At that question, Lumian's mind fell into disarray. Though he was never the type to pay much attention to geography or mythology, he still tried to recall where he might have heard the name before.
After a brief moment of thought, he finally said, "Captain, I'm sorry. I've never heard of it."
Inwardly, however, he wondered, What could that place have to do with our situation? Could it be some kind of spiritual city?
Hargreaves picked up his cigar again and tapped it lightly against the tray, brushing off the ash before lighting it. He took a slow drag and exhaled.
"You probably wouldn't know it," he said calmly. "It appears mostly in geographical records and mythology—not something the Church teaches."
"Then, Captain, why bring it up for this mission?" Lumian asked, half-joking.
Hargreaves looked at him with a faint smile. "Nothing in particular. I was just curious whether that letter had anything to do with the town. In mythology, Leochi was also known as the Sea of Creation. It was said to have been blessed by the Mystic King and the True Creator. On the Day of the Apex, legends claim it will become the birthplace of mythic beings."
At the mention of the Apex, Lumian's thoughts drifted to his earlier conversation with Mr. Hayes.
Could what he said be true? And who exactly is Mr. Hayes to know all that information?
Hargreaves took another drag before continuing, "The name Leochi was later used by a particular country… a place where countless individuals met their deaths."
"Died?" Lumian repeated softly, shaking his head.
After a brief pause, he raised his gaze. "Captain, there's something else I wanted to discuss."
Hargreaves nodded slightly.
"You said the letter was meant to be delivered to the organization Lacey contacted," Lumian continued. "But if that's the case… why was it still in his home?"
...
Hargreaves opened his eyes, revealing his dark pupils as he pondered for a moment.
"Lumian… you're actually right," he said slowly. "But you did mention that one of the accomplices claimed he carried the text. I think Lacey realized the place wasn't safe. That's why he left in a hurry—without the luxury of time to send the letter."
It was only a simple guess!
Lumian nodded slightly. "Alright, Captain. But you said we're going to investigate that matter. Who's going?"
Hargreaves fell into thought.
"Vincent… no. He and I are stationed near the Olympic Coast. Derrick… definitely not. Rosanne is assigned to the Crimson Choir Faculty. Berlie—the one from the Sun Order—is currently on a mission…"
He paused, then looked at Lumian with a faint smile. "Everyone's occupied, hehe. You might as well go."
Lumian let out an awkward chuckle. "Captain, are you sure? I'm just a novice. I only took my first potion not long ago… Surely there are others, considering how large this faculty is."
Hargreaves nodded. "There are others. But some aren't full Church members and therefore aren't sorcerers. We only have seven sorcerers in total—and none of them are available."
Lumian sighed. "Then how are we supposed to find their exact location?"
"Of course we'll find it," a familiar voice replied.
Vincent stepped into the room, dressed in a blue jacket and black trousers.
"Captain, haven't you told him? We can simply follow the address on the letter, hehe."
Hargreaves nodded. "I haven't told him yet… I forgot."
Lumian looked at both of them and released a helpless sigh. "But Captain… how am I even supposed to infiltrate them?"
...
Vincent walked forward, a sly chuckle escaping him.
"Lumian," he said, tilting his head, "have I ever told you… you'd make a beautiful lady?"
Lumian squinted hard, turning to Hargreaves. "Captain… I hope that's not what I think it is?"
Hargreaves parted his mouth to answer, but before he could speak, Lumian blurted, "Captain, this would be a disgrace to my manhood! Besides… which identity am I even supposed to take? We don't know any of their members!"
Vincent leaned on the desk, a faint smile tugging at his lips. "Well… from the looks of the letter, it seems Lacey hasn't been in much direct contact with the group. So some members probably operate simultaneously. You just need to perform your role…and well... blend in."
Lumian's mouth twitched. What's this guy saying! I knew you were gay, but now you're trying to ruin my pride?! That's too far!
After a few tense (and mildly humiliating) jokes, Lumian finally sighed and agreed. He turned and left the office, muttering under his breath, about the absurdity of the situation.
...
As he closed the door, Lumian caught Vincent's voice behind him.
"Don't worry, Captain, I'll pick the best clothes for him."
Lumian could only frown and twitch his brows. Shaking his head slightly, he walked down the hallway and climbed the stairs. Turning to the left, he reached a door and opened it softly.
Inside, Derrick sat casually, sipping a cup of coffee while reading a book. Several more books were stacked neatly beside him.
"Good morning, Mr. Derrick," Lumian greeted quickly as he stepped forward and took a seat near the table.
Without lifting his eyes from the page, Derrick replied,
"Good morning, boy. Did you come to the laboratory to fetch something?"
Lumian chuckled lightly. "No, Mr. Derrick. I actually wanted to ask you a question."
...
Derrick carried his coffee to his mouth and looked at Lumian.
"What is it? Is it about your Diviner Order?"
Lumian chuckled. "No, Mr. Derrick. It's about something I saw when I took my first potion."
Derrick set the coffee down and wrote a few notes in his book before replying, "You mean the eidolon I refined."
Lumian nodded.
"The eidolon is like… how should I put it? A fairy, maybe — a phantom illustration of a creature. It's mostly obtained from curse fragments, which when refined produce eidolons. They are graded. The one I refined that time was Grade 9," Derrick explained.
