Until the End of the Journey

“You're just an ev... a Great Old One, that's all. I am walking the path of immortality, and I have my neighbor with me. I was merely showing respect to a higher-dimensional entity, so don't think I'm actually afraid of you.”

Lynch was firm in his resolve, neither humble nor arrogant, acting with propriety and refusing to yield an inch.

Of course, this was after sending off the Swelling Daughter.

Well, before she left, he had actually been quite nervous. After all, this entity was temperamental and completely beyond rational comprehension.

It wasn't a matter of fear, but rather that interacting with a lunatic would make any sane person nervous—even if they were a psychiatrist.

Lynch thought this because she had already used her actions to perfectly illustrate to him what a lunatic was.

The moment he realized something had gone wrong, Lynch had fallen into complete despair and abandoned his original plan to impersonate her follower. Yet, he suddenly realized that this evil god was actually extremely pleased.

Impersonating someone else's follower, borrowing their presence to intimidate others, and most importantly, actively initiating contact to show it off to them—as if terrified they wouldn't find out about the foolish thing he was doing—this act of blatant provocation was something the Swelling Daughter actually found quite satisfying.

Lynch had indeed seen before that this evil god loved to watch drama and seek amusement, but he truly hadn't expected it to reach such an absurd level.

Right off the bat, she had highly praised him for inventing a new way to use the round fan. She had even personally taught him how to better impersonate her followers, the Swelling Daughters, and went so far as to promise that she would never reveal Lynch's true identity to the other party.

Was she out of her mind?

Not only that, but in her excitement, the Swelling Daughter had casually shoved a piece of forbidden knowledge into Lynch's consciousness as a reward. It was an ability under the death authority.

No, wait, Lady Evil God, is casually shoving forbidden knowledge like this into a mortal's head really a reward? Wouldn't it drive a mortal insane? No wonder evil gods were extremely dangerous existences to normal creatures. Whether they were pleased or displeased, the outcome was very likely just them casually killing you.

Fortunately, other than giving Lynch a brief headache from the mental shock, acquiring this ability had no severe consequences. Naturally, its effect was also rather ordinary.

【Authority, Death, Ability, Death Omen.】

It allowed him to sense the deaths of intelligent beings within a five-meter radius over the past twenty-four hours. The closer the time of death, the clearer the perception. The effect was roughly similar to the chalk outlines drawn around corpses at crime scenes.

It was a practical little ability and a pleasant surprise. The problem was that this attitude made Lynch truly understand the bizarre nature of evil gods, leaving him feeling deeply anxious.

He wasn't worried about the Swelling Daughter breaking her promise. According to his neighbor, these evil gods rarely broke their word, though they might distort their promises when necessary. Thus, he wouldn't expose his identity this time just because he forgot to hang up. However, this unpredictable attitude was truly incomprehensible to Lynch, making him worry that she might suddenly do something completely bizarre.

Forget it, he would just cross that bridge when he came to it. At least there was no problem for now.

Lynch lit his pipe and gazed out the window at Charles Square.

Metal and gears, steam and coal, brick and cement made this city heavy and rigid, cold as a machine. However, the green of early summer still stubbornly peeked through the freezing cracks, dotting the city with its remaining slivers of vitality.

It was already afternoon. Just a moment ago, Lynch, Officer Natalie, and little Martha had been secretly escorted back to 221 Villa Avenue by a private Watcher carriage. Since then, the three women had been whispering and laughing on the first floor, while Lynch stayed alone on the second floor to organize his thoughts, just like the day he had first moved in a month ago.

But his mood and state of mind were completely different now.

Back then, having just transmigrated, he faced an unfamiliar world with only a month left to live, struggling to survive every single moment.

Although only a month had passed, everything was now on the right track. Lynch had also become a rank two Soul Severer, taking slow, steady steps along the path of immortality.

Though it was still fraught with danger, his mind had gradually grown calm.

‘Habit is truly a terrifying thing. I feel like I'm adapting more and more to this identity of Detective Lynch Levive. This is fine, too. I like this kind of life, and I've gradually grown fond of this world. Thank you, Lady Luna.’

