"An interesting train of thought… Perhaps," Edwin nodded expressionlessly. "I can now confirm that they were pirates-wannabe from another island."
"So can I go back now?" Marcellus heaved a long sigh of relief in his heart as he probed.
Edwin slid a hand into his pocket, moving slowly toward Marcellus while muttering cryptically under his breath.
"No, I still need help managing the aftermath," he smiled politely and said.
"Why?" Marcellus blurted out, then added, "I have no experience in such cases"
Just leave me alone, I do not want to be involved in your little island. I have a feeling this is going to be a loop of 'I need help to do this and do that.' The consequences would be beyond imagination!
"I'm quite humble usually, but I'm still convinced about things related to dreams," Edwin calmly replied.
How is this related to dreams? you sound mad!
"However, for important key matters, there is no harm in confirming them again. Plus, our specialities lie in physical confrontation. Perhaps, I will exempt you from training or observing the guards train every morning."
Not waiting for Marcellus to reply, his voice turned deeper. "After all, you're connected to the whereabouts of that Fontenot diary and Captain Crowe, aren't you interested?"
"What?" Marcellus froze.
Edwin stopped in front of him, locking his blue eyes on Marcellus's eyes and said, "In the governor's safe, there was not a single trace of that diary from the Third Epoch. Hawkins is dead, Tommy Bones is missing; you are our only lead."
"…Alright then," Marcellus went silent for a moment before exhaling.
A missing diary… now this is peculiar! It is called Fontenot Diary, did this book belong to someone called Fontenot? So all of this is about the whereabouts of that diary from the Third Epoch! Wait, did he later find out that the book was not a breathing technique I expected, so he must have been fooled by someone? Captain Crowe, maybe?
He wanted to decline and even had the intention to run back to Wiscbech. However, he believed that with what had happened in his dreams, he could use Edwin's resources to investigate.
Edwin would have a high level of information about the mystical world. With the difference in strength between a normal human and an Aspirant, there was little chance of success by using force.
Many thoughts flashed past his mind, and eventually, Marcellus chose to accept the reality.
"Alright."
Sigh, I can only take one step at a time and see how things unfold; maybe, that miraculous power in my dream will be revealed…
"Then let's go," Edwin said in an indifferent tone.
Marcellus turned and followed. After taking two steps, he suddenly stopped and said, "Edwin, I... I will need compensation."
No matter what, you cannot make me work for free…
Edwin did not stop him. Instead, he gave him a keen look and said, "No problem, Blackeye. Believe me, you seek fortune as all men do"
Fortune… Marcellus silently repeated this phrase. Is this related to mysticism?
From the corner of his eyes, Marcellus saw the bald woman searching the dead men for coin or personal effects. He made a mental note: whenever I kill someone, it is important to search them.
Soon they were done searching, and the cohort started to head back to the mansion.
They walked quietly for a while, but the silence was broken up by Marcellus.
"Edwin, what if—and I mean if—the 'criminals' were not there what would you have done? And that there is no other evidence which points to me being the perpetrator or a victim, would this be over?"
"In theory, yes. We will try to search for the diary through other means. As long as it exists, it can be found. Of course, before that, we will have to make sure you are not a hidden danger planted by Crowe. We must ensure that you are not a variable in the conflict to come." Edwin had a smile on his face, a rather unusual smile.
Marcellus caught on to this point keenly 'As long as it exists', and promptly inquired, "You mentioned 'in theory'? What do you mean?"
"Yes, only in theory. from my experience, there are always twisted, unorthodox, and inexplicable things happening." Edwin looked Marcellus in the eye and said, "Their propagations or endings are not what we can predict or restrain at times."
"Like what?" Marcellus asked, a tinge of fear creeping in. This sounds like a ghost story...
"When we believe that things have come to an end, with everything going back to normal, it would resurface in a terrifying, inconsistent way."
"A few months ago, we handled a case regarding an evil cult. They made human sacrifices to please an evil god by making followers kill their family members. When one of the followers was chosen, his love for his daughter triumphed over his foolishness and twisted desires. He confessed to a priest"
"The case was handed over to us by the Church, as they lacked sufficient Stormseekers on this island. It was a relatively minor mission since none of the cult members possessed supernatural abilities. The deity they worshipped had been randomly concocted by their leader based on a dream. Humanity was truly lost in that place."
"We employed the members you see behind you, along with support from the Church, to eradicate the cult. No one was spared."
"For that informant, we also confirmed that he had no lingering sinister scent left on him. He was not cursed and did not suffer any mental disorders. He didn't have any personality problems or any other irregularities, nothing."
"Later, he went back to a normal life, even welcoming the birth of a new son. His dark past seemed like a distant nightmare. The horrors and bloodshed appeared to have vanished completely."
At this point, Edwin gave out a laugh and said, "Yet two weeks ago, despite being in good financial health and having a loving wife and adorable kids… he drowned his newborn son and strangled himself"
The deity they worshipped was randomly concocted by their leader based on a dream. Strangling himself to death... Marcellus gasped silently as if witnessing his own grim fate.
Didn't I dream of something similar, if Ayden had not replied to me I would have assumed it was my imagination.
At that instance, his seemingly self-derisive smile made Marcellus feel unspeakably horrified.
Marcellus drew in a gasp of cool air silently, as if seeing his tragic end.
Even if I escaped it once, it might just be temporary.
Is there any way to resolve this completely?
Under an awkward silence, the cohort arrived at the governor's residence.
Just as Marcellus made up his mind to consult Aulus for possible solutions, Edwin sighed aloud.