"Ma'am M, she was not a Shepherd."
The sentence Dunn casually uttered left Silas completely stunned.
His mind went blank, as if a dizzying buzzing sound echoed in his brain for a moment before gradually fading away.
It wasn't just him. Even Leonard and Seeka seemed somewhat shocked after hearing it.
"Captain, are you joking?"
Silas struggled to force a smile. "Don't mess with me."
Ma'am M had used so many Beyonder abilities right in front of him, and her flesh magic was so powerful. How could she possibly not be a Shepherd?
Could it be a substitute... No, his spiritual intuition clearly told him that the person he'd killed was absolutely the same Ma'am M he'd encountered at Port Enmat!
"Under the current circumstances, I'm in no mood to joke."
Dunn said with profound eyes. "Ma'am M isn't even of the Secrets Suppliant pathway.
Judging from the characteristics extracted from her, she should be Sequence 6 of the 'Spectator' pathway, a Hypnotist."
She wasn't even of the Secrets Suppliant sequence, just Sequence 6...
Silas couldn't help but freeze. After a long while, he hesitantly spoke:
"Then why could she use Beyonder's abilities from other pathways..."
"It's because of this Beyonder item."
Dunn took something from his coat and showed it to him. It was a large rose ring, gleaming with a vivid red light under the gas lamp.
It was the thing Ma'am M had worn on her hand!
Silas recalled that from Port Enmat to Tingen, that woman had always worn this exquisite ring on her finger.
Because the ring was shaped like a rose, Silas had always thought it was an ornament related to the True Creator's faith.
He never expected it to actually be a Beyonder item!
Silas's head buzzed. He vaguely heard Dunn's voice coming through in a blur:
"We did a preliminary test on this ring and found it has the abilities of 'grazing' and 'flesh magic.'
It has grazed at least one 'Witch,' one 'Magician,' and one 'Pyromaniac'... How about it? Does this match your experience when fighting her?"
Silas nodded blankly.
The person he'd been certain was a Shepherd was not only not a Shepherd but was even from a different sequence... Her disguise had been far too deep.
Thinking back now, back at Port Enmat, when facing Edward's questioning, Ma'am M had only said she wasn't a Rose Bishop. She'd never said she was a Shepherd.
No wonder her "mental manipulation" ability was obviously much stronger than her other abilities. Because that was her own ability!
So Beyonders not of the Secrets Suppliant pathway could also become believers of the True Creator and even climb to the high position of divine envoy...
Silas had figured some things out, but the biggest puzzle still couldn't be resolved.
What exactly was the purpose behind Ma'am M's actions?
Now that she was dead and even her characteristics had been completely extracted, this mystery would probably follow her into hell, never to be unraveled.
"...Silas, are you listening? Silas!"
"I'm here!"
He jolted and quickly responded.
Looking up ahead, Dunn was watching him. "In any case, things have come to this point.
I will report everything truthfully to the Holy Cathedral.
The fact that you were forced to advance to 'Listener' under threat, the fact that you acted on your own to hunt down Madam Sharon, and what happened tonight... As for how the Holy Cathedral will handle this, I can't guarantee anything."
When he reached the last sentence, his expression dimmed slightly.
"That you've reached this point today is also due to my inadequacy as a captain. I didn't discover it in time. I should apologize to you..."
"Don't dwell on it too much, Captain."
Silas stopped Dunn. "Although I advanced to Sequence 8, so far I'm fine. It's not as serious as you described."
Dunn had once said that those who advanced to "Listener" would without exception slide toward the abyss of corruption, completely becoming servants and fanatics of the True Creator.
But because of that tide's existence, although Silas could often hear ravings, he could resist the massive pollution brought by the ravings and maintain mental stability.
Dunn shook his head:
"It's not like that... After all, you've only just advanced. Although you still seem the same on the surface, something deep inside has already been subtly changed.
From now on, it's hard to say whether you can remain on our side."
Captain, why won't you believe me...
Silas was speechless.
He really wanted to argue, but Dunn had already subjectively decided that his cognition had changed.
No matter what he said, he couldn't change Dunn's thinking. It was like running into the street and explaining to passersby that you weren't crazy.
The more you explained, the more they'd think something was wrong with you.
"Captain, I actually have an idea," Leonard suddenly said, breaking the tension.
"Just have him curse the True Creator directly. That should prove it."
Everyone in the underground chamber froze.
Was Leonard serious? And yet… it made a strange kind of sense. Even the most devoted cultist couldn't blaspheme the god they worshipped.
Silas was stunned for a moment, then realized Leonard's idea might actually work.
He looked at Dunn, cleared his throat, and said, "The True Creator is just a lunatic.
Hanging upside down all day long, his head's been full of blood so long he's turned into an idiot."
The underground immediately fell silent. Everyone's eyes widened.
Why are you all looking at me like that...
Silas felt a bit uneasy for a moment.
"Hahahahaha!"
Leonard was the first to burst out laughing. Then Seeka also covered her mouth and bent over. Even the steady Dunn showed a rare smile on his face.
"Haha! Head filled with blood! Silas, how did you come up with that!"
Leonard laughed without any composure. "I can't take it. I have to tell everyone about this!"
All along, the Nighthawks had maintained an extremely vigilant and guarded attitude toward evil gods.
Silas suddenly cursing the True Creator from such a creative angle was completely unexpected to them.
The empty underground space was suddenly filled with a cheerful atmosphere.
"Alright, I believe you now."
After everyone calmed down, Dunn's face also became much more relaxed. "I'll report this part to the Holy Cathedral as well. It should earn you some points."
"Okay, Captain."
Silas nodded. "Also, how is Cecilia?"
His sister had been kept upstairs by the Nighthawks. They'd been separated for some time now, and he was somewhat worried.
"She's been insisting she's the mastermind and wants to take the blame for you."
Dunn said.
Why is she being foolish again...
Silas felt both helpless and touched.
"Captain, she was dragged into this by me. Don't make things difficult for her."
"Mm, I know you're most worried about Cecilia."
Dunn said in a deep voice. "I'll do everything I can to help her."
"Thank you, Captain."
Silas breathed a sigh of relief. His body leaned back against the chair.
Forget it. Whatever Ma'am M's real purpose was, at least he'd protected Cecilia.
His efforts hadn't been in vain, as for how the Holy Cathedral would deal with him, let them do as they pleased.