A brief moments later, Byrne sat on the edge of his bed, flipping through the restored Patriarch's notebook.
In truth, Byrne had little interest in the "truth" the old man spoke of. Based on his experiences during this period, he had already guessed the general outline of what happened back then. What truly concerned him was the survivor.
It was unrealistic to think a single individual could have escaped the Inquisition's encirclement a century ago entirely on their own. Perhaps sensing an impending crisis, the Lainean Patriarch of that era had made advanced preparations, resulting in a sole survivor.
Byrne skimmed through more than half the notebook. The contents consisted entirely of family business accounts and daily trivialities. Finding nothing worth his attention, he brushed over them quickly. Furthermore, after a comparison, he discovered that the eight fragments found in the copper box were all from this section. In other words, even if the Inquisition had found them back then, they would have gleaned no valuable information. As for the metal case, it remained unopenable without the ring.
Waiting with thinning patience, Byrne finally reached the last page and saw two lines of handwriting that differed from the rest. Compared to the previous entries, the writing here was exceptionally heavy; the nib had nearly torn through the paper. It was clear that the Patriarch had been in a state of extreme anxiety and gravity—perhaps even desperation—while writing.
The Governor wants me to recall all family members to the manor for his arrival in three days. My mind has been restless these past two days; I feel that matters are not as simple as they seem.
Let Kruger stay in the city of Arle. If the worst should happen, the bloodline of my Lainean family will at least endure.
Regarding Kruger's identity, combining data from the library and this notebook, he was the youngest son of the Lainean Patriarch. When the Patriarch wrote those lines, Kruger was only in his early twenties. Because he was uninterested in the family's occult research, the adult Kruger had left the family's protection to venture out on his own.
As for the city of Arle mentioned by the Patriarch, it was merely an insignificant small town a hundred years ago. However, after a century of development, it had long since shed its poverty. By leveraging the surrounding mineral extraction, it had become one of the ten major cities on Koror.
Present-day Arle was the domain of the Valen family. After joining the Heretic Investigation Bureau, Byrne had browsed through the files of major powers on Koror, and records of the Valen family were quite numerous. They were an emerging noble family that built their fortune on mining. Their style over the years had been extremely low-profile. Despite controlling vast mineral resources, they never actively participated in the power struggles of the Imperial nobility and rarely interacted with external forces.
However, there were very few records concerning the origin of the Valen family. It was as if they had appeared out of thin air.
Wait, appeared out of thin air...
After a brief reflection, a bold idea surfaced in Byrne's mind. Could it be that the Valen family was established by Kruger?
A century ago, Kruger Lainean escaped the Inquisition's purge of his family. Afterward, he changed his name, adopted Valen as a new family surname, and established a foothold in Arle. This speculation seemed wild, but it fit all the known clues.
First, the Valen family had obscure origins and maintained a low profile to avoid power struggles. In Byrne's view, this might not be due to temperament but rather a family rule set by Kruger to hide the Lainean bloodline and avoid detection by the Inquisition. After all, high-profile actions could lead to exposure, marking the entire Valen family as "Heretic Remnants" and bringing total destruction.
Second, the Valen family originated in Arle, which was exactly where Kruger was hiding back then. The geographical locations overlapped perfectly. Archives showed that the rise of the Valen family occurred exactly twenty years after the Lainean extermination. That period was precisely when Kruger would have been accumulating strength under an alias.
Imagine a young man with no background managing to go from nothing to controlling a city and becoming a local powerhouse in just twenty years. Without any underlying foundation or heritage to support him, such a feat would be nearly impossible.
If Byrne's deduction was correct, it meant that the Twins of the prophecy were the descendants of the Valen family. Over a hundred years, the Lainean bloodline had endured through the Valens. The other ring was most likely in the hands of someone in the Valen family.
Heh. It seems a trip to Arle is necessary.
However, he needed a proper reason to go to Arle now. As a member of the Heretic Investigation Bureau, regulations prohibited investigators from leaving their jurisdiction without a specific mission.
Just then, his communicator vibrated. Byrne pulled it out and saw it was his teammate, Luca.
"Byrne, the Captain is summoning us. We have an emergency mission. Get to the briefing room at the stronghold immediately."
"Copy that. I'm on my way."
Hanging up, he quickly stowed the Patriarch's notebook and the copper box before heading out.
Half an hour later, inside the combat briefing room of the Third Squad's underground stronghold.
Byrne walked into the room and saw five people seated. Aside from Captain Marco, Selena, Luca, and Renee, there was a fresh face—likely one of the other team members who had been on a mission when Byrne first joined. The man was wearing the standard combat uniform of the Heretic Investigation Bureau. When Byrne entered, he merely nodded without further movement.
Marco sat at the head of the table, his fingers lightly tapping the surface. The atmosphere around him was heavier than usual, indicating that this mission was anything but simple.
"Byrne, take a seat. Now that everyone is here, I'll introduce you." Marco pointed to the new face. "This is Xavier. He just returned from his mission."
After the brief introduction, Marco set aside his gentle demeanor. His expression darkened completely as he tapped a button on the holographic projector on the table. A pale blue light spread instantly, clearly manifesting the silhouette of a city.
Byrne looked closely; the projected city was indeed Arle. Marco turned toward the projection and said in a heavy voice:
"Just yesterday, I received word from Arle. Overnight, the members of the Valen family were almost entirely wiped out."
As a member of the nobility herself, Selena looked shocked. "How is that possible? The Valen family controls the mineral lifeblood of Arle, and their security force is top-tier. How could they be exterminated so easily?"
Marco shook his head. "No, it wasn't an external force. There was a traitor within the family. The Valen family was destroyed by one of their own."
As he spoke, he tapped the projection again. A second later, the image changed to a photograph of a blond man. He had handsome features, but his eyes held a certain sinister quality.
"The killer is him: Lacy Valen."