Chapter 550: Listen to the Lullaby

Davey concluded that travel to various worlds was possible through the dimensional key, yet there remained one place he could not reach: Earth. Whether it was due to Earth being the sanctuary of the god Neltarid or because of Davey's own existence was uncertain.

Nonetheless, obtaining information about Earth was necessary, particularly since it was unclear whether Neltarid was truly an ally or an enemy. It was essential to prepare for any eventuality.

"Take care, sister. I'll be back soon."

With a determined expression, Hydro Citrus Flavor Star, or simply Hydro, firmly grasped the woman's hand before turning to leave. He said, "Please, I'm counting on you. I can't fully trust you yet. Your story is too unrealistic."

"That's understandable."

"But the pain those bastards inflicted on my sister and me was real. Even if it was just an increase in pain sensation, such agony could not have been inflicted."

Hydro and the otherworldly beings existed under several restrictions imposed by the god Neltarid. One of these restrictions was 'reality dissonance'—an inability to easily accept this place as real. However, thanks to the forbidden art, Hydro could somewhat circumvent this restriction.

After Davey twisted this limitation, Hydro felt as if he had been under some sort of hypnosis and was initially confused.

"Thank you again."

"Just remember what I told you, just in case."

"I don't understand why, but I will."

After thanking Davey, Hydro slowly reached his hand into the void and then vanished as if dispersing into nothingness.

"I was curious about how so many humans managed interdimensional travel, but this method is astonishing."

"Do you think you understand it?"

"It's a link."

It appeared like dimensional travel, but it was more akin to linking. In simple terms, tiny souls were moving through passages opened by Neltarid, linking Earth's souls with bodies created here. Thus, even if they died here, they remained unharmed there.

"What about the disappearance of the physical body?"

To that question, Davey casually proposed a theory. "An avatar created directly by a god. A form that exists without a form, a body that allows higher powers to seep inside at will. If Neltarid created it... it might be Neltarid's own avatar."

These beings breathed, yet would not die even without breathing. If these avatars were indeed created using the divine flesh made by Neltarid, everything made sense—the unique powers of the otherworldly beings and even their physiological phenomena. They did not need to breathe or excrete and possessed unique abilities in line with their game elements.

'This... I want it.'

Davey could not hide his sly smile.

* * *

Rinne's detection range couldn't cover the entire continent, yet armed with its limitations, she could strategically move around to locate targets, much like playing a game of territory capture. Given the scale and clandestine nature of the opposition, Davey had no intention of facing this alone. If there were allies, he would undoubtedly enlist their aid.

Having already apprised Sullivan of part of the ongoing situation through Illyna, Davey covertly reached out to their forces. Discrete letters were dispatched to the Grand Duchess Kathryn Carabella of the Lyndis Empire, Emperor Deorte El Lyndis, Hellison Valestia—the Grand Sage of the Red Tower—and Francis, the Puppeteer and head of the Alchemy School. All confirmations were secured by Perserque.

Unexpectedly, Sullivan's involvement was intriguing. He was a man devoted to protecting his younger sister at any cost. His open support for the Rowane Kingdom during the Rowane-Boltis war stemmed from his knowledge that Davey could safeguard Illyna. With such dedication to his sibling's safety, was it plausible that he had no ties to the Illuminati? Considering even the Boltis Kingdom's king was associated with the Illuminati, it was evident that the organization's influence extended through royalty, nobility, and commoners alike. It was likely they had also made overtures to Sullivan.

Strangely enough, Sullivan had no affiliations with that organization. Davey, who had recently met with the current Grandmaster of the Reinforce Alpha Knights, Klomen, found Illyna already there, her expression complex.

"I see that you've arrived."

"What's the situation?"

"There's good news and bad news. Which would you like to hear first?"

Davey responded with a nonchalant shrug. "Let's start with the good news."

"We've located one of the enemy's hideouts."

"Hmm." Davey nodded slowly, but contrary to his expectations, Klomen didn't expand on his statement.

