Episode 40: A Fallen Genius!
The morning sun shone upon the streets of Ragunna as always, reflecting a pure radiance off Phoebe's pristine clerical robes.
Since leaving the Montelli district with Aeron, Phoebe's thoughts had never truly settled.
She trailed half a step behind Aeron, both hands tightly gripping her staff.
"Mr. Aeron, is it really alright for us to return like this...?"
"Well... some matters can only be resolved through proper discussion."
Aeron casually fabricated an excuse, though it was clearly insufficient to deceive Phoebe.
"But..." Phoebe recalled the last time when she and Cartethyia had to support a blood-soaked Aeron as they fled to the Montelli residence.
Even now, she remembered Aeron's earlier words—most members of the Order were good, with only a few higher-ups causing problems.
Her senior was so clever. If he said returning was necessary, there must be a good reason. Perhaps this time, they could truly have a proper discussion with the Order and clear up misunderstandings, just as Mr. Aeron said? After all, although Primus Fenrico was strict, he always acted with the Order and the people of Ragunna in mind...
She tried to convince herself—her senior was right, returning was necessary, and the Order would always be her home.
"Don't worry," Aeron seemed to sense her unease and softened his tone. "I'm here."
These words carried a magical quality, loosening the taut strings of Phoebe's heart. Yes, her senior was here. She nodded firmly and quickened her pace to keep up.
Phoebe didn't understand complex matters, but she knew one thing—she felt safe staying close to the senior she trusted most.
'That's right... Mr. Aeron is here.'
She repeated this silently in her heart, and just doing so dispersed her anxiety with a familiar warmth.
No matter what happened, Aeron always found a way. No matter how dire the situation seemed or how dangerous it appeared, he would ultimately resolve everything.
His actions were unpredictable, his words often baffling, but he always managed to set things right in the end.
This was the trust Phoebe had developed for her senior after all their time together.
Taking a deep breath, Phoebe jogged two steps closer, drawing nearer to Aeron's back, trying to draw more courage from his presence.
She didn't understand intricate schemes, nor could she grasp what Aeron was planning. The undercurrents of power struggles, calculations hidden behind smiles, and subtle verbal sparring were all invisible and intangible to Phoebe.
All she knew was that by staying close to Aeron, watching his composed back, her anxious heart would quietly find peace.
As long as he remained by her side, as long as she could follow him like this, nothing ahead seemed too frightening.
She secretly lifted her head to glance at Aeron beside her. The morning light fell on his profile, his lips curved in their usual faint, elusive smile. This further convinced her that Aeron's return would surely mark a turning point.
Perhaps it had all been a simple misunderstanding. Once resolved, she could return to her previous life with her senior—peaceful routines, devout prayers, and... the simple yet warm moments spent with Aeron and everyone in the Order.
"Mr. Aeron,"
Phoebe spoke softly, her voice carrying a hope even she hadn't noticed.
"Can we... still be like before?"
Aeron turned to glance at Phoebe, a complex emotion she couldn't comprehend flashing through those perpetually weary eyes.
"Who knows? Life goes on, after all."
The response wasn't affirmative, yet it wasn't a denial either. But Phoebe seemed to take it as some form of promise, her eyes brightening slightly. She nodded vigorously, as if trying to shake off the last remnants of unease in her heart. Her steps lightened, almost bringing her shoulder-to-shoulder with Aeron.
So, what was Aeron thinking at this moment?
'So slow. Can't they just get it over with quickly?'
What's wrong with the Order? Weren't they usually the most proactive about these things? Why are they dragging their feet now, making him feel so restless?
Before he realized it, he and Phoebe had arrived at the Cathedral of Mercury.
'Are they planning to make their move inside here?'
Harboring such suspicions, Aeron took the initiative to step forward, push open the door, and be the first to enter the Order—
The moment he stepped inside, a white iron elbow was already inches from his face.
Damn!
