Endless Debt-Chapter 793 - 254 Blade of Order

When Bologue returned to Lebius’s office, everyone else had already left, leaving only Lebius inside, as if he was waiting for Bologue.

Noticing Bologue’s return, Lebius slightly raised his head, yet the work at hand showed no sign of stopping.

"It looks like you’ve met him, how was it?"

Bologue shook his head and moved a chair to sit down, "It was not pleasant; he’s always trying to tempt me, to gain my soul."

"But I still managed to get some useful information from him," Bologue hesitated for a moment, "I’m not sure if it’s some kind of conspiracy."

"Tell me about it."

"It’s a wager, with the ownership of Erwin’s soul as the winning condition," Bologue recounted the intelligence he had gathered, "If Belphegor wins, he will form an unconditional alliance with Asmodeus; if Asmodeus wins, she will cease hostilities with Belphegor... I believe it’s not as simple as a ceasefire. With that Devil’s twisted sense of pleasure, she would only make Belphegor pay an even more painful price."

"Hmm..."

Lebius pondered for a few seconds; he did not comment much on the intelligence Bologue had obtained, instead shifting the topic to Bologue himself.

"You are becoming more professional, Bologue, especially in dealing with Devils."

Lebius had witnessed Bologue’s growth since joining, from initial ignorance of Devils to now actively exploring and building cognitive frameworks. Lebius felt Bologue would soon be ready to take on significant responsibilities.

"If you dealt with this many Devils, you’d become professional too."

Bologue did not regard this as a compliment but rather as an acknowledgment of his misfortune.

Including his internship days after prison, this was Bologue’s second year in the job; most people couldn’t face Devils even a few times in their lifetime, while in this short period, Bologue almost got to know all the Devils, and worst of all, he was the Chosen One of one of them.

Seeing Bologue’s serious demeanor, Lebius said, "Regarding these matters, the Decision Room is handling it; you don’t need to worry too much."

"You should rest; the trip to the Joyful Garden must have been exhausting."

Bologue silently nodded; it was indeed more than exhausting. After being deprived of his Extraordinary Power, Bologue occasionally felt a strange suffocation, as if some invisible senses were being blocked.

Aimou, speaking from her perspective as an Alchemist, provided Bologue with some explanations; she thought this feeling might be related to being disconnected from the Ether.

Condensers are inseparably linked with the Ether and the Secret Source, just like humans need air and fish live in water, closely connected.

"I think we should quickly send someone to find Erwin Flesher and bring him under the control of the Order Bureau; that way, we can take the upper hand in the Devil’s wager."

Bologue suggested; with the wager not yet concluded, Erwin was still at the center of the vortex. He liked this slightly mentally unstable author and felt that under the protection of the Order Bureau, not only could he suppress the Devils, but Erwin would also be in a safe environment.

"Erwin Flesher?"

Lebius flipped through some files; after Bologue and a few others were taken away by the Joyful Garden and disappeared, the first thing Lebius did upon returning to the Order Bureau was investigate the identities of the others.

Regarding Cinderella, Lebius found nothing, and Canary’s information was elusive due to her membership in the Unfettered Poetry Society, but this did not hinder the Crows’ Nest. It merely meant they would need more time.

As for Erwin, his information was easily obtainable; although most of Erwin’s details were not made public, as an author, his various information was readily available within the publishing house, looking up these didn’t take much of Lebius’s effort. He just needed to make a phone call.

"What you thought of, we naturally thought of as well."

Lebius explained to Bologue, "When you left, we held an impromptu meeting. In the meeting, we already applied to the Decision Room to start protecting Erwin. With the action efficiency of the Decision Room, I estimate that by the afternoon, an action group will be assembled and will go to find Erwin."

Bologue heaved a sigh of relief; indeed, his worries were unnecessary. Since he could think of it, how could his superior, the reliable Lebius, not think of it?

