Chapter 756 — Daniel's Investigation
Blade of Dawn · Page 2 of 4
From beneath Daniel's hood came a hoarse, low voice: "Everything normal?"
"Yes, everything normal," Grando said respectfully.
"Everything normal—that is the greatest abnormality of all..." Daniel's voice was low. "Mental fog, prolonged deep sleep, sudden changes of personality—these are in themselves proof that the mind has been affected, and in a short time they must leave traces. For their minds to appear entirely normal under such circumstances, that rather..."
He broke off abruptly, and the Longnight cultist named Grando could not help but ask, curiosity and a trace of tension in his voice: "Your Eminence, you..."
His words cut off unfinished, and his eyes fell into a brief blankness. In the instant his gaze lost focus, the warm lamplight filling the room, the fire blazing in the corner, the neat furnishings—all vanished in an instant.
The room was pitch-black. Not so much as a candle, no burning hearth—in truth, apart from a chair by the window, there was not a single piece of furniture here at all.
The man named Grando simply stood quietly in that empty, pitch-black room, at the threshold, staring blankly for a full two minutes.
After two minutes his eyes blinked, and the room instantly returned to its former warm, bright appearance. Bishop Daniel, black-robed, reappeared in the armchair before him.
A chill ran down his spine, and Grando shuddered. He realized he had just undergone a detailed "examination" at the hands of this powerful bishop of the Eversleepers, and could not help but speak with nervous dread: "My lord, I..."
"Your memory has been altered," Daniel said bluntly. "The investigation of this matter ends here. Do not dig any deeper."
"...Yes," a bead of cold sweat rolled down Grando's ear, and his voice was full of lingering fear. "Thank you for the warning."
"Mm," Daniel nodded. "Also, in the days to come, avoid long periods of mind-linkage as much as possible. If you must link, keep it shallow. Do not go deep.
"Finally, in the near future the Mystic Pole Order's Nether Pivot cult may contact you to ask about your recent investigative activities. When they do, there is no need to conceal anything on my behalf. Simply tell them plainly."
Grando could not help but show astonishment, and in an instant he understood the truth of his altered memory. The words burst from him: "My lord, could it be that the ones who altered my memory and covered up the truth are the Radiant Pole cult..."
Halfway through he warily shut his mouth, then continued in a low voice: "My lord, what on earth has been happening to the mind of late?"
"Do not ask too much," Daniel cut him off mildly. "Knowing too much is no good thing."
Another chill swept over him, and Grando could not help but swallow, cautiously saying no more.
Then everything in his field of vision suddenly swayed.
The lamplight vanished, the hearth vanished, the furnishings all vanished, and No. 14 Blackiron Lane became once more a dark, empty room. The man named Grando blinked and came fully awake. He found himself standing at the room's threshold, one hand reaching behind him, still in the posture of casually closing the door.
The powerful, mysterious bishop of the Eversleepers had already departed—departed from Grando's mind.
...
In the Mages' District of Aldernan, inside a brightly lit and elegantly appointed villa, Daniel sat in an easy chair in his study, a scroll in hand, idly turning a page.
Behind him the artificial neural cord lay quiet and obedient, only its tip emerging from beneath his hem to sway faintly near the back of the chair.
"...Time to think about how to handle the inquiries from a certain Radiant Order cult," the old mage sighed silently and murmured to himself. "Only, I wonder which one I shall have to face..."