Chapter 46

Chapter 46

“It’s not bad news that it’ll cost more money, as long as there’s a way to find the girl.”

The whereabouts of the girl, which had been impossible to gauge, had now come into James’s hands as a tangible number: at least 1,018.

A thousand or so—that was a realistic number to search within the bounds of personal resources.

“So, what’s the worse news?”

Rose didn’t rush over because of the extra cost needed to find the girl.

James asked the real reason behind her stiff, tense expression as she opened the door.

“Robert Burns, who was under special detention for interrogation, and his accomplice, were murdered.”

At those words, James’s face stiffened completely.

Without even taking a breath, Rose continued swiftly.

“The evidence was destroyed as well.”

The Golden Raven Guild’s main headquarters was in a full-blown state of emergency.

To have a breach in the headquarters itself—after more than half a century of the Golden Raven Guild’s history filled with countless crises, nothing like this had ever happened before.

“Do you really think this is acceptable? A prisoner under detention was murdered, and evidence along with interrogation records were stolen?”

Director Crowley’s neck veins bulged as he roared in fury.

“B-But there was no sign of break-in at the secure document vault where investigation logs and other confidential papers were stored.”

“So that’s supposed to be the good news? The headquarters’ security is full of holes, and that’s all you have to say?”

“We do keep copies of the interrogation records separately…”

“Isn’t that obvious? What on earth has everyone been thinking?!”

At his furious outburst, the clerical staff in the room were stunned into silence, unable to utter a word.

Amid the turmoil, there was only one person who remained calm before the enraged director.

“Mr. Granfield.”

“Yes, Director.”

Arthur, standing quietly with his eyes lowered beside Crowley, responded sharply.

“I will make sure the reports are ready for your immediate review.”

To outsiders, it must have looked like a furious director and his composed secretary.

‘His unshakable composure is top-notch for an agent—but irritating.’

Arthur’s flawless posture and impeccable handling of tasks were well-known within the guild.

Trained by the legendary Albert Taylor, Arthur’s outstanding magical skills were famed even among the Golden Raven Guild.

‘I used to respect this composure of his… but now…’

Crowley masked his displeasure with Arthur, lightly tapped his shoulder twice, and left the room.

“I’m counting on you alone.”

Crowley muttered the insincere words as he walked out of the conference room.

As he paced down the corridor, every nerve was alert.

Layered spells used to cloak magic were faintly detectable—spells that had gone unnoticed just months ago.

‘So there really is an infiltrator inside the headquarters, and right at the core.’

A spy.

They ran multiple double agents on their side too, so having a double agent within the investigation bureau wasn’t surprising.

What was shocking was that Arthur had come under suspicion as a spy.

Not just anyone, but the legendary Albert Taylor’s disciple—Rose’s biological father.

He had even personally taken charge of protecting Rose when she fled to Morgenia.

Betrayed by the one you trusted most—this was exactly that.

Yet Crowley did not dismiss Arthur outright; instead, he made him his secretary and kept him close.

He judged it safer to keep Arthur nearby under watch than to cast him out.

‘But there isn’t enough hard evidence. The smoking gun…’

No matter how high Crowley’s position, without concrete proof, he couldn’t interrogate or dismiss Arthur solely on suspicion.

Back in his office, Crowley finally exhaled deeply after holding in a sigh.

“Albert, Rosalind… I fear I can’t handle this alone anymore.”

He spoke the names of his two departed friends in the empty director’s office.

Had those two still been alive, had they been in command of the Golden Raven Guild, none of this would have happened.

But this wasn’t the only problem.

The Golden Raven Guild was steadily falling.

For over half a century, the Golden Raven Guild had been the watchguard standing between Mythos and Logos.

But at some point, the raven’s wings slowed, its claws dulled, and its beak began to crack.

Beneath it, a venomous serpent glared with cold eyes, opening its mouth, waiting for the raven to fall into its jaws.

