For me, the situation was becoming even more complicated and terrifying. Just now, a man had landed in front of me whose strength was impossible to estimate at that moment. But that person, who until now had been kneeling, slowly began to stand upright. As he straightened up, my heartbeat kept increasing, and after a few moments—
As soon as he raised his head, his eyes collided directly with mine. And the moment I saw that face, my body hair stood on end. I recognized that face instantly. Those same eyes and that same devilish smile on his face—yes, this was the same mysterious man whom I had first seen standing atop the clock tower beside Blackwood Palace, and the second time inside that broken mirror which reflected darkness, during the Mirror Divination I performed. I had seen him then when he was fighting Roshan—the same Roshan who had transformed into a terrifying monster. This was that very man who could fly in the air, create numerous clones, and shoot destructive lasers from his eyes.
But today he was standing right in front of me. There was a strange glint in his eyes that clearly showed he deeply suspected me. It felt as if he was trying to peer beneath my skin and read those secrets I had hidden from the world.
Now his sharp gaze was examining the three of us deeply, as if he were peeling apart every layer of our existence. The silence was so deep that the sound of the sea waves paused and then returned with a surge, crashing against the shore and breaking the silence. After staring at us silently for a few moments, he suddenly stepped forward with one foot and changed his stance.
That tiny movement of his foot created such a deadly pressure in the air that all three of our Paragon Senses rang like danger alarms. And in an instant we realized that anything could happen next. So without wasting even a single moment, all three of us jumped backward together.
Our jump was so high and long that any ordinary person would be stunned to see it, because it was far beyond a normal jump—it was a superhuman reflex. With that long leap we managed to create a safe distance from him, but by then it was already too late.
That single movement of ours had revealed our true nature to him. That man was now looking at us with the same sinister smile on his face. He was completely certain now that the three people standing before him were not ordinary passersby—we too were Paragons like him.
After realizing that we were Paragons, that man spoke: "Oh… so you people are Paragons too," he said with amusement. There was a strange pull in his voice, as if he were testing us.
All three of us were still fully alert and serious, our bodies ready to respond to any attack. Seeing the seriousness in our eyes, that man understood we were not taking him lightly. He raised his hands in the air as if signaling peace and said,
"Calm down… you don't need to be afraid of me. I'm not your enemy."
Then after a slight pause he revealed his identity: "I am from the Church of Moon, and I'm one of their Paragons."
Hearing this, the three of us were stunned. Thoughts raced through my mind like lightning. Was he telling the truth? Was he really a member of the Church? And if so, our trouble had increased even more, because he had caught us red-handed using Paragon powers—something we absolutely did not want.
The man slowly walked toward us. His expression had softened slightly, but his gaze was still sharp. Looking us up and down, he seemed to assess something, then casually said, "I think you people belong to some noble family. If that's the case, then there's nothing to worry about."
He continued explaining that if children of noble families possessed Paragon powers—or even secretly acquired them somewhere—the rules of secrecy were not as strict on them as they were on common people.
"So it would be better if you tell me your family names," he said in an official tone, "so that I can inform the Church that the children of these families possess Paragon powers and can be officially registered."
Seeing him speak with such authority and confidence, Historia and I slightly lowered our aggression. We could tell he was telling the truth. My knowledge confirmed that this man was indeed an influential member of the Church of Moon, who often worked together with Royal Knights and even with my father, Narco Desk.
His posture and manner of speaking clearly showed he was no amateur but a professional Paragon. So rather than making an enemy of such a person or clashing with him, aligning with him was in our best interest for now.
And seeing our changed attitude, that same faint mysterious smile appeared on his face again. After that, in a polite yet sharp voice, he asked us for our introduction.
I straightened my spine and then, mixing royal dignity and a bit of arrogance into my voice, looked straight into his eyes and said,
"My name is Jona Desk. Son of Narco Desk, Senator Council member of the Guptis Empire."
My words echoed in the air.
