Was it because of the confusion? I rambled nonsense. Liam Moore, with his eyes reflecting a light purple hue, laughed silently.
“This is a bit too fast.”
“You really are impatient. It’s rare to see someone in Britain with such a ‘quick quick’ mentality.”
Liam rubbed his eyes tiredly. His already slightly swollen eyelids turned redder. I noticed that he rubbed his eyes every time their colour changed. Thinking about this, I stopped his hand from rubbing further. Liam blinked.
Just then, a booming voice echoed.
“Dammit, William Moore! I told you to open the door properly and come in!”
A mass of shaggy red hair appeared. Honestly, without that hair, I wouldn’t have recognized him. The laid-back appearance from when we first met was gone, replaced by a sharp-looking scholar.
“…Owen?”
“Oh, the lady is here too.”
“Anyway, I apologise for nagging in front of the lady. But you shouldn’t be kicking doors just because you’re in a bad mood. I told you many times, if you don’t want to be mistaken for an intruder and dragged off—”
“Yeah, yeah. Enter calmly through the entrance. But there were a lot of people, and Jane and I didn’t want to be late for the hearing.”
Liam shrugged lightly, as if it was no big deal to watch the Grand Master’s reprimand. He clapped his hands lightly.
“Should I thank you for coming to greet us personally?”
I was the one surprised by his informal attitude. Remembering the cynical and grumpy Liam who showed such behaviour towards James Stranden (the marriage scammer, if you need a reminder) or Scotland Yard, seeing this sociable side of him felt strange.
Owen, noticing my bewilderment, laughed heartily.
“Hey, you really have no credibility. Did you see the lady’s expression?”
“Oh, I’m infamous in London. So, Sir Cassfire, when will you welcome my companion?”
“Oh my, my mind must have wandered.”
Clearing his throat, Owen Cassfire clasped his hands behind his back lightly. The gold-rimmed glasses perched on his nose and the ornate chain glittered. His eyes, the same colour, also shone with goodwill. The neatly closed white robe made me feel like I was really in a neighbourhood of wizards (it’s still surreal, but).
Wow, my life really is unpredictable. Waking up in a completely different genre game.
He recited formally.
“In the name of Greenwich and Meridian, I welcome you.”
Liam nudged me with his elbow.
“…Oh, thank you?”
“Well done. Let it be known here. The visit of Jane Osmond is guaranteed by William Schofield Moore and Owen Cassfire, and for as long as this authority continues, everything here, spells and people included, will treat you as one of Greenwich. Please enjoy your stay.”
That was it. Though it was a grand greeting, it essentially meant, ‘You’ve got our endorsement, no one’s picking a fight. Welcome.’ This roundabout way of speaking might be a wizard’s trait. I chuckled a bit and followed the two men as they led me to the main hall.
The scenery along the way was elegant, almost like a well-crafted movie set. Light poured in from everywhere, though I couldn’t tell the source. Yet it didn’t feel artificial at all.
There were dozens of windows, but looking out of them, I couldn’t see any familiar landscapes. Only an endless sky, a mix of blue and red, making it impossible to discern the time.
The cream-coloured corridor shone so brightly that it reflected our images. Our footsteps echoed in the empty hallway, leading to a huge door at the end.
Beyond the door was a round meeting room, like an ammonite or a lollipop spiralling inward. It was very large and tall. Liam guided me as I stood, bewildered.
“All seats are fixed here. Just follow me.”
“It feels like an opera box.”
“And poor Herschel Hopkins would be the starring actor.”
Liam joked, trying to ease my tension, and turned his gaze.
In the centre was a high podium, and above it was a giant globe…
A globe?
It was a hologram. A huge, transparent globe spun slowly. Red dots appeared and disappeared, as did yellow dots, with some remaining in place.
I had to remind myself again: This is all magic, not science.
“That…”
“Our dear Meridian. The eye that watches over all lands.”
Wow. Now it really felt like a game. Although the genre had shifted from thriller suspense mystery to gothic horror, and now to fantasy.
I half-gave up trying to understand.
“What are those dots?”
“Dangers. Hidden among people, waiting for a chance to devour.”
Everyone wearing long robes simultaneously focused on the centre. Suddenly, Herschel Hopkins and the judge? chairman? were standing there. Liam whispered to me.
“It won’t be that hard. It’s similar to a courtroom.”
Sure, and that hologram is just like a hologram.
The chairman spoke.
“All proceedings in this hearing are confidential, and all members of Greenwich are bound not to disclose them.”
In other words, keep your mouth shut.
“Recently, an unprecedented threat has appeared in Greenwich. Remembering the names of those we lost, we now wish to discuss this threat. Herschel Hopkins, please explain.”
Herschel stood up. I was worried they might treat him like a serious criminal because of the disciplinary hearing, but it seemed my worry was unfounded. Herschel was just a witness, after all. He wouldn’t know everything that happened.
I’m the only one who knows the full truth of this incident. Meeting the king, obtaining mercy under the guise of a deal, and thus securing a reprieve for all of us—it was all my doing.
Thinking about it, Liam Moore might be shocked if he knew what Owen and I went through after he was kidnapped.
Herschel began to speak in a calm and natural voice, like a lecture.
“It hasn’t been long since it invaded my mind. Disguised as a strange book, it created a gap in me through the form of letters. It was a book I had never seen in the library, so I opened it out of curiosity, and thinking back, that’s when the mental interference must have started.”
“What were the characteristics of the book?”
“A black book. Dark leather binding, even the paper was black, and all the letters were recorded in white ink. When I first read it, it was a cookbook. Then it changed to a history book, and next, it showed an incomprehensible language. I began to interpret it.”
Could it have been an ancient language? I felt a sudden curiosity about the text. Just hearing the story made me want to read the book, maybe because of its nature. It seemed the book lured people this way.
“And then, my memory was cut off.”
Herschel Hopkins paused, thinking deeply, then resumed his analysis.
“I must have finished the interpretation. When I came to my senses, I was gripped by the fear that I had to burn this cursed book. No one should know about it; it must never be released to the world.”
Because it could be misused? Or was the content so inhumane?
I frowned, focusing on his words.
“I don’t remember the content of the book, but I vividly recall screaming the whole time I was interpreting it. I burned the paper. I threw the book into the fire. And then, he spoke in my mind.”
[Bow your head.]
“He had already finished everything. Burning it was also his intention.”
Now I was a bit worried about Herschel. Professionally, Greenwich needed proper counselling therapy. His anxious eyes showed even here.
“…I occasionally regained consciousness, but I was under his control. He often gave me control, letting me reflect on the deeds I had done.”
“And?”
“He seized control as if to show me. Under his power, I could do nothing. The mental barriers crumbled. I barely regained control when I almost strangled a visitor, but I realised I could never reclaim my body from him forever….”
The chairman asked the visitor’s name. Herschel Hopkins hesitated before saying my name. Liam’s grey eyes widened as they turned to me.
Come to think of it, I hadn’t told him this part. It felt relatively less dangerous compared to actually dying later. I was getting increasingly indifferent to danger.
The chairman lifted his head and looked at me with cold eyes.
“Jane Osmond, is this true?”