Of course, Ebner didn't go too far. He only instructed Selo to collect half of the Delien family's materials and the more dangerous sealed items. As for the rest, he intended to leave them for the Church to "open the box."
One couldn't do things too absolutely, right?
After leaving the ruins, Ebner didn't bother checking the spoils at all. He directly stored Owen, the "Red Saintess" Margaret, and the still-sleeping "Yellow Saintess" Natalia inside Alvin's Answer Labyrinth, then allowed Yaloran's avatar to return on its own—slipping into the Unknown Land through his eyes. Only after that did he use the "Magic Mirror" to teleport to the area near the White House.
Next, Ebner held Rhine's hand with his left and Bernadette's forearm with his right, and disappeared directly from the skies above Trier.
Though he and Bernadette had saved Trier in the end, they were not official Beyonders. He couldn't guarantee that the Church—especially the Evernight Church—wouldn't "slaughter the donkey after grinding the grain." Leaving early was the best option.
Bernadette froze slightly when her arm was grabbed, but did not resist, allowing Ebner to bring her into the spirit world.
Because Ebner's spirituality was nearly exhausted, this "teleportation" didn't carry them far beyond Trier; it only brought them to his suburban property—the Old Vine Manor he inherited from the Mirror Apostle Hertha.
He intended to use the teleportation altar he'd built beneath the manor to return to Backlund.
But at this moment, both Rhine and Bernadette withdrew their hands at the same time.
"Rhine"—that is, Lilith—had already guessed Ebner's intent. She knew he wished to question her once they reached a safe location, which was why she stubbornly maintained the historical projection.
Thus, Lilith met Ebner's gaze directly and said with a gentle smile:
"You have successfully passed the 'barrier' of Sequence 3. I no longer need to avoid you. If you have anything to ask, you may come to the church anytime…"
Before she finished speaking, she dissolved her control over the historical projection.
Seeing this, Ebner could only sigh softly and release the projection of "Rhine," allowing it to return to the gaps of history.
"That Highness… who was she?" Bernadette asked at this moment.
Normally, she would never ask so directly. But Bernadette's current state was not very good. Though the "pollution" on her body had been removed by the "Light of Civilization" of the Steam & Machinery God, her mind still carried remnants of "filth."
Thus, she already showed slight traces of "corruption," expressed outwardly as an unrestrained hunger for knowledge.
But with multiple "0"-level sealed artifacts in her possession, she wasn't concerned—both Pale Death and the Magic Wishing Lamp could remove the remaining problem.
Ebner glanced at her. Recalling how Lilith had deliberately revealed her identity on the first floor of the Dream Labyrinth Tower, he hesitated slightly but chose not to hide anything:
"That was the Progenitor of Vampires—the ancient god Lilith."
"Lilith… she truly still exists…" Bernadette repeated the name, mind surging with a storm of thoughts.
Thinking of what Cattleya had hinted regarding a certain member of the Tarot Club, she considered for a moment before speaking again:
"So Your Highness Lilith is an ally of you and the one behind Gehrman?"
So she figured that much… then she must know Emlyn is a member of the Tarot Club? At least that our gathering includes vampires…
Looks like Cattleya still isn't completely honest… Should I tell Klein to warn her again?
While his mind drifted in silent commentary, Ebner merely smiled without answering.
Bernadette clearly wanted to continue pressing further, but she wasn't corrupted enough to lose control. She managed to suppress her curiosity—for the moment.
She took a quiet breath, lifted a ceremonial longsword, held it horizontally with both hands, and offered it to Ebner:
"This is the 'Holy Sword Bernadette' I strengthened with the power of the Knowledge Emperor.
"With it, you can absolutely suppress Beyonders on both the 'Devil' and 'Aberration' pathways.
"In addition, it carries the physical-law modifications that Bonova applied… as long as he does not actively retract them, these effects will remain.
"I wish to give it to you as a token of gratitude… After all, without your help, my homeland would have been destroyed by the 'Abyss.'
"Of course, this sword is not enough to express my thanks… it is merely a token. Whoever holds it and seeks me may make one request, and I will not refuse."
