By the time Caesar finished reading an entire copy of the Tingen City Official Newspaper, Cecilia was already fast asleep. Her head rested on Caesar's shoulder, and she breathed softly and evenly. However, she didn't seem to be sleeping very peacefully; her brows were slightly furrowed, and her youthful face bore a hint of worry that belied her age.
Caesar carefully moved her body, allowing her to lie fully on the soft sofa bed, then he couldn't help but yawn himself. There was no clock in the lounge, so he didn't know the exact time, but he estimated it was probably one or two in the morning. After all that commotion, he was also a bit sleepy.
"You can sleep for a while too. Staying up late isn't good."
Through the newspaper, Royale Reideen suddenly spoke. To avoid disturbing the two sleeping people, she kept her voice very low.
"Alright, thank you."
Caesar also whispered, "Sorry for disturbing your rest."
After all, the other party was responsible for protecting him and definitely couldn't sleep.
Hearing Caesar's words, the newspaper in Royale Reideen's hand lowered, revealing her face.
What's wrong? Did I say something wrong?
Caesar was a bit bewildered.
"It's alright, we don't need to sleep at night," Royale Reideen said, a slight smile appearing in her cold eyes.
Don't need to sleep? No wonder they're called Sleepless.
"Then I'll trouble you."
Since that was the case, Caesar no longer stood on ceremony, climbing onto another sofa bed and lying down fully clothed.
Sleepiness slowly crept over him, and he closed his eyes.
...
At the same time, on a certain street in Tingen City.
"According to Klein's divination, Hanass Vincent, like Sirius, is a Sequence 9 Secrets Suppliant, so the danger level isn't high. We'll prioritize gathering clues."
Inside the moving carriage, Nighthawks Captain Dunn Smith said to his other team members, "When we get to his house later, I'll restrain him, and you'll search the rooms."
"Hanass doesn't know Sirius is dead yet, so he's probably sleeping soundly right now," Leonard said with a smile. "When he wakes up and sees us, his reaction will definitely be interesting."
He clasped his hands behind his head, leaned back in his seat, and propped up his legs, adopting an extremely unrestrained posture that sharply contrasted with Frye, who sat upright and exuded a cold aura beside him.
"What if he's cautious and didn't leave any clues in the room?"
The Corpse Collector asked in a hoarse voice.
"Then I'll enter his dream," Dunn said calmly. "There, he can't lie to me."
The two Nighthawks nodded in unison upon hearing this. Indeed, as a Sequence 7 Nightmare, their captain was already one of the strongest in Tingen City; dealing with a Sequence 9 was no trouble at all. He was even very cautious, bringing two team members as backup for such a situation.
It seemed that when the Aurora Order's Hanass encountered their group, he would only be able to surrender and honestly provide information.
"Oh, right, Captain, what do you plan to do about Caesar Cardini?" Just then, Leonard suddenly changed the subject and asked an unexpected question.
Dunn looked up at him and said:
"According to past practice, survivors of Beyonder incidents can return to normal life after the case is over; we only require them to keep it a secret. But he..."
"But he's special, right?"
Leonard said with a smile.
Unexpectedly becoming a Beyonder, and a highly dangerous Secrets Suppliant Sequence at that, there's a risk of losing control. For such a ticking time bomb, it's impossible to simply let him go. Although Caesar Cardini was lucky enough to remain sane after becoming a Secrets Suppliant, and the Nighthawks wouldn't purify him, he would likely still be under surveillance for the rest of his life, living very unfree.
Thinking of the handsome young man in the straitjacket and the strong young girl protecting him, so young, yet destined to live such lives for the rest of their days, the few people in the carriage felt a little regretful.
"Is there no other way?"
Frye suddenly spoke.
"Of course there is," Leonard said with a smile. "For survivors of incidents, besides returning to society, don't they have another option?"
"You mean... joining us?" Frye hesitated, "But is that compliant?"
"That depends on... how we communicate with the Holy See."
Leonard looked at Dunn.
Frye also realized and turned to look at the captain.
Under their expectant gazes, Dunn Smith pondered for a long time, then slowly said, "A Secrets Suppliant who believes in the Goddess and stands with us is very rare. Moreover, joining the Nighthawks can also serve as daily supervision—if we report it with such a reason, perhaps we can persuade the Holy See to keep him."
It was indeed a good reason.
Frye couldn't help but nod secretly when he heard Dunn say this, and Leonard even clapped and praised with a smile, "Truly worthy of the captain, to think of such a good idea!"
The atmosphere in the carriage relaxed, and for a moment, it seemed even the carriage itself became lighter, turning a corner and arriving in front of Hanass 's house.
"Alright, enough idle chatter."
Dunn shook his head, "These matters can wait until later; now, let's focus and successfully capture Hanass —that's the most important thing!"
"Yes!"
The three Nighthawks immediately adopted the demeanor of experts, stepping out of the carriage and quickly and silently infiltrating Hanass 's residence.
The night was deep and boundless.
...
Caesar woke up from a restless dream and slowly sat up.
Looking around, his sister was not beside him, and the two Nighthawks were also nowhere to be seen. He was the only one left in the lounge, with a pile of newspapers scattered on the floor.
Where did they go?
How long did I sleep?
Why hasn't Dunn returned?
Anxiety and confusion swept over Caesar. He stood up from the sofa bed, clutching his head, and walked towards the door. Sleep didn't seem to have alleviated his fatigue; his head still hurt, and sharp, buzzing noises rang in his ears, gradually growing louder.
That sound was... crying.
Sharp cries, like those of women and children, desperate wails emitted after suffering immense pain.
Along with the piercing cries, a more muffled, uncomfortable sound echoed from the corridor outside, dragging, sticky, as if a heavy body was crawling, squirming, slowly approaching the lounge room. As it moved, its dirty, filthy body left long, Fishy smell bloody trails on the floor...
The eerie sound grew louder and louder, then abruptly stopped.
It stopped behind the door.
...
"No one's here."
At Hanass 's residence, Dunn looked at the messy bedroom, his brows tightly furrowed.
"The other bedroom is also empty; his wife and child are gone," Frye's voice came down from the second floor, his cold, hoarse tone tinged with confusion. "Is his information so well-connected? He actually fled with his family that very night."
"If only that were true."
Leonard emerged from the basement, his face very pale. "Captain, there are traces of a ritual having been performed down here... the scene is very bad..."
Dunn's gaze swept over Leonard's pale face, then he keenly noticed that his shoes looked a bit off, seemingly stained with some bright red liquid of unknown origin.
As if understanding something, Dunn's eyes suddenly narrowed.