36. ReturnTyki had little time to clean up after the battle. He managed to wash the dirt off his face. However he'd found that the Exorcists managed to graze him a bit worse than he'd thought. Beneath the dirt lay a fine scratch from ear to jawline probably caused by Korbinian's arrows. That little bastard crow.
He stood next to the Earl in the conference room, brushing dust off his vest. It had a few tears and rips, hardly proper for the grand magus's right hand man, but time didn't permit for fixing it. He removed a handkerchief from his pocket and cleaned off his glasses before sliding them back into place.
The Earl glanced at Tyki from beneath her oversized hat then back to the gathered Illuminati. "From everyone's return, I gather this operation was a success~ ."
"Quite so," Adelaide replied confidently. "The Governor and Lady Camelot's performance crushed any thoughts of rebellion fueled by the Church."
"Both cities will be in mourning for some time," Wulfric added. "Lady Camelot's feigning death was incredibly convincing. The people now believe the relic killed her instead of healed her."
"I announced the ceremony would be private~" Cyrille added, bowing smugly as he was proud of their performance. "I wanted as little public impact as possible."
"Excellent~ !" the Earl clapped her hands gleefully together.
"And the other agents of the Church have been subdued as well," Tyki nodded, brushing off the last of the dust on his vest. "Their severely injured leader should keep them occupied and out of our business for some time."
No one seemed concerned with Lenalee's status. The ends justified the means, and she only served as an obstacle in the path of enlightenment. Lavi didn't particularly care that the Illuminati used and manipulated the Exorcists either. While Lenalee seemed the most human and least brainwashed of the Order, she still turned on him, following some backwards orders, probably from the Vatican. Perhaps the 5 years since the final battle in the Earl's backyard had changed her into a brainwashed fool like the rest of them.
It didn't particularly matter. He wasn't here to record the story of the Order anyway. Another Bookman already had that task. His was to record the story of the Noah and the Illuminati, and he planned to be thorough with it.
So thorough, that he chose to stay at the governor's manor for the time being to observe how well the Illuminati handled the aftermath of such an orchestration the day before.
Eloise, the other Illuminati Bookman, had stayed behind as well, nearly gluing herself to Wulfric to observe his interactions with the situation. She parted with him briefly to shove a newspaper at Lavi, who sat in the main office with Tyki and Cyrille. She plastered on a pleasant demeanor, using many of the same techniques Lavi did to make herself personable.
Tyki observed her from behind his glasses, watching her movements and demeanor as she handed the newspaper over to the redhead. She flashed him a bright smile before exiting the room and returning to business. He'd been aware that Eloise was a new addition to Wulfric's household, but he could tell she wasn't related to him by blood. He called her a historian, and now that he'd encountered a "historian" among the Exorcists, he began to consider she was another Bookman among the crowd. She had brilliant emerald eyes, just like the other two did. Was that the means to identify a Bookman? Just how many were there?
He turned his attention to Lavi, who had turned to lay the newspaper on the desk, flipping through it rather quickly. Flipping the last page, he handed it off to Cyrille. "Got an interestin' article 'bout you 'n Rhode's li'l performance yesterday. Ev'ryone's flyin' flags at half-mast in mournin'."
"But of course~" Cyrille flourished his hand, standing upright after leaning on the desk. "My darling Rhode is an excellent actor~. I was only the assistant in such a grand performance~."
Tyki picked up the newspaper, skimming over the headlines. Relic of Saint-Maur-des-Fossés a fake! Petit Loop in mourning over Governor Labelle's beloved cousin's sudden death, read the headline. Tyki was still thoroughly impressed with how convincing their performance truly was. While he certainly enjoyed his bout with the Exorcists, he would've thoroughly enjoyed watching the priests at the church squirm under the weight of their lies being revealed.
Tyki was impressed with how well Cyrille and Rhode had integrated into the ranks of the Illuminati. Tyki had his doubts at first, particularly with how whimsical Cyrille could be. At first, Tyki could barely tolerate Cyrille, but the more they spent time together, the more Tyki realized there was a highly methodical man beneath all the whimsy and show. And that entertained him.
...
