Seeing this, Wei’en quietly left the shop, retrieved the box he had discarded, and turned to head for the Secret Investigation Department.

As he passed the perimeter, he saw the remains of the bodies that the City Guard had gathered. His expression darkened, knowing in his heart that these people had been killed because of their connection to him.

’I’m sorry. I didn’t want this to happen either.’

’Hm?’

Just as he was lost in his sorrow, a black notification message floated across his panel.

[Devourable essence detected. Use Soul-Devouring Magic?]

’Uh... essence?’

Wei’en glanced around. ’It can’t be referring to these bodies on the ground, can it?’

He glanced back at the ghost and the driver. The two Xiaoxi were staring wide-eyed at the surrounding crowd, still practicing their meditative breathing.

[No.]

After a moment’s consideration, Wei’en chose to forgo the opportunity.

He wasn’t sure if the two Xiaoxi would be noticed if he tried to devour the bodies.

’I’d better wait until I find a deserted place to try this.’

’Besides, these people already died because of me. If I were to devour them as well...’

’What would that make me?’

’A heartless demon, sacrificing my humanity for power?’

...

...

When Wei’en returned to the Secret Investigation Department and passed by Minister Yegor’s office, he heard Lisi’s furious voice coming from inside.

"Yegor, have you reported the situation with Clelia to the higher-ups or not? And what about the Combat Department? Why didn’t a single person show up today?"

"Lisi, you need to calm down,"

Yegor said, his brow deeply furrowed as he took heavy puffs from his cigar. "The Combat Department has been busy investigating the Wenbland case..."

"You know that after Wenbland’s assassination, the entire Combat Department is on edge. Until they get results, Albert isn’t going to assign his people to anything else..."

Lisi snorted. "So we just ignore someone as dangerous as Clelia? People in Caster could die at any moment because of her!"

"I understand what you mean. I’ll personally keep an eye on this."

"You’d better!"

Hearing this, Wei’en didn’t linger. He calmly walked toward the Investigation Department One office.

’So the assassinated captain was from the Combat Department... Wenbland, was it?’

"Wei’en, you okay?" Marco heard the door open and trotted over from the window. "Sorry, I just got here. I couldn’t provide backup in time."

"I’m fine," Wei’en managed a weak smile. "But it was definitely a scare."

This wasn’t him being melodramatic or trying to angle for some benefit.

Rather, after witnessing Melbel’s power, he could make a rough comparison and realize just how formidable Clelia must be.

Even if she was weaker than Melbel, the difference was likely negligible.

Therefore—

From now on, he would have to be extremely vigilant to deal with an attack that could come at any moment.

Wei’en smiled bitterly to himself. ’You’re a renowned powerhouse in the Eternal Life Association, so why are you so fixated on a nobody like me?’

’Is it just because I can sense your presence?’

’Alright, that’s reason enough...’

Wei’en knew exactly why Clelia was attacking him. Without her ability to disguise herself, the threat ’Thousand Faces’ posed would be significantly diminished.

Marco patted his shoulder comfortingly. "Get some rest for now. We can talk more when Lisi gets back."

"Okay."

Wei’en walked over to his desk, put his things down, and slumped into his chair, feeling as if all the strength had been drained from his body.

Especially when he recalled the puppets he had shot and killed with his firearm...

’Right, that was a real, honest-to-goodness fight. The rewards should be pretty generous, right?’

[You have killed a puppet of Clelia Yuli Biondini with a firearm. Evaluation: Not bad. Some progress. Special Reward: Survival Points +5, Resilience Level +1, Marksmanship +10.]

[You have killed a puppet of Clelia Yuli Biondini with a firearm. Evaluation: Keep at it. Special Reward: Survival Points +4.]

...

[You have killed a puppet of Clelia Yuli Biondini with a firearm. Evaluation: Uninspired. Reward: Survival Points +1.]

[You were within the range of Melbel Osiris’s Holy Strike. Evaluation: Anyone not a complete idiot knows not to make the same mistake twice. Reward: Survival Points +2.]

Aside from the combat rewards, Wei’en also saw a few other notifications about himself.

[You have been scanned by Ales Kilibali’s Spirit Perception. Reward: Survival Points +1.]

[...]

[You have been scanned by Andrews Herzog’s Spirit Perception. Reward: Survival Points +1.]

[You have been scanned by Melbel Osiris’s Spirit Perception. Reward: Survival Points +1.]

[...]

[You have been targeted by Ognian Sherman’s killing intent. Evaluation: Now this one is an interesting person. Heh heh. Reward: Survival Points +2.]

’Hm?’

’An interesting person?’

Seeing the last message on the panel, Wei’en frowned. "Ognian Sherman... Who’s that?"

’Could he be from the Eternal Life Association, like Clelia?’

’Or maybe one of the Guardians from the Dawn Church who saw me enter the cathedral before?’

Wei’en also noted two other names that concerned him: Andrews and Melbel.

If he guessed correctly, Andrews must be the Bishop from the Dawn Church.

’And Melbel... It seems she’s figured out my identity, too. I just don’t know if she’ll come after me again.’

After pondering for a long time, Wei’en let out a long sigh. ’Forget it. I’m not going to dwell on it.’

’Even if I prepare, I’m not strong enough to fend off attacks from people like them. I’d be better off focusing my energy on getting stronger.’

With that in mind, Wei’en opened his panel to check his personal stats.

Survival Points.

’Whoa, what a haul!’

’I have Clelia to thank for this, trying all those different ways to test my reactions.’

’Setting aside all the Spirit Perception scans and killing intent locks, she even sent a horde of weak puppets after me. It gave me a huge boost in Survival Points.’

’Now, aside from the Mechanical Box Spell, I can upgrade every other skill in my skill list.’

’Yes, thank you, Clelia. And you too, Melbel... For this, I’ll be sure to make your deaths as peaceful as possible!’