Chapter 98: Hotel Meet
Reinhard walked through the city, his black suit replaced with normal clothing, and the crow mask hidden safely in his bag. His eyes caught a clock mounted on a street corner, which said 11:05 PM.
Streams of people moved around him, some heading home after long evenings. While others were heading toward different venues where the night would continue.
Reinhard entered the hotel, nodding to the desk clerk who barely glanced up. The elevator carried him to the fifth floor with its usual grinding sounds. His key turned smoothly in the lock, and he pushed the door open.
Then stopped.
Marie and Joseph were there, as expected, but so were four others.
Scáth sat on one of the beds, her long purple hair cascading over her shoulders, wine-colored eyes gleaming with barely contained energy. Roana occupied a chair by the window, her long grey hair pulled back, her gold eyes turning to him. Niki perched on the desk, her crimson hair matching her crimson eyes, a grin already forming. Gran stood near the wall, dark blue hair neat despite the late hour, brown eyes serious behind his glasses.
Reinhard blinked. "So you all decided to come back here. Were you guys able to interrogate the people trailing behind?"
Marie scratched her cheek as she chuckled nervously. "They used some kind of ball thing to destroy their bodies in purple smoke."
Reinhard’s eyes widened before he asked softly. "Were you guys hit?"
Marie’s smile returned, reassuring. "No, we weren’t."
Scáth scoffed. "I don’t see what the big deal was. Our Spiritual Armor would have protected us."
Roana sighed, the sound carrying patient exasperation. "But we still could have gotten hurt or suffered some effects. And it’s not like those Beast Master Spiritual Armor protected them much... Anyway, us taking a chance isn’t something we need."
"Besides, it did help give us more information than trying to get to speak would have." Gran said.
Reinhard tilted his head. "What kind?"
Niki stretched her arms above her head, joints popping audibly. "They’re direct forces of the Sinners."
Reinhard’s eyes widened slightly before furrowing his brows as his gaze shifted to Roana. "Have you guys ever met any Sinner soldiers in this place?"
Roana shook her head. "We haven’t, and had no reason to until now."
Marie clapped her hands together suddenly, the sound sharp in the enclosed space. "Oh, right, I almost forgot! What type of mission were you guys here for, Roana?"
Scáth sighed heavily as she lay back on the bed. "It was a boring one! Looking for that stupid Star Jewel."
Joseph blinked in surprise, his head turning toward her. "Looking for it was boring?"
Scáth rolled her eyes. "Ever since we got here, there have barely been any leads and nothing fun. Today was the first time in months that anything fun happened, and it sadly ended so soon."
Marie giggled at the looks appearing on Roana and Gran’s faces while Niki laughed outright, clearly enjoying Scáth’s complaints.
Marie’s grin turned mischievous. "Then you should be more than happy we came, Scáth."
Scáth’s eyes shone as she nodded in excitement. "The fact that a Sinner plans for you guys to be part of his scheme means there will be entertainment, and the city will be turned upside down soon."
"That isn’t something you should be happy about," Roana said, her voice carrying gentle reproof.
Niki’s grin matched Scáth’s energy. "But Scáth lasting this long is pretty amazing. I would have sworn she’d demand we give up the mission and return for a more exciting one."
"I had planned to," Scáth admitted without shame. "But that annoying man, Klaus. He promised a more exciting mission if I could accomplish this! An expedition on the level of Second Class Beast Masters."
Marie shook her head with a smile, then her expression shifted to more serious curiosity. "So, did you find anything at the Bolner Storage Buildings, or was it nothing?"
Reinhard caressed his chin, his mind organizing information. "First, I’ll have Vanna hear this to help explain."
He grasped the Harald Mark before the projection materialized, showing Vanna in her Academy uniform. She nodded acknowledgment to everyone present.
"I found files that reported what was being shipped to businesses in Phane City," Reinhard began. "The two biggest recipients were Hope Salvation Clinic-"
"Miss Martha’s clinic!" Niki perked up with a smile. "That’s expected considering her odd practices."
Gran sighed as he rubbed his forehead. "More like short-term practice. The chances of it being implemented long-term are a fantasy, especially since one of the sponsors is a Sinner."
Reinhard nodded slowly as that thought had crossed his mind before, but he’d chosen to ignore it. He wanted to believe in Miss Martha, in the possibility that good could persist even when supported by evil means.
"Yeah, but first listen," Reinhard said softly.
He began retelling what he’d discovered. From the recruitment files showing thousands of vulnerable people hired across multiple cities. The letters discuss workers who "couldn’t handle harsh treatment" and were "retired." The shipping manifests documenting massive supplies to Mekhko Research Centers.
Expressions around the room shifted as he spoke. Marie’s smile faded as a frown started to appear, while Joseph began gritting his teeth, and Roana’s golden eyes narrowed. Gran’s expression became progressively grimmer while Niki’s grin disappeared entirely, and even Scáth’s perpetual boredom faded as she began focusing.
Then Reinhard reached the final revelation, that there is a file documenting Phantasm Beasts and soul requirements to summon them. The Star Walking Beast from Mensis Town needed 315 souls, and the blank page showed 100,000.
Silence descended for a couple of seconds.
Marie spoke first as she clenched her fist. "What! Those crazy bastards want to sacrifice the entire city!"
Joseph trembled while his eyes narrowed. "Not just the entire city, but all the people that haven’t met their requirements..."
Roana frowned deeply, her composure cracking slightly. "That isn’t the worst thing. There’s no way we can call people from the Academy to come help. The time it would take wouldn’t allow them to reach here in time."
"Even if they could reach us." Gran added, his voice tight with frustration. "We’d have no way of proving what Phineas has been doing or that he’s a Sinner."
Scáth spoke softly with a slight frown. "Do we need to go through all that work for him? Can’t we just beat him up and end him?"
Roana shook her head while her grey hair swayed with the motion. "The arrival of any Professors won’t be a quiet thing. And as of now, Phineas is viewed by Phane City’s people as a very good person and sponsor. They would easily believe him over us, and attacking him in any manner would lead to a dispute between Phane City and Memento Mori."
Vanna’s projection shifted slightly, drawing attention. "Roana is correct. The Professors and high-ranking members of the Academy can’t help much until the incident happens, or you all find evidence against Phineas that shows he’s a Sinner or wants to hurt Phane City’s people."
Vanna paused, her silver eyes sweeping across the assembled faces. "Do understand the only reason Reinhard thought of them sacrificing people to summon a Beast Spirit from the Throne of Myth is because you saw it happen. If that incident in Mensis Town hadn’t occurred, I would have dismissed it, let alone any of you being believed."
Reinhard frowned before nodding his head in agreement. Around him, the others’ expressions showed similar acceptance of the impossible situation they faced.
Vanna sighed before she continued speaking. "The Historian Institute has been doing some searching since I requested it. And ever since you mentioned what Phineas did in Mensis Town."
She paused, and something in her expression made everyone lean forward slightly. "And they found a similar account."