Chapter 26: Forgotten
Waiting. Silent waiting.
A crowd clad in black robes stood quietly in the sewer, waiting for the appointed time to arrive.
Not a single person made a sound. Not a single person moved. They were like lifeless undead, nailed firmly to the ground.
Until—
"Clack, clack, clack."
Crisp footsteps echoed, and a figure in pure white emerged from around the corner.
"You’re thirteen seconds late."
The voice of the leader rang out, utterly devoid of emotion—so cold it made one suspect it belonged to something not of this world.
"It doesn’t matter."
Sylvia pulled a silver pocket watch that had once belonged to Loruze from her pocket and glanced at the time.
"The goods?"
The leader’s eyes didn’t move as he stared at Sylvia.
Even though this puppet girl now wore a cloak marked with the sacred emblem of Radiance, even though she looked nothing like a human being—
In his eyes, Sylvia was his companion, Divoman’s mistress, that woman in her thirties.
"They’re ready."
"Give me the address of the warehouse you rented. I’ll have someone deliver them to you."
Sylvia moved a finger wrapped with a strand of hair and spoke with some fatigue.
After exhausting the Authority of Wrath, she had once again activated the Authority of Envy, temporarily assuming the identity of the woman by “casually” pulling out a strand of her hair during her escape from the Court of Radiance’s prison.
Of course, it had been a casual act.
After all, at this stage, she could only deceive ordinary mortals. If that Child of the Moon had been present, they would have seen through it at a glance.
But judging by the current situation... apparently not.
As her weary yet soul-piercing gaze swept over every face present, she shook her head with a hint of regret.
"Good."
The leading member of the Full Moon Sect nodded, then raised his right hand to draw a circle in front of his chest, sketching an arc within it—
It symbolized the Full Moon of Life and Death, the prayer gesture of the Ancient Moon God’s followers.
Then his devout voice rang out:
"Praise be to the Gloomy Moon."
Seeing this, Sylvia mimicked the gesture perfunctorily.
At the same time, she couldn’t help but begin to grumble inwardly:
Should I come up with a prayer gesture too, so the faith I’m spreading looks more official and less like a scam cult?
No, no, no... maybe it’s a bit early for that. I haven’t even come up with a proper reverent name for the Lord of Seven Sins yet.
Hmm...
Should the name follow the single-segment format popular among evil gods, or the triadic format like the True Gods use?
Given my level, a three-part reverent name would be entirely appropriate.
But... would that be too ostentatious?
Thus, the puppet girl let her thoughts wander aimlessly, gradually and unconsciously letting her eyes drift shut.
But at that very moment—
"Squawk!"
A not-loud yet absolutely piercing crow’s call echoed, dragging her thoughts back to reality.
"Hm?"
Sylvia suddenly shivered, her muddled thoughts snapping back into sharp clarity.
This is exactly why I hate using the Authority of Wrath.
She grumbled inwardly, then raised her head and looked at the Full Moon Sect member standing across from her.
At that moment, he was reciting an address:
"Stadcon District, Riverside Dock, Warehouse No. 8."
Riverside Dock?
Sylvia repeated the name silently in her mind and gave a small nod.
Although Alova was an inland city, a river still flowed through it.
The Ploton River originated from the northern mountains, flowed through two major regions within the Kingdom of Savia, and emptied into the sea via its western neighbor.
This river played an important role in Alova’s trade and transportation activities.
One of the major reasons numerous factories were located in the Stadcon District was the presence of this river.
Near the dock, a large number of warehouses existed, serving as central hubs for storing and transferring goods.
Some of these warehouses were owned by the city government, while others were private property.
"Got it."
Sylvia waved a hand, then turned and began walking back in the direction she had come.
The Full Moon Sect members standing there watched her retreating figure, and all simultaneously felt a strange sense of unease.
But in the very next moment, they felt all the joints in their bodies suddenly stiffen, and then they lost control of their movements.
Immediately afterward, the seven present began walking in unison behind Sylvia.
The Full Moon Sect members wanted to shout in protest, but to their horror, they found themselves completely unable to speak.
Just then, the girl’s disinterested voice echoed through the empty sewer:
"Don’t go yet. Let’s go together."
The moment those words fell, her appearance in their eyes began to distort. Her height and figure shrank rapidly, and her attire began to change.
The cultists behind her widened their eyes in disbelief, staring at the scene in front of them—until the sacred emblem of Radiance came into view.
At that instant, only one thought filled their minds—
"It’s over. She’s with the Orthodox Church."
But when their gaze swept over the fat crow perched on her shoulder, their expressions became even more bewildered.
Sylvia paid no mind to their reactions and simply continued walking forward.
At the same time, she began conversing with the plump crow squatting on her shoulder:
"What do you think? Can we catch that Child of the Moon directly?"
Catch... the Child of the Moon?
Hearing this exchange, the emotions of the Full Moon cultists shifted in a strange way.
What are they planning? Catch our leader?
And why does that Radiance hound’s back look so familiar?
Feels like we’ve seen her somewhere before…
While the Full Moon cultists were drowning in confusion, Sylvia, who was walking ahead, suddenly turned around and looked at them:
"Hey? Is your leader in there or not?"
"I think it’d be best if you answer honestly. I’m really not in the mood to use certain methods on you right now."
As she finished speaking, she muttered silently in her heart:
That’s right. I’m tired.
In that moment, the Full Moon cultists felt an overwhelming sense of humiliation.
But it lasted only an instant.
Because by now, with their night vision, they had clearly seen Sylvia’s face—
A delicate face. Exposed joints.
A puppet!
A puppet they had seen before!
Just one week ago!
In an instant, a bone-chilling fear surged in the hearts of the Full Moon cultists.
This—this looked exactly like the Level Zero Forbidden Object temporarily designated by the Church of Radiance!
At that moment, Lakdevo, squatting on Sylvia’s shoulder, also turned his head and studied the people behind her with his crimson eyes.
And then, the cultists’ eyes widened even more.
That—he looked exactly like one of the God of Death’s familiars!
It’s over. We’re completely screwed!
All seven Full Moon cultists let out a silent wail in their hearts at that very moment.
Seeing no response from them, Sylvia frowned.
"Not going to talk?"
At the same time, starlight began to rise from the fingertips of her freshly raised right hand.
But just then—
"Squawk!"
Lakdevo’s voice rang out, hesitant:
"Master, I think you’re still suppressing their vocal cords."
"Oh, right."
Just like those programmers back in her hometown clocking out of the office at midnight, Sylvia gave a tired and unenthusiastic reply.