Agreement

Duke Vane’s introduction had been understated, but Lynch could tell that an immense peril lay hidden within the mission.

Schemes capable of putting men of their stature—like Emperor Rudolph II and the duke—on high alert fell into only a handful of categories: regime change, national survival, the rise and fall of cities, the life and death of great families, and perhaps, within Lande’s political climate, the fate of the common folk.

None of these were things an ordinary transmigrator who hadn’t even mastered their abilities should touch; a single misstep meant being crushed to dust.

In fact, disaster could strike even without making a wrong move.

Just look at the present situation: even disregarding how bizarre the Abyss Weaver’s method of keeping secrets was, the mere fact that two investigative journalists who were barely involved had ended up dead or missing in strange ways was proof enough of how dangerous this whole affair was.

Returning a favor was gratitude; blindly rushing into death was sheer stupidity.

Lynch’s refusal was already at the tip of his tongue. Yet after pausing for a few seconds following the old duke’s answer, what came out instead was, “Giving me room to choose now—aren’t your Excellencies underestimating me a bit too much? I don’t need to reconsider. I’ve already taken this commission.”

“Hmm?” The two old men exchanged glances, momentarily losing the composure befitting two veteran political foxes.

“A promise is a promise. Failing to estimate the danger beforehand was my own mistake, but danger is no excuse to break a commitment.” Lynch clenched his fists, speaking with righteous indignation. “Do you truly take me for someone who backs out the moment things turn perilous? I could never do such a thing.”

For a moment, the two elders were stunned by the aura of pure virtue on Lynch’s face, looking at him with surprise and growing admiration. Naturally, neither could hear the inner monologue running through his head.

Found you, enemy. It’s about time we settled the score for those six pounds and fifteen shillings.

The empty picture frame on the wall of the Randall residence had returned to haunt Lynch’s dreams night after night. An unseen figure lurked within, glaring coldly at his every move.

After surviving that night, Lynch had asked Officer Natalie about it. She had looked into it on his behalf, but concluded it was likely a rare ability or relic effect, leaving her entirely at a loss.

If even a professional mystery hunter knew nothing about it, it had to be a unique technique. Lynch had kept it in the back of his mind ever since, so the moment the old duke mentioned an empty picture frame, he instantly realized that this individual was very likely the mastermind plotting against him from the shadows—or at least closely tied to them.

Ever since the original landlord sent that mocking letter, there had been no word from this person for several days. But Lynch didn’t dare overlook the venomous serpent lurking in the dark; he was certain the viper would strike again soon, especially now that he had slipped away from the gaze of the Flicker.

One couldn’t live in constant vigilance forever; unless he dragged this snake into the open and crushed it, he wouldn’t be able to sleep peacefully.

Besides, Lady Luna refused to elaborate on many matters, claiming he was still too green, which meant he had to dig up the answers on his own.

The culprit had deliberately chosen him, the original host just happened to have carried a red moon pendant for years, and then he had transmigrated into this body. As Officer Natalie said, there were no coincidences in the world of mystery; there had to be connections he had yet to understand.

Previously, he had lacked leads and could only endure. But now that a clue had finally surfaced, given Lynch’s disposition—one where he’d rather die taking charge of his own fate than live at someone else’s mercy—he would never let this go, even if it meant risking his life countlessly.

The two old men looked at each other. Archbishop Trinlais reined in the confusion on his face and said approvingly, “It seems I truly underestimated you before. Since you are so true to your word, I will arrange for people to transfer the Red Moon Memories from the capital headquarters right away. It will take about ten days or so on the road.”

“That is not the priority; I trust your sincerity.” Lynch calculated quickly in his mind before asking casually, “However, while other details must be investigated on my own and cannot be disclosed, there shouldn’t be any need to hide information regarding the Shadow Alliance, right? I’d like to understand more about them—perhaps I can glean something from their movements.”

“You truly found a formidable young man.” The old duke looked at his longtime friend in surprise before turning to Lynch. “As expected of a professional detective. How did you spot the crux of the matter at a glance?”

Huh? What did you just headcanon this time? Say it out loud so I can know what I supposedly thought.

Though thinking this to himself, Lynch merely offered an enigmatic smile.

“The Shadow Alliance can be considered a secret society, mostly consisting of believers of fallen gods and Soul Severers, though it may also contain some followers of the major gods,” the old duke explained. “They don’t just trade in intelligence; at times, they manipulate conspiracies and stir up trouble behind the scenes. Or rather, stirring up trouble is their primary objective; selling intelligence is merely a means to recover funds and lower a target’s guard, while their ultimate goal is conspiracy and destruction.”

Lynch listened calmly, though his mind churned with complex thoughts. His recent ordeal had most likely not been an accident, but rather a plot orchestrated by the Shadow Alliance, or part of a larger conspiracy. After a moment’s thought, Lynch pressed, “What is their motive for doing this?”

“Unknown. Rumors say they want to resurrect a fallen god whose divine domain includes conspiracies and lies. Others claim they seek to destroy the world and bring an end to the Fifth Age. There are various other speculations, but the common thread is that all of them are utterly mad,” the old duke continued. “Therefore, while we can acquire intelligence from them, we dare not place full trust in it, and we must also consider whether they are brewing a conspiracy by feeding us information. That is precisely what you need to focus on investigating: whether this is connected to them, and if so, what they are ultimately after.”

“In other words, they are likely directly tied to the railway incident I am investigating.”

“Correct, and very likely so,” the old duke cautioned. “However, their schemes are often exceedingly intricate and concealed. By the time you think you see through their objective, you are usually only seeing a fraction of the whole picture. That is why it is difficult for anyone to discover their conspiracies in advance and prepare defenses.”

Lynch nodded inwardly. Then there was no doubt about it: as long as he kept a close eye on the railway incident, there was a strong chance he could root out this venomous snake.

“Furthermore, this mad secret society has connections with numerous extremist sects and collaborates with cultists. Rumors even suggest cultists exist within their own ranks, or rather, they exert direct control over certain less-deranged cultists,” Archbishop Trinlais added. “In short, it is an extremely dangerous and insane secret society. If your investigation leads to them, you must exercise absolute caution.”

Yeah, I know all too well that they work with cultists, or I wouldn’t have ended up hanging from a gas pipe that night.

“If you need any assistance, come here to find Trinlais. It is inconvenient for me to appear directly, so he will pass word along to me.” The old duke pondered briefly before adding, “Additionally, remember that you have two months for this mission. Before July 20th, regardless of your progress, you must deliver an interim report. The sooner, the better.”

“Hmm? Isn’t the construction scheduled for August?”

“Remember: before July 20th.” The old duke offered no explanation.

Lynch nodded, pulled out his detective notebook, and recorded the details regarding the Shadow Alliance one by one, concluding with a prominent note: July 20th.

Mastermind in the picture frame, prepare for round two.