The notebook contained numerous mundane details, almost like a daily record of someone’s psychological changes after becoming a devout believer.
The chaotic and unsettling writings came to an abrupt halt after the man named Duven went searching for the “true” Reconstitution Ritual.
This wasn’t the black-robed man’s notebook. Its owner was a disfigured man who had lost both ears. Through this diary-like research notebook, Ciel had uncovered a hidden corner of this world, one she had never known.
Ciel was familiar with the Church of the Savior Goddess. Two years ago, when she had been searching for extraordinary powers, she had attended some of their prayer sessions.
At the time, Ciel hadn’t noticed anything unusual about the church—it simply seemed like a monotheistic faith with teachings that bore some resemblance to Buddhism.
But through Duven’s research notes, Ciel now understood that even the believers and priests within the church were unaware of any extraordinary abilities. The church operated like an ordinary religious institution.
To access the extraordinary aspects, one had to be chosen to become a servant. After passing trials and becoming a priest, they could finally come into contact with the church’s mystical powers.
Duven, the author of the notebook, had originally been an ordinary believer. It seemed he had encountered some extraordinary event that allowed him to bypass the priest phase and directly become a servant.
However, during his journey of ascetic training as a servant, the ambitious and arrogant Duven appeared to have strayed from the teachings of the Church of the Savior Goddess, following another path entirely.
This diary belonged to the black-robed man.
【If the records of that church traitor are accurate, a person’s journal seems to aid in the Reconstitution Ritual. Since there’s no priest to verify it for me, I don’t know if writing is even useful. But I’ll write anyway.】
The opening page detailed Thomas’s thoughts, but the contents of the subsequent entries surprised Ciel.
The man had originally been a bandit, roaming between villages in the Kingdom of Ansu to commit his crimes.
He was adept at using his friendly demeanor and smooth talk to gain others’ trust. Once inside their homes, he would rob and murder them, targeting those who were solitary and weak—mostly the elderly and women.
This was all described in his own diary. The reason he began writing the diary, however, was tied to his final act of murder.
While skulking near a village on the outskirts of Berren City, Thomas had encountered a man dressed in fine clothing but gravely injured and on the brink of death.
Feigning goodwill, Thomas treated the man’s wounds and hid him in an abandoned house for a time.
Eventually, as the man’s condition worsened and Thomas continued to display false kindness, the man revealed the location of his safehouse in the city, begging Thomas to take him there.
The injured man turned out to be Duven, the priest and author of the research notes.
What followed was predictable.
The bandit Thomas murdered Duven inside his secluded home, plundering everything of value, including three potions and a complete Reconstitution Ritual.
One bottle contained the complete “Avenger” potion, while the other two were unfinished “Instigator” potions—items Duven had acquired after he stopped writing his notes.
Glimpsing the extraordinary world filled Thomas with unbridled excitement. He quickly began studying all of Duven’s belongings, uncovering a research notebook on the Instigator path, which detailed its Reconstitution Ritual.
The so-called Reconstitution Ritual was about replicating the deeds of the divine—drinking potions, merging with them, and gaining power.
It was a path to ascend toward godhood.
After some hesitation, Thomas chose the Instigator path, which came with a complete ritual. He believed himself to embody the essence of this path—incitement was his specialty.
The Instigator’s Reconstitution Ritual was straightforward. After drinking a potion, the practitioner had to incite others—whether to murder or to commit crimes. The greater the influence, the more effectively the potion’s effects would be digested.
When the time was ripe, the practitioner would drink the potion during a major crime they had orchestrated, allowing the potion to fully integrate with them as they awaited the event’s outcome.
Once the event concluded, the potion would merge with the practitioner, transforming them into a true transcendent being.
The earlier instances of incitement had no connection to Ciel.
But the final incitement involved her directly.
Over the course of six months, Thomas used the potion’s initial ability to make others believe in him. He convinced the Blackwater Gang leader, Braid Solari, that the Avenger potion’s Reconstitution Ritual was genuine, gradually inciting him to commit murders.
Thomas’s endgame was for the Blackwater Gang leader to kill both his nephew and the person who killed his nephew, before ultimately drinking the Avenger potion himself.
The ritual was entirely fabricated by Thomas. Even he didn’t know the actual procedure, as Duven’s research notes contained no details about the Avenger ritual.
Thomas’s true intent in having Braid drink the Avenger potion was to drive him mad under the influence of a flawed ritual, transforming him into an irrational, transcendent killing machine.
Once this monstrous being came into existence, the massive chaos it created would fully digest Thomas’s Instigator potion, allowing him to ascend as a true transcendent.
She finally understood why she had been dragged into this mess.
It was all a coincidence—one built on layers of betrayal and deceit. Ciel was nothing more than a disposable pawn, someone to be sacrificed without hesitation.
Ciel hadn’t found the second bottle of Instigator potion in the simulation. Most likely, Thomas had already consumed it, and the material extracted from his blood after she killed him had been the remnants of the potion’s essence.
Fortunately, she now knew the full picture ahead of time. She remained in the shadows, while her enemies were completely unaware of her circumstances.
With the new information she had gathered, Ciel had even more options for resolving this situation.
For example, she could leverage the Church of the Savior Goddess, as mentioned in the notes.
If she handed over these two notebooks to one of the church’s transcendent members, the matter might be resolved without her needing to act further.
The difficulty lay in explaining the source of the notebooks and in locating the church’s transcendent members.
Furthermore, contacting the church’s extraordinary side might expose her to additional dangers.
Should she rest for a bit?
No. Ciel quickly dismissed the idea.
She now knew that at 4:45 AM, Thomas and Solari would be at the “Hammer” Tavern on West Street. Solari would be in a state that left him unable to fight. Early morning was the best time to eliminate them. She just needed to refine the details in the simulation.
She needed to enter another simulation, ensuring she didn’t have to rely on the Death Reversal skill. If the simulation’s time didn’t surpass 4:45 AM, she would choose to act first and kill them before contacting the church.
If it did surpass the time, she would go straight to the church. If contact proved impossible, she could use the time within the simulation to find another opportunity to strike.
Ciel was certain that her skill in killing had improved since the last simulation—she would be quicker, more decisive, and leave no room for her enemies to react.
Opening the system’s simulation interface, Ciel saw the new randomized simulation times displayed before her.
「Future: 1h (Saint Year 741, June 17, 7:46) (Cost: 10 Fate Points)」
「Past: 3 Days (Saint Year 741, June 14, 7:30) (Cost: 100 Fate Points)」
「Old Days: ***, *** Days (???) (Cost: 10,000 Fate Points)」
Ciel hadn’t expected the randomized time to be so close to the present.
Close enough that the church would likely still be open, allowing her to probe its inner workings before sharpening her assassination plans.
This seemed perfectly aligned with her objectives.
Placing the two notebooks atop her own journal, Ciel lay back on the bed and slowly closed her eyes.
The white light engulfed her.