Having finally managed to post bail and spring her superior out of custody, Skadi instantly transformed into a curious subordinate, bombarding him with questions. Until recently, she had believed he was dead and gone, making his sudden appearance all the more bewildering.
Judging by Ulpianus' expression, he looked ready to lecture his former team member. Yet under the circumstances, a rare flicker of awkwardness washed over him. He could only stand there in silence as Skadi peppered him with inquiries like an inquisitive child.
"You've grown quite chatty, Skadi," the captain finally spoke after a prolonged pause. He offered a greeting to the member he hadn't seen in ages, his gaze underneath his cowl lingering with complex emotion.
Having led Skadi for years, Ulpianus understood her personality inside and out. It struck him that her tongue had loosened considerably—had someone on the surface influenced her to open up like this?
"And your way of speaking hasn't changed one bit, Captain," Skadi murmured, a hint of nostalgia softening her voice as she looked at the masked figure whose facial expressions remained entirely hidden.
Trailing behind them, Jeanne watched the two in silence and let out a light sigh. Truth be told, watching two emotionless stones attempt a conversation was an exhausting ordeal—especially when she couldn't interject a single word into their cryptic dialogue.
The pair fell into silence once more. After staring at each other for a quiet moment, they both turned their heads away, though Jeanne could tell that both were secretly relieved inside.
"You must be Miss Jeanne," Ulpianus turned to face Jeanne, who was walking behind them while holding Fafnir. "Thank you for stepping forward to vouch for me back there. Otherwise, I would have had to rely on less diplomatic means to break free from those Inquisitors."
He hadn't forgotten that the sole reason he had been collared by the city guards was that the young dragon had suddenly darted out from Jeanne's arms, delivering a surprise punch to his eye that threw him off balance.
Still, he chalked the incident up to his own carelessness. He was genuinely surprised that a child on the surface could land such a heavy blow; given his martial prowess, standard surprise attacks from anyone shouldn't have breached his defenses so easily.
"It was no trouble at all," Jeanne waved her hand dismissively, clearly not dwelling on the inconvenience.
In truth, Jeanne felt a lingering touch of embarrassment. The bruise Fafnir left on his face hadn't faded in the slightest—if anything, it looked a bit darker now.
"So, Captain, why did you come to this city in the first place? And what was that coded message you left behind supposed to mean? I've been getting this strange feeling lately, do you happen to know what's causing it..."
Skadi clearly had a mountain of questions for her former commander. Questions about their lost homeland and the deep had been weighing on her heart, and the man standing before her was the best person to provide those answers.
"Skadi, I know you have endless questions for me," Ulpianus replied, looking at his former subordinate with a conflicted expression as he carefully weighed what he could reveal.
"All I can tell you is that our previous action carried severe flaws. While the mission itself could be considered a success, the fallout was far from what we originally envisioned."
After a brief pause, that was the only explanation he offered. It was obvious he possessed crucial knowledge regarding their past, yet he had no intention of burdening Skadi with it.
"You need only remember one thing: keep holding fast to your identity as an Abyssal Hunter. As long as you maintain that conviction, nothing else matters."
He offered the exact advice that both Jeanne and Kal'tsit had given her in the past. Hearing those familiar words, Skadi could only nod in quiet understanding before watching her captain prepare to take his leave.
"Also, if you have no pressing business here, leave this city as soon as possible. The Deep Sea Church cultists embedded here are treacherous. If you drop your guard for even a second, things could spiral out of control."
Without waiting for Skadi to respond, Ulpianus took a swift step forward and vanished down the street. From the very beginning, he had no intention of joining their group; operating alongside surface dwellers was simply not his style.
Skadi stood in place, her eyes fixed on his retreating figure for a long time without speaking a word. She understood why her captain refused to share the whole truth—he was trying to protect her, worried that knowing too much would cloud her mind and warp her judgment when it mattered most.
So she merely watched as her captain melted into the shadows of the coastal city. He was a man driven by his own resolute path, and knowing his unyielding nature, Skadi knew better than to try and stop him.
"Alright, we should probably move as well," Jeanne broke the silence, scanning the surrounding streets. "If even your captain says this city is dangerous, then whatever is lurking beneath the surface is no minor affair."
Her instincts told her that their investigation was about to bear fruit. As the rogue Abyssal Hunter continued his crusade, those cultists bound to the dark waters would inevitably expose their vulnerabilities.
She only hoped that the captain would exercise a bit more restraint during his operations. Jeanne wasn't eager to see him surrounded by High Inquisition squads again; even as a traveler carrying weight from Laterano, her influence had its limits.
The Inquisitors had agreed to drop the matter primarily because Ulpianus was actively hunting the Deep Sea Church. While they held little fondness for Aegirians and remained deeply wary of his formidable martial skill, as long as his blade was pointed at the cult, the High Inquisition was content to turn a blind eye.
So long as Ulpianus didn't cross a line, the short-staffed Inquisition was more than willing to let an outsider purge the heretics lurking within their walls. Jeanne suspected both parties had already reached an unspoken arrangement—a tacit understanding forged in shared hostility against the deep.
How else could one explain the Inquisitors releasing Ulpianus without demanding a single coin for the destroyed clock towers and ruined buildings? To any outsider, the lack of a fine was suspicious enough.
"That makes sense, but I still can't quite grasp what Captain is trying to achieve," Skadi admitted softly, a trace of disappointment flickering in her eyes as she contemplated his abrupt departure.
"You'll find out eventually," Jeanne offered gently, patting Skadi on the back. "When he decides the time is right, he'll tell you everything."
Fortunately, Skadi wasn't one to lose her composure over lingering doubts. Before long, her usual calm demeanor returned, and the two began discussing their immediate next steps.
"I plan to stick around and see if we can flush out members of The Deep Sea Church," Jeanne said. "Since we're already here, we might as well lend a hand if the opportunity arises."
Her sharp intuition signaled that their goal was near, and that events would unfold remarkably smoothly—likely because the cultists were running out of patience.
Yet even with her strong premonition, Jeanne didn't expect opportunity to knock quite so fast.
Just two days later, while walking down a secluded alleyway, Jeanne spotted a massive hole torn through the stone ground, smashed open as if struck by a giant anchor.
Jeanne and Skadi exchanged a quick glance, realizing instantly that this was what they had been searching for: a hidden entrance to a secret lair painstakingly established by the cultists of The Deep Sea Church.
The secret hideout, concealed for years beneath the city's surface, had been breached by sheer, unadulterated violence. The two women, accompanied by Fafnir, stepped into the dark, cavernous descent.
Upon entering, the sight of a completely shattered hideout greeted them. Dozens of cultists clad in deep green robes lay scattered across the floor, their gruesome wounds serving as silent testimony to the brutal strength of their attacker.
It seemed someone had already found the nest before them.