Though Sefina had already formed a clear picture of the Fourth Seat’s cause of death, on the surface, her consciousness remained silent.
“According to subsequent preliminary investigations,” the Deputy’s voice continued to echo in the Consciousness Space, “that night, the Sarkax Royal Capital Cathedral and its surrounding areas officially recorded no signs of large-scale mana eruptions or intense battle fluctuations.”
“The cathedral guards’ daily reports also showed ‘everything as usual.'”
The Deputy paused, as if emphasizing what came next.
“However, the Fourth Seat has indeed died, and the life signs reflected by his Mana Ring have completely dissipated.”
“A mid-seventh-tier Mage, while carrying out an infiltration mission, failed to even make enough combat noise to alert the outside world before completely losing contact.”
The Deputy’s tone lowered slightly as he uttered the judgment that sent a chill down everyone’s spine:
“Far surpassing the seventh tier!”
Those four words caused all the cadres’ silhouettes to waver visibly, showing their shock and disbelief.
Far surpassing the seventh tier…
A seventh-tier Mage was already a recognized powerhouse on the continent, and eighth-tier ones were exceedingly rare.
“Far surpassing the seventh tier” could mean late eighth-tier or peak, or even… brushing against the legendary threshold of the ninth tier?
Moreover, the Fourth Seat was no slouch. His dark magic was especially adept at concealment and stealth.
Even if he couldn’t win a direct fight against certain experts of the same rank, if he focused on escaping or hiding, few should have been able to stop him.
Yet he hadn’t even left behind any decent signs of resistance…
It was truly baffling.
‘Just as I thought…’
A chill of grim certainty settled deep in Sefina’s consciousness.
A mid-seventh-tier Mage specializing in assassination, killed so cleanly deep inside that cathedral—the only one capable of that was that existence…
“Who could it be? Some old monster hidden by the Sarkax royal family? To kill one of our cadres like this over a single ancient text?”
“Doesn’t seem like it. The Royal Court and the Church have a delicate relationship, but it’s unlikely…”
“Could it be a mage trained by the Church itself? But most of those mages are just useless bluster…”
“Could other continents’ forces have intervened?”
“Hmph, an ancient text… Deputy, what exactly does that text record? Worth sending the Fourth Seat, and even attracting such an existence?”
The cadres’ mental communications became active again, filled with guesses, wariness, and a trace of… fear.
Sefina listened to these discussions quietly, her mind perfectly clear.
She knew who—or rather, what—had killed the Fourth Seat.
A thought quietly surfaced in her mind.
‘Should I… use the Organization’s hand to get rid of that trouble?’
But she dismissed it in an instant.
Black Utopia was no kind soul, nor a blade to be wielded freely.
These people were driven by profit, stopped at nothing, and their internal relationships were a tangled mess.
If she rashly directed them toward the cathedral’s secrets, not only might she fail to achieve her goals, but she could also alert the enemy and cause even greater chaos.
More importantly, she couldn’t trust the Deputy’s or the Chief’s true intentions.
So Sefina chose the safest course—to remain silent.
She buried her knowledge of the Western Order’s deep secrets, leaving no trace.
Just then, the Deputy spoke again, turning his “gaze” toward a relatively blurry figure on the other side of the round table:
“Eighth Seat, you are primarily responsible for intelligence gathering on the western continent. Do you have any supplementary information about recent anomalies at the Sarkax Royal Capital Cathedral and any potential hidden forces?”
Sefina remembered Feliel mentioning that the Eighth Seat was mainly in charge of the intelligence network for the western continent and its surrounding areas. In theory, he should be the cadre most “in the know” about the situation there.
The Eighth Seat’s silhouette stirred, his voice carrying a note of helplessness:
“As for that cathedral… our people have found it very difficult to infiltrate in the last two years. They seem to have conducted a thorough internal purge and reorganization, stopping public recruitment of low-ranking clergy and servants. All personnel background checks have become extremely strict.”
“The few peripheral informants we planted have either lost contact or have no access to core information.”
The Deputy’s hazy figure seemed to freeze for a moment, then a low voice came:
“So it seems a separate force we know nothing about has indeed formed over there.”
The Chief, who had been listening silently, slowly raised his head.
That soul-shaking aura of authority once again enveloped the entire chamber.
“Originally, the western continent’s affairs were handled jointly by the Fourth Seat and the Eighth Seat. Now that the Fourth Seat has fallen, the situation is unclear, and the potential threat level has increased. We need cadres from other regions to reinforce and investigate.”
“Who volunteers to go to the western continent, take over the Fourth Seat’s unfinished mission, and find out the truth behind his death and the forces behind it?”
His “gaze” slowly swept across the round table, as if soliciting volunteers.
The words fell, and silence reigned around the table—so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
The cadres who had been slightly discussing earlier all withdrew their presence.
Volunteer?
To go into a den of potential danger where an existence “far surpassing the seventh tier” might lurk?
And face a mysterious cult that even the intelligence network couldn’t penetrate?
Each cadre had their own agenda; naturally, no one wanted to take on such a task.
High risk, little reward, and plenty of trouble.
The cadres present were not kind-hearted youths.
This dead silence was clearly within the Chief’s expectations.
His earlier inquiry was just a formality.
The specific choice would ultimately be his appointment.
“Since no one volunteers, then the Ninth Seat and the Seventh Seat—the two of you will handle it.”
Two intangible “gazes” fell on their seats.
“Once the Deputy collects further intelligence, you two will proceed together to Sarkax on the western continent. You will decide on the specific action plan yourselves, and the Deputy will provide necessary support.”
The Chief’s order was concise and absolute.
“Be sure to investigate the Fourth Seat’s cause of death and uncover any forces that may be hiding behind the cathedral. If valuable, you may acquire the original target ancient text as the situation allows.”
Sefina’s consciousness did not hesitate; she merely replied calmly:
“Yes.”
Feliel’s silhouette also gave a slight nod, uttering a similar acknowledgment.
It was within Sefina’s expectations that she and Feliel would be assigned.
A stable train connection existed between the eastern and western continents, making travel relatively convenient.
The other high-ranking cadres were mostly deeply involved in the racially fractured, remote northern or southern continents, making reassignment difficult and potentially disrupting their existing arrangements.
She and Feliel were based on the eastern continent and relatively “free,” making them suitable candidates for this cross-continental investigation.
Still…
‘This is fine too.’
Thoughts churned in Sefina’s mind.
‘I’ll have the chance to get close to and investigate that place under the Organization’s name…’
‘Maybe I can find out some things, even…’
‘Prepare in advance for the “trouble” I may have to face in the future.’