At that moment I clearly knew that revealing my full name was the best move for me, and my decision proved perfectly accurate.
As soon as I introduced myself, the stern expression on that man's face turned into a friendly glow. Excitedly he said, "Oh! So you're Senator Narco's son? Very pleased to meet you. My name is Vyuk Dalho."
Saying this and telling his name, he immediately extended his hand for a handshake. Seeing this, I was a little surprised inside that the man who just seconds ago looked ready to attack us was now offering friendship so quickly. But angering him right now wasn't safe, so I hesitantly extended my hand and shook his.
But my relief didn't last long. As soon as we shook hands, that man named Vyuk fixed his gaze on Historia standing behind me. Becoming serious, he asked me, "Alright, tell me one more thing… is this girl standing with you in maid clothes also a Paragon?"
There was no longer the earlier softness in his voice. He continued, "If that's the case, I'll have to arrest her. A maid possessing such powers can be dangerous for society and the law."
After that Vyuk turned directly toward Historia and asked in a stern voice, "Girl, what is your name?"
Historia paused for a moment, as if steadying herself. Pointing toward herself, she innocently asked, "My… name?"
"Yes, your name!" Vyuk repeated.
Without hesitation, Historia bowed her head respectfully and replied, "My name is Historia Chester."
Hearing the name, a strange expression appeared on Vyuk's face, but he quickly composed himself. "Oh, Historia… forgive me, but I am arresting you right now."
I was dumbfounded. In anger and shock I said to Vyuk, "Why? How can you arrest my maid without my permission?"
Vyuk looked at me, his eyes filled with professional firmness. He replied, "Jona, I have to do this. I can't let Historia go just because she's your maid. Besides, the law here isn't equal for everyone, and an unregistered Paragon who isn't part of a noble family but just a maid cannot be left free."
I was about to say something about Vyuk's decision and this world's legal system, but before that a thought flashed in my mind like lightning. Was arresting Historia not a necessity but some deeper scheme of Vyuk Dalho? Because according to me, how is it possible he hasn't heard Historia's name? In recent days after the Blackwood Palace incident, Historia had become quite talked about—the golden-haired girl with diamond-like blue eyes who is the Desk family's maid. And obviously
Vyuk must have heard these things, and since he belongs to the Church of Moon—and it was the Church of Moon that had offered Historia to join them—obviously Vyuk knows everything. And perhaps this "arrest" was only an excuse to recruit Historia into the Church. Although I know Historia is a Royal Knight, so she can easily get out of this situation because she is also an official Paragon. I could tell Vyuk this and save Historia instantly, but Helena was present here, so it would be better if Vyuk learned these things later.
But now Helena's patience broke because of the argument going on between us. She got badly irritated and shouted in a harsh voice, "Hey, listen Vyuk Dalho—or Dolho, whatever your name is—let us do our work right now. Play your cops-and-robbers game somewhere else later!"
Vyuk turned toward her in surprise. "Oh Madam! My apologies, I forgot to ask about you. Would you kindly tell your name?"
Helena replied with royal authority and tremendous confidence, "My name is Helena St. Claire."
Hearing the name, Vyuk's attitude softened a little. "Wow! So you're from the St. Claire family? Then I can't do anything against you. But can you tell me what work you've come here for?"
Helena snapped back, "Why does it matter to you? Whatever we're doing, you mind your business. By the way, what is a Church member doing here at the harbor?"
Because of Helena's sharp replies, irritation was clearly visible on Vyuk's face. I immediately sensed that if this escalated, things could go bad. At this moment, telling the truth to a powerful Paragon like Vyuk and bringing him to our side was the smartest move.
I took a deep breath and decided to tell him everything truthfully. I explained in detail how we were tracking a mysterious kidnapper woman who had been making people disappear. I told him all our theories so far—that she might be planning to escape the capital using a small cargo ship (carrying rice or oil) instead of a passenger ship.
I told him everything we knew, hoping that this Paragon of the Church could make our search easier.