The Broken Halo

Simon’s expression did not change despite hearing the Voice’s response to his question.

However, his gaze became slightly sharper and he paid more attention to his surroundings.

"Will you tell me the identity of the demon that’s close to the eighteenth wagon?"

The Voice immediately chuckled at his words.

"I will... if you tell me your identity."

Simon shook his head slightly having expected her response.

He just wanted to give it a try.

However, this did not change the thoughts and questions he had.

And the main question in his mind was... Who was the spy close to him?

Was it one of the guards around them?

One of the Black Horn officers?

Or was it one of the four members of Core Twenty Two?

The moment Simon had this last thought, his eyes flickered with a strange light.

’The Seven Nails...’

Simon recalled that the letter containing Operation Crownless Dawn talked about the Seven Nails.

He had already decoded that the Seven Nails were most likely referring to seven important individuals who were either recruits, soldiers, or Black Horn officials.

He wasn’t sure which was the right answer, but he had a strong feeling that one of these Nails was the rebel that was close to the eighteenth wagon.

’It might not be Joro, Dessa, Ossun, or Pela. It might be somebody else, so I shouldn’t come to any conclusion just yet.’

Although Simon had this thought, he was going to be watching every single one of their move.

He decided to ask another question.

"Does this unknown insider that’s close to the eighteenth wagon have a role to play in the attack?"

"Yes. The unknown insider has a role to play in the attack."

Simon furrowed his brows lightly because he could hear the mirth in her tone.

"I need to know what their role is. It could interfere with my plans."

The Voice chuckled.

"No, you don’t."

Simon was about to speak, but the Voice spoke again.

"Just so you know, the value of the ’unknown insider’ is above even that of the Fifth Needle. Kill them and we’re done. The eastern faction would not spare any resources to find you and kill you."

Simon tapped his arm with the same calm expression he always had.

"Hmm... I see."

’I guess the chances of the individual or individuals being among the Seven Nails is quite high.’

Simon turned his head and glanced at Joro, Dessa, Ossun, and Pela.

None of them noticed his gaze because they were talking, and he removed his gaze before they noticed.

The Voice spoke again.

"To prevent a reoccurrence of what happened the last time with the Fifth Needle, they have been told that the Outsider would be part of this mission. If you don’t want to be attacked or killed, then reveal yourself to them with proof that you are the Outsider."

Simon frowned.

"What sort of proof?"

"I don’t know. Convince them yourself."

Before Simon could speak, the Voice continued.

"We’ve spoken for far too long. Though, I’m quite curious as to how you were able to speak for so long without anybody knowing on your side."

Simon raised a brow, then he felt the Murmur Bone losing its warmth.

"Don’t disappoint us... Outsider."

The connection ended, and Simon released a soft sigh.

He transferred the Murmur Bone back into his spatial ring, then he leaned backward and looked at the crimson sky.

Sonya and Akaza glanced at him, but they decided not to disturb him.

Simon remained in that position for several moments. Inside his sea of consciousness were rising and falling waves as Simon was thinking about every piece of information he had.

’The insider...’

Simon’s eyes flashed with a strange glow.

The Voice had made on thing clear. The insider was more valuable than the Fifth Needle. That did not prove that the demon was one of the Seven Nails, but it made the possibility difficult to ignore.

He glanced briefly at Core Twenty Two again.

Joro was speaking to Ossun, while Pela walked with her pale sensory strands moving through the wind. Dessa had one hand resting against the side of the wagon, her pupil-less eyes facing the road.

Any one of them could be the insider.

Or none of them.

Simon closed his eyes for a moment.

’If the insider gets in my way, their value to the eastern faction will not protect them. But killing them before I understand their role would be wasteful.’

The convoy continued north.

Hours passed, and the land gradually changed.

The dry black grass became thinner until it disappeared completely. The flat road broke into uneven plates of dark stone, some of them tilted at strange angles. Thin smoke rose from deep cracks on both sides, carrying heat and the smell of burnt earth into the air.

The armoured beasts pulling the wagons became restless.

Their handlers shortened the reins and forced them to slow down, while formation masters moved ahead with long metal staffs. Each time a staff touched the ground, pale lines spread across the stone and revealed the hollow sections beneath it.

A Black Horn officer rode past the central wagons.

"Reduce the distance between sections! Defence cores, remain close to the wheels. Assault cores, watch your surroundings and do not leave your assigned range without an order."

When the convoy stopped briefly, Sonya dropped from the platform and pressed one palm against the ground.

Her brows furrowed.

"There are empty spaces beneath us," she said. "Some are small. Others are large enough to swallow several wagons."

Pela’s sensory strands leaned toward the nearest crack but she stopped immediately with a frown.

"The air is so hot down there. Somebody would need to have a C grade fire affinity or an artifact capable of granting heat or fire resistance to survive down there."

Akaza looked down into one of the fissures.

"Can anything live in there?"

Sonya looked at him with a smile.

"Hopefully. A little bit of fun wouldn’t be bad."

Dessa and her companions gave her a disturbed look.

"Sonya. If you sense anything strange underground or if you sense a large hole in our path before the formation masters and guards in front, make sure to notify us."

Sonya looked at Simon with folded arms, and though it looked like she wanted to refuse, she ultimately nodded her head.

The convoy started moving again, but they were slower than before.

Wheels creaked over the fractured stone. Soldiers watched the ground as much as the surrounding hills, and the earlier conversations among the recruits faded.

Simon looked toward the front.

The crimson moon had sunk lower, and its light stretched long shadows across the cracked lands.

Then the road ahead narrowed.

Two dark ridges rose from the broken earth, one on each side, their steep faces covered in black glass and smoking fissures. Between them was a path barely wide enough for the convoy to pass without breaking formation.

Simon’s eyes sharpened.

The narrow road between the two ridges had finally appeared.

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