Lumian thought for a moment before speaking. "I think I understand. But does the eidolon have a spiritual attachment? Like… does it enter the body? And what does it cause?"
Derrick chuckled briefly. "Boy, you've completely met my expectations. Normally sorcerers don't come to ask questions, hehe." He paused before continuing, "That means you're actually studying."
He dropped his book and went on, "You see, when the eidolon enters a person's body, it produces a ghostly projection — one that synchronizes with the human's projection. But sometimes an eidolon may not synchronize well. When that happens, it can destroy the host's projection, causing death… or turning them into a curse."
Hearing that, Lumian's eyes lifted slightly.
That means I could have nearly turned into a curse… Does that mean Mrs. V1 also has an eidolon, since she created that space? he thought inwardly.
...
"Do you understand now?" Derrick asked as he picked up his book again.
Lumian didn't respond immediately. Instead, he asked another question.
"But Mr. Derrick, I have something I want to clarify. I learned from one of St. Mary's books that curses are spread from the Creator's thoughts. Could you please elaborate on that?"
Inwardly, he added, I still need to confirm if the curse logic theory is correct!
Derrick hummed lightly before replying. "True, the text didn't directly mention how they spread. But researchers and readers like me have proposed certain theories about these things. You see, this concept is divided into Prenakes and Anakes."
Lumian listened attentively.
"The Prenake is mostly what curses and semi-curses use. Through that authority, they can curse individuals or place them in great suffering."
Lumian nodded slowly, deep in thought. "I've never heard of those before… What about the Anake, Mr. Derrick?"
Derrick chuckled softly. "We haven't confirmed the existence of an Anake yet. It's only a possibility derived from certain experiments."
Lumian pondered for a moment before asking, "Mr. Derrick… is it possible for a sorcerer — or even a human — to use a Prenake?"
...
Derrick looked at him for a brief moment before replying.
"No, no, no. Skywalker!" he chuckled, then composed himself. "I don't think humans can access Prenakes — talk less of sorcerers. Hehe. Sorcerers already draw their power from the Creator's hairs… so imagine tapping further into the thoughts themselves."
Lumian nodded slowly and rose to his feet. "I see… But what about ordinary humans?"
Derrick rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "We've never attempted that. Unless you're suggesting we use people as laboratory rats."
He paused, as if recalling an old memory, then continued, "The last time humans were used in such experiments was before Mrs. Hathway became a sorcerer. It involved the first cursed man. We had no choice at the time."
Lumian nodded and walked toward the door.
Just before opening it, he turned back.
Derrick had already returned to his book, completely absorbed. Lumian noticed him glowing in a faint blue aura.
Lumian lowered his gaze and sighed inwardly.
What do I even need to do to make this man like me?
He grasped the knob and paused.
"Thank you, Derrick."
"No problem," Derrick replied casually, without looking up.
...
After that, Lumian returned to his office and handled his "work matters" as usual. By the time the crimson sun had completely set, he finally headed home.
When he arrived, he tried the door, only to realize it was locked. Thankfully, he had a spare key. He took it out, slid it into the lock, twisted it gently, and stepped inside.
He removed his shoes and black coat, then dropped onto the sofa, exhaustion weighing heavily on him. Within moments, he drifted into a deep sleep.
Clink. Clank.
Not long after, the door opened again. Lumian stirred and forced himself upright, rubbing his tired eyes.
Soon, Kelvin and Laura stepped inside.
Kelvin, with his black hair slightly messy, looked startled for a moment before grinning. "Who's this? Wait… is it Lumian?"
Lumian frowned and shook his head.
Kelvin chuckled. "You actually came home early today, hehe."
Laura, uninterested in their banter, greeted her brother softly and walked straight to her room.
Kelvin let out a sigh and sat down. A brief silence filled the room before he finally spoke.
"Lumian… do you know Laura's school tuition will soon be due?"
Lumian exhaled. "So soon? And it's not like she even goes every day."
Kelvin shook his head. "And it's not like the bank is paying us regularly. They owe us three months' salary. They keep promising, but…" He covered part of his face with his fingers. "I don't even know where to get the money. I was thinking of borrowing from Mr. Wendyl."
Lumian paused. "How much is it?"
Kelvin didn't move his hand. "Two hundred pounds."
Lumian smiled faintly. "Tomorrow morning, I'll send you the money."
"…"
He stared at Lumian for a while, clearly stunned. He knew their situation better than anyone — and he knew his brother's… greedy tendencies.
Before he could say anything, Lumian patted him lightly on the shoulder and gave him a small smile before heading toward his room.
...
Later that night, darkness fully settled over the city.
After enjoying a simple meal, Lumian lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling as he began planning the events of the next day.
Early in the morning, I'll head to the faculty and finalize the infiltration plan. If I finish early, I might return to the office and visit the library to study more mythology and history. I could even ask the Captain to teach me a few spells.
After that, I'll learn some divination methods from Derrick, since he has a basic understanding.
Then, since it's Friday, I'll collect my ten-pound salary from Rosanne.
If I give Kelvin the two hundred pounds, my balance will be three hundred. Adding the ten pounds makes it three hundred and ten.
After carefully planning everything out, Lumian finally closed his eyes and drifted into the gentle arms of sleep.