“Professor, Professor!”
Mr. Scott, still shaken, pointed at the painting that Shad had placed back inside the safe. Professor Katya shook her head.
“Calm down, Scott. Do you think the work of a folklorist consists solely of reading literature in an office? Calm down. Oh, Scott, you're a good lad, just calm down!”
“Professor, have... have you seen something like this before?”
“I’ve seen far more terrifying things. This is the first time I've brought you out to see the world. If you are still willing to study under me, you will encounter many more such things sooner or later.”
Seeing the expression of terror on the young scholar's face, Professor Katya felt a slight sense of disappointment. She then turned to Shad.
“Sir, judging by your expression, you are likely more than just—”
“Correct.”
Shad produced his identification and waved it in front of Professor Katya.
“MI6. We are tracking a batch of contraband. I am an agent of the Sixth, and Miss Princess is my superior.”
This explanation was perfectly acceptable.
Professor Katya was clearly a woman of the world; she took the ID, glanced at it, and knew it was genuine.
“Then it seems we really have run into big trouble this time. Mr. Agent, what else is in the safe?”
“Land deeds and house titles. It appears that besides this manor, most of the houses in this entire alley belong to Mr. Jude. There are also some jewels, banknotes, and strange badges and seals.”
The professor took the stone seal Shad handed her. She frowned and thought for a moment, then her eyes suddenly widened.
“The Scarlet Cult!”
“What?”
Shad asked in surprise. Beside him, the still-terrified Mr. Scott was equally perplexed, but Lacia thought for a moment and provided an explanation.
“The Scarlet Cult is an ancient name. Its formal contemporary name is the cultist group that worships the Evil God, the [Lord of the Scarlet Spiral].”
“Professor, Mr. Jude was a cultist?”
The young man looked even more panicked. He had thought this was a simple academic investigation; he never expected to encounter something so thrilling.
The professor, however, was much more composed.
“Don't be so frantic. As a folklorist, dealing with such people is inevitable. Oh, look at this book.”
Professor Katya took the book Shad had just retrieved from the safe. The black cover read *Mysteries of the Ocean*. The book was as large as two sheets of ordinary stationery taped together, and its thickness exceeded that of two standard red bricks.
“I never expected I would actually see this! Now, I suspect Mr. Jude himself was one of the organizers of the cult. Gentlemen, lady, look at this. This book is forbidden. In my youth, I assisted the Church in research and saw a handwritten manuscript of this book. *Mysteries of the Ocean* was a symbol of status for the leaders of the Scarlet Cult back then. The book records some truly horrific things in an ancient language—things more terrifying than that painting. An ordinary person could go mad just by glancing at it.”
This description sounded somewhat like those books capable of carrying spirit runes. However, Shad did not ask for the book the professor was holding; instead, he took more letters out of the safe.
Most of the letters were written in the common tongue of Delarion, a few in Carsonric, and a very small number in an unknown, strange script. He picked out several letters written in the unknown language and opened them. The spiral-shaped characters were clearly not used by humans, but Shad could understand them. After a quick scan, he basically confirmed Professor Katya's view.
“We must leave quickly. Judging from the content of the letters, this ancient alley is a gathering nest for the cult. The people who disappeared nearby were all captured by them. Our luck is truly poor this time; we've likely stumbled into serious trouble.”
He haphazardly grabbed a few letters and stuffed them into his pocket. The professor looked at the book in her hand with some reluctance, but the object was simply too large, and she had to painfully give it up.
Shad and Lacia had little interest in the book. While it was possible to obtain spirit runes by reading it, it was more likely that they would be contaminated by the knowledge of an Evil God. Even with the Divine Afterglow, Shad didn't dare attempt such a thing.
Thus, they left the book behind and prepared to depart.
“Scott, get ready to smash the window.”
As the professor spoke, she and Shad both raised their guns and pointed them at the tightly closed door. The young scholar, whose mind had been traumatized by the strange painting, reacted slowly before grabbing a stool and smashing it violently against the window.
*Crack~*
Mr. Scott used all his strength, but the glass didn't budge an inch. Instead, the chair in his hand split apart with a loud crash.
The abnormal noise inside finally attracted attention from outside. Shad patted the professor's shoulder and handed her his standard revolver, then pushed Mr. Scott aside and swung his fist toward the window.
Of course, Shad wasn't intending to use his physical body to fight specially reinforced glass. Before his fist swung forward, the Silver Moonlight had already flown out.
At that exact moment, the doorknob was turned from the outside, and the door pushed open—
*Bang! Bang!*
The professor calmly fired both guns. The male servant attempting to barge in was immediately hit by her bullets; he let out a cry and stumbled backward onto the floor.
Taking advantage of the fact that Mr. Scott's attention was also drawn to the door, Lacia stepped quickly to Shad's side. She pressed her hand against the glass—which had already been cracked—and gave it a gentle push. The entire pane shattered into shards.
“Go, now!”
Shad shouted loudly. In the dark corridor outside, more and more sounds were emerging.
“You go first!”
The professor shouted. While holding two guns, she nimbly used her thumb to cock the hammer of Shad's revolver.
The fallen servant, despite being hit in the heart, had not died and was struggling to stand up. A gurgling sound came from his throat; it was actually a language—he was calling for help. It seemed the servant had been monitoring the room from the corridor and was the first to run over when he noticed something was wrong.
“You go first!”
Shad said to the princess. The red-haired girl jumped without hesitation through the window into the heavy rain outside.
*Bang bang bang~*
The professor fired several more shots, causing the twitching servant on the floor to convulse even more violently. Yet he still didn't die. Smoke rose from the bullet holes in his body, and his face began to melt, transforming in some ugly and terrifying direction.
“Mr. Scott, it's your turn! Jump!”
“But this is the second floor... I understand.”
The young scholar was terrified by the scene unfolding before him, but seeing that even a fragile lady dared to jump, he screamed and leaped down as well.
“Professor, it's our turn!”
Shad grabbed Professor Katya. The professor retreated while calmly firing backward, forcing the shadows in the corridor to stay clear of the doorway.
The two reached the window. Shad dropped a frog leg, then pulled the professor into a single leap, jumping straight from the windowsill. When he landed lightly in a puddle on the road, hardly any water splashed.
He even had enough strength left to support Professor Katya's back, ensuring she landed steadily.
This left Professor Katya standing in the rain, looking at her legs in astonishment, wondering why her agility was so good today.
“Run this way! My people are one street away; once we get out of here, we'll be safe!”
Lacia shouted in the rain. The downpour was heavier than they had expected; now, whether it was gunfire or bomb explosions, nothing would carry beyond the range of a single street.
(End of Chapter)