Upon reconsideration, he had nothing more to say, so Bologue stood up to leave. He did indeed need some rest. But before leaving, as if remembering something, Bologue turned around at the door and asked Lebius.

"Captain, have you known Belphegor for a long time?"

Bologue could sense Lebius’s aversion to Devils, but he could also read from Lebius’s attitude that his interactions with Belphegor were deeper and more frequent than his own. Reflecting on the legendary past of this leader, Bologue had some unsettling thoughts.

Lebius did not immediately answer Bologue’s question but this time, he put down his work, and after a moment of contemplation, Lebius calmly stated.

"In time, you will know."

"Alright."

"Oh, by the way, Bologue."

Lebius called out to Bologue and continued, "There’s someone who wants to see you."

"Who?"

"Gold," Lebius said, "It seems that your return has also brought back some lost souls."

Bologue and Lebius maintained a tacit understanding; Lebius didn’t say, and Bologue didn’t ask further, turning and pushing the door open to leave. After Bologue left, Lebius seemed to freeze in place, and it took a while for his muscles to relax.

He pulled open a drawer and took out a file that he had nearly worn out from flipping through. Inside was a clear, colored photograph, someone Lebius would never forget.

"Red Dog..."

Lebius muttered softly, then began to cough violently, as if some old wound had been triggered.

"The Sixth Seat, Red Dog·Glyain, during the period of the secret war, he was already a mighty Defender. After the war, he showed enough loyalty to the King of Slaughter, thus more resources were allocated to him. Over the years, he has grown stronger, and it is said that now he is second only to the First Seat in the King’s Secret Sword."

A familiar figure suddenly appeared behind Lebius, heavy hands pressing on Lebius’s shoulders like two hard rocks.

"And you, Lebius, so many years have passed, and you are still just a Negative Power User. Once, relying on the corpses of countless comrades, you nearly killed Red Dog. Can you still do it now?"

Belphegor leaned down, whispering softly in Lebius’s ear, "Let me also tell you a secret; Red Dog does not have good intentions on this trip."

Lebius closed the file and put it back in the drawer, completely ignoring Belphegor. Belphegor did not feel offended by this, but rather laughed heartily.

"Lebius, you still have one more chance; I’m looking forward to the moment you use it."

As soon as the words fell, Belphegor disappeared into thin air, like an illusion only perceptible to Lebius.

Lebius took a deep breath, trying to straighten up, but he still collapsed into the chair like a deflated balloon. After a long time, he mustered some strength, picked up his cane, and slowly walked towards his room.

During working hours, Lebius almost never returned to his room, to the extent that many people had almost forgotten that Lebius’s bedroom was just a door away from his office.

Now, Lebius broke this routine rarely; he stepped into the dim interior, simply furnished with few personal items, offering no sense of life, just the function of rest.

These days, Lebius’s thoughts had been in turmoil, but this chaos was not due to the Joyful Garden or the Primal Element, but because of Red Dog’s visit.

Sitting on the bed, Lebius basked in solitude and silence; he picked up a photo from the bedside, one of the few personal belongings in the room. The photo contained many people— a large group picture. In it, young Lebius and Geoffrey were clearly visible.

In the corner of the photo, the date was written, along with the words, "Second Unit, Blade of Order."

There is no Second Unit or Blade of Order in the current roster of the Field Operations Department; many employees are unaware of the existence of this action group. Many have questioned, curious as to why the sequence numbers of the action groups in the department are not continuous but have gaps—for instance, there’s no Second Unit, but it jumps directly to the Third Unit.

Lebius knows why this is so; it originates from a rarely known rule within the Field Operations Department. When multiple members of an action group die or lose their ability to operate, the group’s sequence number is retired, and the members are reassigned to other groups, signifying the death of an action group.

In the dim light, Lebius gazed at the photograph for a long time, silently clenching his fist, his nails digging into his flesh, yet he remained as always, expressionless.