"Brother, let's run away."
The moment she caught an opportunity, Cecilia wanted to help Silas regain his freedom.
"Run away?"
Silas couldn't help but smile bitterly.
How could they possibly escape?
His Listener's sensitive ears allowed him to hear clearly.
In the underground passage, beyond their line of sight, Leonard and Dunn's breathing and heartbeats were perfectly distinct.
The so-called privacy for the siblings was merely a pretense to reassure his sister; they had simply switched to covert surveillance.
Given Dunn's steady nature, there was no way he would leave any chance for escape.
Besides...
"Can you even dismantle this cage?"
Silas asked.
Seeing Cecilia frown, unable to answer, he smiled. "Alright, Cecilia, stop thinking about such things.
We should be grateful we survived that madwoman."
The Nighthawks in Port Enmat, Captain Edward, and those people from the Southern Continent who were trafficked and sacrificed, none of them escaped from Ma'am M's grasp.
Only he and his sister survived. Even if the days ahead would be difficult, compared to that, it didn't seem entirely unacceptable.
Just then, Ma'am M's meaningful smile before her death suddenly flashed through his mind.
Was it really that simple?
Silas froze for a moment, then suppressed the unease in his heart and said to Cecilia with a smile, "Backlund is a big city, you know.
There's much more to play with and eat compared to Tingen. Once we settle down, I'll take you into the city for a proper tour."
Though completely uncertain about his own future, he could only focus on the positives to comfort his sister.
Of course, Silas had never been to Backlund either; he could only rely on his imagination to paint a rosy picture of the big city for Cecilia.
"My sister is so beautiful. Once you're there, you're bound to cause a sensation.
"You'll have nobles falling for you left and right — princes, dukes, everyone will be trying to win your heart."
"I don't want to marry a noble. I just want to stay with you."
"That's fine too. You're smart enough to get into any university, earn a good degree, and find a solid job.
I may not be Roselle the Great, but I can still write books and invent things. Even in the big city, we'd do just fine together."
Silas spun these irresponsible fantasies while Cecilia sat beside him, listening quietly, her azure eyes sparkling brightly.
"Time's about up. Let's go."
A few minutes later, Dunn emerged from behind the passage with Leonard and said to Silas.
"Alright."
Silas replied.
By now, Cecilia's emotions had stabilized.
Seeing them open the cage and pull Silas out, she didn't try to stop them but instead followed behind.
The group left Chanis Gate, walked along the passage to the spiral staircase, and climbed up to the first floor of Blackthorn Security Company.
They probably wouldn't be coming back here again.
Silas's gaze swept across every corner of the company. He wasn't particularly nostalgic, just somewhat wistful.
In the break room, he met the Nighthawks from Backlund.
"These are our colleagues from the Backlund diocese: Ms. Lorotha, Al Hasson, and Borgia."
Dunn introduced them. Lorotha was a dark-haired woman in her thirties with a somewhat masculine style of dress.
Al Hasson was a graceful middle-aged gentleman, and Borgia had a scarred face and a stern demeanor.
"The diocese takes this escort very seriously, so they sent quite a few people."
Al Hasson, acting as the team leader, explained. He looked Silas up and down. "So this is Silas Londor?"
"That's me."
"Cecilia Londor?"
"That's right."
His sister nodded as well.
"Your appearances are truly striking." Al Hasson gazed at their faces and said sincerely, then looked at Dunn.
"Well then, Dunn, we'll be taking them now."
"...Please take care of them."
Dunn said gravely.
The group continued outward. They left the break room, crossed the partition, and reached the lobby.
Seeing them appear, the colleagues at Blackthorn Security Company all stood up.
"Silas, goodbye!"
"Take care in Backlund."
"Safe travels, Silas. Frye and Royale are on graveyard patrol. They asked me to say goodbye for them."
Everyone said their farewells in a jumble. Klein specifically mentioned the two who weren't present.
"Goodbye, everyone. I enjoyed my time with you all very much."
Silas smiled and raised his shackled arms to wave goodbye.
His colleagues followed them out, surrounding the siblings and the Backlund Nighthawks as they exited the building.
Outside on the street, two unmarked black carriages were waiting, with several black-coated Nighthawks standing quietly beside them.
Ms. Lorotha took Cecilia and another female Nighthawk onto one carriage, which departed first.
"Brother, see you in Backlund."
His sister said before getting into the carriage.
Silas waved to her, watching the carriage gradually disappear into the distance.
The sunlight outside shone on his body, letting him, who had been underground for several days, feel a long-missed warmth.
"Silas, give my regards to Old Neil."
Dunn looked at him and said.
"I will, Captain."
Silas replied. "Also, I've always wanted to thank you. Since that night, you've taken such good care of my sister and me. It was an honor to be on your team."
Hearing this, Dunn couldn't help but smile, his eyes filled with warmth.
"Silas, you've helped me a great deal, too. You've done many great things, saved the lives of several cities. It was also an honor for me to be your captain."
The two men smiled at each other.
"Alright, that's enough. If anyone ends up in Backlund in the future, feel free to look me up."
Silas waved to them one last time, descended the steps, and walked toward the carriage.
Beside him, Leonard was handing things over.
Ma'am M's box had already been sent off; now he was passing over Silas's belongings to the Backlund Nighthawks, confirming them one by one.
"Three Beyonder items: bone flute, whistle, dagger, and these materials..."
With each item he named, he placed it into a compartment in the box they'd provided.
Silas watched and suddenly noticed something wasn't right.
It seemed like something was missing...
"What about that scripture?"
He asked Leonard.
"Scripture?"
Leonard looked up at him, puzzled. "What scripture?"
"That scripture bound in human skin, the one with stories and poems written in ancient Hermes, that scripture?"
"I didn't see it. It wasn't on you, and it wasn't at your house either... Besides, you never mentioned it either, did you?"
Leonard looked genuinely confused.
I didn't mention it... Right, how could I have forgotten about that scripture?
Silas's mouth went dry.
Suddenly, he couldn't recall the last time he'd seen the scripture or remember where he'd put that book he'd been reading all along.
On the other side, the Nighthawks had finished chatting with Dunn and were preparing to depart.
"Oh, Dunn, one more thing."
Al Hasson had walked a few steps when he suddenly seemed to remember something and turned back toward Dunn.
"What is it?"
Dunn was watching Silas ahead, his eyes somewhat dim. Hearing the other man's voice, he asked without much interest.
"It's just... Ma'am M sends her regards."
"Click."
A faint mechanical friction sound came from Al Hasson's sleeve.
A mechanical device was installed in his suit sleeve, instantly ejecting a miniature revolver into his hand, which he gripped tightly.
"Bang!"
A crisp gunshot rang out. Al Hasson aimed at Dunn's heart and pulled the trigger.