"What's wrong?" Klomen inquired.

"What do you mean?"

"Your expression..."

"No, don't worry about it. Please, continue."

"Alright then. The bad news..."

"Stop right there." Davey's expression soured abruptly. "You mentioned there was good news."

"I did mention it."

"When did you say it?"

Confused by Davey's question, Klomen looked puzzled, while Illyna...

"You've already wiped them out, haven't you? That's why you're so nonchalant about the hideout."

"Is that true?"

"You're implying that's all there was to the good news?" Davey queried, prompting Klomen into silence.

'I shouldn't have expected something from him,' Davey thought with a sigh.

"It's overwhelming."

"But still, I am the Grandmaster of the Reinforce Alpha Knights in front of you."

"Indeed. Well, finding them is still commendable. So, what's the bad news?"

As Davey spoke, Klomen met his gaze. "Promise me."

"What promise?"

"That you won't act on your own after hearing what I have to say."

"Fine, I promise."

Bad news was not new to Davey. He waited for Klomen to speak.

"Boris Telman and the 268th knights, your peers." Klomen referred to those who had been with him during the mission in the Tartaros underground mountains. "They've all been sent to the Lastwhisp's main headquarters."

"..."

"The charge is excessive contact with the secular world. I tried to stop it... but the knights' authority is currently tied up because of the rule violation. I can't help you now."

Davey remained silently contemplative, then spoke quietly. "Illyna."

"Yes?"

"Come with me."

"What? Wait, you can't mean..."

"Do you remember what I said during the war with the demons?"

Illyna looked at him apprehensively.

"An incompetent ally is more dangerous than a threatening enemy..."

"You must be out of your mind."

"Wait a minute! Didn't you promise?"

The scene was indeed strange. An irritated regular knight and a flustered Grandmaster—an unlikely scenario under normal circumstances, but Klomen knew the situation of the knights too well to make an issue of it.

To his outcry, Davey frowned. "It's a lie."

"What?"

"Did you think the Saint could not lie? I was willing to let it go if it was something minor. But what? Rule violation? Are you joking?" Fuming with anger, Davey confronted Klomen, who could not find words to respond.

* * *

To eradicate the Illuminati, cooperation between Lastwhisp and the international alliance was crucial. Lastwhisp, a secret society unknown to the world, required a strategy akin to what Davey had employed during his time with the vampires to unite these forces. The initial step involved securing the cooperation of the Lastwhisp Knight's headquarters.

"These fools..." Davey sighed while perusing the interrogation report. "So, they simply arrived and took them all away?"

"Regrettably, yes. I never anticipated the headquarters prioritizing matters in such a manner."

It was undeniably a breach of the rules for Boris and the other knights to have engaged with the secular world as they had. However, it seemed incredulous to squander time on such trivialities when one of the knight orders had been annihilated.

"What about me and Illyna?"

"Being Roaming Knights, you are presently on standby. Officially, you should be under orders to wait, but I've halted that for now."

Davey felt a sinking sensation upon hearing this. 'These provocations, truly.'

"Whatever you're contemplating, try to compose yourself."

"Compose myself? Do you not grasp how absurd this situation is?"

"I understand your frustration. In fact, the knight order's headquarters is in disarray right now because of this."

"Knowing that, you still enforce this?"

"I have no objections to disciplining those who've flouted the rules."

Davey narrowed his eyes at Klomen's words.

"Remember, you're still just an ordinary knight. Despite any external rank, that hasn't changed."

It all hinged on the circumstances. Illyna, irritated, glared at Klomen. "So, we simply await their judgment in such an unfair situation and amidst this urgent crisis?"

"Indeed."

Illyna's face contorted in frustration. "This is completely messed up."

"But personally, I share your sentiments."

"..."

"This situation is unjust. Prioritizing significant issues should precede doling out punishments. This time... it's excessively irrational, even for a principle-driven approach."

