"Ah, perhaps we have met. I'm sorry that it's passed my memory by, I've been quite exhausted lately…" Ainsworth sheepishly apologised, being sure to not lose sight of the man as he bowed slightly, trying to portray a slightly embarassed demeanor.
'Moreover, if he was able to make his way to the high borough… is he a guest of the Tormoul family?'
"Callister… isn't the Callister family one of the Church's majour sponsors? Orion Callister… I've heard a name that was probably quite similar… this man might be the head of the Callister family." Dietrich leaned over and whispered in Ainsworth's ear. As he heard this, Ainsworth's eyebrow twitched. Suddenly, it made sense to him.
Lumière would often make friends with members of high society for two reasons- his hobby of practicing his swordplay as well as his performances as a well-known and reputable magician often drew their attention! It was the same for that figure, Artis Faulkner! If he could get close to someone in line for the throne of the Empire, then it would definitely make sense for him to mix with the Callister family, considering their close ties to the Church that they had both grown up within.
'Really… what is the limit of Lumière's charisma? How many people will he charm just by existing?' Ainsworth scoffed internally as he accepted Orion Callister's hand, shaking it.
"It's quite alright, Mr. Benedict. As a Priest of the Goddess, you must meet many new people each day. It's definitely too hard to remember someone like me." Orion glanced down at Ainsworth's hand, noticing that his white glove had been stained with blood. "Are you hurt, Mr. Benedict? Should I call a doctor? The live-in doctor the Tormoul's reserve is quite good at what he does."
Ainsworth's eyebrow twitched. He had forgotten to wrap the wounds from when the spears of shadow had pierce his flesh. "No, it's just a scratch. Don't worry too much on my account, Mr. Callister."
He glanced up at the fiery-haired figure, smiling genially as he continued. "Do you know where we might have met?"
This was the only strange part that remained. Ainsworth had never really found himself in the circles that Lumière frequented. He hadn't been much for the blade until he had joined Heaven's Roses, and show-life didn't excite him that much. That wasn't to demean Lumière's performances, they just weren't the type of entertainment he had enjoyed as a playboy. So how had he run into Orion Callister, from a family he never should have met? Was it at the main cathedral?
"I attended the party you held in the lower borough a few weeks ago. There, I even met Saint Selaphiel. Although, I think we only met in passing. Perhaps it wasn't long enough to make an impression on you, as there were many people there." Of course, this wasn't true. Orion had only been there long enough to mess with Lumière and play the story games with the Archangel. Having heard Lumière call him an 'Archangel' as he left, he did a bit of research and found that the figure called a 'Saint' resembled the person he had played the game with almost exactly. How the head of a family who donated so much to the Church of the Crown of Thorns didn't know anything about its Saints was definitely due to his enigmatic attitude towards life, how his time was almost always spent chasing thrills while Pandora minded much of the Family's business.
'He met Mr. Selaphiel? Ah, as a large benefactor to the Church, this is certainly feasible. But was Mr. Selaphiel at the party? I didn't see him once…'
"I see! There were definitely many people there that day, you must have slipped through the crowd. It's very interesting to have met here again of all places, isn't it?"
Orion nodded his head. "Quite. I wonder what business the Church has up here?"
"It was a supernatural matter. An evil spirit was trapped within a bronze coin that the Tormoul family had procured from the North." This much was something that Ainsworth could disclose, particularly to a nobleman. Their routes of information would cut through any secrecy they tried to veil over the matter, anyway. While the identity of that spirit might be a bit more important, this much would at least satisfy the man's curiosity.
"An evil spirit? It seems I missed something exciting. I shouldn't have busied myself with business when a thrill was so close to where I was experiencing leisure!" Orion laughed lightheartedly. "Well, if you see Lumière, please give him my regards. I'll try and pay him a visit shortly, once I've finished up with my business. It was really nice to see you again, Mr. Benedict."
At the same time, Orion nodded his head respectfully to Dietrich, who stood behind Ainsworth. He bowed his head slightly, smiling. "May the veridian star guide you."
"Underneath her crown, we find our strength." Ainsworth and Dietrich repeated in unison, bowing their heads in return.
They watched as the fiery-haired figure walked into the distance past the garden, towards the entrance of the Tormoul Family's estate.
"What an interesting man…" Ainsworth muttered under his breath, glancing at Dietrich. "Alright, it's time to continue with the plan. First, we'll disguise ourselves, and then sneak into the Cattleya Estate. For better or for worse, we will certainly discover what the Cattleya Family is truly behind!"
Dietrich nodded his head, a grim expression remaining on his face.
As he exited the garden, Orion looked towards an obscured building to his left, he saw a light-haired boy with a dull expression and blood-stained clothes staring at him. He approached the boy, smiling as he raised a hand in greeting. "Euler, you look horrible today!"
"Mr. Callister, is it really necessary to insult my necessity? This is all I can manage with half-assed vessels. This one will rot, soon. Uninhabitable, but more than that, disgusting…"
"If you want a better vessel, you should give me more power."
"You know that's not how it works. Don't you enjoy this power I offer you? It's perfectly suited to your strange games."
"They aren't strange, Euler. They are my necessity. You know that."
The boy, who the demon Euler had inhabited, bowed his head. "My apologies."
After he had leaned against the doorway of the building, Orion casually glanced over and grinned.
"Euler, what did you learn from observing?"
Trailing the Priest and the Archbishop had become his plot the moment he had seen them waltz into the Tormoul building. Orion had only happened to be present as a matter of rest. He knew that his connection to the Lorraine family would have been explored by those who knew he had entered Leiden. Information was simply the game within the city of rain. However, his connection to the Tormoul family was far more secretive, something that stretched back to the time when he was just a child, not the head of his entire family.
In that way, the Tormoul household was essentially a secret safe haven for Orion. Because of a stroke of luck, they were able to spy on the fight between Ainsworth, Dietrich, and the evil spirit. Of course, he had known of the evil spirit's presence due to Euler, and he was planning on investigating the matter himself due to enjoying dangerous thrills, but Ainsworth and Dietrich had arrived at a perfect time. So, he simply sent Euler to spy on them in secrecy, as a Demon was surely capable of doing. After all, their physique wasn't simply human, even if they had overtaken the body of one.
"Those Phantoms were also present. This matter seems much larger than just a spirit and a Priest with an Archbishop acting puppy-like behind him. I sensed another gaze nearby, something that seemed incomprehensible. There might be multiple parties at play here."
"Those Phantoms, the strange beasts that follow the Blasphemer Goddess, the Church, and now another strange being? Initially, I intended only to rest here, but know we've come before such enthralling information… should I still bring it to Lumière Croft? I know he's quite interested in those Phantoms. Weren't they responsible for the death of his beloved? I've messed with Black far too much recently. Shouldn't I reward him for playing my game well?"
Euler glanced towards him with a hint of disdain. "You shouldn't forget the plan."
"No, not at all." Orion shook his head. "I'm still going to take everything he has left from him. His friends, his connections, his public perception… even his name. I'll leave him completely desolate in the face of fate. I just thought it would be fun to give him some hope, some new goal first… it would distract him, in a sense, and make these next events quite traumatic!"
Orion let out a soft chuckle, covering his mouth with his hand as his gaze sharpened.
"Perhaps it's time to pay a visit to that Archangel."