The Water Magician

Ryo had noticed.

Among the gazes directed at him, there was one he recognized from a previous encounter.

However, although the size, breathing, and mannerisms remained unchanged, he felt that the 'way of movement' was slightly different.

He was only using [passive sonar] since he didn’t want the other party to know he was probing…

Well, the accuracy of [passive sonar] has improved compared to before.

Daily effort is essential!

The reason Ryo deliberately stood out by using a [cart] was to probe quietly with [passive sonar] from behind.

People's attention would naturally gravitate toward the noticeable [cart].

They wouldn't expect someone doing such things to simultaneously be probing with sonar magic...

Ryo asked Brother Carl, who was walking ahead.

"What's on the third floor beyond that courtyard?"

"Uh..."

Brother Carl's reaction was unusual.

Ryo regretted it. It was the wrong question.

"That area is a corner where we mere monks cannot set foot. If possible, I think it would be better for Ryo-san to avoid getting too close..."

His voice trembled slightly.

"Yes, I understand. I won't get close."

Upon hearing that, Brother Carl sighed in relief.

It seemed he genuinely cared about Ryo.

There are good people like Carl, and then there are terrifying individuals like the one whose gaze he recognized...

The last time they met, he was surely a 'bishop'.

Even among the same 'clergy', there are various kinds.

Ryo himself has never had any aversion to religion, nor has he been overly immersed in it.

When he was on Earth, he had read the so-called 'Bible' as part of his studies.

Both the Old Testament and the New Testament.

It was natural for someone majoring in Western History.

Some classmates even succeeded famous shrine priests.

There was also a language teacher who inherited a temple from the Muromachi period.

In conclusion, just like those involved in religion, there are good people and bad people among those who aren't involved.

He had come to such a conclusion on his own.

From that perspective, Brother Carl in front of him, the owner of the gaze, and even Cardinal Graham, who sometimes gave off a slightly ominous feeling, were not particularly out of the ordinary.

Yes.

After all, the black booklet of alchemy that Ryo inherited was created by Hasan, who formed the assassin 'cult'.

In short, assassins aren't necessarily bad people…

...No, perhaps it does seem that assassins are inherently bad.

"Graham-san, here are today's documents."

"Ah, thank you for your hard work."

Ryo had successfully completed his work for the day.

From here on, it was private.

For that reason, he sometimes asks a few questions of the cardinal in front of him.

"Graham-san, I'd like to ask you something."

"Mm? What is it? While I can't say I have a lot of spare time today, I can spare two or three minutes."

Graham was in a high-ranking position close to the apex of the Western Church, but he wasn't buried under paperwork like some king.

From what Ryo had heard before, a lot of the work for cardinals involved words rather than documents.

Wonderful!

Since time was limited, Ryo decided to get straight to the point.

"I want to know about the papal direct third bishop, Cesare."

"That is..."

Even Graham seemed taken aback by the unexpected question.

He struggled to find words.

The reason Ryo knew this information was, of course, because it came up in a conversation with Captain Bangaan and Vice Captain Amaria when he saved their lives in the Mafalda Republic.

"One of the four bishops who leads the papal direct assassination squad."

That was almost all the information Ryo knew about Cesare's position.

"Before I answer, could you tell me why Ryo-san knows about Cesare?"

"Ah, yes. Actually, a little while ago, Hugh-san asked me to go to the Mafalda Republic, and during that time, I had a small skirmish..."

"Did you perhaps… defeat him? Was the defeated Cesare handed over to the republic's authorities?"

"Yes, you are well informed."

"I see…"

It seemed Graham had pieced together something from Ryo's explanation.

After thinking for a moment, he continued speaking.