53: Situation
With the morning light streaming through his windows, Jonathan woke up and prepared for a new day.
Despite being a lieutenant, he didn't really have a faction under his command, but since he controlled Gunlaug, no one bothered or questioned his position. He was also Gunlaug's new enforcer, which made people fear him more than Harus, even though he had never killed anyone. However, everyone believed he had killed Harus.
"Speaking of Harus, the fear I've been sowing in the hearts of the people in the outer settlement and within the castle is working wonderfully."
Jony had made Harus wander throughout the castle and its surroundings to strengthen the people's fear of him.
After the commotion caused by his sudden disappearance during their fight, people believed Jony had killed Harus, which was, at best, false, because the spell only announced the death of his puppets when he stopped controlling them or when they were destroyed, but it never confirmed death for simply controlling them.
This was something Jony avoided thinking about, as the idea that his puppets might still be conscious but unable to do anything against his will made him feel strange.
A slight shiver ran down his spine as the echo of the formless Leviathan was summoned.
He summoned his ascended armor, and then his Leviathan covered the armor, providing a double layer of protection over his body.
He then began to walk towards the door to take a stroll through Gunlaug's private area.
On normal days, he would visit all sorts of places. He had even once gone to the gambling den created by a girl named Aiko. Despite losing spectacularly, he enjoyed experiencing gambling for the first time.
"Speaking of Aiko, her best friend Kai wasn't kidnapped this time because of my intervention, so Effie won't be a threat. Should I create a false accusation? No, that would be too sudden. It was a stupid mistake not to confront Gunlaug with Nephis as it happened in the novel. As a result, Kai isn't forming a group with Sunny."
For the past two months, Jony had remained calm and avoided conflicts with Changing Star, allowing her to carry out her activities in the outer settlement without any issues, greatly accelerating her plans.
Today was the day his 'spy' was supposed to arrive, bringing him weekly reports on what was happening in the outer settlement.
Having reached Gunlaug's private dining room, he sat down and looked at the juicy meal in front of him.
Grabbing a generous piece of meat from the meal served to Gunlaug and bringing it to his mouth, Jony looked at the door, where a shiny core was stationary behind it.
"Come in," was all he said, inviting the boy who would give him the report to enter.
The door opened slowly, revealing an average-looking boy from the Forgotten Coast.
The boy's name was Elyas.
"Good afternoon, Mr. Gunlaug. As usual, I bring you news about Changing Star and her group from the past week."
The boy's voice seemed calm, and his apparently formal and composed demeanor might have fooled anyone else, but Jony could sense a person's feelings through their soul. Elyas was nervous and fearful in Gunlaug's presence.
"Alright, tell me everything."
The boy began recounting everything that had happened in the past week.
It appeared that Nephis' group, which included Isac, Sasha, Ludwin, Caster, and Effie, in addition to Sunny and Cassia who had been there from the beginning, had all faced a fallen monster that had invaded the outer settlement.
The monster had caused significant damage at the edges of the settlement, but the group managed to kill it successfully without any fatalities, and everyone noticed the group's strength in that battle.
He mentioned that what surprised everyone in the settlement the most was not the death of the fallen, but the great strength and combat prowess displayed by the group's scout, Sunny.
Sunny, despite differing from the original novel, had maintained a low profile as an excellent scout who had helped Nephis in the journey through the labyrinth, but now had to show all his brutal strength and lethality to everyone.
This greatly surprised everyone, who only saw him as the guide for Nephis' group, but they realized how wrong they were, as Sunny had demonstrated great strength in the fight.
Aside from this unexpected event, rumors had also begun to spread about an exploration that Nephis' group was planning in the labyrinth. No one knew why they were embarking on such an expedition, but Elyas had investigated thoroughly and informed him about the possible objective: a relic used by the first lord of the castle.
It appeared that Nephis had been collecting writings and tales in the city about the group of the first lord of the castle, who had killed the Spire's messenger, a powerful fallen beast.
The fact that Nephis' group had managed to kill a monster of similar power had also spread the notion that they were the strongest group to exist in the history of the Forgotten Coast since the arrival of the first lord.
The expedition was apparently scheduled for within a week, which tightened Jony's plans a bit.
"If I don't manage to obtain Saint within this week, things will get more complicated than they already are."
"The biggest problem now is how to join that journey. I had planned to meet them a few weeks before to naturally integrate into the group, but this changes things a lot."
He directed a look at Elyas and spoke in an authoritative voice, trying to imitate Gunlaug.
"If that's all, you'd better leave now. Come to me if anything requires my attention."
With that, the sleeper Elyas left, and Jony ate the rest of his meal contentedly.
After finishing his meal, he lazily looked at his runes once more, but not his runes, rather those of his puppets.
Aspect Ability: [Soul Control]
Puppets: [Gunlaug] [Harus]
Name: Gunlaug
True Name: -
Class: Sleeper
Soul Shards: [1000/1000]
Memories: [Skull Crusher] [Silent Zone] [Phantasmal Cloak]...
Echoes: -
Attributes: [Amphibious]
Aspect: Sea Explorer
Aspect Rank: Awakened
Aspect Ability: Semi-Aquatic
Description: [You can swim at great speed underwater like a marine creature, and you can also breathe and see underwater.]
Flaw: Ego
Description: [Your personality is haughty, and you often overestimate yourself, making mistakes or acting carelessly.]
"I'm still surprised that his aspect rank was so low; it's not what one would expect from a lord who ruled this city with an iron fist."
Name: Harus
True Name: -
Class: Sleeper
Soul Shards: [1000/1000]
Memories: [Condemnation Link] [Sixta's Covering]...
Echoes: -
Attributes: [Power] [Reckless]
Aspect: Reaper
Aspect Rank: Ascended
Innate Ability: [Perception]
Description: [All your abilities increase based on the perception of those who know you or are aware of you.]
Aspect Ability: [Sense Thief]
Description: [You can steal one of the senses of a living being at will.]
Flaw: Purposeless
Description: [You are a being who sees no meaning in life unless you follow the will of an external entity. You are condemned to live a meaningless life if you don't find someone to follow.]
"Harus was really strong, and I finally understood why he was so damn strong as to almost kill Sunny in the novel and me in that fight... His damn innate ability is insane."
Everyone in the castle saw Harus as a demon who could kill anyone, someone extremely strong and irresistible; perhaps they feared him as much or even more than Gunlaug himself. That's why he had become so strong, thanks to his innate ability.
"Even so, that's insanely powerful."
***
It was past midnight when Jony was once again in the darkness of the cursed city, looking in the direction of the plaza where Saint was located.
He had planned to try to conquer the plaza and all the statues himself, but that would be very risky and imprudent.
Anyway, it wasn't necessary.
The ground began to tremble a bit when Jony's gaze turned to a place beyond the plaza, where the houses were shaking, and several ruins were falling.
"So, the day finally arrived, how fortunate."
A few minutes later, a deafening crash echoed around the plaza.