As Ebner stepped onto the platform, he saw Xio and Fors hurrying toward him. Not far behind them stood a somewhat hesitant Heloise, who, after a brief pause, decided to stay back.
Fanny and Miss Emma, standing a bit farther away, waved happily when Ebner glanced over.
The Skad couple exchanged a look and, with silent agreement, stepped back to keep an eye on his suitcase, allowing Breen Detective some privacy.
To be honest, seeing so many friends and acquaintances on the platform took Ebner by surprise.
He thought to himself:
Xio coming to see me off is no surprise since we arranged it yesterday when we parted; Miss Fanny's presence also makes sense as I recently helped her with Mr. Sarrie's issues—her coming to see me off is a polite gesture.
But Fors… She seemed quite troubled by the whispers under the full moon last time, enough to throw her out of balance. Xio mentioned she was even tempted to try some addictive substances—luckily, Xio managed to stop her in time. So, is she here out of worry that she might not make it through the next full moon?
But why are Heloise and Emma here? Even if they wanted to say goodbye, it would have been hard for them to come out… especially Emma; we had to meet late at night in the library…
As these thoughts flashed through his mind, Ebner shot Xio a look, who took the hint and pulled Fors aside, clearing the path.
Ebner stepped past them, approaching Heloise with a smile. "Bishop Maht, thank you for coming to see me off."
Heloise turned her head slightly, answering, "Originally, Bishop Utravsky intended to see you off himself, but he was held up and couldn't make it, so he asked me to come in his stead." She took a bag from her purse and handed it to him. "This is something the bishop asked me to give you."
As Ebner accepted the bag, he casually asked, "Did something happen with the bishop? Does he need any help?"
Heloise shook her head. "The bishop apprehended a vampire who broke into the church last night. He's been keeping watch over him, which is why he couldn't come."
A vampire? Breaking in? So Emlyn finally got caught—no, rather, he's finally met the right god! What a pity I have to leave for Damil to challenge the Dream Labyrinth Tower; otherwise, I'd definitely go and have a look… and introduce myself.
Opening the bag from Heloise, Ebner found an identification document—one that marked him as a priest of the Church of the Earth Mother, with a blank space where the name should go, seemingly allowing him to fill it in as needed.
Lilith must be expecting me to keep stirring things up after I clear the Labyrinth Tower, he thought wryly. Out loud, he nodded to Heloise, genuinely saying, "Please thank the bishop for me… he went to a lot of trouble."
Though, most likely, this document is Lilith's handiwork…
After a brief pause, Ebner respectfully drew a simple symbol of an infant on his chest and intoned, "Thank you, source of life!"
Heloise mirrored his gesture, her tone somber. "Praise you, mother of all things!"
Then, after a brief silence, she looked at Ebner and softly said, "Thank you for the recommendation… I've joined that club now. And… may you have a safe journey." Her expression was one of longing and admiration.
Despite her experiences and the bishop's guidance, she still longs for the world of mysticism, Ebner thought. Outwardly, he replied with a smile, "Thank you for your blessing, my friend."
"We're… friends?" Heloise looked up in surprise.
"We've been friends for a while now," Ebner's lips lifted slightly. From the moment you chose to trust me and caught that falling chandelier to protect the innocent, I've thought of you as a true friend.
…
After speaking with Heloise, Ebner turned to Fanny and Emma, bowing with a hand over his chest. "It is my greatest honor to see you both here."
Fanny gave him an appraising look, her eyes lighting up when she noticed the familiar necklace around his neck.
Emma, on the other hand, waved a finger in the air and remarked, "It's Fanny who's here to say goodbye. I'm here to pick up my poor father from the station."
Emma's father? Horatio the Viscount? I believe he's the captain of a navy flagship… Is he here for debriefing? But why call him 'poor'?
Moreover, even if the first train from Pritz Harbor left this morning, it wouldn't arrive in Becklund until ten… isn't she here a little early?
Noticing his confusion, Fanny glanced at Emma, who nodded slightly and created a wall of spirituality before offering a short explanation:
"Five days ago, Viscount Horatio's warship encountered the 'Pale Admiral' in the White Whale Sea. They were defeated and captured."
"Fortunately, the 'Pale Admiral' only kills those guilty of obvious crimes… As a paragon of military virtue, Captain Horatio was spared."
