In one of its corners, a tiny mouse dug out of the wooden planks and emerged, observing its surroundings with faint curiosity.

Its eyes lit up.

With a flurry of leaps, the mouse arrived at the spot where Jack had died and drilled into the floor using its needle-like claws.

A few seconds and a lot of effort later, it found what it was searching for. A tiny piece of paper that was only a few centimeters wide and even shorter in length.

The mouse carefully placed it in its mouth.

Then, as if it had completed its task, it entered into a nearby hole and hastily fled the building.

--

Only a few minutes later, in an abandoned building not far away, a man cloaked in black clothes stood silently, leaning against the window.

The movements of the pedestrians outside were reflected in his eyes, while their unintentional conversations became the basis for his analysis.

Suddenly, the man noticed something. Lowering his eyes, he glanced underneath him and found a tiny mouse squeaking next to his feet.

"A message?", he muttered and, bending down, picked up the mouse and removed the paper hidden within its mouth.

Then, he scanned its contents attentively.

If anyone else were here, they would discover that the paper contained a bunch of garbled, puzzling symbols that made absolutely no sense.

But, as a member of the Necronomicon Sect, the man knew what each of these symbols represented.

As he deciphered the contents, the message passed on to him by Jack was revealed.

"Danger! The Baron has been compromised! Suspected Great Knight! Notify the Holy Sect!"

The moment he glimpsed this message, the man's body shuddered.

Although the message didn't convey anything about Jack's current state, the man could speculate what his final fate would end up being.

After all, Jack undoubtedly had to come into contact with the target in order to gather all this information.

In the man's opinion, it was simply impossible for him to survive a battle with a Great Knight.

Most likely, Jack had already met his demise.

"Don't worry. Your sacrifice will not be in vain. I'll make sure that the Holy Sect finds the person responsible and avenges you!", the man whispered as he clenched his fists.

Then, he spun around, ready to leave the city and even Baron Bloodshield's fiefdom.

Though the mission had not been completed and his companion's death had saddened him, the news he had received was more than enough of a reason to quit.

Most importantly, he had to inform the Holy Sect about what transpired.

"Is the Necronomicon Sect so vindictive?"

Suddenly, a discordant voice rang in the man's ears. Instinctively, he couldn't help but respond:

"Of course. If the Holy Sect allowed people to kill its members without seeking revenge, how could it possibly remain standing? How could it have gained its notorious name and become feared throughout the continent?"

The man's voice and face were full of pride when he mentioned the Holy Sect, and it was evident that his words stemmed straight from his heart.

But the moment he finished talking, a question inevitably arose within his mind.

"Who spoke just now?", he wondered, and immediately, a cold shiver ran down his spine.

Unfortunately, before he could so much as turn around, a hand landed on the back of his head, causing his eyes to go dark and knocking him unconscious.

Glancing at the collapsed member that she had finally managed to capture, Liora couldn't help but shake her head.

"These guys are really impossible to get a hold of. Even the most terrifying Devils are not as decisive as they. How could a normal person just choose to kill themselves at the slightest amount of disagreement?"

"Fortunately, there were three mice hiding. Otherwise, my plan would have failed.", Liora sighed and, leaning down, caught the little mouse that had delivered the message earlier.

Looking at its tiny body and little cute face, Liora lightly patted it on the head with her index finger.

"You are the only good mouse in this place...", she whispered, but her words only received the mouse's confused expression in return.

--

Outside the room that once housed the stone sculpture and the Devil's clone, Liora stood silently.

Leaning against the stone wall, she pinched her chin while, secretly, she was trying to listen to the noises within the room.

But to no avail.

Just when she was growing increasingly curious about what was taking place inside, the door gradually opened, and Alpha strode out.

"Lord, it's over.", she saluted, and, peeking at the corpse inside from the corner of her eye, she continued:

"This person was surprisingly formidable. Apart from a few pieces of information that are mostly trivial, he refused to say anything. I'm afraid that these people have been specifically trained by the Necronomicon Sect to keep silent."

"No matter what torturing technique one uses, it's nearly impossible to get any valuable information out of them."

This didn't come as a surprise to Liora.

Judging from the attitude these people showed and the ease with which they decided to kill themselves, it was apparent that they were fanatics, people who were truly devoted to the Necronomicon Sect and its ideals.

Therefore, she had already expected that getting information out of them was not going to be easy.

However, she believed in her luck. Or rather, she had trust in Alpha's abilities.

Thinking of this, Liora waved her hand and signaled Alpha to say no more.

"Just tell me what you've uncovered. There's no reason to go around in circles.", she ordered.

Though interrupted rudely, Alpha didn't express any displeasure. Instead, she nodded her head.

"According to this person, these two people were tasked with investigating why the Baron's communication with the Sect was severed. In his opinion, they should be the only team performing this task..."

"However, once the Necronomicon Sect learns of their disappearance, they will come to understand that something unforeseen has occurred. At that time, a Great Knight may be tasked with conducting the investigation."

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