That night, Xio couldn't help but recall her "absurd" expression in the mirror. She pulled the covers over her head, feeling utterly mortified.
"This is too embarrassing…" she groaned. If it had been in front of strangers, it wouldn't have been so bad, but having her friend Ebner see her like that made her want to disappear. She could only thank the heavens that Fors wasn't there. If Fors had seen it and decided to put it into one of her novels, she thought, "I'd… I'd have to track down every reader and force them to burn their copies!"
Meanwhile, in another dormitory room at the school, Ebner was performing a ritual.
"I pray for the power of knowledge;
"I pray for the strength of reason;
"I seek the blessing of the God of Knowledge and Wisdom;
"Grant this item the ability to hide one's face…"
As some inexplicable characters briefly appeared and then faded, Ebner concluded his praises for the god's generosity. He then picked up the sailor hat from the center of the altar, activated his Pure White Eye to inspect it, and nodded in satisfaction. "With my potion further digested, my rituals are improving as well. This hat should last for at least ten days. I'll give it to Xio tomorrow so she can use it after the Ring of Premonition. That way, she won't refuse to use her Fool ability out of fear of 'dying of embarrassment,' which could end up putting her life at risk."
Just as he was wrapping up his materials, Ebner suddenly heard a faint roar coming from the northern streets of the town. The village was small, so the sound traveled from the northern edge all the way to the southern end where the school was located.
He quickly threw on his clothes and left his dormitory, only to find Xio stepping out of her room as well. They exchanged a glance, then silently ran toward the school's storage room, moving in sync without a word.
Mr. Gaston was still grinding through levels in the Dream Labyrinth Tower, oblivious to what was happening outside.
Upon reaching the Gate of Dreams and Reality, Ebner used a charm to enter the labyrinth and hurriedly summoned Mr. Gaston from the depths of his dreamscape.
By now, the commotion outside was growing louder, with the entire town seemingly on alert.
Mr. Gaston's face turned grim as he took out an ornate mirror, sensing something through it. Finally, he turned to Ebner and said, "A monster from the northern forest of the island has broken through the Church of Storm's containment."
"A monster? How could there be monsters on this island?" Ebner asked, taken aback.
"This place is called Damir for a reason. During the Fourth Epoch, this land was ruled by a demon named Damir Andariel!" Mr. Gaston explained as he led them toward his storage room, where he kept some powerful Beyonder items.
"Andariel… A demon family?" Ebner followed Mr. Gaston, a headache forming as he realized he had once again found himself in the middle of yet another dangerous incident.
"That demon was eventually slain in the Sunya Sea by a Church of Storm saint, and the other monsters on Damir Island were thoroughly purged. Unfortunately, the northern forest of the island retained some contamination from that demi-god demon's aura, and it can only be healed by time. Over the years, various monsters have periodically emerged from the tainted land, though they are usually weak and even attract adventurers hunting for materials. That's actually one reason there's a colony on this small island," Mr. Gaston explained as they reached the storage room.
"So Damir Port's famous cured meat owes its temporary enhancement of spiritual perception to this history?" Ebner recalled how a young girl named Donna in the original novel had been able to see Klein's messenger after eating the island's signature delicacy.
"I heard that a Fear Worm was spotted in the northern forest recently," Xio chimed in unexpectedly. For days, she had been inquiring about the ingredients for her Sheriff potion, and she had even managed to gather information on one of them: the eye of a Fear Worm.
"It seems the signs were there a few days ago… I was just too engrossed in the Dream Tower to notice." Mr. Gaston sounded regretful as he pulled out two powerful Beyonder items from his storage and handed Ebner and Xio thirty anti-magic bullets each. "The Church only cleansed the forest two years ago; there shouldn't have been enough time for strong monsters to form. What's more, the outer edges of the northern forest are protected by wards. They don't affect humans or animals, but it's nearly impossible for monsters to cross them… something must have changed!"
"Given the island's unusual nature… why isn't there a Mandated Punisher squad stationed here?" Ebner asked. With both the mysterious Dream Gate underground and frequent incidents involving supernatural phenomena, Mr. Gaston's previous statement that the island was too small to justify a Beyonder presence now seemed suspect.
"You do ask a lot of questions—typical of a detective." Mr. Gaston shot him a glance before patiently explaining, "The reason is complicated. First, as I said, this town is small, it's a colony, and they are lax on supernatural events. There's no strict need for a Beyonder squad. Second, the area is under Ruen's military jurisdiction, and they're highly resistant to the Church of Storm Beyonders being stationed here. Third, since that demi-god demon fell to the Church, his influence on the monsters seems to increase whenever Mandated Punishers remain on the island for extended periods, which accelerates the monster spawning."
"I see…" Ebner nodded, though he felt there was more to this. The image of the red-haired woman from the Beyonder gathering who had bought the ingredient for Psychiatrist flitted through his mind. "Could a member of the Psychological Alchemist Society have any connection to these monsters breaking through the containment?" he wondered silently.
At that moment, intense gunfire reached their ears, followed by the rumble of naval cannons.
Mr. Gaston's face darkened. "The colonial garrison has opened fire. That means a large group of monsters has reached the town's edge! We need to hurry over and assist them."
Ebner and Xio nodded solemnly, understanding all too well that there would be no survivors if the town fell.
---
At the capital of the Rhodes Archipelago, Bayam, at the Church of the Waves.
The Church of the Waves, the largest church in these waters, boasted a grand classical design with towering columns, arches, a massive dome, and two belfries.
During the colonial era, when settlers often lacked time to build churches, this led to disastrous results. Despite claiming control of native lands, they would suffer mysterious and unexplained deaths—dying in droves, often without apparent cause. It was only after the major churches had established their buildings that these terrifying events gradually declined, becoming rare occurrences.
At present, a priest entered the church and, illuminated by the warm candlelight that marked the boundary of human presence, stepped into the grand prayer hall.
He clenched his right fist over his left chest and respectfully greeted the presiding bishop, "The Storm is with you!"
"The Storm is with you!" the bishop replied with the same gesture.
Only then did the priest retrieve a telegram from his robe and hand it to the bishop, reporting, "We've received a distress telegram from Damir. Monsters have breached the containment and are attacking the port town."
"Damir…" The bishop murmured thoughtfully. "Are any nearby Mandated Punisher squads currently available?"
"They are. However, they're engaged in tracking down and intercepting a Listener from the Aurora Order across their respective territories," the priest replied.
"A single Listener requires that many to intercept?" The bishop sounded surprised, as though hearing this for the first time.
"This is a mandate from the Consistory. It's not compulsory, but it offers significant merit, so most idle squads have joined the hunt," the priest explained.
The bishop nodded in understanding, then said firmly, "Send word in my name to reassign all nearby Mandated Punisher squads to Damir. Our followers' lives matter more than hunting cultists."
"Yes, Your Grace!" The priest nodded, though he hesitated as he asked, "What should we do about the Aurora Order? I've heard this Listener even kidnapped a boy named Jack from Enmat Harbor."
"Hmm… Do we have anyone else in the area?" the bishop asked after a moment's thought.
"There is. Alger is currently on leave!" the priest replied, as if he had anticipated the question.
"Alger… Is he the one who recently acquired a ghost ship?" The bishop pondered for a moment before asking for confirmation.
"Yes, he recently came into possession of the Avenger, a Fourth Epoch ghost ship," the priest confirmed, evidently well-informed about Alger.
"Then send him the order to track down the Aurora Order's Listener!" The bishop concluded decisively.