Nicholas and his companions were currently riding in a carriage, making their way out of the city. Piers had chosen to use a horse-drawn because it saved more time —and the travel expenses could be reimbursed. If everything went smoothly, they might even make it back to the city by noon.
'In the end, it really is just about the food, isn't it?' Nicholas thought to himself, though he didn't voice his remark aloud.
"Based on what we know so far, there are two likely possibilities..."
Piers folded his arms as he broke the silence inside the carriage.
"The first hypothesis is that Cody was a rogue Extraordinary. He may have attempted to perform a ritual and consume a potion to become an Extraordinary on his own, but failed, which may result in him turning into an Abomination."
"I thought only the Church knew the ingredients and methods for brewing those potions?" Nicholas asked.
"That's not entirely true... There are plenty of unregistered Extraordinaries in this world, not to mention countless secret organizations that aren't directly affiliated with any church. So, the Churches aren't the only ones that possess these materials and formulas."
Piers shook his head as he explained, making Nicholas realize that he had misunderstood this matter all along.
"...Just like Evelyn here, she wasn't originally a Spirit Medium of the Church but a rogue Extraordinary who was later recruited into the organization."
Nicholas turned to look at the young woman sitting beside him—only to meet a pair of deep, dark eyes already staring back at him.
Her face was lightly dusted with freckles, and her lips were painted with an alluring shade of black lipstick, making Nicholas quickly avert his gaze.
"Potions aren't easy to come by, but they aren't impossible to find either," Evelyn explained, "There are plenty of rogue organizations and black-market dealers selling them. Even in York, people like that exist. Most of them operate in the slums, outside the Order's jurisdiction."
Her words made Nicholas reassess the seemingly indifferent woman once more.
If even the Church-supervised rituals had such a low success rate, then attempting to consume a potion on one's own without anyone to guide or assist in the ritual—would be far more difficult.
The fact that Evelyn had managed to become an Extraordinary entirely on her own without the Church's support, spoke volumes of her sheer resolve and perseverance.
"But from Juan's testimony, Cody was already confirmed dead, wasn't he? How could he still turn into an Abomination?"
As far as Nicholas knew, the outcomes for those who failed the Trial of Rebirth were only death or transformation into an Abomination. Therefore, if what Juan said was true, Cody shouldn't have been able to become one.
"Though the probability is low, I've read records within the Order stating that the transformation into an Abomination can occur after death. It's like a delayed mutation process in its early stages. That's why I don't think the possibility is zero," Piers replied.
This revelation gave Nicholas a deeper understanding of the hidden nature of these Abominations.
"Then what's the other possibility?" Nicholas asked, referring to what Piers had mentioned earlier.
"There's a certain type of supernatural known as a Corpse Puppeteer. I don't know much about them, but I've heard they can control corpses. Most of them are said to gather within a secret organization called The Sixth Finger."
The name "The Sixth Finger" stirred something in Nicholas's mind. If he remembered correctly, it referred to polydactyly—a genetic condition where a person is born with more than five fingers. It was a symbol indicating deviation and difference from ordinary people.
Could the organization's name carry that same implication?
"Sounds like a real headache."
"Right?!"
The moment Nicholas voiced his complaint, Piers immediately chimed in. Even Evelyn, who had been sitting quietly, gave a small nod in agreement.
"Between these two scenarios, which one is more troublesome?" Nicholas asked.
"That's hard to say... because either one could escalate into something even more serious."
Piers scratched his head helplessly before continuing his explanation.
"If it's the first case—an Abomination born from an ordinary person's failed attempt to become an Extraordinary. Then, it probably wouldn't be a big problem. If we handle it quickly enough, we might even make it back in time for lunch."
'What is it with you and lunch!?' Nicholas couldn't help but curse inwardly.
"...But if it's an Abomination born from an Extraordinary who lost control—then that's a serious problem."
"Abominations can come from Extraordinaries too!?"
This was entirely new information for Nicholas. He had never heard of such a thing until now.
