Chapter 21: Wrapping Things Up
After running for an unknown length of time, Capollo Montelli hid in the safe house prepared in advance as part of his contingency plan, anxiously waiting for the Order to send someone to extract him.
Since escaping the chaotic auction, he still hadn't sorted out his thoughts.
First, the priest who should have been killed by his scheme suddenly appeared in Montelli and came to disrupt his auction. Then, members of Fractsidus abruptly showed up and engaged him in a fierce fight.
What kind of mess was this? He just wanted to surrender Montelli to the Order—why were all these bizarre forces and chaotic elements coming after him?!
But it didn't matter. As soon as the Order's extraction team arrived, everything would be fine!
The Order of the Deep had been deeply entrenched in Ragunna for years, with intricate and far-reaching influence, making them far more reliable than the unstable foundation of the Montelli main family.
Once he reached the Order's territory and gained their protection, what could that damned priest or that vengeful niece Carlotta possibly do to him?
By then, he could use the access he held to the Montelli family treasury, the private Echoes, and the secrets of years of gray market transactions as his bargaining chip to secure a prominent position within the Order.
As long as he preserved his life, there would be no shortage of opportunities. When the time came, Capollo would return like lightning—Made Montelli Great Again!
Knock, knock, knock!
They're here!
At the sound of the knocking, Capollo immediately straightened up.
The Order's people were faster than he had expected. It seemed they truly valued what he had to offer.
Capollo smoothed out his expensive suit jacket, which had become wrinkled during his escape, adjusted his posture, and patted the data component in his pocket before walking toward the door.
He cautiously peered through the peephole. The light outside was somewhat dim, but he could still make out the figure of a priest dressed in a pristine clerical robe, wearing a formal hat.
Coupled with the two slow, three quick knocks—the prearranged signal—there was no doubt: this was the person the Order had sent to extract him.
Only then did the heaviest stone in Capollo's heart finally lift, and he reached for the door lock.
"May the Sentinels' guidance illuminate your path," the priest outside slightly bowed his head, his voice low and steady from beneath the hat brim as he delivered the standard Order greeting.
But instead of immediately leading Capollo away, the visitor stepped inside the safe house.
"W-what's going on? Shouldn't you be taking me away right now?"
Seeing that the newcomer wasn't directly extracting him, Capollo grew flustered.
Noticing his panic, the person sent to extract him kindly addressed his concerns.
"The situation outside is very chaotic right now. If we were to come under attack under these circumstances, we..."
"Aeron is nothing but a reckless brute—how would he dare to raid me at night!"
"Who the hell are you talking about?"
"Eek?!"
The next second, Aeron removed the formal hat from his head, pinned Capollo against the wall with a blade in one hand, and pressed the muzzle of a gun firmly against his chin with the other.
"H-how did you...?!" Capollo's teeth chattered, unable to form a complete sentence.
Compared to the previous open conflicts, this feeling of having hope dangled before him only to be shattered was far more unsettling.
"It's not hard to find priests on the streets late at night. I just stepped in to take over their duties."
"N-no, impossible! Absolutely impossible!" Capollo struggled futilely, but Aeron's grip on his shoulder remained immovable like iron pincers.
"Alright, whether you live or die now depends on your attitude. First, hand over what's in your pocket."
At these words, Capollo trembled. This was the most valuable thing he could have offered to the Order.
But to save his own skin, he had no choice but to obediently place it in Aeron's hand.
Aeron weighed the object in his hand briefly. Though he couldn't verify its authenticity, that wasn't his concern anyway.
"Continue. How many more 'allies' do you have within Montelli's ranks?"
Capollo swallowed hard and tremblingly revealed several names—all individuals Aeron had already suspected during his investigation.
"...They've all accepted benefits from the Order, or have compromising information held against them by the Order!"
Aeron mentally noted each name Capollo mentioned, then asked the question that concerned him most:
"You said Fenrico wants me dead... Tell me why."
Aeron pressed the cold gun barrel against Capollo's chin again, and the latter directly revealed the reason.
"I-I don't know either! Primus Fenrico only told me to eliminate you within Montelli's territory, and leave the rest to him!"
"So you couldn't even bother to ask one more fucking question?!"
Aeron drove his knee directly into Capollo's abdomen, causing him to collapse like mud on the ground, the intense pain nearly suffocating him.
"You dare make a move without even knowing why? Calling you a dog wasn't wrong after all."
He truly hadn't expected this waste to be unable to provide even one useful piece of information.
Still, knowing that Fenrico was the one in the Order who wanted him dead—this intelligence alone was sufficient.
"Alright, it seems you can't provide anything useful. Let's part ways here then."
"Y-yes!"
Seeing that Aeron intended to let him go, Capollo immediately scrambled to the corner, fearing Aeron might change his mind.
After all, he was still a priest of the Order of the Deep—he wouldn't violate his doctrines. Once Aeron left—
Just as Capollo was thinking this, Aeron's gun was already aimed at him.
"W-why?!"
Staring at the gun barrel darker than the night, Capollo couldn't comprehend this man's actions.
"You go to the underworld, I remain in the mortal realm—separated by life and death. Sounds appropriate, doesn't it?"
"Besides, there's no priest in the Order more compassionate than me. Though I've died countless times for your worthless intelligence, as a priest, returning good for evil is a necessary virtue."
"I can't bear to see you suffer like this, so I'll compassionately send you on your way."
Bang!
...
After burning the priest's robe that didn't belong to him and cleaning up the scene, by the time Aeron finished handling the aftermath and emerged from Capollo's safe house, it was already late into the night.
The chill night wind swept through, carrying away some of the scent of blood and easing the tension that had tightened his nerves tonight. He rubbed his sore shoulders and was about to find a place to rest for the night when he caught sight of a familiar figure leaning against the alley entrance.
"All done?"
Not far from Aeron, Zani's voice was calm, betraying no emotion.
"What, is The Blazing Nightwalker here to arrest a criminal?"
Zani ignored his teasing, her gaze sweeping over him before finally settling on his somewhat pale face. "Even with such a terrible complexion, you still insist on doing this kind of thing. Typical you."
"Then you'll have to go easy on me."
With that, Aeron raised his hands in a gesture of surrender in front of Zani.
Zani let out a soft "tsk" at his deliberately casual demeanor, merely straightening up and saying flatly, "We're done here. Come have a drink with me."
"...Now?"
"Suit yourself." Zani made as if to leave, her tone still devoid of fluctuation. "I'll go back and write my report."
"Coming."
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