"Come on, let's go out and take a look, and grab something to eat while we're at it.
"The thing we need to do here will be finished soon. It's just that I don't know if we'll be able to meet the angel I want to see."
Naclis followed Loren silently. She knew exactly which angel Loren meant.
"But even if we run into it, we can't kill it outright. After all, this is still the God of Light and Fire's turf, and He might actually show up in person.
"Until the full Severance Ritual is prepared, we must not confront the Orthodox Gods."
……
After something like this happened, the atmosphere on the street was extremely heavy.
The execution platform stood right in the busy district, and the corpse on it had not yet been cleared away.
The Church quickly suppressed the spread of rumors, but that only served to confirm them.
The Nameless Darkness had been only the beginning before. Once fear spread enough, that would be when Loren's real plan began to unfold.
Everyone here had grown used to such things. It was just one dead person, it wouldn't affect them much. Loren led them into a popular inn, and Anna immediately started ordering from the menu, as if the events outside had nothing to do with them.
The inn's interior was equally oppressive; other diners dared not speak while eating, fearing a single mistake in their words would mark them as scapegoats.
"Movila, what's the situation over at the Nameless Darkness?"
After Anna handed the menu to the attendant, Loren activated the Shielding Spell.
"The Nameless Darkness suddenly appeared in many places, but there was nothing unusual physically, though a lot of people were driven insane……"
"That's natural. The Nameless Darkness previously displayed the power to instantly kill Sun-Chasers, and its methods are extremely uncanny. Just appearing nearby is enough— even if it does nothing, you still feel immense pressure……
"Plus, the Nameless Darkness amplifies that unease and pressure. Going mad under that sort of force is to be expected."
Loren took a sip of tea. The food wasn't the only disappointment; the tea here tasted mediocre as well.
But the inn had one advantage: the dishes came out quickly. Within a few sentences the food was brought to the table, and Loren and the others stopped talking.
Anna could barely contain herself. She picked up a plate and shoveled everything into her mouth, then her expression changed somewhat:
"Master Mentor, let's leave here soon."
After saying that, Anna kept eating until she had piled up a dozen or so empty plates beside her.
"We'll leave tomorrow. We'll at least finish a few meals here. If it comes to it, we'll cook ourselves."
"Forget it……"
Cooking here would be troublesome. Anna didn't want to trouble Loren, so after stuffing down a few more plates to fill her stomach she left.
"Where should we go for the rest of the time?"
"Let's go back and rest. There's nothing entertaining here anyway."
No sooner had Loren said that than he noticed something falling from the sky like a small sun. Only when it descended close enough did Loren make out its shape—another angel.
When it descended, a few faint cheers rose from the crowd, completely different from when the angel Loren had controlled returned.
Angels were supposed to be invincible in their minds, anchors of stability that could completely dispel their unease.
But after witnessing an angel's death, their worship for angels had cooled.
"Huh, another angel. Angels in the Holy Flame Empire really are common— they've gone straight from gods to idols."
Loren put on his sunglasses and watched the angel's arrival.
That was Loren's goal: to strip angels of their pedestal.
At this point, even an angel's descent couldn't fully soothe them; it might instead terrify them, making them fear this angel would die in front of them just like the previous one.
Loren wasn't entirely sure he could deal with the Nameless Darkness, but that didn't matter. Unless they exposed the mastermind behind all this, nothing they did would help.
And they wouldn't be able to find them—Loren left no trace. Even with surveillance, they couldn't catch him.
They could, however, pick a couple of scapegoats. But if Loren did anything more, it would only deepen people's fear.
"Let's go back."
Just as Loren decided to return, he saw Naclis standing motionless, staring at the angel in the sky, ignoring the blinding light.
Her eyes were rimmed with red, tears streaming down, and she didn't even blink.
"Naclis?"
Loren called to her. By now Loren had already guessed what was wrong.
"I'm fine."
Naclis wiped her tears and pretended nothing had happened.
"You never hide your emotions……"
Loren stroked Naclis's head. She didn't respond, keeping her face down so Loren wouldn't see it.
"Let's go back……"
Naclis took Loren's hand, trying to pull him away, but Loren remained rooted to the spot.
"Go this way."
Loren pointed toward the direction opposite the inn—toward the sea.
"But isn't our lodging over there?"
"Our home is this way."
Loren forcibly pulled Naclis along toward the shore, but his strength was less than hers; he couldn't drag her.
"……"
In the end, flustered, Loren simply picked Naclis up and carried her toward the sea.
By now Naclis understood what Loren intended and struggled to stop him.
"I'm coming too—"
"Behave."
Loren interrupted her and continued carrying her toward the sea.
"But—"
"No buts. Even if you could beat an angel, you couldn't stand against the Orthodox Gods."
Loren guessed what Naclis wanted to say and cut her off early.
At the shoreline, Loren raised the conch shell used to summon a ghost ship and blew on it using wind magic.
This time he did not call the Raging Tide, but the diving-capable ghost ship he had snatched from that great pirate. In these circumstances, that vessel was more useful than the Raging Tide.
By now the others realized what Loren intended.
"Loren……"
After Loren tossed Naclis onto the ship, Laila rushed forward to say something and was also hurled aboard by Loren.
"You all go ahead, I'll follow soon."
Loren cut off Laila and the others and forced them onto the ship:
"I have many escape methods. Even if I face an Orthodox God, I can run. But you cannot."
"……"
They were silent. They knew he was right.
"You should go back too. The God of Light and Fire's authority has a restraining effect on you. You'd get into trouble."
Loren looked down at his own shadow. Eventually Reflection Naclis reluctantly left Loren's shadow.
"How did you figure it out?"
"I guessed. In situations like this you tend to secretly tail me.
"Before you weren't in danger, so I let you. But this time is different."
After Reflection Naclis was forced onto the ship, the atmosphere grew even heavier and Loren started to fray at the edges:
"No, I'm just going to beat someone up and run away. It's not a life-or-death farewell, why the solemn atmosphere?
"Remember this: I won't do anything unless I'm one hundred percent sure of success."
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