CHAPTER 187: GAZE FROM THE STARS

Some time had passed since the viscount's residence was reduced to ashes in a great fire. As Hugin had predicted, the culprit had vanished without a trace. No further noble deaths had occurred.

As for the assassin who had attempted to kill Viscount Nichols during the chaos but was easily eliminated by the real culprit, extensive investigation via various intelligence networks eventually uncovered the assassin's hiding spot.

Further inquiries unexpectedly uncovered traces of Selwynian spies at that location.

The conclusion was that this copycat assassin who had attempted to kill Viscount Nichols was actually a Selwynian agent attempting to exploit the notoriety of the true culprit, who had been hunting nobles in the capital, to cause even greater chaos in Aleisterre.

This discovery, in turn, ruled out the possibility that the true culprit was a Selwyn operative, making that culprit's identity even more mysterious.

Wang Yu sat at a wooden table, flipping through the latest intelligence reports that Edward had brought him.

The reports clearly stated that, due to the culprit's unusual black haze that seemed to shroud him from discovery and detection, the royal family, having found no other leads, had begun suspecting followers of the Lady of the Night.

Though the royal family hadn't openly acted against the followers of the Lady of the Night, covert suppression and restrictions on her faith were underway. Places that previously permitted proselytizing were now monitored by city guards and noble retainers, preventing the spread of the Lady's faith.

"The noble investigative committee can't find a target, so now they're pointing fingers at the Church of Nightfall, huh?"

Wang Yu tapped a few key phrases on the report with his fingers as he muttered to himself.

The royal family's actions had no real basis. They were forcibly linking the noble killer, whose powers merely resembled those of the Lady of the Night, to the Church of Nightfall without any evidence.

It was an unjustified crackdown, but in Aleisterre, the royal family was the ultimate authority. Though Wang Yu found it frustrating, there was little he could do.

There had yet been no official news from the capital's shadow, but according to Edward, unfamiliar faces had also begun appearing near underground plazas of the capital's shadow.

They hadn't made any direct moves against the Church of Nightfall yet, but pressure was already mounting on all fronts. This was a serious obstacle to the spread of the Lady's faith.

"The real problem is among the Nightblades. The royal family's starting to meddle with the Nightblades—they're investigating how many are followers of the Lady of the Night and probing the effects of the Prayer Network on mental corruption..."

Wang Yu summarized Edward's report.

"I just don't get it. Why does the faith of the Lady of the Night bother the royal family so much? Do they really need to go this far?" Wang Yu clicked his tongue in annoyance.

"It's because of Heaven's Gloom, isn't it? The royal family's controlling the Nightblades via those markers,"

Avia reminded him.

"...Is that so? That does make sense."

Wang Yu was momentarily stunned. He hadn't considered this angle just yet.

Until now, he had never thought of the Prayer Network as anything special—it was just a means to resist mental corruption and facilitate communication among believers.

Even though Hugin had repeatedly emphasized that the ‘Prayer Network' would bring a fundamental change to the Nightblades, Wang Yu had merely regarded it as a tool to mitigate mental corruption—a useful tool, to be sure, but hardly worth such attention.

Avia's reminder made him realize that the Prayer Network had additionally served to break a shackle that the royal family had imposed on the Nightblades.

Heaven's Gloom, which had originally been used to ensure that Nightblades who suffered spiritual damage would become incapacitated by mental corruption, had been nullified by the Prayer Network.

With this, the royal family had lost a key measure to control the Nightblades, an independent force with undeniable strength and a certain level of autonomy. This unpredictability was something the royal family could not tolerate.

And since the kingdom still needed the Nightblades, staunchly loyal warriors who fought for the kingdom, the royal family couldn't take direct action against them.

Instead, they had to find other ways to weaken the influence of the Prayer Network within the Nightblades.

"Damn it. No wonder they're targeting the Lady of the Night's faith. Picking on the weak, huh?"

Wang Yu let out a frustrated sigh and clenched his fist, cracking his knuckles. Troubles in the capital were piling up; the idea of leaving for somewhere else was growing more and more tempting.

While Wang Yu was deep in thought, the sound of hoofbeats and carriage wheels could be heard right outside.

