The masked figures nodded their heads when they heard the Duchess's commands.

After they confirmed that the Duchess had no further orders, they saluted once again and exited the room, leaving her alone.

"The Infernal Army is going to arrive at the border soon. Things are becoming more and more complicated...", Duchess Lobelia's low voice spread in the dimly lit room.

--

Standing on top of a nearby rooftop, Liora was surrounded by a pale domain.

She watched silently as shadows emerged from the Duchess's manor and blended into the silent night, leaving the city without being seen or heard.

As she watched the shadows depart, a flicker of light flashed in her crimson eyes.

She had noticed these people's arrival the very moment they stepped into the city and had tracked them until they reached this place.

However, afraid of being discovered, she hadn't followed them into the Duchess's manor but chose to wait outside.

Now that they were leaving, it seemed that their meeting with the Duchess was finally over.

Liora was not surprised that the Duchess had unknown subordinates under her command.

This was to be expected by a high-level noble and a powerful Great Knight.

What piqued her interest, though, was the familiar aura emanating from these people.

"Darkness, shadows, and a hint of evil...", she whispered.

It was obvious to all that these people were practicing Knight Techniques related to darkness.

This was not surprising by itself. Liora had met many people practicing such techniques before, including the Black Tulip family.

What made her interested, however, was that the darkness that these people exuded was deeper, purer, and far stronger.

She had only met such auras a few times during her stay in this world. And they were all from people belonging to a certain faction.

"Necronomicon Sect...", Liora muttered.

It was exactly this realization that caught her off guard.

Liora could still remember that Diana, the member of the Holy Church that she had captured, had told her that the Duchess was related to their cult.

Though not fully trusting her, Liora was leaning towards this fact being the truth. But now, the Duchess's subordinates were clearly related to the Holy Church's sworn enemy, the Necronomicon Sect.

This made her raise her eyebrows.

She couldn't understand whether Diana was lying or the Duchess's secrets were bigger than she initially thought.

--

Thinking of Diana, Liora remembered that she had not paid a visit to this prisoner for quite some time.

Therefore, after she returned to her residence, she entered the demi-plane of the Space Orb once again.

With a wave of her hands, she deactivated the formation surrounding Diana, allowing her to wake up from her slumber.

This time, it took far longer for Diana to regain consciousness.

Even though she immediately opened her eyes, a trace of haze remained in her pupils for a long time.

Clearly, although the formation had no attacking capabilities, the long sleep she had gone through had severely impacted her, despite her being a True Knight.

It took a few minutes for Diana to finally wake up.

She was not surprised to find Liora's figure standing in front of her.

She didn't know that more than a week had passed since the last time the two met.

She couldn't dream or think while asleep, much less keep track of time.

Liora gave this member of the Holy Church a few seconds to completely wake up.

After she confirmed that everything was fine and she was fully conscious, she jumped straight to the point.

"Do you know why the beasts have rioted? Is it related to the Holy Church or the Necronomicon Sect?", she asked.

Diana had already predicted that Liora was going to ask her for information.

But still, this question left her stunned.

After all, she had stayed here for a long time. She had no way of communicating with the outside world and had no way of knowing what occurred outside.

But Diana quickly recovered.

She first shook her head to show that she didn't know the answer, before suddenly pausing to think for a few seconds.

Then, she seemed to remember something.

"I don't know what happened that caused the beasts to riot. However, I do know something about the Ancient Beast Wilderness.", she said.

"According to an ancient book in the Holy Church's library, there are powerful beasts that surpass the Great Knight rank that are sleeping deep inside the forest. Unlike the beasts that one would usually meet, it is rumored that these beings possess a certain amount of intelligence, just like humans."

"If there is something that can cause beasts to suddenly go crazy, it can only be those beings.", Diana answered, certainty filling her tone.

Liora was not shocked.

Diana's words only served as further confirmation of a guess she had made a long time ago.

Most likely, the unknown person who targeted her not long ago was not a human, but a powerful beast.

And to possess the ability to track her movements, it was clear that it possessed a certain amount of intelligence.

Thus, thinking of the Fire Elementals that she had met in the Demon World, Liora guessed that beasts could also awaken once they reached a certain amount of power.

Thinking of this, she nodded her head to show that she understood, and continued asking questions.

As usual, Diana kept answering, unless it came to matters directly related to the Holy Church and its secrets.

When their conversation was about to end, and Diana felt that she would be put to sleep again, she said a few more words, seemingly unintentionally.

"If you wish to investigate the cause of the beasts' riot, you might want to pay a visit to the Holy Church. There, you may find the answers you're seeking."

--

The next morning, Liora quietly left Hope City unbeknownst to everyone.

No one knew of her departure, including Duchess Lobelia and even Alpha.

Liora didn't go far.

She simply entered the Ancient Beast Wilderness and searched for a suitable prey near its outskirts.

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