【Heh...】 The soft laughter was filled with deep meaning.

‘You don't have to laugh like that. I know you have your own goals, Lady Luna, and they probably have a huge impact on me, which is why your attitude has always been so unique. Heh, I'm not completely stupid; I can tell. But honestly, I don't care.’

【Oh? You don't care even if it doesn't align with what you truly expect? And the reason? Is it because I set you on this journey of awakening?】

‘That's not it. I wouldn't change my original intentions just because of that gratitude. At worst, I'll just pay back what I owe you. I don't care because you've truly left all the decision-making power to me, without using your will to control me. Maybe there's guidance, maybe there's subtle influence, but that's all very normal. As long as every choice is made by me, then when the journey reaches its end, what I see will be my own scenery. As for whether it matches what I should have expected, that won't matter by then. Of course I don't care.’

【If that is your true thought, neighbor, then I will always remain by your side, accompanying you to witness the scenery that belongs to you.】

‘Until the end of the journey?’

【Heh, yes, until the end.】

Listening to the soft laughter in his mind, though it was still daytime, Lynch could feel gentle moonlight softly shining upon his soul. This caused the corners of his mouth to slowly curl up as he stood by the window, a tender smile appearing on his face.

“Why are you smiling so weirdly all by yourself? You look as sinister as a cultist—and a completely insane one at that.”

Hearing the voice behind him, Lynch turned around to see Officer Natalie walking up with a plate. On the plate were freshly baked muffins, smelling strongly of honey.

“Oh, I was just thinking that someone owes me seven favors now, and I'm considering the first favor... mmmph!”

Progress indeed. At least he wasn't stepped on or kicked; his mouth was simply stuffed with a muffin to block his nonsense.

After committing her act of violence, the female officer merely feigned a kick at Lynch before placing the plate of muffins on the coffee table. Leaning back on the sofa in a practiced motion, she panted weakly for a moment before lifting her chin toward Lynch. “Maggie took Martha out to buy groceries. I came up to check on you. Were you looking to see if there are any spying hounds keeping watch outside?”

“Yeah.”

“Are you worried they'll make a move on this place to directly snatch the gem? They shouldn't.”

Leaving the window, Lynch sat opposite Officer Natalie, snatched a sweet muffin, and asked while chewing, “Why?”

“Because I'm here. If they make a move in front of me, they're declaring war on the Watchers. Although I can't directly intervene, I can still help with this. My condition hasn't fully recovered yet, so fighting alongside you won't go very well, but at least with me here, you don't have to worry about the safety of your home for now.”

Holding her muffin, Officer Natalie nibbled on it in small bites like a little squirrel, speaking indistinctly:

“But I still think the idea you mentioned earlier is too risky, Lynch. Although the speed of your advancement is unbelievable, you've only been in the mysterious world for a month, after all. That's still too short. I'm very glad you're willing to contribute to protecting order, but taking such a big risk...”

“Is it more dangerous than what you usually do?” Lynch sighed. “My connection to this matter is growing deeper and deeper; it's impossible to wash my hands of it now. Even if I wanted to back out, or even surrender to Prince William, those factions wouldn't let me off. Besides, I'm not blindly taking risks. I have a certain level of confidence now. I'm thinking of adding a safety measure, and maybe it really will go smoothly.”

A ringing sound came from the apartment's main entrance, surprising both Lynch and Officer Natalie.

“Did Mrs. Maggie forget her keys? That shouldn't be. You haven't recovered your strength yet, I'll go.”

Lynch held down Officer Natalie, who was about to stand up, and ran straight to the entrance to open the door.

A graceful, elegant noble lady holding a folding fan stood at the doorway, offering Lynch a gentle smile.

“Good afternoon, Mr. Lynch.”

???

Lynch instinctively glanced behind him, then looked back at the noble lady in front of him, suddenly feeling a spasm in his neck.

It was clearly only early summer, so why did the wind suddenly feel so cold?