With a swift movement, Lumian used the force of Louis Lund’s fall to gracefully land in the spot where the carriage driver had been stationed.

Franca had already taken over from Louis Lund, expertly maneuvering the horse and bringing the carriage to a halt by the darkened roadside.

Their coordination was flawless, even without prior communication. One focused on the front while the other ambushed from behind. In a matter of seconds, they managed to overpower Louis Lund, a powerful Beyonder at Sequence 8.

“Carry him into the carriage,” Franca instructed, her experience evident as she contemplated the subsequent course of action.

Lumian didn’t object and lifted Louis Lund into the rented four-wheeled carriage.

Franca followed suit, closing the carriage door behind her. Then, she removed her hood and black robe, seemingly preparing to change into more comfortable attire upon returning home.

Halfway through her task, she caught Lumian’s puzzled gaze and snapped out of her reverie. Awkwardly, she instructed, “Turn around.”

Lumian could deduce Franca’s intentions and quickly obliged, diverting his gaze out the window to allow her the privacy she required.

A rustling sound continued for over a minute behind him.

“I’m done,” Franca’s clear voice reached his ears.

The rental carriage wasn’t particularly spacious. Lumian, standing at over 1.8 meters tall, hunched over slightly and turned back.

Franca now wore a red vest, a white tie, and a blue gown adorned with a row of yellow buttons. Holding a waxed hat and a horsewhip, she presented an unusual blend of mismatched elements—an absurd and peculiar beauty—with her sharp nose, slightly flamboyant brown eyebrows, thin red lips, and vivid lake-colored eyes.

“Quite swift, Miss Franca,” Lumian praised, acknowledging her as the “new” driver for the Empire Carriage Company.

“That’s professionalism for you! If these buttons hadn’t been so time-consuming, I could have been even faster,” Franca muttered as she tucked her flaxen-colored hair beneath the waxed hat.

With her disguise complete, she retrieved an eyebrow pencil and other items she carried and quickly applied some simple makeup. Her complexion darkened, and her eyebrows were made to appear untidy, successfully transforming her into an ordinary-looking man who wouldn’t attract undue attention in the dimly lit streets illuminated by the crimson moon and streetlamps.

“I’ll be the carriage driver. You interrogate him,” Franca declared, opening the door and hopping out to assume Louis Lund’s former seat.

She took hold of the reins and guided the horse to turn slowly.

Satisfied that the rental carriage was moving steadily, Lumian assisted Louis Lund to the opposite seat. Extracting a bottle of truth serum he had obtained from the unscrupulous Hedsey, he compelled Louis to consume a third of it.

As the drug began to take effect, Lumian resisted the urge to wake the unconscious Louis Lund with the ritual silver dagger. Instead, he gently prodded the area between the bridge of the nose and lips, tugged at a strand of his hair, and lightly tickled his nostrils with the strand. Gradually, Louis Lund stirred from his slumber.

Throughout this process, Lumian maintained a friendly and non-threatening posture, refraining from dislocating his captive’s joints or binding his hands and feet.

Achoo!

Louis Lund sneezed and abruptly awakened from his slumber.

He glanced across at Lumian, who sat at ease with a smile playing on his lips.

“You!” Louis Lund exclaimed, a mix of shock and recollection flooding his mind.

“Stay calm,” Lumian reassured, his smile unwavering as he pressed his right palm down. “If I intended you harm, stray dogs would have already feasted upon you.”

Louis Lund’s immediate impulse was to employ his powers and make a swift escape. Yet, as he recalled being attacked from behind, he cautiously peered out of the carriage window.

The distant light merged with the surrounding shadows, amplifying the hushed whispers of wheels and hooves upon the road.

Reluctant to gamble on mounting a counterattack, Louis Lund inquired in a low, grave voice, “What is it that you want?”

From his vantage point, Lumian hadn’t taken any measures to restrain him, confident in the belief that escape was futile.

The other party may have been careless or vulnerable, presenting an opportunity for Louis Lund to exploit. But such an advantage would never manifest in a direct confrontation.

And the aid accompanying Lumian could strike from the shadows undetected—a force to be reckoned with!

Lumian smiled. “I merely seek to reunite with an old friend.”

Louis Lund, dressed only in a linen shirt and shorts, replied with a dark expression, “I won’t succumb to your threats again. Madame is already aware of my past transgressions and has granted me forgiveness.”

So I really possessed incriminating information about you? Lumian’s mind momentarily swirled with confusion.

Recollections from his dream emerged—a revelation of Louis Lund engaging in an illicit affair with a woman from the village, clandestinely selling portions of the administrator’s castle collection in a bid to blackmail him for knowledge of Madame Pualis’s involvement with the padre.

In retrospect, those accounts might have been fallacious.

If the padre truly harbored desires for Madame Pualis, it made little sense for him to forsake belief in the evil god symbolizing bountiful harvests, or to forgo birthing several children with her.

Lumian suspected that his dream had crafted an R-rated adaptation of the concealed conflict between the two factions. After all, both the padre and Madame Pualis had numerous lovers, making it easy for his subconscious to forge connections.

