Gun of Ashes

At this moment, Lorenzo slowly scooted over.

Lorenzo could hardly remember when he last saw Eve, but based on his vague impression, every encounter between them ended up with something unpleasant.

Lorenzo wasn’t entirely sure if this job was also something unpleasant.

”Tell me, have you finally driven Arthur mad? He actually agreed to you coming?” Lorenzo asked quietly.

Eve slowly turned her head, looking at Lorenzo with a cold gaze. But that indifference didn’t last long; she knew that if she fussed over something with a lunatic like Lorenzo, she’d only get herself worked up.

Just like before, Eve spoke leisurely.

”Couldn’t it have been that I reformed Arthur?”

”Reformed? The kind of reform I’m thinking of?”

Lorenzo had also been a priest for a while, so he knew what this so-called reforming was about.

Generally, when a priest went out to preach, they would carry a doctrine book and a hammer. For obedient followers, the priest would kindly explain the teachings. For those who disobeyed, the priest would first use the hammer to make them obedient, and then explain the teachings.

So that’s religion. Many years ago, the Crusades could be understood as a large-scale mission activity, only met with armed resistance during the process.

”What are you thinking?” Eve said, ”I simply proved myself.”

”For example?”

”Like this.”

A sharp dagger pressed against Lorenzo’s neck, hidden all along in Eve’s sleeve. Its short size didn’t hinder her movements, perfectly fooling Lorenzo.

Lorenzo maintained his stiff smile, inching backward.

”I thought this thing would be hidden in your skirt.”

”I don’t wear skirts every day.”

Seeing Eve’s gentle smile, Lorenzo shivered internally. Who would have thought that this girl in front of him was loaded with weapons? And who taught her?

”So you’ve joined the Purification Mechanism?”

Lorenzo changed the topic, at least as comrades who’ve been through thick and thin together, staying silent felt awkward.

”Intern, I’m an intern,” Eve recalled earlier events.

Surprisingly, Arthur agreed to Eve’s joining, though she wasn’t an official staff member but an intern. During the initial internship, Blue Jade systematically introduced her to everything about Demons. Even though Eve knew a lot, it was this time she truly understood the current situation.

Theoretical knowledge couldn’t protect her; she needed practical experience, so Arthur tossed her to Red Falcon, who was fishing at the time. Then everyone ended up here.

”In other words, this was my trial mission. If I perform well, I’ll successfully get employed; if I fail, I’ll go back to doing whatever I was doing.”

Thinking of this, Eve looked at Lorenzo, the key figure in this operation.

The smile on Eve’s face suddenly became serious as she scooted over to Lorenzo, and he immediately felt something was off.

Poor Lorenzo wanted to scoot back, but his seat had reached its limit, and just as he was about to get up to sit with Red Falcon, a hand suddenly reached out to stop him.

”Mr. Lorenzo Holmes.”

”Yes, yes.”

Eve’s seriousness quickly turned into a smile.

”My chance to get employed rests on you! Do a good job!”

She patted Lorenzo’s shoulder vigorously; they really did look like good brothers.

Not far off, Red Falcon was still blankly tapping the steel triangle, like a monk striking a wooden fish, as if in the next second, Red Falcon would ascend to the Celestial Kingdom, sitting on the soft clouds to fish.

Whether there are rivers or fish in the Celestial Kingdom doesn’t matter.

”Everyone, if you’ve relaxed enough, please focus and listen to me.”

Hebdo stood up and walked to the middle of the carriage.

It seemed like he was going to explain the details of the upcoming operation. Lorenzo and Eve rarely got serious, while Bola went to the other side to wake up Red Falcon, shaking him hard to bring him back to reality.

”We’ll first be staying at Reindona Port for two days, during which there’s a temporary task needed for Mr. Holmes, and we’ll be supporting from the outside.”

”What task?”

Lorenzo asked, as Hebdo hadn’t mentioned this before.

”This all starts with Ivar’s abduction. You should know that even though Ivar is disabled, he carries Rodbrock’s blood, the descendant of the King of the Ice Sea. He wouldn’t be so easily captured.” Hebdo said.

”So, what happened?” Eve asked.

Hebdo nodded, his expression complex as he uttered.

”It’s an unblessed romance, and its outcome proved it all.

Due to congenital disabilities, Ivar had some peculiar quirks, being the hardest to communicate among his brothers, with an eccentric and violent nature. Yet, someone managed to conquer him.”

”Let me guess, a woman.”

Hearing this, Lorenzo subconsciously recalled a woman with a winter’s scent from that night.

Lorenzo hadn’t mentioned this to others. Even before the Purification Mechanism and Nordro came looking for him, a mysterious woman had already approached him. Though she didn’t make it clear, Lorenzo was certain her target was Ivar as well.

”Yes, Ivar’s temper is so volatile even his brothers couldn’t stand him. But strangely, that woman possessed an enchanting allure, taming Ivar, who then put away his claws, being with her.”

”And then?”

”And then she orchestrated Ivar’s abduction. Her initial target was Ivar, and she was hired by Gaulunaro.”

At this point, a flicker of anger flashed in Hebdo’s eyes as he continued.

”We conducted a thorough investigation on her. She’s an expert who maneuvers within men’s circles, toying with their affections, dragging them into one hell after another as the timing matures.

On the day before we set off, my information network located her position. She appeared at Reindona Port, and I need Mr. Holmes to capture her as the info in her head could greatly assist us.”

What’s going on?

Lorenzo listened to Hebdo’s report, weaving the existing information in his mind, starting to strongly suspect that the woman who sought him that night was indeed the woman Hebdo referred to.

Logically, after doing all this, she should find a place to hide to avoid the Viking nations’ retaliation, so why would she seek him out and even commission him to save Ivar?

Lorenzo narrowed his eyes, realizing this mission was filled with conspiracies and lies.

He suspected that Arthur and Oscar were also aware of all this; they, too, knew of the hidden secrets here, so they hired him. Others might fall before a conspiracy, but not him.

And Eve... If things really are as Lorenzo imagined, this mission might truly be thrilling. Even with such risks, Arthur still let Eve come along; did he genuinely want to train her, or is he placing trust in him, believing he can handle everything?

But... isn’t that even better?

Lorenzo started to love life, but life isn’t just quiet afternoons and warm beds. It also includes thrilling adventures and the gratification of uncovering conspiracies.

Lorenzo could kick open the door and escape, but he wouldn’t do that. He was very curious, curious about the outcomes of all this.

”Who is she?”

He asked.

”She has many names and her identity is extremely complex. Between truth and falsehood, none of this has been fully unraveled yet. However, we can temporarily use the name she used while with Ivar.”

Hebdo slowly said.

”Erin Adler.”