His eyes met Avia's in a knowing nod. At this hour, the only person who would visit in person without informing them in advance had to be...

There was a soft knock at the door with a steady, unhurried rhythm. Wang Yu stood up, walked over, and pulled the door open.

"Sir Wang Yu, Lady Avia, good evening. I apologize for the sudden visit, but there are some matters I'd like to confirm with you."

A gentle, serene female voice drifted in from outside. Her words were spoken softly, and her voice had a soothing quality that made listeners instinctively relax.

"Please, come in, Lady Selene. Are you here alone?"

Standing at the door was a woman dressed in exceptionally elegant attire. Her hair was an unusual shade of deep blue, long and smooth, cascading past her shoulders and embellished with intricate ornaments.

She wore a layered diaphanous gown, the outer fabric shimmering with radiant specks of light and causing her to exude an air of sophistication.

Her skin was fair and almost translucent. Her delicate features were undeniably beautiful—not the youthful, vibrant kind of beauty, but a refined, mature elegance filled with charm.

Her eyes remained closed even as she spoke with Wang Yu and walked toward the house, making her seem all the more enigmatic. A slight, gentle smile graced her lips, radiating an approachable warmth.

At this hour, given such an appearance, the identity of their guest was clear—this was Selene, the royal astrologer. The court official had mentioned her before, but Wang Yu hadn't expected her visit to come so soon.

"I'm alone. This visit is just a casual conversation—a friendly chat. I saw no need for guards or escorts."

Selene continued to speak with closed eyes, her voice honeyed and warm.

Her words conveyed absolute confidence in her own strength. As the royal astrologer, Selene's position and abilities were on par with those closest to the king, such as the ministers of finance and military affairs. Her self-assurance was well-founded.

"Please, have a seat. This isn't a large place, so I apologize for the lack of hospitality." Wang Yu pulled out a chair by the wooden table. He and Avia sat together across from her.

"So, Lady Selene, what brings you to visit a humble figure like me?" Wang Yu asked politely.

Selene covered her faintly upturned lips with a hand, hiding a smile.

"Sir Wang Yu, you're hardly a minor figure—you're a high-ranking Nightblade, archbishop of the Church of Nightfall, and a viscount."

She listed his identities, both public and private, with ease.

Wang Yu didn't appear particularly shocked—he merely raised an eyebrow. He had never expected his identities to remain secret for long. The royal family's intelligence-gathering capabilities weren't to be underestimated, after all.

"Compared to you and my captain, I'm still just a minor figure," Wang Yu replied politely once more.

"Haha, Sir Wang Yu, you truly are a humble man. I admire that about you. My purpose in coming here today is simply to get to know someone as promising as you and to learn a little more about you," Selene said with a light chuckle.

Her eyes remained closed, but Wang Yu, with his keen senses, could still feel her gaze upon him.

"There's no special meaning behind this—I just want to understand a few things about you, as a friend.

"As for me, perhaps you already know something of my unique abilities, Sir Wang Yu. When people tell me things, the stars whisper to me of truth and falsehood.

"As friends, I would prefer that we be honest with each other. After all, if I were to find out that you lied to me, I would be quite heartbroken."

Her tone remained gentle, but there was an unmistakable pressure behind her words that made Wang Yu sneer inwardly.

"What kind of friend is this? If someone like her is my friend, I must have terrible luck."

Still, at least outwardly, he maintained a respectful expression and a sincere gaze.

"Of course. How could I deceive the esteemed royal astrologer?"

"I'm glad to have earned your friendship. May I ask—are you the creator of the Prayer Network?"

Her words suddenly carried an indescribable quality, with a stark sense of distance. Though she stood right before him, her voice seemed to come from somewhere far away—high above, from the sky itself... from the stars.

As Wang Yu met Selene's gaze with sincerity, her closed eyes suddenly opened. It was difficult to describe those eyes—they were beautiful, extraordinarily so. Breathtaking, in fact.

They looked like those cheap glass marbles filled with colorful glitter that were sold in corner stores back on Earth.

Forgive Wang Yu's poor descriptive abilities—that was simply how he saw them. A person having such eyes... well, that was quite "beautiful" to Wang Yu in its own way.