Compared to the secrets housed within Madame Pualis’s castle, Louis Lund’s affair and the pilfering of collections appeared as innocuous as mundane meals thrice daily. There was no ground for him to be subjected to blackmail.

Yet here stood Louis Lund, insisting that he had indeed erred and fallen victim to Lumian’s coercion.

“Is that so?” Lumian adopted his Cordu Prankster King persona. “I merely assisted you in concealing your missteps. How can that be construed as a threat?”

Louis Lund erupted in a bitter laugh, a mix of anger and disbelief.

“You are the most shameless individual I have ever encountered.

“I am aware that you uncovered certain irregularities and sought to discern their origins, but you did indeed threaten me and extract information about Madame.”

“That’s correct. In those days, I entertained the thought of betraying Madame and seeking the padre’s assistance. However, that was because I hadn’t comprehended the greatness of Mother. I was still a follower of the false god, the Eternal Blazing Sun. Now, my life stems from Mother, and my future belongs to Mother.”

Ah, so that’s how it is… I must thank this truth serum. You’ve spilled all that needed to be said, both the necessary and the unnecessary. I didn’t have to wrack my brain to gather information… In reality, I sensed something amiss in the village and embarked on a certain investigation? Lumian nodded, satisfied, and smiled. “When did you come to realize the greatness of Mother? Was it after you gave birth to that child?”

Louis Lund looked utterly stunned, his reaction almost causing him to jolt upright and bang his head. “How did you know about me birthing a child? How could you possibly know?”

Hmm… So I wasn’t involved in the padre’s raid on the administrator’s castle? Otherwise, Louis Lund wouldn’t be posing such a question… Lumian felt a surge of delight and jestingly responded, “When I undressed you earlier, I noticed stretch marks and a C-section scar on your stomach.”

“Impossible!” Louis Lund fiercely objected. “Madame has already erased them!”

Lumian swiftly changed the course of their conversation and inquired with curiosity,

“I’m curious to know how Madame Pualis managed to impregnate you.”

Louis Lund, though initially hesitant to answer, couldn’t resist the urge to divulge the secret.

“Whether it’s a man or a woman, as long as you engage in intimate relations with her and exchange bodily fluids, she can conceive a child according to her desires.”

I see… Lumian breathed a sigh of relief.

His greatest concern had been the possibility of Madame Pualis employing her Beyonder abilities to remotely impregnate him.

“So, both men and women will do, but what about animals?” Lumian pressed on.

Louis Lund was taken aback by the question. After a few moments, he responded, “That should work too…”

“And what about plants? Or rocks?” Lumian’s inquiry turned scholarly.

“I… I don’t know,” Louis Lund admitted, unable to provide a definitive answer.

Madame has never contemplated such possibilities. Why does this youngster possess such a vivid imagination?

Regretfully, Lumian changed the subject.

“Since you conceived through the exchange of bodily fluids, how did you end up with that bird’s nest-like thing in your stomach?”

“How do you know about it? When did you see it?” Louis Lund asked, astonished.

“I’ll tell you later,” Lumian swiftly lied, maintaining his composure without a flicker of hesitation.

Louis Lund wore a perplexed expression as he muttered, his face clouded with confusion, “It came along with the conception of the child. It’s like a fruit. The outer layer is the epidermis, and the fetus is the pulp. They were once joined together and only split open when ripe.”

“Sounds quite magical. That bird’s nest seems to possess great spiritual value. Can it be utilized in the realm of mysticism?” Lumian deliberately rambled, skillfully diverting the conversation away from his true intentions.

“It serves as a key ingredient in a certain healing potion,” Louis Lund continued, speaking without pause. “It has various other uses as well, like enhancing the condition of human skin and providing power to spells…”

After he finished, Lumian let out a nonchalant sigh.

“Did your first child perish in the padre’s assault on the castle?”

“Yes, he was still so young,” Louis Lund lamented the loss of life. “During that time, the padre had many followers with him. We kept retreating, and a few Gardeners and a Heretic Spellmaster lost their lives. If Madam hadn’t returned in time, we wouldn’t have escaped. Sigh, all those children were killed.”

“How many people did the padre bring?” Lumian casually inquired, concealing his true concerns.

Louis Lund recollected and replied, “Some were shepherds originally, like Pierre Berry, Niort Best, and the others. Some were the padre’s mistresses, such as Sybil Berry, Madonna Bénet, and Philippa Guillaume. The rest were Pons Bénet and his gang. We managed to kill a few of them, including the rather formidable Niort Best…”

In my dream, Niort Best was slain by the three sheep… So in reality, he died during the raid on the administrator’s castle? And I wasn’t among the individuals mentioned by Louis Lund… In other words, the battle scenes I witnessed were derived from a fragment of my soul? Thus, they are incomplete and unable to reveal the full picture and all the participants… Lumian felt a sense of relief and smiled as he asked, “Where did Madame Pualis go?”