"However, with the cargo lost and having been captured, the Viscount's career has been stained. He's temporarily lost his position in the navy and had to return to Becklund."
The Pale Admiral… the pirate admiral who replaced Ludwell the Admiral Hell, and someone who wasn't in the original storyline, Ebner thought. He'd heard of her, especially after "The Hanged Man" mentioned her at the last Tarot Meeting.
This lady, known by titles like 'Pale Admiral' and 'Saintess of the Sword,' reportedly hails from the Cult of Spirits but has a very different approach than the Admiral Hell.
She never hijacks passenger ships or legitimate merchant vessels. Instead, she only targets ships carrying wealth plundered from the Southern Continent by the military, corporations, or unscrupulous traders. So while she rarely does evil, her bounty has grown quickly, already reaching 40,000 pounds, just below the Blood Admiral's.
What's even more intriguing is that despite being a pirate, she upholds justice. Those who joined her after losing everything to injustice find themselves avenged first and foremost.
Recalling these rumors, Ebner addressed Emma with a slightly apologetic tone, "I apologize if my curiosity brought up an unpleasant subject."
Emma, however, shook her head. "There's no need to apologize. My father's safe return is all my mother and I could have hoped for."
…
After a few more words with the ladies, Ebner finally turned back to Xio and Fors.
"Busy, aren't you, Ebner?" Fors asked with a sly grin as he approached.
Well, someone sounds snarky, Ebner thought, raising an eyebrow. He retorted, "I'm surprised you're even awake at this hour to see me off."
"This is an early day for me," Fors responded defensively, "but only because Miss Audrey invited me and Xio for a hunting trip. You're just a convenient stop on the way."
An invitation from Audrey? She's quick to act—she received the investigative task from the Fool only yesterday and is already informing Xio and Fors today?
Considering this, Ebner took a moment, then quietly sealed the area around them with his spirituality before warning Xio seriously, "Regarding Miss Audrey's request, don't overextend. Take on only what you're sure of."
"Is there considerable danger?" Xio asked cautiously, her expression serious.
"You might encounter an opponent as powerful as Mr. A… if you find a lead, report it directly to the Church of Evernight and let them handle it," Ebner advised.
Xio mulled this over before murmuring, "Report it to the Church… Does that mean there's collusion between military intelligence and the organization behind Lanevus? Mr. A… Could it be the Aurora Order?"
"You understand. That's enough." Ebner nodded approvingly.
"Got it. Don't worry," Xio replied, looking up at him with earnest determination.
On the other hand, Fors, who was sealed out of the conversation by the wall of spirituality, looked on in confusion, asking, "What are you two talking about?"
…
Seeing the time to depart nearing, Ebner wrapped up his conversation with Xio and Fors, retrieved his suitcase from the Skad couple, and then unexpectedly ran into another friend—Mike, the reporter from Daily Observer.
Apparently, Mike had been there for some time but hadn't approached due to the crowd of ladies around Ebner.
"I bet you'd rather not see a reporter here," Mike joked, glancing around at the ladies nearby.
"I'd expect Daily Observer to be a bit above tabloids," Ebner replied, catching his meaning and shaking his head.
"Well, we can't fabricate stories, but with this scene, Roselle's famous saying, 'Pics or it didn't happen,' comes to mind… A headline with your photo could drive sales." Mike raised his small camera with a grin.
Glancing at the camera, Ebner sighed inwardly, even knowing Mike was joking. But he smiled wryly and said, "Either way, thank you for coming to see me off." As the only male friend here, you've saved my reputation from completely going down the drain.
"No need to thank me…" Mike waved him off, then exchanged a few more pleasantries before casually adding, "I actually wanted to ask you to accompany me to the Golden Rose to investigate. Too bad you're leaving… Fortunately, Tallim introduced me to a great detective, so I'll head to Cragg Club later to meet him."
…
Sitting by the window on the train, Ebner waved goodbye to his friends one last time.
He had a feeling it would be quite a while before he'd return to Becklund, so he took time to properly say goodbye to each of them…
Choo! Choo! Choo!
With the whistle's echo, the steam train began to move. Ebner glanced back at his friends one last time before turning his gaze forward, quietly murmuring to himself, "The Fool who does not belong to this era…"
Time to get back online and start learning!
(Chapter End)