"Losing control means being consumed by one's own power," Piers explained, his voice dropping to a more serious tone. "In fact, advancing through each level as a Extraordinaries always carries this risk. If you fail during an advancement, there's a high chance you'll lose your sanity entirely and transform into an Abomination. What's more, these Abominations still retain the abilities and powers they had when they were alive."
"If they've lost their sanity, how can they still use those powers?"
"These Abominations are driven by madness and bloodlust. They often use their powers with the sole purpose of destroying everything they encounter. If left unchecked, they may even mutate or evolve further, becoming even stronger over time."
Nicholas broke into a cold sweat. For a moment, it felt as though Piers was intentionally trying to intimidate him.
"Does this mean the first case is more serious then?"
"Not necessarily," Piers answered "Corpse Puppeteers are Extraordinaries with the ability to control corpses. If it's just an Éna or Dío level Puppeteer, that's manageable. But if it's Tría or Téssera level and above, then things get complicated, because those guys specialize in overwhelming their enemies with numbers, they can control large groups of corpses at once, making it incredibly difficult for Extraordinaries from other lineages to face them head-on."
Such abilities sounded quite difficult to deal with. To Nicholas, it resembled the necromancers he had seen in games and comics back in his old world.
"If it's just a rogue Extraordinary, that's one thing. But if it's a Corpse Puppeteer from a secret organization like The Sixth Finger … avoiding a confrontation would be difficult."
At this point, Piers's expression grew serious—no longer the half-joking demeanor he had shown before.
"If possible… we can only hope this is nothing more than a stress-induced delusion on Juan's part."
No matter which possibility it turned out to be, neither was good. They could only hope they were overthinking the situation, but considering the dark aura Nicholas had sensed clinging to Juan, he doubted it would be that simple.
"Didn't the incident happen at the cemetery outside the city? Do we even have the authority to investigate there?" Evelyn, who had been quietly listening, finally spoke.
"Ah, come to think of it... you've never handled a mission outside the city limits, have you?" Piers replied.
"Areas beyond the city are under the joint supervision of us and the Church of the Goddess of Love and Redemption. So yes, we do have the authority to investigate. However, missions like this must be led by a Spirit Medium of Tría level or above, which is usually a Division Captain. But I myself am also at Tría level, so I've got special authority to lead this kind of investigation."
Piers said this while puffing out his chest. It seemed his rank was a point of pride for him.
"Looks like it was a good thing I brought this along."
Nicholas pulled out his revolver from its holster. Seeing it, Piers couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.
"An Imperial Army model revolver... where on earth did you get your hands on that, rookie?"
"I bought it from a friend."
"Hmm, then your friend must be a former soldier."
"I suppose so?"
"What do you mean, 'I suppose so?'!?"
Is that guy really even his friend? Piers couldn't help but wonder.
But the thought made him take another look at the young man before him. At first, he had assumed Nicholas was just an inexperienced rookie— but the boy clearly possessed some rather interesting connections.
"As a matter of fact, the Order has a special type of consecrated ammunition called 'Spirit Bullets.' They're more powerful than regular bullets and can even deal with spirits that normal bullets couldn't hit. You can request them from the armory by notifying Captain."
Piers then pulled a small box of bullets from his back pocket and handed it to Nicholas.
"But for today's mission, I'll let you borrow mine as a special case."
…inside were only five rounds.
'Since you're already giving them to me, couldn't you spare a few more, old man?' Nicholas secretly complained in his mind.
"We're almost there."
Evelyn, who had drawn aside the curtain to look outside, spoke up. It seemed they were nearing their destination.
"Then let's get ready... Whether it's a feast or a famine depends on your luck now, rookie."
As Nicholas leaned out to look at the view ahead, the image of the cemetery on the hillside appeared before his eyes once more.
…He had a feeling that his first mission as a member of the Order of Spirit Mediums was not going to be nearly as smooth as he had hoped.
09.11.550
Nicholas Parlay
Spirit medium (Éna)