It had begun sprinkling again that morning after the Saint Maur ordeal. Puddles gathered on the streets and between the cobblestones on the sidewalks. Blue and red runes manifested in one of the alleyways, reflecting off the shallow puddles. The runes grew larger and larger until a swirling vortex of black appeared within the rune circle. Four figures stepped through the portal before it disappeared, three clad in black and silver, one in black and gold.
"I always did like the rain," one noted, holding her hand out to catch the raindrops. Vanna was still adjusting to her new position and strange skill. Her robe was loose fitting, leaving ample room for the ivy growing from her body. It felt silly stating such a thing, since she now was practically a living plant. "Ve, general, are you gonna sketch Paris too?"
"Not this time, Vanna," Tiedoll frowned. "The city has lost its beauty, stained with suspicions."
Dagrun glanced over at Tiedoll. She hadn't worked with him in her short time with the Order, but she quickly became interested in the wandering artist. At first he seemed somewhat lackadaisical, preferring to search for people and to sketch, but there was certainly more to him. He was quick to volunteer for the investigation and pleased to take under his wing a few more Exorcists. She had heard he played a large role in the previous battle with the Noah but had to confess she knew little about his abilities.
Dagrun however had a bit more information than the rest. She knew the Noah's Bookman had been around and had already been informed that he was with the Noah they fought. She saw Lavi when they spoke to the governor and saw him leave when the governor was pulled away for a meeting. It took a fool not to realize the governor had some connections with the Noah, though that left the question of how or why? Or was this simply a misappropriation?
"I hope we can restore its beauty," Tiedoll added before stepping out of the alleyway into the street. "There is much we still need to understand about this situation."
"It just doesn't make sense," Korbinian shook his head, frustration lacing his voice. Despite insistence he stay and allow his hand to heal after the battle with 'Joido', Korbinian requested to accompany the rest of the team investigating the Paris incident. Between the conversations with the governor, the fight with Joido, and the discovery the 'relic' had been destroyed, the entire ordeal just didn't sit well with him. Everything felt off. "That Governor seemed fine then the next day, he's mourning his cousin?"
"Patience, Korbl-kun," Tiedoll chided lightly. "We don't know the full story just yet."
Dagrun glanced at a newspaper left on a table in a nearby cafe. Reaching over the planter, she plucked it off the table, unfolding the pages to skim them properly. "'The governor's beloved cousin suddenly passed away after touching the Shroud of Saints, formerly held in the Church of Saint-Maur-des-Fossés.' It seems as though he had direct interaction with the Shroud itself," Dagrun noted flatly. "This matches up with what the priests reported." She had only briefly skimmed the reports which came across Komui's desk that morning, memorizing it word for word, tucking it away in her memory.
Tiedoll tapped a finger on his chin, considering the options. A sudden death was hardly something easy to deal with. He'd lost his whole team in the previous war with the Noah. He knew how much it hurt. But it was difficult to overlook the governor's direct involvement with the relic and timing and interference of the Noah calling himself Joido. Was the death real or just a rouse?
"We should seek audience with the governor," Dagrun advised. She had already assumed some connection with Governor Labelle and Joido. The latter was protecting a wagon from Paris. The markings made little sense, but they meant something to him. The timing matched up to when the Governor apparently visited Saint-maur seeking aid for his cousin. Curiosity was getting the better of her. She wanted to know what conspiracy was going on.
"Agreed," Tiedoll nodded.
The walk to the governor's manor was rather short, though they were quickly stopped at the gate. The guard posted was rather unimpressed with the general's request to speak to the governor, staring at the oddly dressed man flatly. Given the crosses on the four visitors' coats, the guard suspected them of being agents of the church, people opposing the Illuminati. People like that couldn't be allowed inside.
Aurelien, the governor's assistant, noticed the fuss from the courtyard. Even from the distance he stood from the gate, he recognized the long black coats with the decorative piping. Two seemed the same as he'd seen at the cafe yet two were new. Were these the agents of the Church Tyki had confronted? How could they have returned so quickly?
…
Author's drabbles
One day I will remember how to update with some semblance of consistency.
Next chapter: How to get rid of a bunch of Exorcists without seeming too suspicious.