Chapter 624 : A Mysterious Letter
Chapter 624: A Mysterious Letter
There were quite a few Fatherss who needed to be restrained, but there were even more Banshees. Aside from Ash and a few others who had important duties, almost all the Banshees who loved a spectacle had gathered over.
Perhaps the impression left on the Fatherss during the earlier prayer had been too profound. The moment the Banshees made their move, the Fatherss quickly fell silent.
Not a single one resisted.
Because the Fatherss were excessively cooperative, the disturbance was quelled almost before it even began, which left the Banshees somewhat surprised.
Nini scratched her head and hesitated as she looked at the Silent Sanctum Fatherss standing quietly to the side. She asked, “Are you… feeling better? Should we continue the tour, or would you like to rest first?”
The Banshees did know their limits. These Silent Sanctum Fatherss had only just recovered from being knocked unconscious. Frightening them a little was fine—but if they were pushed any further, something might actually go wrong.
Ignati raised his head and glanced at the sky above the Central Courtyard Structure.
His expression seemed worse than before, yet his eyes were bright. Strangely, he appeared more spirited than earlier.
“It is already getting late. We should continue the visit tomorrow. Castel is vast—one or two days will not suffice to see everything. Moreover, there is much that requires sorting out… reflection.”
“I’ll take you to your lodgings, then.”
“Many thanks.”
Now that the Fathers had awakened, they naturally would not continue staying in the hospital. Guests who came to Castel were generally arranged to reside in the Main Cathedral, but considering this group’s status, Hughes had arranged accommodation for them on the outer part of the island instead.
The Fatherss looked rather disheveled. Quite a few of them had just been pinned to the ground by the Banshees. Nora had originally wanted to watch them make fools of themselves, but seeing their current state, she instead felt a trace of sympathy.
“Sigh. Had you cast aside your arrogance earlier, how would you have been so startled by these creations?”
“Castel is so magnificent. Our loss of composure was only natural,” Helena replied with a slight nod, her face full of calmness.
Nora: “???”
Was their change in attitude a bit too fast?
What exactly had they just experienced? How had they suddenly become like this?
Nora lowered her head in confusion and glanced at the Stellar Furnace. It seemed the same as always—nothing appeared wrong with it.
“Gwen, this should be your first time here too. What do you feel when you look at this furnace?”
Nora shot Nini a look from the side.
“A little hungry.”
“Feeling dizzy is normal—… Wait, what did you say?”
“I’m hungry. We came in the morning, right? It’s already afternoon. Shouldn’t we eat something?”
“Yes, we should eat—but when you look at this furnace, you don’t feel anything else?”
“Feel?” Gwen held Nora with one hand and scratched her head with the other. “Well… it’s big, very grand. There’s something huge inside. Seems very durable—burns well.”
“And then? That’s it?”
“Uh… should I be feeling something else?” Gwen looked puzzled. “Whatever’s inside the furnace can’t come out, and I can’t go in. So what does it have to do with me?”
“….”
Nora fell silent.
She suddenly realized that Gwen’s words made sense.
No matter whether the furnace held a God or some other existence, it had already been sealed inside the furnace. What threat could it pose to those outside?
Yet people went mad at the mere sight of the Stellar Furnace. In the end, they were frightening themselves.
In that moment, Nora faintly understood something. Both she and the Silent Sanctum Fatherss had been far too fixated on the Sea God within the Stellar Furnace.
Only Gwen’s thinking came closest to Hughes’—if the Sea God could burn, then send It into the Stellar Furnace. Nothing else mattered.
Outside, It was the Sea God. Inside, It was merely fuel.
At that realization, Nora finally grasped a fact: Hughes had never cared about the Sea God itself. Whether it was the Sea God, pollution, or coal—in his eyes, they were all the same.
All were firewood to drive Castel forward.
It was she who had been too attached.
Nora raised her head and looked at Gwen. Gwen tilted her head innocently. “Lady Nora, what exactly are we going to eat?”
For some reason, seeing Gwen’s innocent face only made Nora’s anger rise. Now, whenever she looked at Gwen, she instinctively felt irritated.
“Pollution.”
The Silent Sanctum Fatherss were escorted to their arranged lodgings, and Hughes reluctantly closed the Mind Link.
He had watched almost the entire itinerary after the Fatherss awakened through the live broadcast. Partly because they were the first Church personnel to arrive at Castel, and partly because he, too, enjoyed watching the commotion.
It had to be said—the Banshees truly knew how to have fun. When they gathered from across the island to the Cathedral and pretended to pray, even Hughes had felt himself fired up.
Though he had no idea what exactly he was fired up about.
As for the Silent Sanctum Fatherss—watching these official Church representatives suffer setbacks inside Castel’s Cathedral had given him a strange sense of satisfaction.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
A knock sounded in the office. Hughes stretched lazily. “Come in.”
When he saw who entered, he paused in surprise. It was Zoe?
These past few days, Hughes had moved from Blood Harbor to Castel. Blood Harbor’s administrative affairs were now largely handled by Zoe and Josh.
Josh, being responsible for the Mystics, usually found it difficult to leave Blood Harbor for Castel. If Zoe had come in person, it likely meant something important had happened.
—If it were urgent military intelligence, a Banshee would probably have swum over to deliver the message directly.
“What is it?”
“A letter arrived in Blood Harbor. It is addressed to you.”
Zoe stepped forward and handed him a finely bound letter sealed with wax.
Hughes glanced at her and felt a moment of emotion.
Two years ago, Zoe had merely been a small maid following at his side. Now she was capable of standing on her own.
At first, she had only assisted in managing the School. Gradually, she had taken over nearly half of Blood Harbor’s affairs.
After these years of tempering, Zoe had become far more mature and steady than before. She had shown remarkable talent in administration—cautious, meticulous. She was no longer the rash little maid she once was.
Truly, overtime work made people grow.
Hughes sighed inwardly as he casually took the envelope, not paying it much attention.
Who else would send him a letter? The Prince, perhaps? Or Duke Cohen? His old father?
He examined the envelope. It was well preserved, likely carried carefully in a box of some sort. His gaze immediately fell upon the wax seal.
The tradition of sealing letters with wax had a long history, and the sender’s crest was usually stamped upon it.
When Hughes saw the crest, he froze.
It looked somewhat familiar.
He searched his memory with some effort and stared at it for a while before slowly lifting his head.
“Why does this bear the Royal Family’s crest?”