"Now is hardly the time to be thinking about that, is it?"
Ray let out a light sigh, his tone full of exasperated resignation.
Cantarella, however, pressed even closer instead. She traced her fingertip gently across his cheek, her smile warm and intoxicating as fine wine. "There's an old saying in Huanglong, the appetite for food and sex is part of human nature."
"As the head of House Fisalia, is it not only right and proper for me to plan for the continuation and future of my family? Even if we cannot resolve the crisis of Leviathan at this very moment… shouldn't I at least make some preparations in advance for a more distant tomorrow? What do you think?"
"…That mouth of yours always has an argument ready."
"This mouth of mine isn't only good for arguments, you know." Cantarella extended the tip of her delicate pink tongue and lightly licked the corner of her lips. "Haven't you already experienced that for yourself?"
Ray could clearly feel the soft pressure pressing against his chest. His breathing involuntarily quickened a few paces, this was truly a novel experience. Entirely different from the Young Miss's youthful, tender figure, Cantarella possessed the mature fullness of a woman, and it was silently announcing its presence through the thin fabric of her clothes.
"But right now really isn't… the time for this." He forced himself to shift a small step to the side, trying to put some distance between them.
Then he lowered his head and cast his gaze upon the inwardly radiant Divine Sword in his hand. "Forget that… why was I able to draw this sword so easily?"
Cantarella cast him a faint, lingering glance. "Who knows? Perhaps you are the Sentinel's Resonator."
"I'm the Saintess—?!" Ray blurted out in alarm, then quickly corrected himself, "Pah! I mean, Saint?"
"I was joking." Cantarella spread her hands, her gaze falling upon the Divine Sword in his grasp. Her expression gradually grew serious. "But this matter is indeed no small thing. Before you and I get to the bottom of this, we must keep it a secret for now. If outsiders were to learn that you could draw Tyrvine… I fear it would invite unimaginable trouble."
"As for this sword, keep it with you for the time being."
She shifted gears and looked back at Ray. "So, what do you intend to do now?"
Ray pursed his lips in silence for a moment, resolve surfacing in his eyes. "I'm going to see Cartethyia. Although I still don't know exactly what the Fractsidus is plotting, there's no time to waste. The sooner we act, the better."
Cantarella nodded slightly in agreement. "I was thinking the same. Now that the seal is open and the path to the Sonoro lies before us… it's time for the truth that has been buried for twenty years to see the light of day once more."
As she spoke, she turned and walked toward the shadows on the other side of the hidden chamber. Her fingertips brushed over an inconspicuous mechanism on the wall. "Beneath the Fisalia estate, there is a funicular that leads directly to the entrance of the seminary ruins. The mechanism to open it is right here on the wall."
Under the light pressure of her hand, a deep, grinding sound came from the stone wall as a descending staircase slowly revealed itself.
"Why build a funicular in a place like this?" Ray asked, unable to resist as he gazed at the deep, dark passageway.
"Because House Fisalia and the Order must, in the end, maintain the appearance of harmony on the surface." Cantarella lifted her skirt and stepped onto the stairs first, her voice echoing softly through the narrow stairwell.
"This tunnel was originally built for the convenience of our family's younger members traveling to study at the seminary. Only… after the incident twenty years ago, it became useless."
"I see."
Ray nodded and gripped Tyrvine tightly, following close behind.
At the end of the tunnel, a Tacet-Discord-powered funicular carriage waited in silence.
"Get on."
Just as Ray stepped into the carriage, he suddenly seemed to remember something. "Ah, right! Zani!"
"Zani?" Cantarella murmured the name softly. "I recall now. The steward mentioned to me that there was another woman who came here with you, yes?"
"Yes, she's a very important friend of mine." Ray nodded. "I at least need to let her know what's going on, or she won't be able to find me later."
Mainly, he was afraid Carlotta would get jealous again.
"Just a friend?" The corner of Cantarella's lips curved upward. She crossed her legs elegantly, resting her cheek lightly against one hand and leaning slightly forward, a knowing smile flickering in her eyes. "Does purely platonic friendship between men and women truly exist around you? I have… serious doubts about that."
Come to think of it, it did seem that all manner of women were constantly swirling around this man.
Whether it was the young lady of House Montelli, or a clergy member of the Order, or even herself, the head of a great house, he had intimate relationships with them all.
The very core of Ragunna's three major powers were all entangled with him in countless ways.
No, wait. Phoebe couldn't quite be counted as a core figure just yet.
And besides…
Even that ever-indifferent and aloof Changli seemed to harbor a certain unspoken special regard for him.
The funicular slowly rumbled to life and slid into the deep tunnel.
Cantarella's tone took on a slightly playful edge. "Rest assured. House Fisalia has never treated its guests poorly. I will send someone to inform her."
Ray exhaled in relief. "That puts my mind at ease then."
"Speaking of which, you're from Huanglong, aren't you?" Cantarella lightly rested her cheek on her fingertips, her gaze drifting toward the flowing darkness outside the carriage window. "In the future… have you ever thought about going back to visit?"
"Uh… perhaps… I might?"
What do you mean, from Huanglong? I've long since become a Ragunna native.
"Perhaps?" Cantarella narrowed her eyes slightly. "Meaning… you haven't really decided yet?"
"More or less," Ray answered vaguely. "There are still so many unfinished matters here in Ragunna. I can't really leave anytime soon."
"What a pity." Cantarella shook her head gently, her hair brushing past her shoulder with the motion. "Before Changli departed, she specifically asked me to tell you, if you ever go to Jinzhou in the future, you must go and see her."
Changli?
Ray suddenly remembered that woman who had come all the way from Huanglong.
Though he hadn't spent much time with her, the impression Changli had left on him was an exceptionally deep one.
"Why does she want me to go see her?" Ray asked, puzzled.
"Who knows?" Cantarella turned her face aside and murmured under her breath, so softly it was almost inaudible. "Could it be that you scoundrel, at some point when I wasn't looking… also slipped some kind of love potion to her?"
"What are you talking about?!" Ray retorted with righteous indignation. "I would never resort to such underhanded tricks, I always take the straightforward, direct approach."
Cantarella smiled and was just about to say something when the corner of her eye abruptly caught sight of moving figures at the end of the tunnel.
"Wait… up ahead, is that… people from the Order?!"
"The Order?"
Ray immediately stood up at her words and followed her gaze.
On the platform at the end of the tunnel, several figures cloaked in white clergy robes indeed stood in formation beneath the dim glow of the wall lamps, as if bracing for a formidable enemy.
Cantarella furrowed her brow. "People from the Order? What are they doing here? Could it be…"
She glanced instinctively at Ray, then shook her head, dismissing the thought. The secret of Tyrvine could not possibly have been exposed so quickly. The Order, logically, should not even know of the Divine Sword's existence.
Then their objective was probably not the sword itself, but rather…
That Sonoro, slumbering in the high heavens.
The funicular slowly came to a steady stop at the edge of the platform. Before the two of them could even step out of the carriage, a middle-aged man in a high-ranking clergy robe hurried forward and bowed respectfully toward Cantarella. His tone, however, brooked no argument.
"Forgive the intrusion, my lady."
"This area has been temporarily cordoned off. Passage is forbidden."
"Cordoned off?" Cantarella's eyes turned cold, her voice seeping with frost. "On whose orders?"
The clergyman lowered his head and answered with the utmost deference.
"A decree issued personally by Primus Fenrico."