Gun of Ashes

”This does have a bit of a Holy Mark vibe,” Eve also leaned over and joked, ”So, are you some kind of Saint, Lorenzo?”

”Who knows? If the Demon Hunting Order still existed, I might actually get some sort of title.”

Lorenzo looked at his palm and responded lazily.

In the doctrine of the Evangelical Church, scars on the palm like this are revered as Holy Marks or Holy Wounds, representing the suffering of a Saint, carrying a divine and noble aura. Lorenzo remembered that there was a period in the Church’s history when a group of lunatics pierced their palms with long nails, praying delusionally for God’s mercy.

”You? A Saint? Let’s just forget it.”

Selyu shook her head. In her eyes, Lorenzo really had nothing in common with a Saint. The only thing she could think of when putting these together was Lorenzo finally being nailed to the Church’s pillar of shame.

”Don’t underestimate me!”

Lorenzo shouted loudly, but somewhat unconvincingly, and stopped after a short while.

”So, what’s the deal with Stuart and the Viking nations?”

After chit-chatting about this and that, Lorenzo brought up the main topic.

”It’s basically a Guard Team thing. The Viking nations are distant, and even though the King of the Ice Sea has ended the civil war, there are still many lawless pirates roaming the seas. You might get raided before you even reach the Viking nations.”

Eve sat on the armrest of the sofa, leaning against Selyu. The two appeared very close, like they had known each other for a long time.

In fact, they did know each other for quite a while, a friendship forged during a past Demon attack. Both represented their respective families, and the interaction between the two was even closer than Lorenzo imagined, though, due to various reasons, they rarely appeared at the same time.

As Eve explained the situation to Lorenzo, she pinched Selyu’s face, molding one funny grimace after another. The girl remained calm, not responding much, like a delicate doll.

”That’s about it. We need an armed escort, and it seems the Purification Mechanism has some dealings with the Viking nations, so we naturally came together.”

With Eve’s pinching, Selyu’s neutral voice gained a bit of fluctuation.

”Is that so?”

Lorenzo thought, glancing to the side, his gaze landing on Heracles, which made him feel uneasy.

”Don’t look at me. I’d rather die than head out to sea again.”

Heracles said firmly, very decisively. Lorenzo had set him up horribly before; he still had unhealed pinpricks on his body, leaving some red spots.

”No, I’m just curious that you actually got released. I thought they would slice up your brain.” Lorenzo still found it strange.

”No choice, he’s your friend. Besides, he didn’t cause any obvious harm, so we had no reason to kill him. As for his release...” Blue Jade’s voice lowered, as if it was hard to explain.

”I signed a contract.”

Heracles suddenly said, a tinge of sadness in his expression.

”What kind of contract?” Lorenzo was a bit curious.

”A death contract. Signing it means if I unfortunately die, my corpse will be handed over to Black Mountain Hospital to contribute to human knowledge... In simpler terms, if I die, they’ll slice me up.”

Heracles managed a constipated expression. It seemed he signed the contract to gain release. It sounded absurd, but indeed matched Black Mountain Hospital’s style.

”Just hope you don’t ’accidentally’ die.”

Seemingly to scare Heracles, Lorenzo emphasized the word ”accidentally.”

Heracles wasn’t bothered but instead smirked mischievously at Lorenzo.

”Don’t think you’re off the hook. I bet you’ll have to sign one of those contracts sooner or later. Your appeal to those guys is only increasing.”

Believe it or not, in the eyes of those doctors, Lorenzo was like a treasure. If he was willing to participate in all the experiments, they wouldn’t mind calling him ”ancestor.”

”Bit of a trouble there. If I were to die, whoever could kill me must be a monstrous entity, and a battle that could spell my demise probably wouldn’t leave a whole corpse regardless.”

Lorenzo exhibited a puzzling expression. This time, he wasn’t joking. Considering the high-intensity battles he had faced before, leaving a whole corpse seemed unlikely for someone like Lorenzo; being burned to ashes in a fire was a more probable outcome.

Despite the continuous clamor, these folks did have some effect. Lorenzo watched as his office gradually became tidier, the progress slow, but it did improve.

After tidying up the living room and kitchen, the group was genuinely exhausted, slumping on the sofa and blankets around Lorenzo.

Cleaning the room wasn’t physically taxing, but maintaining a high level of alertness was. You never know what might be under a piece of clothing—a lively big black rat or a long-prepared gas bomb.

In this filthy place, they managed to clear a somewhat clean area to rest.

After a while, the doorbell rang again. The delivery guy brought several boxes of pizza, ordered sometime earlier by someone unknown, arriving just in time.

”Speaking of, why did you all suddenly come together? Don’t you have jobs to attend to?”

Lorenzo leaned back on the sofa, eating pizza and asking. His voice was muffled, but judging by his expression, he seemed to enjoy it.

Once the initial discomfort passed, Lorenzo felt almost like a privileged boss, with a bunch of servants working hard for him without charging... Although he had considered hiring a cleaning service, thinking of the office’s hidden secrets and oddities made him reconsider.

People on the streets likely couldn’t imagine that they were so close to the dark world. Just opening a door could offer them a glimpse.

”We’re off duty today.”

Red Falcon spoke, his voice coming from behind the sofa, his posture unclear.

”All of you? Isn’t there a duty roster or something?”

Lorenzo found it odd. So many people off duty together felt too strange.

”Arthur granted the days off. We’re not sure why either, but we got the leave anyway,” Eve replied.

”So we decided to celebrate this rare leisure time. You know the Purification Mechanism’s special nature; we can’t just party wildly in a hotel or anything.” She said, scratching her head again.

”Living in dorms with Blue Jade, we’d disturb other resting roommates, plus the space isn’t large enough,” Red Falcon explained on behalf of himself and Blue Jade.

”Stuart’s home is full of merchants arguing over the Viking nations’ interests. Part of why I came out was seeking some quiet,” Selyu added her reason.

”My Phoenix House isn’t unfeasible... But going to a superior’s home, some find it hard to accept,”

Eve helplessly spread her hands. Bringing these people home, she was unsure if it was a vacation or extra work.

”What are you talking about?”

At this point, Heracles poked his head out, puzzled. Having been through so much, he hadn’t been home for months, and his subordinates probably presumed their boss dead and moved on.

”So we ultimately thought of your place: spacious and unrestricted cabins, even if a bit smelly, suitable for a little celebration and a farewell feast for you too!”

Her hands left Selyu’s face, attempting to pinch Lorenzo but failing. Lorenzo cautiously stood up, wrapping himself in a blanket like someone encountering a home invasion.

”So is this your underwear, Lorenzo?”

Red Falcon casually picked up a pair of black pants with the Nail Sword, lifting them from under the sofa.

Lorenzo’s expression nearly contorted but then relaxed, releasing a shout full of indignation.

”Get out!”