Bailonz Street 13

An event so massive it was catched by the Watcher of Greenwich. And it was undoubtedly related to Jane Osmond.

An unexpected clue appeared.

Anxiety kept rearing its head. Liam consciously blocked out his emotions, focusing solely on rational thought.

Get a grip, you can’t let your mind waver. You’ve already shown enough cracks. Don’t allow anything to slip through.

“Jane.”

Uttering Jane Osmond’s name brought a surprising sense of calm.

He loved the moments when the scent of coffee, her loose brown hair, and her sleepy green eyes came into focus. How he wished he could go back to that morning when she opened her eyes beside him.

He cherished that peace. The warmth evoked by the cosy room at 13 Bailonz Street, untouched by magic or monsters.

And Jane Osmond was always there. She had to be there.

Walking, Liam muttered Jane’s name repeatedly. The passing strangers looked perturbed, but he didn’t care. Jane Osmond was all that mattered to him, and only she could alleviate his ailment.

The murmuring continued until he arrived at the passage leading to Greenwich.

＊ ＊ ＊

Inside a small general store, a middle-aged man with light blonde hair was seated. Hearing the jingling sound, he immediately recognized the visitor. A familiar face. Not frequent, but he had seen it several times. The man was one of the Greenwich Gatekeepers spread throughout London, and the visitor was from Greenwich.

“William Schofield.”

He spoke.

“Are you trying to show off that you’re from Moscow?”

Liam Moore curtly retorted and received a key from the Gatekeeper. The Gatekeeper shrugged and naturally guided him to the curtain, as if it were a routine for the temperamental Liam Moore.

Inside the store, a white cloth was fluttering at the entrance to the storage room. So thin that it swayed with the slightest movement, it might have seemed like mere decoration to a layperson.

They called it a curtain, though it was more than just cloth.

Reaching out, his hand passed lightly through the cloth. The curtain was a filter. It looked like a thin, transparent fabric but acted as a sieve, keeping out uninvited guests. It would remain functional even without a Gatekeeper, even if the place fell apart.

When Liam Moore passed through without any issues, the Gatekeeper nodded.

“So, why are you using the door?”

Liam squinted slightly.

“Thought I’d take it easy for once.”

“Yeah, William Schofield. You handle your body too… what’s the word in English?”

“…Roughly?”

The Gatekeeper snapped his fingers.

“Yes, that.”

Liam chuckled and inserted the key into the door.

Once, twice, thrice, …seven times. He felt the mechanism inside the door engage.

Finally, when the door opened, the grand and splendid hall of Greenwich greeted Liam Moore.

＊ ＊ ＊

“Glad you came.”

Herschel Hopkins greeted him. Liam nodded lightly.

“Hopkins.”

A shock of red hair popped up.

“Cassfire is here too.”

Ominous.

Owen Cassfire’s presence was never a good sign. He was only there when Greenwich faced its most significant crisis. As a neutral figure who mediated authority, he was not called unless absolutely necessary.

Liam asked.

“So, why did you call me?”

The sage with the shaggy red hair gestured toward the main hall with his thumb.

“Better to see for yourself.”

Owen walked ahead and opened the door.

A brief noise ended abruptly. As soon as the door opened, a crimson sphere came into view. Liam quickly rushed to the Meridian. The sphere, ominously turning, cast a foreboding atmosphere. An unvoiced question was posed.

“Since when?”

“Exactly one hour ago. Something’s definitely starting.”

Liam Moore, examining the Meridian with his chin in hand, muttered a foreboding name. It was natural for Owen to be horrified upon recognizing it.

“Unless you have a death wish, don’t mention ‘The Crawling Chaos’ here, please!”

“Just felt like seeing his face.”

“You’ve lost it. If that guy shows up here, we’ll all be tomato stew in three minutes.”

There’s a reason for that. Liam muttered nonchalantly and turned his gaze back to the Meridian. His face was sharper and more sensitive than usual.

Such an expression, rarely seen, made it easier to infer the reason. Owen quietly asked.

“Is there something wrong with the lady?”

Liam Moore smiled grimly.

Something wrong? Even now, time was ticking. In a situation where he didn’t know what was happening to Jane, he couldn’t afford to dawdle any longer.

“Jane is in danger. I think someone under his command took her.”

Owen’s face clouded with worry. He had no choice but to rapidly explain the situation. He summarised the past few months as clearly as possible for Liam to understand.

The Meridian was acting strangely. Since last November, when something was observed in London, it had been quiet, leading them to believe the followers’ activities had ceased. But that was just a precursor.

“Incidents keep happening around you and the lady. Whether you’re getting involved willingly or they’re coming to you, I’m not sure.”

Liam quietly reached out toward the Meridian. The sphere was red, but there was one part that was the reddest. The colour was deepening by the moment.

For some reason, his instinct told him. Jane Osmond was here. If the malicious chaos wanted Jane, she would be in the most dangerous place. He would flaunt Jane to gather Greenwich’s people. He wanted to crush Greenwich.

“I’ll go with you.”

Owen Cassfire said, seemingly noticing his friend’s determination.

“You’ll need help anyway. I’m good at finding things.”

“Can you even use your powers in that state?”

Owen pointed to the bloodstains on Liam’s sleeve.

“Are you in any position to talk?”

Eventually, Liam Moore raised both hands.

“Herschel. You’ve already been controlled once, so going there isn’t a good choice.”

Herschel Hopkins smiled bitterly.

“The treatment period isn’t over yet, so it’s hard for me to leave. I’ll stay in Greenwich and do what I can. You do what you must.”

“Of course.”

The problem was knowing exactly what needed to be done.

Liam Moore extended his hand. Owen Cassfire, gripping his forearm, looked around nervously.

A familiar coldness dragged them downward.

＊ ＊ ＊

When he opened his eyes, Liam realised this wasn’t the location he had chosen.

It felt like something had blocked them, preventing entry. The place repelled magic and rejected the presence of anyone from Greenwich.

Owen gaped.

“Did that thing just bounce us off?”

“Yeah. Seems like we found the right place.”

Steadying himself as the dizziness subsided, Liam Moore grimaced. His body felt heavy.

“We have no choice. We’ll have to go in directly.”

Behind a massive cathedral was a withered lawn. They stood there, looking down at a gaping hole like a snake’s maw.

A stone staircase led downward. A broken and overturned stone cross was embedded in the ground. It was absurd that the entrance to London’s deepest layer was beneath a memorial.

A strange current was palpable beneath their feet. Initially, they thought the cathedral was the source, but it was more extensive.

As if…

“This entire place.”

Owen picked up where Liam left off.

“They’ve taken over the whole area and are waiting.”

The entire place felt like it was under someone’s control. Anyone capable of sensing magic would recognize the warning.

The one who had seized the ground was waiting below, making a show of it. An ominous energy flowed from below, like poison seeping into a water vein.

“Is the lady really down there?”

“Let’s hope so.”

“And if not?”

Liam Moore, silent, walked toward the hole.

The man who mercilessly tore through the enormous barrier surrounding the place bowed his head. It felt like passing through a membrane of sticky mucus. There were no physical traces on his body, but it was just as repulsive. Owen, following behind, gagged.

“I guarantee the bastard who made this is a complete pervert.”

Liam Moore agreed. He quietly stepped onto the staircase.

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