Sonia Sea, deep within an unnamed island, Silas was alone.
When his virtual persona returned from atop the gray fog, all the memories rushed into his mind at once, letting him grasp the entire proceedings of the meeting as though he had personally lived through it.
The Hermit was Cattelya.
It was she who had leaked the intelligence to the Queen. The other members were all willing to provide potion materials.
The current state of Backlund. The anomaly in Feysac. The rumors about Elder Shepherd Lovia. And the dream of the Giant King's Court and the ruins of the God-warring...
As he slowly mulled over these matters, the grass ahead suddenly rustled, and someone walked over.
The one who came had a head of vivid red hair, features fine and noble, and at this moment, looking at him, she seemed somewhat anxious and uneasy.
Sophia Einhorn.
"Captain, there's something I need to discuss with you."
She said.
"It's about your father, isn't it."
Silas asked.
"Huh? How did you know?"
Sophia couldn't help but be stunned for a moment, then quickly caught herself.
"Right, of course you'd have better information than me, Captain... Just as you said, I heard a rumor at the pirates' gathering that my father is critically ill."
As she spoke, her lovely eyes welled up with a tangled mix of worry, sorrow, and conflict. "I want to go back to Feysac to see him."
Although that old man, her father, had forcibly arranged a marriage for her, he truly did care about her.
Now, thinking back on it, before she'd fled, her father's complexion had seemed to grow paler and paler, his back more and more stooped by the day.
Sophia was afraid that if she didn't hurry back, she truly would never see him one last time.
"Aren't you worried he'll try to arrange another marriage for you?"
Silas asked.
Somewhere within him, that red angel evil spirit opened its eyes.
"He won't."
Sophia smiled weakly.
"He's already critically ill. Even if he really did try to force me, worst case I'd just run away again... What I'm worried about is that if I don't go see him this time, I really will never see him again."
"Very well."
Silas nodded. "You joined my crew of your own will in the first place, so of course you may leave the same way now.
"There's just one condition."
Here, he looked at Sophia. "You are not to leak any information about me, or about my crew members."
"I swear on the God of War, I will never say a word."
"What good is a vow."
Silas shook his head. "How about this: before you disembark, I'll erase your relevant memories."
"While you're at it, keep a vial of her blood too."
Within him, Medici spoke up, adding.
Silas ignored him.
"No problem, Captain."
Sophia nodded. "I trust your character, Captain. Even if you tamper with my memories, I know you'd never harm me. So, Captain, is it settled then?"
"Mm. Once you're outside, let Anderson know, and then you can go pack your things."
Their crew would continue sailing west and drop her off at an island with a Feysac embassy.
"Didn't you hear what I just said?"
Once Sophia had left, Medici within Silas immediately began making a fuss. "I said, keep a vial of that woman's blood."
He seemed remarkably fixated on the matter.
"Why should I listen to you?"
Silas asked back calmly.
Medici already had a vial of Elaine Solen's blood.
If Sophia Einhorn's blood were added to that, then two of the three angel kings' direct bloodline descendants would be accounted for.
On top of that, he had already promised to make a trip to Bansy, the place where Medici's descendants lived, and the blood of all three would be complete.
"...Heh, are you afraid of me?"
The red evil spirit within him fell silent for a moment, then began to laugh.
"That's fair. The power I displayed before was rather overwhelming, so it's only natural you'd feel some fear in your heart... It's fine, no need to feel ashamed, it's a perfectly reasonable emotion."
Silas smiled upon hearing this.
"Save that line of yours, Medici. Your taunts don't work on me."
"Fine then, let's speak some truth."
Medici said, "I really do need that woman's blood. It will be key to my resurrection..."
Silas raised an eyebrow.
Medici had spoken far too plainly, which left him somewhat unable to accept it easily.
But this fellow had always been cunning, and it was hard to tell truth from lies in what he said. Perhaps something else lay hidden within these so-called truths.
"You really are formidable, using that tide of illusion to suppress me for the time being."
Medici said, "But you can't possibly keep me imprisoned forever. I am a King of Angels, and sooner or later I will break free of your control... When that time comes, the conflict between us may well need to be properly resolved...
"
Hm?
Silas frowned. "Are you threatening me?"
"Whoosh..."
The illusory tide immediately began to stir, on the verge of surging out.
"Heh heh, what I mean is, it's best we avoid conflict between us as much as possible. It's not good for you either, using my power."
Medici reined himself in a little, his laughter somewhat awkward. "How about this: if you give me her blood, I'll tell you the Sequence 3 potion formula for the Secrets Suppliant pathway. How does that sound?"
The tide Silas was controlling paused.
"What did you say?"
"The Sequence 3 formula for your pathway."
Medici laughed. "I can even tell you its name: the Trinity Templar."
Silas took a deep breath.
The formula he had searched so hard for, unable to obtain it through any number of channels, and it turned out the clue had been with Medici, inside his own body, all along?
Was it absurd?
A little.
Was it reliable?
Hard to say.
"How can I be sure you're not lying to me?"
He asked deeply, forcing himself to keep his emotions calm, not letting the other party seize the upper hand.
"I have lived through several epochs of time. Do you think knowing a mere Sequence 3 formula is something so unreasonable?" Medici laughed.
"Besides, among the Kings of Angels who once stood alongside me, there was one who held mastery over this very pathway. Even from him, I could learn no small amount of knowledge."
"That King of Angels you mentioned, is that the one you brought up before?"
Silas, being careful, did not mention Sasrir's name, only asking indirectly.
"Heh heh, is it, or isn't it?"
Medici's answer remained just as ambiguous.
Silas asked no further questions, instead furrowing his brow in thought.
Should he agree to this fellow's terms?
Purely from a rational standpoint, what Medici said carried a fair degree of credibility.
But judging by his character and temperament, whether the formula he offered carried some hidden danger was another matter entirely, hard to say.
And yet, with no other channel able to obtain the formula, this fellow had become the only source available.
Silas thought it over carefully.
What if he treated it only as a last resort?
That is to say, he would keep a vial of Sophia's blood, but not hand it over to Medici just yet. Only if he truly had no other way, if he could find the formula nowhere else, would he then use it to negotiate with Medici...
This way, he'd keep one option in reserve, leaving himself some room to maneuver, rather than being immediately taken advantage of by Medici.
Silas soon made up his mind.