Gun of Ashes

The carriage outside went farther away, the heavy sound of hooves gradually became faint, until it disappeared into the cold, silent night. Along with it, Arthur’s thoughts departed, as he awoke from his memories, lowered his head, and realized he had clenched and crumpled the black-and-white photograph.

That night, Anthony brought extremely important news; Lorenzo was unstable. Remembering the various behaviors during the previous battles, Arthur couldn’t fathom him being such an Evil Anomaly, or perhaps the Demon Hunter was entirely unaware of his own madness.

Of course, Arthur wouldn’t easily trust Anthony, after all, it’s just Anthony’s word. Even if there are documents, they could be forged; Arthur wouldn’t directly suspect Lorenzo just like that.

Though Arthur was annoyed to death by this damned Demon Hunter, they were comrades-in-arms through life and death. Trust is the cornerstone that builds a group; upon parting from Anthony, Arthur didn’t fully believe his words.

But the eerie nature of Demons, Arthur knew well; the comrade who just fought alongside you may in the next moment fall into the corrosive whispers, baring fangs and claws, turning against you in an instant, swinging a sword at you.

Arthur trusted Lorenzo, but similarly, Anthony’s words undoubtedly brought cracks to that solid trust. As a leader, Arthur couldn’t allow such a risk to exist.

Therefore, while contacting the Exile, he instructed Galahad to take these documents to Shermans for verification. This Exile’s Cardinal was unaware of his conversation with Anthony, and also unaware of the struggles between the Purification Mechanism and the Evangelical Church. He would provide the most truthful answer.

The answer, however, was that Shermans immediately recognized the person in the photograph. Although this Exile Cardinal was already aged, he still remembered him; his number is 047, known by the name Medanzo, the strongest among the Medanzo Demon Hunters.

They guarded outside Saint Nalos Cathedral, protecting the Pope, and sometimes these Cardinals; they were considered the Demon Hunters closest to the Cardinals, and Shermans wouldn’t be mistaken.

Thus, through this comparison, it directly proved Anthony’s words were not lies, or rather, he did not lie about Lorenzo’s identity.

Then it was Lorenzo who lied, but why would he lie? He wove his past into another story and misled everyone... or was he also vigilant about himself?

The product from the Night of the Holy Arrival, the mysterious item called the Pseudo Holy Grail; no one truly understands its nature, what extent it could reach, nobody knows...

Blue Jade looked at Arthur with some concern, only to see Arthur lowering himself, staring dead at the photo that had been crumpled, sweat dripping from his cheeks. Clearly, nothing had happened, yet he seemed to be facing some eerie pressure.

Then, thinking about it this way, Lorenzo knew all this, hence he was hiding himself. He deceived everyone just to conceal this secret he brought out from the Night of the Holy Arrival. But at that time, regarding everything Lorenzo said about the Night of the Holy Arrival, was there also a false narrative?

With immense inner fatigue, amidst constant worries, he made a decision.

”Everyone has an unspeakable secret...”

Arthur spoke while looking at Blue Jade, considering his concealment from Eve, Blue Jade’s past, and the Evil Anomaly that Lorenzo possessed.

”Did Lorenzo lie to you about something else? And a serious lie at that.”

Although not fully understanding what had happened, from everything just now, she roughly analyzed something.

”Sort of, I’m unclear about that bastard’s position.”

Arthur lowered his head, inner conflict simmering.

”But it shouldn’t be...”

If Lorenzo truly had some ulterior motive, why would he fight so desperately in the assassination of Lawrence? It was beyond desperate, practically suicidal. If it weren’t for the ensuing anomaly, Lorenzo would really have died, blown into unrecognizable pieces.

He would die, along with the secrets he concealed, dying altogether.

”Do you think Lorenzo is trustworthy?”

Blue Jade was stunned. She thought for a moment, but before she could speak, Arthur suddenly said.

”What exactly does he want?”

”Want... what?”

Blue Jade pondered. Her time interacting with Lorenzo wasn’t long, even rarely meeting face-to-face, yet her impression of Lorenzo had to be deep.

Despite being a lunatic, he as a Demon Hunter had a strong personal touch, she replied.

”Hunting Demons, I suppose. That’s all I can think of, like a diligent worker, his job is to hunt Demons, from Florence all the way to Old Dunling, never stopping.”

”But what if he himself is a terrifying Demon?”

”Isn’t that what Demon Hunters are?”

Blue Jade’s words seemed to enlighten Arthur. She somewhat didn’t grasp the source of Arthur’s distress.

”Like the Armor of Original Sin or the Secret Blood, we all use the power of Demons to fight Demons. We are all monsters, just retaining sanity in madness.”

She said while pointing at her head, the place that maintains reason.

”Indeed... Lorenzo at least hasn’t gone mad yet, or maybe he’s been insane for so long that he behaves like a normal person.”

Just like those patients in Black Mountain Hospital, they can live normally, converse with you. Some even seem more talented than you. But they aren’t normal people; they are lunatics, just learning to disguise themselves in madness, waiting for the day they escape that hospital.