, who had been crouching on the back of the chair, hesitantly spoke:
"Squawk!"
"Your Grace! May I make a request?"
Its voice was full of conflict, with a hint of fear.
"Speak."
Sylvia responded calmly.
"Could I ask you to personally kill the apostle of the Full Moon Sect, without involving the angel of the Church of Radiance?"
"Oh? Why?"
"Because I need certain traits from that apostle. As you know, I am not in the best condition right now—I need to replenish and recover... squawk!"
"Hmm?"
Sylvia tapped the table with a half-smile, half-sneer on her face.
"Our original deal seemed to be just about helping you eliminate the Full Moon Sect."
"As for the method and process, there was no specific agreement."
"In that case, I only need to ensure the result is achieved. There's no need for me to go out of my way to do something so troublesome and risky, right?"
"Squawk!"
"No, not troublesome at all, and there’s absolutely no risk!"
"The apostle of the Full Moon Sect isn’t a normal apostle! There aren’t that many apostles in the world!"
"He gained this level of power through a shortcut. That’s why even among apostles, he’s absolutely weak—he can only bully a few supernaturals by relying on his rank."
The fat crow hurriedly explained.
"Even so, I have no obligation to do this."
"Unless…"
"You can offer something I find interesting as an additional wager."
The puppet girl’s lips slowly curled upward, fully displaying the malice on her face.
At that moment, both Loruze and the silver-armored knight simultaneously bowed their heads deeply, not daring to watch the exchange unfolding before them.
"A wager… squawk…"
Hearing this, Lakdevo was momentarily speechless, then gave an awkward laugh.
"Your Grace, I left in such a hurry this time that I didn’t bring anything of value to you..."
"No, you're mistaken."
Sylvia spoke leisurely:
"You do have something."
"You’ve forgotten something very important."
"Squawk?"
"Yourself."
"Squawk?!"
At that moment, Lakdevo’s eyes were filled with shock, while Sylvia’s unhurried voice continued:
"Become my servant, serve me for ten years… no, twenty years."
"How about that?"
At this moment, the Authority of Lust quietly activated, adding irresistible allure to her voice.
"I…"
The fat crow clearly hesitated, then after a few seconds of struggle, finally replied:
"I accept, Your Grace."
"Excellent. The pact is sealed."
As Sylvia spoke, starlight rose in her hand and wove itself into a sheet of paper.
Then, she tilted her head slightly and said:
"Do it yourself."
Resigned, Lakdevo slammed his head into the starry sheet, watching as it merged into his soul.
Sylvia’s edict—successfully delivered.
The words symbolizing "serve Sylvia for twenty years" were deeply branded into Lakdevo’s soul.
"Your Grace, then when do you plan to deal with the Full Moon Sect?"
The fat crow wore a flattering smile—only to see Sylvia’s face, still holding that not-quite-smile.
"What did you just call me?"
"...Master."
Hearing the words squeezed out from between the nonexistent teeth of a certain fat crow, the puppet girl gave a full, satisfied nod.
"Now."
"Loruze, disregard what I just said. Seal the information—do not let news of the Full Moon Sect reach the Church of Machinery."
"If they report it, it could lead to unnecessary complications."
"You..."
As she spoke, her gaze turned to the silver-armored knight.
"Your Grace, my name is Kakilis Radlion, under the Tribunal of St. Ruls Cathedral. I am a Radiant Knight!"
The knight named Kakilis responded in a strong, resounding voice.
Radiant Knights were one of the four extraordinary paths mastered by the Church of Radiance.
"Good. Kakilis, report everything you uncovered in full detail."
"Yes, Your Grace!"
After listening to his account, Sylvia slowly nodded.
Then she continued:
"Next, Lakdevo and I will go handle the matter."
"Loruze, you’re in charge of staying behind at the cathedral."
"Yes, Your Grace!"
Once the arrangements were set, Sylvia stood from her seat while Lakdevo flapped his wings and landed on her shoulder.
After ensuring nothing had been overlooked, she headed toward the exit with the fat crow perched beside her.
"Squawk!"
"Master, are we heading straight to the lower Brick District?"
"No."
Sylvia shook her head slowly.
"We’ll go to the Monne District first. I’m quite interested in the house where Knight Kakilis found the clues."
"Perhaps we’ll find something interesting there."
"Yes, Master!"
Under the clear moonlight, the side door of St. Ruls Cathedral was pushed open.
Cloaked in a cape, Sylvia was shrouded in black veils as she boarded a pale carriage.