Unlike Avia's clear, bright eyes, pure as the blue sky, Selene's gaze was dazzling but unfathomable.

Tiny starlike specks flickered within her eyes, set against a deep violet backdrop, as if two entire starry skies had been condensed within them. They were deep, vast, and distant.

Upon meeting Selene's gaze, Wang Yu felt almost as if his soul was being drawn into her eyes. It was a sensation common to those who had faced Selene—a gaze that reached into the soul, eyes that could see through deception.

And now, those extraordinary starry eyes were fixed on Wang Yu. Her profound gaze awaited his answer.

"It's not magic, the void, or fighting spirit. A different power entirely—this is the first time I've encountered something like this. Does it originate from the stars? Astrologers, is it...?"

Wang Yu fell silent for a moment, lost in thought. He didn't particularly feel like his soul was being penetrated. A gaze was just a gaze—what could it do?

What he did sense was something transmitted through the ripples surrounding his body, a peculiar force enveloping him. It was a force he had never felt before—not magic, not fighting spirit, and unrelated to the void. This power... came from above, from the stars...?

It was daytime. The sun hung high in the sky, and the stars were invisible. But visible or otherwise, they remained where they were.

At that moment, beyond the bright daylight, in the veiled expanse overhead, an eye seemed to open. Was it just an illusion, or had something truly happened?

Perhaps it was merely the arrangement of the stars that created the illusion of an eye—but regardless, the eye was there. It was deep and hollow, like a bottomless abyss. Anyone who happened to glance at it would seem to be falling endlessly, with no end in sight.

And this eye was looking in a particular direction. It passed through something, peering down... at the ground.

"What the hell is looking at me? The gaze of the stars... but it doesn't feel like it's looking at me specifically. More like it's scanning past me, though I have no idea what that's about."

Wang Yu pondered the situation in silence. He could sense that gaze, but it felt impersonal, as if something was searching for something else and merely swept over him in passing, ignoring him entirely.

"No, I am not the creator of the Prayer Network," Wang Yu answered without hesitation.

"Is that so?" Selene's brilliant eyes regarded him once more. Wang Yu remained calm and composed.

"Hmm, it seems that you have no intention of deceiving me as a friend, Sir Wang Yu." Selene closed her eyes again, smiling slightly as she nodded.

"In that case, I won't impose any further. I've already troubled you by coming uninvited. Staying any longer would only inconvenience you, I'm sure."

With that, Selene stood, seeming satisfied with the answer she had received. She politely apologized for her unannounced visit and prepared to leave.

"Not at all. You are always welcome here, Lady Selene," Wang Yu replied as he stood up as well, courteously seeing her off.

"Goodbye, then. Next time, I'll make sure to bring a gift when I visit, Sir Wang Yu." Selene waved as she turned toward the door.

"Farewell," Wang Yu responded, waving back.

"Ah, hold on. I haven't spoken with Miss Avia yet. That would be rather impolite, wouldn't it?"

Just as she reached the door, Selene abruptly turned around, her open eyes unexpectedly locking onto the young woman who had been silently listening the entire time.

"Miss Avia, do you know who the creator of the Prayer Network is?"

The simple question seemed to take on an eerie quality under the influence of those strange eyes.

"Me? I don't know."

The young woman pointed at herself, seemingly surprised to have been asked such a question. She shook her head in confusion.

"Ah, then it's fine. I won't bother you further. Goodbye, everyone."

Selene's eyes closed again as she turned around a second time. This time, she finally left without looking back.

The door closed softly.

Wang Yu swiftly sat down, catching the young magician as she slumped forward, his hand supporting her back. His fingers felt something damp—at some point, Avia's clothes had been soaked through with sweat.

Her ragged breathing filled the room. Only after Wang Yu steadied her and let her lean against his shoulder did her breath slowly return to normal.

"I... I felt something watching me just now. It wasn't fear, just... pure pressure from its power. I could barely breathe. But... but luckily, the mental protection you gave me still held up—it didn't break," she said, her voice trembling slightly as she tried to regain her composure.

Wang Yu said nothing. He simply took Avia's hand in his own and held it gently.

"A power from the stars above... This world really has too many chaotic forces at play. But we've passed her test, right?"