The attackers trapped in the mist did not treat the Human-Faced Spirit but instead concentrated entirely on Natsu and Uchiha Sasuke, while also searching for Ron's figure. But Ron had already left and entered Sumas's space. Unless he came out on his own, finding him was nearly impossible.
"It looks like these people are here specifically for me. The Spirit from earlier must have been just bait, or a trap, deliberately set to lure me here. Yet they didn't treat that Human-Faced Killing Spirit as a companion. And then there was Claude's attitude."
A suspicion flickered in Ron's mind. The so-called Spirits were only a concept proposed by the Begrossé Curch, but in reality, they were all Curch members, merely aligned with different factions. Ron already knew that, but hadn't bothered to think much more of it since he was just passing through.
Ron had never witnessed what the Curch priests were truly capable of, but since they all belonged to the same religious powers, their source should be similar. The abilities of the Spirits looked grotesque and abnormal, but the church's powers were not exactly normal either.
"Could it be that the Human-Faced Spirit is actually a church priest? Could these four attackers, along with Claude, be the actual Spirits?
But even if that's the case, why would Claude target me? I only came because I accepted a commission. As long as the target has the Dark Sonata, no matter who it is, I will take the request. Killing Curch members or killing Spirits makes no difference to me. Claude should understand that clearly. So what is really going on here?"
Ron was not particularly worried about the situation before him. The attackers were strong, and without sufficient information he could not be completely certain of victory, but he did not need to fight them. What truly concerned him was the Dark Sonata—who held it now?
He went to the Library Prison, standing before the Witch of Sound.
"How can one distinguish between Curch priests and Spirits?"
"There's no way to distinguish them," the Witch of Sound said, shaking her head. "There's no essential difference between the two."
"What about Claude? Are you familiar with him?"
"I know of him. He has a good relationship with Lawrence, so I've seen him quite a few times."
"Would you say Claude is a foolish man?"
"Foolish? No, not at all. Claude is extremely shrewd—shrewder even than Lawrence."
Ron said, "The commission I received earlier came from Claude and Lawrence. They tasked me to kill five Spirits, and in return Claude would give me the Dark Sonata he had collected. The agreement was that once I arrived in this city, he would hand it over. But after I came, Claude went back on his word, insisting that I kill the Spirits first. It should bring him no benefit to go back on his words and ruine potential future business relationships."
The Witch of Sound was silent for a moment.
"That is indeed not something Claude would normally do. Whether or not Claude has become a Spirit, to him you should make no difference—unless he intends to use you for something."
That was the only explanation Ron could think of, but he could not imagine what Claude would use him for. He was only an outsider, unrelated to Begrossé. Even if Claude killed him, what benefit would he gain? There was no grudge that Ron could think of.
"Could it be that there was an old feud with the Zoldyck family?"
Ron stepped out into the blank sector of Sumas's space, took out his phone, and dialed Zeno's number, linking to the outside world through a small gateway for electromagnetic signals. At this moment, that gateway was attached to Sasuke.
Soon, Zeno answered.
"Ron. What is it?"
"Grandfather Zeno, have you ever heard of someone named Claude?"
"Claude?"
"One of the red cardinals of Begrossé. I'm in Begrossé right now. Has our Zoldyck family ever had a feud with them?"
Zeno paused.
"No, I don't recall… wait, that name Claude does sound somewhat familiar. I'll look into it."
"Alright."
Before long, Zeno returned with an answer.
"There was once a branch family of the Zoldycks. One of its members was named Claude. But long, long ago, he disappeared during certain events. If that Claude survived, then it is possible he harbors resentment toward the Zoldyck family."
Ron's brow rose slightly.
"Claude might be a Zoldyck? Grandfather Zeno, is there any way I can confirm that? And if he truly is a Zoldyck, then what should I do?"
"Just ask directly. You should have a way to tell truth from lies, don't you? As for what to do—Ron, is he trying to kill you?"
"From the looks of it, yes."
"Then kill him. The moment he decided to strike at you, he was no longer one of us. You can kill him without any hesitation."
"Understood, Grandfather Zeno."
Ending the call, Ron felt a trace of complicated emotion. He had not expected Claude to have such ties to the Zoldyck family. Something must have happened back then that caused Claude to bear a grudge, but whatever it was, it had nothing to do with Ron.
If Claude wanted him dead, then Ron would show no mercy.
He returned to the ark's core.
"Captain," Erina said, the food already prepared.
Ron replied, "Let's eat first and restore our strength. After that, cooperate with me to draw those four into this place, and we'll end the battle here."
"Yes."
While eating, Ron opened his laptop.
"Nina, this one will be yours. During battle he has a verbal tic. When he slips, use your ability to control him. One second will be enough. Leave the rest to me."
Nina nodded.
"Yes, big brother. I'll get it done."
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