Flexibility and rationality were distinct. Klomen, lacking in flexibility, was a man of measured judgment and rationality.

"Consider it differently."

Illyna started speaking again after a moment of quiet reflection.

"Differently? What do you mean?"

"What if the Illuminati has already infiltrated the top echelons?"

Her suggestion hardened Klomen's expression.

"That's not the case." Davey promptly dismissed the hypothesis.

"Why not? It seems the most plausible..."

"If there was even a single Illuminati spy within the headquarters..."

Most of the Last Wisp Knights would have been wiped out by now. The Illuminati perceived Lastwhisp as a threat, so they wouldn't have passed up on such an opportunity.

"That's just the surface reason."

"I see..."

"Anyway, how do we get to the headquarters?"

"Davey, did you not hear me?"

"So, you're saying you won't tell me?"

"I wish I could, but I can't." Klomen sighed briefly. "Only the head of the knights can grant access to the headquarters."

"Is that relevant now?"

"It's impossible."

Davey's eyes narrowed at his definitive statement.

"You can't just walk there," Klomen added.

According to him, the headquarters wasn't simply located on the continent.

"To reach the headquarters, you must use this ring. There's no known information about its location or how to get there."

The ring, resembling the one utilized for transportation to the knight order's base, possessed a uniqueness that suggested it might have been crafted with a special ability, distinct from the sensation of mana.

"But right now, it's useless. The doors to that place are firmly closed, making travel impossible."

Davey sighed, and Illyna, frustrated, slammed the table. She yelled, "What's with these people?! Don't they know the current priority?!"

"Davey and Illyna, I will look into the way to the headquarters."

"But if they delay prioritizing the issue, should we do the same? We have important tasks to attend to."

Davey nodded. "What tasks?"

"The hideout of those we talked about earlier. We need to infiltrate it secretly and extract the information they're hiding. From what we've learned, if intruders appear, they immediately destroy all data and the hideout itself. We've found and attacked several suspected hideouts, but the result has always been the same."

So, it was suggested that Davey, with his skills to infiltrate without a trace, should step in.

"Do I need to do this?" Davey asked.

"What are you saying! The most important thing right now isn't the headquarters' obsession with rules or the moribund reality of this knight order, but the enemy right before us!"

At Klomen's words, Davey nodded. "Is this an order from the headquarters?"

"No, it isn't. The headquarters seem to have little interest in the Illuminati right now."

Davey closed his eyes at this response. Without a call from the headquarters, there was no way to get in. If he could reach there once, he could use coordinate measurement magic to find the approximate location, but since he had never been there, he had to entrust it for now.

"What you have to do is simple but difficult. Infiltrate the suspected Illuminati hideout undetected and extract whatever information they're hiding. Make it so they can't ignore calling you to the headquarters."

Davey was silent for a moment, then reached into his Pocket Plane and pulled out a small carving knife and several transparent threads.

"A carving knife?"

"I need to make something."

While Davey's singing ability was as enchanting as a serenade from hell, his other skills were the result of relentless repetition. Now, he was planning to create a string instrument, a 'lyre.'

"I'm going to make a lyre. It produces a beautiful tone."

Klomen looked puzzled at Davey's explanation. "You're making an instrument? Davey, I really don't understand what you're planning."

"If there's no one to see, a massacre becomes an assassination."

"Hmm?"

"Infiltration works the same way. If no one sees me sneak in, then it's a perfect infiltration."

Davey, twirling the carving knife, promptly began to work on the dried wood, thinly coating the blade with an aura blade. He started working quickly; after all, this was just one of the many instruments he had crafted thousands, if not millions, of times.

Like a man possessed, he quickly got to work, and after a few moments, he plucked the strings of the lyre, producing a clear and elegant sound.

"What exactly are you going to do with that instrument?"

"Surely, Davey, you're not planning to smash their heads in with it?"

"If I wanted to break something, I would have used a cross instead."

This was not that kind of barbaric method.