Gun of Ashes

But in reality, Anthony knew very well that all of this was just the exiles comforting themselves. He was not the key to all these events; even if he did not rebel, another Anthony would betray the Cardinals. The truth of it all was the formidable Authority of the new Pope. As a Demon Hunter bestowed with the name Raphael, he was the true manipulator of illusions, with everyone being played like puppets in his hands.

Moriarty was granted the same Authority as the new Pope. This was not merely trust; the new Pope believed this power could be perfectly utilized by him. In a way, they were alike as deceivers. One deceived the holy crown, and the other mislead people’s sanity.

”You don’t seem to like Moriarty. Don’t you often say you two are very similar?” Anthony asked.

”Similar doesn’t mean the same, Priest.”

Samuel was somewhat reluctant to recall that madman, speaking in a calm voice.

”The more similar we are, the more we understand each other, right? Like two people with the same hobbies, we’re very clear on how to please each other. But what if the similarity is between two monsters?”

Samuel observed the gradually changing expressions on Anthony’s face, slowly explaining his apprehension about Moriarty.

”Two monsters at a crossroads, if it were you, what would you think? Is this creature like me, and should I embrace it joyfully? Or because of the similarity, do you also understand what kind of terrifying monster the other is, thus feeling wary and fearful?”

Samuel leaned on his cane and walked to the side, sitting down in a chair.

”Actually, the above thoughts are still considered normal, but Moriarty is different. I admit I’m not very normal either. I’m obsessed with that damned sense of victory and achievement, but I’m just somewhat paranoid, not a madman.

There’s a difference between a paranoid and a madman, Priest.”

”You seem to know him better than I do,” Anthony said.

”Naturally, we are similar yet different. I can understand parts of him but can’t peek into that place of madness.”

Anthony was silent for a moment. In the vast study, it was just the two of them, appearing somewhat empty. Countless documents piled up on his desk.

”So you found Moriarty from a psychiatric hospital?”

Samuel’s voice rang out again. He seemed to be very curious about Moriarty’s origin, persistently inquiring.

”I don’t know.” Anthony said.

”You don’t know?”

Samuel’s voice sounded a bit emotional.

”He was brought by His Eminence, what authority do you think I have to ask more?”

Anthony’s gaze was also slightly helpless, looking at the bandage-wrapped Samuel, and he continued.

”However, he indeed causes unease. Sometimes even I don’t know what he might do, but His Eminence holds him in high regard, saying he is someone who brings ’unexpected surprises.’

”So-called unexpected surprises are uncontrollable, right? During training, I was with him, and he severed a demon hunter’s tendon just because he found it amusing. Someone tried to teach him a lesson, but he used Authority to send that guy into a mental ward. You should know about this too, right?

When demon hunters trigger Secret Blood, their will is constantly being tested by the erosion. Authority Raphael can implant a blissful illusion to stabilize their will, but it can also bring extreme madness... that demon hunter, amid chaotic disorder, was consumed by Secret Blood, descending into madness.”

Samuel recalled the times during training when the new Pope urgently needed a batch of demon hunters for battle, extracting Secret Blood from the dead demon hunters and injecting it into the selected ones’ bodies. After undergoing hellish training, the new Order was born from those dead.

”And that’s what makes Moriarty peculiar, Priest.”

”What?”

Samuel carefully reminisced; those were the few times he dealt with Moriarty, and during those times, he completely couldn’t understand him.

”I thought he was some sort of pervert, enjoying others’ madness, taking pleasure in others’ suffering. So it would be very simple to please this monster. I brought in a few death row inmates for his amusement, just hoping he wouldn’t affect other demon hunters anymore, but he refused.”

”Refused?”

”Yes, refused. I thought it would be an interesting ’toy’ for him, but he refused. He found torturing a group of death row inmates uninteresting...”

Samuel’s voice trembled a bit, not out of fear, but confusion.

”To him, he indeed enjoys others’ suffering, but there’s a premise. The premise is the suffering of someone he finds interesting.

But he is a psychopath with perverted tendencies; how can we deduce the preferences of such a person?”

Everyone has their purpose and their direction, but only Moriarty gave him the feeling of an indiscriminately advancing viper. Golden beauties couldn’t tempt him, yet he could be driven by strange places.

”At least Moriarty can distinguish his ’hobby’ from work. The plan he proposed was excellent and was executed only after His Eminence approved it.”

Anthony took a sip from his cup, still as calm as ever despite knowing the stories that happened earlier.

”So what is the plan?”

”Lorenzo Holmes, suspected of being Lorenzo de’ Medici, carrying the Pseudo Holy Grail. He is an extremely dangerous individual. Confronting him strongly would incur opposition from the Purification Mechanism, and he himself is very aggressive.”