Aeron offered no resistance, directly getting elbowed down onto the Order's floor.
Before Phoebe could process what was happening, she saw the cathedral doors slowly closing, and the Order's Echoes La Guardia already pointing its greatsword at Aeron on the ground.
"Mr. Aeron?!"
Phoebe disregarded everything else, her mind going blank except for the impulse to rush to Aeron's side.
But the next second, an aged yet powerful hand blocked Phoebe's path.
Phoebe halted abruptly, looking up in confusion at the hand's owner.
Immaculate clerical robes with a deep blue stole, a golden half-mask, and behind him the iron crown symbolizing the "Primus's" status—
"Well now, I must be quite important to warrant your personal attendance, Your Eminence?"
Fenrico's blocking hand remained raised, his posture steady, his expression carrying a solemnity tinged with pity.
He tilted his head slightly, his gaze passing over Phoebe's panicked shoulder to rest on Aeron, who was slowly rising before him. The eye not concealed by his mask reflected no surprise or anger, only a profound, pond-like calm.
"Well done, Sister Phoebe."
Fenrico's voice cut through Phoebe's frantic heartbeat, but what struck her hardest wasn't just that.
"You have rendered service by successfully bringing this lost soul—this man of wavering faith, repeated defiance, and possible heresy—back to the sanctuary."
"Me...?"
Service? Bringing back? Lost soul?
No... that's not right! I didn't... I wasn't...!
"No, that's not what happened!"
Phoebe shook her head violently, her vision blurring with tears. She tried to bypass the blocking hand, shouting incoherently at Fenrico and the priests who had quietly gathered around them:
"Your Eminence... Mr. Aeron, he... he'll explain everything to you and the Order! It was a misunderstanding last time! It was—"
"Misunderstanding?"
Fenrico repeated the word softly, his tone devoid of sarcasm, carrying only a heavy, resigned certainty.
"My child, you are so kind-hearted, willing to believe in the inherent goodness of people, able to see the 'difficult circumstances' beneath others' words... This is the precious quality the Sentinels have bestowed upon you. But precisely because of this, you are more easily deceived by appearances, by... certain cunning disguises."
"But, but...!"
"That's enough, Phoebe."
Phoebe wanted to continue defending Aeron, but was cut off by him personally.
Aeron's face showed no extra expression; he didn't even put up resistance. He simply met Fenrico's gaze and said in a contemptuous tone:
"Your Eminence, adding one more sinner like me won't wipe clean the trail of misconduct in your deeds."
"Hah, then even if you criticize me here, it won't lessen the punishment you long deserve."
After speaking, Fenrico gave a meaningful glance to the priests beside him. They swarmed forward, roughly pulling Aeron up from the ground by both arms.
"Father Aeron, you have strayed from the teachings of the Sentinels, behaved improperly despite repeated admonitions, and are suspected of leaking the Order's secrets, colluding with external forces... Therefore, you shall be sent on a pilgrimage to repent your sins during the voyage, until you reach the other shore or receive the Sentinels' forgiveness."
The judgment delivered by Fenrico stripped away the last shred of hope in Phoebe's heart.
"No, you can't! There must be some mistake! I beg you... don't take him away..."
But Phoebe's pleas yielded no response. The gazes from those around her were only cold, disdainful, indifferent, and even approving of "sacrificing kin for justice, worthy of praise."
"Phoebe, be good."
Only when he was about to be taken away did Aeron finally turn to look at Phoebe.
"Go back. It's alright."
Alright? How could it possibly be alright?!
Phoebe shook her head frantically, tears blurring everything. She wanted to hold onto Aeron but couldn't even manage to touch him. Powerlessly kneeling on the ground, she watched her most trusted senior being dragged away like a criminal, taken outside the Order.
Watching Aeron being escorted further away, Fenrico—his face half-covered by a golden mask—revealed a meaningful smile.
"...The stage is set for you. Let me see what kind of ending you'll ultimately bring to Ragunna."
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