Joey initially wouldn't have anything to do with Demons, but it seemed fated.

"I didn't think that much," said Red Falcon, who couldn't quite understand Joey's sorrow.

"I was just a street thug, and my only friend thought I left Old Dunling. Like you said, the connection—I didn't want to drag him down. Ever since I joined the Purification Mechanism, I haven't seen him again..."

Red Falcon paused, actually, it wasn't that he hadn't seen him again.

"Without the job Bola offered, I might have died on the street. I'm grateful for everything I have now, living long enough to retire feels like a miracle, so I don't dwell on the sad stuff.

Forget about that. Let's finish today's work first."

Under the night sky, people worked busily, moving one corpse after another. They awaited autopsy and then the incinerator. The Cleaners' work would continue for days, searching for any missed contacts and sending them to the mental hospital.

This was their world, gray and misty, cold and damp. People lit fires, brief but precious.

...

"Why are you here? I thought you'd go straight to Black Mountain Hospital."

The carriage door was pushed open, and Merlin saw the visitor, somewhat surprised. According to his character, he shouldn't be here now.

"It's not Eve's first encounter with Demons. She's not that fragile. Tonight's matters are more important than seeing her."

Arthur's mood wasn't great, unsure if it was the upcoming matters troubling him or Eve's encounter with Demons.

Merlin remained expressionless. Although he sometimes tried to move his rigid muscles, his expressions were rather terrifying.

"She'll have to face this day eventually. You're just delaying the time until the Demons find her."

Merlin said to Arthur. He had advised Arthur like this since Eve was born, but he also knew it was a difficult decision. Though Merlin had no offspring, he understood the pain. Beneath his cold exterior, he had a heart almost like a mortal's.

"Perhaps..."

Having experienced so much, Arthur was somewhat shaken. The connection with darkness was like a curse, uncontrollable no matter how much mortals struggled.

"Let's not discuss this now. Those guests are still waiting for us, and they're more troublesome than these matters."

The carriage moved slowly, galloping through the dark streets. Midnight had arrived, and Old Dunling was silent, except for the occasional rush of steam.

But above the night sky, clouds churned, War Airships slowly descended, numerous beams encircled the carriage, ensuring they moved under the illuminating light.

In the distance, hoofbeats echoed, soldiers protecting them in the shadows.

"Is this their identity?"

Merlin handed over a document with the guests' profiles. Arthur glanced through, feeling utterly exhausted.

"Anthony Russo, based on the information exchanged, he's the core figure of this Mission, masquerading as a Priest but actually a Dean, the Dean of the rebuilt Demon Hunting Order."

Merlin disliked the term "Dean," that guy named Lawrence had been too much trouble for them, though it seemed Anthony didn't like the term much either.

"But according to what they said, he doesn't like being called Dean, just call him Priest."

Seeing Arthur's weary look, Merlin read it aloud for him.

"He was once a member of the Holy Hall Knights, an inconspicuous one, but he seemed to belong to the new Pope long ago. When the new Pope took office, Anthony directly led others to raid the opposers, using violent and forceful means to suppress them."

Arthur frowned at this, another lunatic-like enemy.

"Is he the one coming to negotiate with us? No other... special people?" Arthur asked.

"There are a few, they're very frank. To protect Anthony, several Demon Hunters will guard him at all times."

Demon Hunters...

Arthur felt even more headache. After witnessing Lorenzo and Lawrence, he had deeply experienced the destructive power of these monsters, and now a few more in the city.

"I'm aware of your concern. We've temporarily granted the Knight Commanders like Gawain the authority to mobilize the Armor of Original Sin... just hope it won't be necessary."

Merlin also felt worried. It was more about recalling Knight Commanders rather than Armors of Original Sin. As the first echelon of fighting power, they were the only ones capable of rapid battlefield deployment for unexpected events.

"They shouldn't have Secret Blood anymore, right?" Arthur suddenly remembered, "Revelation has been lost for so long. Without this core, where do the new Demon Hunters come from?"

"Maybe there's some backup resources, don't underestimate the Evangelical Church. Though no longer as glorious as before, it's still the Evangelical Church. We haven't seen it firsthand, so it's uncertain. No one knows what lies under its curtain."

As an Alchemist, Merlin knew what mysterious groups like the Evangelical Church could create. The earliest Alchemy was the whimsy of a group of madmen, and when they had nourishing soil, Merlin didn't think Demon Hunters were their only creation.

"But from this point, it shows he can't mass-produce Demon Hunters. If he could, they wouldn't need to fear us at all."

Arthur nodded, as a ruler, juggling between various forces was often exhausting.

"Do you think this Mission has other purposes besides technical exchange?" Arthur asked.

"Revelation."

Only Merlin and Arthur were present, so no need to hide anything.

"Have you ever thought that we never found Revelation possibly because we aren't the Evangelical Church?" Arthur shared his theory.

"It's so crucial and important. Over the years, it's likely the Evangelical Church has protected it somehow. Like how Demon Hunters can sense darkness, perhaps there's something special we haven't discovered, preventing us from finding it?"

Arthur continued.

"And from the start, we've never seen Revelation, right? Even Lorenzo only knew of its existence. He didn't even know what Revelation looked like... might it really just be a book?"

He shared all his doubts, leading to his greatest worry.

"Merlin, sometimes, life's choices are really tough."

"What's on your mind?"

"I'm Arthur, head of the Purification Mechanism, but I serve Queen Victoria, the entire Ingwig. Sometimes I must abandon personal feelings and act like a cold decision-making machine."

Arthur's expression was a bit disoriented. The carriage sped quickly toward the welcoming dock.

"I have a premonition that Florence's Mission won't be so simple, and this time, we're not in an overtly hostile relationship, at least on the surface..."

"Are you worried about Lorenzo?" Merlin perceived what Arthur wanted to convey.

"My decisions must not be based on personal feelings but pure interests. Technical exchange is also an exchange of interests, between Ingwig and the Holy Evangelical Pope Kingdom, not between the Purification Mechanism and the Demon Hunting Order.

Lorenzo's existence can't be hidden from these envoys, and from Florence's perspective, he's a defector Demon Hunter..."

Arthur left the rest unsaid, as if some terrible prophecy would come true if spoken aloud.

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