"Time to go~"
Inside the carriage, Dorothy, who had informed Sister Vanya twice, began to activate the Corpse Puppet Ring, activating the Corpse Puppet coachman to drive the carriage forward. As the coachman whipped the horses, the horses pulling the carriage started to move forward.
Using the bird's-eye view of the raven Corpse Puppet, Dorothy tracked the distant luxurious carriage from afar. After traveling for a while, Dorothy quickly encountered the same problem as last night.
Due to the difference in speed, Dorothy's carriage was gradually left behind. Soon, the distance between them exceeded three kilometers, surpassing the maximum control radius of Dorothy's Corpse Puppet, making further tracking impossible.
But this time, Dorothy had made other preparations.
"Sister Vanya, it's up to you now," Dorothy turned her head and said to the somewhat uneasy Sister beside her, and Vanya nodded in response.
"Hoo... Got it," Vanya said as she closed her eyes, then began to perceive something seriously.
"I see it... Just keep going forward..."
Listening to Vanya's words, Dorothy nodded and controlled the coachman to drive the carriage forward, gradually leaving the city and heading into the dense forest.
To avoid losing the trail like yesterday, Dorothy used the book-sea navigation record to consult Sister Vanya about any tracking methods among the "Light" Extraordinary, and the answer she received was—Beacon Sigil.
A Beacon Sigil is a sigil with the meaning of "Light", capable of forming an invisible mark on the surface of an object. A Light Extraordinary, after memorizing a Beacon Sigil, can perceive the location of the mark formed by this Beacon Sigil.
If there is no "Light" Extraordinary, a small compass-like tool can also be used for memorization and positioning. This small tool can function by consuming stored "Light" Spirituality, and it is used more frequently in the An Yin Bureau.
In Dorothy's understanding, this was like a transmitter, and each one had different characteristics, similar to wavelengths. A "Light" Extraordinary could track and perceive over long distances after memorizing it.
After learning about this item, Dorothy asked Sister Vanya if she had one, but unfortunately, Sister Vanya was a clerical Sister who didn't usually participate in tracking missions, so she didn't have this item.
Then, early this morning, Dorothy went to the school and bought one from Aldrich for 30 pounds. She also spent 20 pounds to ask how to eliminate the scent to avoid being detected by "Cup" Extraordinary with sensory abilities.
And the answer she received was to wrap it in a container covered with "Stone" medicine.
Finally, after Dorothy had Sister Vanya memorize this Beacon Sigil, she imprinted it on a hair accessory bought from the street and gave it to Anna as a parting gift. The treated hair accessory did not retain Dorothy's scent.
This was a precaution just in case, and now it had worked. Dorothy could use it to track the Mentor all the way back to his lair.
'Now, Viscount Field, who is the Mentor, is being contained by the An Yin Bureau, but until there is decisive evidence, the An Yin Bureau cannot act against Field. They will probably circle around for a while. Even if the Mentor makes trouble, although he is Black Rank, he cannot deal with the entire strength of the An Yin Bureau alone. According to Sister Vanya, that director named James is not easy to deal with either.
'However, the Mentor's stronghold and his subordinates must be dealt with. All the other children must be rescued to prevent those subordinates from doing something extreme after losing the Mentor. Since the Mentor is now dealing with the An Yin Bureau, I will take this opportunity to resolve things here. If there is no Black Rank present, it should be fine.'
Dorothy thought this as she continued to control the carriage forward, gradually entering the mountains. At this moment, Dorothy thought of something strange.
'But then again, I originally thought the Mentor would resist on the spot and fight the Hunters head-on to seek a forced breakthrough. I didn't expect him to just agree to go to the Bureau with the Hunters?
'If faced with the risk of being exposed like this, the usual course of action would be to fight fiercely. Isn't following them back to the Bureau and being captured leaving no opportunity at all? There's a chance to run outside, but once inside, there's no way to escape at all? Could it be that the Mentor is confident his disguise can completely fool the entire An Yin Bureau?
'Or is it...'
Sitting in the carriage, Dorothy felt a sense of foreboding in her heart as she pondered.
...
Under the Cypress Fir Building, inside the Igwinte Secret Agency.
In the director's office, Mr. James and Viscount Field were sitting on opposite sides of a desk, with a cup of hot tea in front of each of them, talking to each other.
In front of them lay a sheet of lyrics.
"So... Viscount Field, your meaning is that you accidentally saw these lyrics in an old book, and because you felt they were very suitable for those children, you specifically had them sing this song?" Looking at Field in front of him, James said slowly and seriously, while Field spoke righteously.
"Of course! So if you ask me about the specific source of this children's song, I don't know either. I accidentally found that old book many years ago on White Pearl Street, and that store is long gone now! Where am I supposed to find it?!"
Inside the office, James and Field were having a tense conversation, while outside the office, a group of Hunters stood by the door, weapons ready, waiting for orders.
Among them, Eilina peered through a small window at the scene inside the office. Her eyes were fixed on Field inside the office, and a faint yellow glow appeared at the edges of her pupils.
"How is it, Eilina? Did you see anything?" Grego said, standing beside Eilina, and Eilina spoke slowly.
"He has a'Shadow' meaning protection on him, but it's not very strong; I've seen through it. I can see that Viscount Field has a large amount of 'Cup' accumulated in his body, more than that of typical Thirsters, and there are some other very strange places I can't quite see clearly, but in any case, Viscount Field definitely has a problem!"
Eilina said with certainty. Listening to her words, Grego breathed a sigh of relief, then looked at the team members beside him and spoke softly.
"Draw your weapons, be ready to act at any moment..."
Outside the office, security was tight, and inside the office, Viscount Field was still talking endlessly.
"James, I warn you again! If you don't... Ugh..."
Field, who was originally pointing at James with his finger, suddenly frowned, then stopped talking and rubbed his temples. His expression became strange, his hands began to tremble slightly uncontrollably, and he began to mutter to himself.
"Something's wrong... Something's wrong... Something's wrong... What's happening, how is it starting to react? Didn't I just drink it? How did it become like this now?"
"Viscount, what's wrong?" Seeing this scene, James also frowned slightly and asked seriously, while Field slowly raised his head and said to James with a hint of panic.
"J-James... Has my butler Luer... come to pick me up?"
"Butler?"
Listening to Viscount Field's words, James immediately stood up, went to the side, opened the office door, and asked the team members outside.
"Has Viscount Field's butler arrived?"
"Butler? No... Mr. James."
Grego said in confusion. Just then, a scream came from inside the office.
"Ahhhhh!!!"
Everyone turned to look and saw that Viscount Field, who had been sitting in the chair, had fallen to the ground, his hands gripping the floor, his whole body convulsing violently, his face flushed, and his muttering turning sorrowful.
"No... No... No... Save me! I don't want to turn into a monster! Don't abandon me, Master! Don't abandon me, Mentor!!"
In his sorrow, faint, mysterious red patterns appeared on Field's body.
Seeing this scene, James's eyes widened.
"Spirit Sight... Mutation..."
...
"Snap"
Inside the luxurious carriage, the old man with a goatee, dressed in a butler's uniform, closed the pocket watch in his hand, then, sitting in his seat, he crossed his legs.
"The time has come, Field has started..." As he spoke, the old man named Luer placed the cane he had been holding by the head flat in front of him. The ruby at the top of the cane glowed faintly red under his touch.
"Thank you for your loyalty these past six years, Viscount, my Master."