"Silas, I think you need to give me an explanation."
The regret in Dunn's profound eyes lasted only a very short time. He quickly became serious, resuming the demeanor befitting a captain.
"Heh heh..."
Silas was at a loss for words and could only smile bitterly.
Caught by the Nighthawks at the crime scene, his entire body bearing marks of combat, with the corpse of a Beyonder who was clearly an evil god's believer lying on the ground... no matter how he tried to deny it, there was no way to disconnect himself from what had happened here.
Not only that, but because he'd continuously used "Profane Words," his body now emanated a strong aura of corruption.
No matter how you looked at it, he didn't seem like a good person.
But Captain, why did you arrive so quickly?
Silas thought helplessly.
The police force in the East End was relatively weak, and it belonged to the Storm Church's sphere of influence.
In his calculations, the police should have arrived slowly first, and only after they discovered the abnormalities at the scene would they contact official Beyonders.
By the time the Storm Church's "Punishers" arrived at the scene, he would have long since cleaned up any loose ends and escaped with Cecilia.
However, the result was that just as he'd finished dealing with Ma'am M, he was caught red-handed by the Nighthawks.
What now?
"Captain, I..."
Silas had just begun his explanation when he suddenly stopped and said, "Captain, isn't this a bit much?"
It turned out that while the two were talking, he'd noticed the surrounding environment had undergone a slight change in an instant.
Because he was already familiar with Dunn's abilities, he immediately realized he'd been dragged into a dream.
This meant that Dunn was already on guard against him, preparing to arrest him just like this.
"Crack..."
The illusory dream shattered like glass. Silas opened his eyes to see that Klein and Leonard had already closed in, pointing the dark barrels of their guns at him.
"Silas, come back with us. If not for yourself, then for Cecilia."
Klein's tone was almost pleading.
Behind him, the other Nighthawks had also gathered around... Royale, Seeka, Kenley... The expressions on their faces weren't pleasant either.
"Silas."
Cecilia got up and looked at Silas, her eyes resolute.
He knew what his sister meant.
She wanted him to make the decision.
Whether to cooperate with the arrest or fight them for that slim chance at freedom, whichever path he chose, she was willing to walk it with him.
But Silas had already exhausted all his means in the earlier battle. Facing so many Nighthawks in perfect condition, how could he possibly have a chance of winning?
Unless he sacrificed himself to summon an evil god, in that case, not only would everyone in the entire city be buried alongside them, but Cecilia's safety couldn't be guaranteed either.
Forget it. At least he'd killed that damned Ma'am M as he'd wished, and he'd saved his sister's life.
"Alright..."
Silas let out a long sigh.
Facing the Nighthawks closing in around him, he slowly raised both hands.
The next day, beneath the Blackthorn Security Company.
Gas lamps embedded in the walls illuminated the Chanis Gate, made of black iron.
In front of the gate stood a huge metal cage.
The cage was large enough to contain a table, and at this moment, someone was sitting at the table, working hard to contend with the steak on his plate.
Silas kept his head down, diligently cutting the bloody steak into appropriately bite-sized pieces, then forking them up one by one and stuffing them into his mouth.
The tender texture of the steak and the unique aroma of the fat stimulated his taste buds, making him close his eyes in bliss.
If it weren't for the shackles on his hands constantly clanking against the plate as he cut the steak, and the cold underground wind blowing against his face, he might have mistaken himself for being in some high-end restaurant.
"Want more?"
Outside the cage, Leonard asked.
"No need."
Silas stacked the empty plate to one side and took a sip of water.
After eating four or five plates of large steaks in one go, the emptiness and hunger inside him had been suppressed, replaced by the satisfaction of a full stomach.
"You're really... not tense at all."
Seeing him like this, even the usually frivolous Leonard shook his head helplessly. "In this kind of situation, you can still have such a good appetite."
Ms. Seeka, who had been silently standing to the side, also nodded slightly in agreement.
The gas lamps stretched their shadows very long.
As they moved, the large-caliber steam rifles in their hands reflected the lamplight, appearing cold and formidable.
More than ten hours had already passed.
Silas had been brought back by the Nighthawks to the underground of the company.
The place where he used to work daily had suddenly transformed into a prison holding him. This shift in perception gave him a strange sense of unreality.
According to regulations, Silas should have originally been locked in the prison behind the Chanis Gate.
But considering that his eyes would suffer greatly from seeing what lay beyond the gate, and to prevent him from losing control because of it, Dunn had arranged for him to be detained outside the gate, monitored the entire time by two Sequence 8 "Midnight Poets."
They held not only steam rifles but also other sealed artifacts. If Silas showed the slightest abnormality, they had the authority to open fire and suppress him.
"Even if I were tense, it wouldn't make the situation any better, would it?"
Silas said with a grin.
He'd thought it through.
His actions back then had received the Evernight Goddess's help and tacit approval. He was still useful to the Goddess.
The Holy Cathedral probably wouldn't execute him, but what exactly they would have him do afterward was hard to say.
As for his sister, she was an accessory at most. She hadn't even been detained but was kept upstairs on watch duty.
"By the way, where's the Captain?"
"Dealing with the mess you left behind."
Leonard said. "He's arguing with the 'Punisher' captain. You caused trouble in their jurisdiction, and they're very unhappy."
Can't be helped. Who told that crazy woman to choose the East End?
Silas recalled Ma'am M, still feeling somewhat oppressed.
Thinking back now, he still couldn't understand her final actions.
Not only that, but thinking back on it afterward, before she held the final ritual, she hadn't even stripped Silas of his Beyonder items.
She clearly already knew through surveillance what he had on him, yet she allowed him to bring everything to the scene.
It was almost like seeking her own death...
"Also, there's something else."
At this moment, Leonard spoke up, calling back his thoughts. "...Klein asked me to apologize to you on his behalf.
For not discovering your situation in time and causing you to reach this point."
"He doesn't need to apologize."
Silas smiled bitterly.
It turned out that the reason the Nighthawks had pursued so early last night was all because of Klein.
That evening, he'd planned to discuss going to see a play with Silas.
When he arrived at No. 6 Daffodil Street, he found it completely empty.
Combined with Silas's previous solo assassination of the Witch, Klein realized something seemed wrong.
He divined inside the house and actually saw Ma'am M, which shocked him greatly.
He immediately rushed to the Blackthorn Security Company to report the situation to Dunn.
By the time the Nighthawks followed the divination to the East End, the battle had just ended, and they caught Silas on the spot.
That was why they'd arrived so promptly.
The two were chatting idly when suddenly footsteps came from outside, steady and measured. Soon, Dunn's face appeared at the edge of the lamplight.
"Captain."
Everyone called out in unison, including Silas in the cage.
Dunn nodded to everyone, then looked at Silas.
His expression seemed somewhat grave.
"Silas, are you certain the person you killed was Ma'am M?"
"I'm certain... Captain, what's wrong?"
Silas was somewhat confused by his question.
He heard Dunn slowly say:
"Judging from the characteristics extracted from the corpse... Ma'am M was not a Shepherd."