Chapter 25 : Chapter 25
Chapter 25. The Smell of Heresy!
“Do not say another word! If we are not going, then we are not going,” Vivian snorted stubbornly, her fingers unconsciously gripping the hem of her skirt.
She did not look at Eve. Instead, her gaze fell on the tips of her shoes.
“This place… I am not even interested in going there anyway.”
Seeing that she had been persuaded, Eve knew that with someone like Vivian, reasoning alone would never work. The consequences had to be placed directly in front of her.
“It is good that the Young Lady understands. We can continue walking ahead. Perhaps we will find something a little more normal,” Eve said, giving her a way to save face while shifting the focus elsewhere.
“I do not need you to remind me. Hmph.”
This time, Vivian raised no objections. Nor did she glance again at the shop called Victoria Style. She simply continued forward beside Eve.
Still, she silently remembered the Perry boy.
If she ever encountered him again, she would certainly use this incident to humiliate him thoroughly, so that he would stop entertaining those ridiculous fantasies about her.
As they continued walking, many passersby could not help but cast curious glances at them.
After all, clothing so refined and clean was far too conspicuous in a place like Black Street.
Aside from that, Vivian noticed something else.
A few people did not walk past like ordinary pedestrians. Instead, they leaned casually against doorframes or stood on steps.
Their clothing style was almost identical to the mafia members they had seen earlier.
And their gazes made Vivian even more uncomfortable than those of the ordinary passersby.
“Are those people also…?” she asked.
Eve’s reply confirmed her suspicion.
“They are also part of the mafia. They maintain order here.”
Vivian pressed her lips together and straightened her posture, maintaining the dignity expected of a noble. It was as if she were silently competing with the mafia members through sheer stubborn pride.
When they passed a small square in front of a tavern, another symbol of order appeared.
The crowd gathered there suddenly stirred in alarm, scattering quickly as though they had encountered a plague.
Then several figures walked out from an alley across the square, their steps perfectly synchronized.
All of them wore black high-collared coats and black gloves. Their faces were covered by black masks. At their waists hung silver weapons that faintly emitted a cold green glow.
What drew the most attention were their pale golden eyes.
Every single one of them had the same color, as if they had been born from the same mother. Even their heights were nearly identical.
“Hurry up, move!”
“Are you blind?! You stepped on me!”
As the crowd scattered, a man with a particularly unfortunate-looking face—one might say that when his mother carried him, ten men must have taken turns squeezing toothpaste on her head—accidentally bumped into one of them.
The next moment, he was seized by the collar and lifted into the air.
The man immediately begged for mercy.
“Sorry, brother! I was not watching where I was going! I am terribly sorry!”
From the beginning to the end of the small incident, Vivian watched everything carefully.
She stopped walking and studied the black-clad figures curiously.
“What are those things?”
She did not even call them people, because by instinct they did not seem human.
“The Church’s Cleaners,” Eve answered calmly. Her gaze remained indifferent as she held the parasol steadily in front of her and subtly adjusted its angle.
Tch… what terrible luck to run into them here…
“Cleaners?” Vivian repeated in confusion.
She was very familiar with the Church. However, she had never heard of something called “Cleaners,” much less seen them.
She could not help asking Eve, “Do they appear here often?”
“Not often. Even though Black Street is a gray area, the Church does not dispatch them lightly.”
Eve’s body, which had previously seemed relaxed, unconsciously straightened.
Under normal circumstances, unless there was a specific mission, the Church’s presence in Vossini—an administrative special zone—was limited to ordinary patrol units, and even those mostly operated in the outer districts.
Before Vivian could ask what their purpose was, the squad of Cleaners suddenly stopped.
Even the man who had been lifted by the collar was released, and he immediately fled.
The one who appeared to be their leader—most likely the captain—swept his golden eyes rapidly across the surroundings.
Then his gaze stopped in the direction of Vivian and Eve.
Not only the captain, but the other members also turned their heads slightly and focused their eyes on them.
Two and a half seconds later, they began moving.
Maintaining a loose formation, they walked straight toward Vivian and Eve. Each step was heavy, stirring dust from the ground.
As they passed, the surrounding onlookers quickly withdrew, afraid they might be the next person grabbed by the collar.
Eve tightened her grip on the handle of her parasol.
Her expression remained unchanged, but she lowered the parasol further, hiding most of her face—especially her red eyes.
“What do they do?” Vivian asked.
There was no answer.
“I asked you a question!”
Just as Vivian turned her head toward Eve, several heavy footsteps arrived before them.
When she turned back again, she found the Cleaners standing directly in front of them, blocking their path.
Vivian frowned immediately, clearly displeased.
Then she fearlessly met the captain’s icy gaze. Lifting her chin, she spoke loudly with obvious irritation.
“What do you want?”
Upon hearing Vivian’s arrogant tone, the captain’s golden pupils grew noticeably colder.
According to the authority granted by the Church, Cleaners possessed temporary law enforcement powers when carrying out missions against ordinary civilians. If necessary, they could even use force.
Those who refused to cooperate often faced severe consequences.
Clearly, he was not accustomed to such an attitude—especially when the speaker appeared to be nothing more than a well-dressed young woman.
He was just about to respond.
But Vivian moved first.
She had never intended to reason with them.
Instead, she impatiently opened the handbag she carried and took out a small object. It was not large, but it was more than enough for them to see clearly.
A badge.
It was inlaid with a ruby and engraved with thorn-like patterns. At the center was a simple family emblem—a red rose.
The moment the captain saw the badge, his brow twitched slightly.
Almost instinctively, he raised his right hand sharply and clenched it into a fist.
The squad members behind him, who had originally formed a semi-circle around them, froze in place. They immediately stepped back half a step, though their vigilance did not completely disappear.
The captain hesitated before speaking in a deep voice.
“Hessein…?”
Vivian kept her head raised high.
The arrogance cultivated by years of privilege and status could not tolerate a few mere dogs of the Church blocking her path.
“You know the name, yet you still dare stand in my way? Move aside!”
The captain’s expression immediately became complicated.
The Church was powerful, but in a special district like Vossini—where many noble families resided, especially a deeply rooted top family like the Hessein family—
A direct conflict was certainly not the intention of their patrol mission.
The Young Lady possessed an official family crest. It could not possibly be forged—unless someone had grown tired of living.
As for the silent maid standing behind her, whose face could not be seen…
Under the pressure created by the Hessein family crest, the captain found it difficult to make a clear judgment.
More importantly, he had no concrete evidence. He had merely sensed that peculiar scent of blood lingering in the air.
If he used force against a member of the Hessein family and her attendant based on nothing more than that…
The consequences would not be something a mere squad captain like him could bear.
After a brief silence, the captain slowly lowered his raised hand and stepped aside.
Then he glanced at Vivian.
“My apologies. This was a routine inspection. No offense was intended.”
Though the sincerity in his voice was questionable, his posture had clearly softened.