One request? That's… a bit much, Bernadette.
Ebner inwardly complained as he accepted the sword and examined it before casually asking:
"Your 'Knowledge Emperor' state only lasts one day, right? Will the sword's enhancements vanish by then?"
"They will not. The 'knowledge' imbued into the sword has already been empowered by the Emperor's authority. Unless the Knowledge Emperor actively retracts those authorities, the effects will remain." Bernadette explained with a smile.
Ebner pondered and asked:
"Just like the effects on a Blasphemy Card? Even though Roselle is no longer the Knowledge Emperor…"
Bernadette nodded gently in acknowledgment, then added:
"In fact, a more accurate example is the 'Pale Justice' sword held by Maria, the Pale Admiral.
"It was originally only a mid-Sequence weapon, but after receiving the knowledge and story granted by the Knowledge Emperor, it gained a power that even Saints find hard to withstand."
So that's how 'Pale Justice' obtained its anti-evil capabilities… But compared to this sword, its effects are weaker… perhaps most of its power is used to suppress or counter the 'pollution' inside Maria's body?
Well, now that Lilith's 'short-term task' is complete, it's time to move the long-term one up the schedule.
While chatting with Bernadette, Ebner didn't remain idle. By now he had already finished preparing the teleportation altar.
When the circle of sparks formed a complete ring, Ebner turned toward Bernadette and smiled:
"Shall we return to Backlund together first?"
Bernadette considered Dawn's current position and nodded. "Alright."
Soon, the two walked through the "door" formed by the sparks, and half a minute later appeared inside a house on the outskirts of Backlund.
Once they arrived and confirmed their safety, Bernadette immediately bid farewell. Though she wasn't worried about the "filth" lingering in her spirit, leaving it untreated wasn't safe. She still needed to return to the Dawn as soon as possible and deal with it using Pale Death.
Ebner didn't try to make her stay. He merely exchanged polite farewells.
Only after her tall figure vanished did he finally drop all pretense of composure—collapsing straight onto the ground.
Supporting two angels in battle, then manipulating Sefirah-level power… Ebner's spirituality had long reached its limit.
Before losing consciousness, he barely managed to offer a prayer to The Fool that doesn't belong to this era…
Dozens of seconds later, Fors appeared in the basement of the small-town house, holding Lemano's Travel Notes. Seeing Ebner unconscious, she hurried forward to check him. After confirming there was no major issue, she let out a breath of relief.
Then Fors lifted Ebner up, activated the Travel Notes' ability, and brought him back to the bedroom of the villa at 28 Kinst Street.
…
The next day, aboard the Dawn cruising near Pritz Port—
Bernadette, once again fallen back to a "Clairvoyant," clearly saw the opportunity for advancement. She understood she had completed the necessary ritual—she had prevented a disaster involving high-level powers.
Even if she had merely bought time and played the role of "support," she still met the ritual requirements. It showed just how terrifying the situation in Trier had been.
"For such a disaster to never befall my homeland again… I must become stronger!"
Bernadette looked at the Sage's Diadem in her hand, studying the diamond-embedded vertical eye at its center. She didn't hesitate any longer. She raised her right hand, drawing one ancient word after another in the air—each shimmering with starlight. Answering her call, the half-human half-wind creature from the spirit world appeared, returning the auxiliary ingredient needed for the Sage potion.
Soon after, Bernadette used Pale Death to pulverize the Diadem, concocted the potion that would raise her to Sequence 2, and drank it in one gulp.
…
Wednesday morning, 10 o'clock.
After nearly 24 straight hours of sleep, Ebner finally climbed out of bed. This time, however, there were no two friends leaning beside the bed, feeding him breakfast…
Ebner sighed with a hint of regret. After a simple wash, he left the bedroom and went downstairs to the dining room.
After requesting some simple breakfast from the servants, he casually picked up the Daily Observer left on the table—on the front page were the bold headlines:
"Massive Earthquake in Trier: White Palace and Arc de Triomphe Collapse—
A Sign of Intis' Coming Decline?"
(End of Chapter)