“But don’t worry. I’m not the type to just take it lying down.”

Though no one was around to hear, Crowley’s muttering continued.

“The key has been passed on well. To one who is neither Mythos nor Logos, just as you said.”

Whoosh.

The stack of documents Rose held suddenly burst into flames.

They were copies of the interrogation records sent from headquarters.

The papers were enchanted with a confidentiality spell that caused them to burn automatically after their contents were reviewed. In no time, they turned to ashes and were tossed into the trash.

“There isn’t much useful information in these interrogation records.”

“At least it’s not nothing. What did you find out?”

Rose nodded and explained while counting on her fingers.

“First, their organizational network is spread across the entire country. Second, their smallest units are called temples, and their leaders are known as principals. That about covers it.”

“For a criminal organization, they sure like to use religious terminology.”

“And although it wasn’t in the documents, their ultimate goal is probably…”

The destruction of the world. And its rebuilding.

It sounded like a ridiculous fantasy, but they had not abandoned that aim.

Rose hesitated about whether she should share this with James.

Because it wasn’t something clearly proven by interrogations or evidence—it connected directly with what she had experienced in a previous timeline.

“Rose?”

“There isn’t enough evidence to confirm their ultimate goal.”

Rose glanced away, brushing off the topic.

Still, world destruction? It sounded so outdated, like something from a serialized pulp novel, that she found it hard to say aloud.

“Even a hypothesis. Tell me what you think. I’m curious.”

“…Don’t laugh at me.”

“Of course not.”

At his hearty assurance, Rose gave in and explained their supposed ultimate goal.

“They want to destroy the world once, then rebuild it anew for themselves.”

“…”

“James.”

“I didn’t laugh.”

James tapped his index finger quietly on the table, seemingly gathering his thoughts.

“Destroy the world? Do you think they’re preparing for war? Even with branches nationwide, they wouldn’t have the funds to build an army.”

“It’s not war.”

“Then terrorism? Something Mythos-related… like magic guns or bombs?”

“Well… it’s similar, but not quite. Actually, it’s very different.”

Rose glanced briefly out the office window and muttered.

“Demon summoning.”

Demons?

Was this some kind of Mythos joke?

James paused, wondering if there was some hidden meaning behind Rose’s words.

“Demon. Demon, huh. Hah…!”

Only then did he understand why Rose had asked him not to mock her.

To the devout believers of gods or the odd practitioners of spiritualism and necromancy, the spiritual world wasn’t a mere fantasy.

But for ordinary people like him who trusted human reason and philosophy, talking to the dead was just a scam, and demons or gods were metaphors rather than real entities.

“I wasn’t laughing at you just now. Don’t misunderstand, Rose.”

Even as he said this, James couldn’t quite shake the ironic smile.

“Sorry… yes, ‘demon.’”

He nodded repeatedly, as if trying to convince himself.

“There’s Mythos and Logos, magic exists, and supernatural phenomena happen—so it wouldn’t be strange to mention demons.”

Even if he didn’t fully believe it himself.

“Do you really believe me?”

Rose was surprised that James was willing to believe such a thing without any further explanation or persuasion.

“Why shouldn’t I believe you?”

His earnest gaze made Rose’s heart skip a beat.

“You haven’t even told me your theory on why I should think it’s true.”

“You’ll explain that part, Rose. My uninformed opinion is secondary and irrelevant.”

Though his answer was blunt, Rose felt comforted.

She wondered if James would believe her even if she told him about her absurd time regression experience.

Not that she planned to bring that up anytime soon.

“First, Robert Burns was gathering sacrifices. Unless he was summoning an evil entity, human sacrifices wouldn’t be necessary.”

Counting off on her fingers again, Rose continued.

“Second, the summoning wasn’t a personal matter; it was carried out by a group. It was written in a notebook that has since been lost.”

“An evil entity called a demon… But can such a thing really destroy the world?”