"My wife and child died because of it?"
Upon hearing Ael's words, George's expression froze. The iron shovel in his hands slipped and fell to the ground. At that moment, he seemed to age years in an instant.
He opened his mouth slightly, staring at the corpse in the coffin, but no words came out. He couldn't accept the truth.
After a long silence, he finally murmured with regret and guilt:
"I got this thing from a corpse last year.
Back then, I hadn't gone bankrupt yet—I was still a grain merchant, traveling the sea routes between Feynapotter and Loen.
I still remember it clearly. It was a Tuesday night. Due to a storm, I docked on 'Blue Star' Island, east of the Misty Sea, along with my cargo and the rest of the fleet.
Fearing the rain would ruin my goods, I didn't follow the others to the port's inn. Instead, I stayed alone in a rented warehouse by the docks.
That night, exhausted, I fell asleep early. But in the middle of the night, I was awakened by a faint cry for help.
The voice came from just outside the door, only about thirty paces from my small storage room.
Having dealt with Feynapotters for years, I immediately recognized it as their language.
Sir, you know how it is—the Misty Sea is full of pirates. Out of caution, I took my double-barreled shotgun and approached.
But when I opened the door, it wasn't the pirate ambush I had expected. Instead, lying on the ground was a man—severed in two—but somehow still clinging to life.
He had short green hair, wore a linen shirt, and his face was old and withered. His body was covered in claw marks, as if he had been attacked by some large beast. His skin was swollen and oozing pus.
Honestly, sir, I had never seen anyone so gravely injured before. I—I was terrified.
When he saw me, the dying man turned his head with great difficulty and told me that after he died, I should wait ten minutes and then take a green gemstone from his chest, along with his remaining Feynapotter gold coins.
He said that if I delivered the gemstone to the owner of the harbor bar in Feynapotter's Marne Port, I would receive gold equivalent to 500 pounds in Loen currency.
He seemed to want to say more, but his voice became too weak to understand…"
Hearing this, Ael rubbed the gemstone in his pocket and let out a silent sigh.
"Clearly, you didn't follow his instructions…"
George wiped his eyes, then collapsed onto the dirt, his voice trembling.
"I—I was too scared at the time. And I didn't want to get involved in anything troublesome. If I got entangled in a case involving a dead man, my cargo would be confiscated, and I'd suffer a great loss.
So after taking the green gemstone, I pushed his corpse into the sea and went back to the warehouse."
As he spoke, George covered his face—now twisted with pain—with his dirt-streaked hands and choked out:
"I originally planned to deliver the gemstone when I returned to Feynapotter to buy grain this year. But my wife loved it… she couldn't part with it.
And then, because of the 'Grain Act,' I suffered losses and had to delay my trip…"
"So they died because they kept it with them for too long."
Looking at the weeping man before him, Ael let out a long sigh.
As an astrologer at the angelic level, he knew exactly what this green gemstone was.
It was the beyonder characteristic left behind by a deceased Sequence 7 ' Sequence 7 'Harves PRIEST' from the Earth Pathway.
For some reason, instead of merging with surrounding objects to form a sealed artifact, it remained in its raw beyonder state.
Only after causing the deaths of Winona and her child did it begin transforming into a sealed artifact, its influence extending to George through their shared bloodline.
"If I had arrived just a few days later, he probably would have died in his sleep from a nightmare.
It's strange—why would an Earth Pathway beyonder characteristic produce dream-related effects?
An imbalance in the underlying rules? Or some other influence?"
As for the deceased ' Sequence 7 'Harves PRIEST,' based on George's description, they were likely an beyonder from the Church of the Earth Mother. Given their Sequence rank, they were probably the leader of a small beyonder team.
And yet, such a leader had ended up gravely wounded outside a warehouse, unable to even finish their last words.
"A body torn in half, beast-like claw marks, a member of the Church of the Earth Mother, pus seeping from the wounds… Was the killer a werewolf?
And if it was a non-human entity… the greatest source of corruption among them is the Rose School of Thought.
Operating in the Misty Sea… The Rose School's influence on the sea… Could it be Senor? No—he's a Sequence 5. He definitely understands the Law of Conservation of beyonder Characteristics. He wouldn't have left such a thing behind.
Besides, if it were his fleet, George and the other islanders wouldn't have survived.
It must have been other non-human entities. Perhaps members of the Rose School's Indulgence faction, or even its Moderation faction. But even they should understand the Law of Conservation of beyonder Characteristics.
So why didn't they take the ' Sequence 7 'Harves PRIEST's' characteristic? Or… were they unable to?
Was there another danger that drove them away? A counterattack from the ' Sequence 7 'Harves PRIEST's' team?"
Ael frowned, setting aside his speculation for the moment.
The ' Sequence 7 'Harves PRIEST's' spirit had long since dissipated, leaving behind only lingering traces of will that couldn't be communicated with. Perhaps only by searching the spirit world for its remnants could the truth be uncovered.
"In any case, this is an unexpected gain. It could be used to nurture a healing priest… or forged into a sealed artifact."
A sudden gust of wind swept past, lifting George to his feet. Ael, his expression calm, smiled faintly and said:
"This wasn't your fault. As an ordinary man, you made the right choice. If you had followed that dying man's words, your fate would have been the same—imprisonment in the Church of the Earth Mother, never seeing your wife and child again."
"W-Why?"
George stared blankly, his voice filled with confusion.
"The reason is simple: because you're Loenese. Because you're a follower of the Evernight Goddess."
Ael smiled and reached out his right hand, plunging it into the void. Two seconds later, when he withdrew his hand, he was holding a silver-bordered Loen Royal Bank passbook with the royal emblem engraved on its cover.
He flipped through the balance, then handed it to George.
"There's only 1,200 pounds in here—consider it an advance payment for your compensation.
Once this matter is completely resolved, go to the Fishermen's Association in Pritz Harbor and find a committee member named Dorian Gray.
Tell him that Ael sent you. He'll pay you the rest."