Chapter Two: The Jackal’s Suspicion

"Evil from beyond the sky?" Yin Seventeen ceased his "weeping."

There was no doubt—the so-called evil from beyond referred to him and the other Earthlings who had arrived together. It seemed that forging a new identity had been the right move. Had he foolishly confessed everything, he would likely have been eliminated as a villain by now.

"Yes."

Perhaps feeling a tinge of sympathy for Yin Seventeen's "tragic" fate, Moses let down his guard and explained slowly, "There is evil from beyond trying to invade our world."

"Your village was destroyed by them!"

Though he knew the village's destruction was the result of a meteorite, ultimately, it was still attributed to the evil from beyond.

"Why are you telling all this to a child?"

At that moment, another man clad in metal armor approached.

"Walker, did you find anything on your side?" Moses turned to him.

He was the Bronze Saint of the Wolf constellation.

Walker shook his head. "Only corpses. Not a single survivor."

"Where did this child come from?" His gaze fell on Yin Seventeen.

"Oh, he is the lone survivor of this village," Moses answered lightly.

"A survivor?"

With a hint of doubt, Walker studied the boy on the ground carefully. The grimy, oversized clothes stood out—clearly not the boy's own.

"Young man, those clothes aren't yours, are they?" Walker narrowed his eyes, and paired with his Wolf Bronze Cloth, he truly resembled a wolf ready to strike at any moment.

"I... I..."

Yin Seventeen shrank back, unable to utter a word. He knew that, faced with such imposing Saints, fear was the natural response for a ten-year-old child. If he appeared too composed, it would only draw suspicion and might backfire.

"You're scaring him!" Unable to watch any longer, Moses grunted in displeasure. Intimidating a child was not the justice of a Saint.

He then spoke gently to Yin Seventeen, "You needn't be afraid. We are Athena's Saints; we will not harm innocent people."

"All you need to do is answer our questions truthfully."

"Alright."

Yin Seventeen wiped away his tears and nodded.

"Tell me, why are your clothes so much bigger than your frame?" Moses asked, his curiosity piqued.

"Because my family is poor, so I can only wear my brother's and father's old clothes," Yin Seventeen replied, sounding pitiful.

He had anticipated someone would notice the ill-fitting clothes, so he had prepared his answer in advance.

"I see," Moses nodded in understanding.

"And how did you manage to survive?" Walker pressed further.

Clothes were trivial—he wanted to know the real answer to this question. Out of a village of a thousand, only this frail boy survived; it was hard not to be suspicious.

"I..."

Yin Seventeen glanced fearfully at him, then at the kindly Moses, before summoning the courage to say, "I can't really remember."

"It was like something terrifying exploded, then a powerful wind destroyed our house and blew me away."

"When I woke up again, the village had already become like this."

He knew this was a hurdle he could never truly overcome. Being the sole survivor was inherently suspicious. No matter how he explained, it would never be fully convincing. Yet to say nothing or feign ignorance would only invite deeper doubt. Ambiguity—a half-truth, half-lie—was the best answer.

Walker said nothing. He quietly summoned his Cosmo, sending a thought, "I don't think this kid is telling the truth!"

Wolves are naturally suspicious, and inheriting the Wolf Bronze Cloth had given him a doubting nature as well. Or perhaps only someone as wary as a wolf was qualified to inherit that Cloth. The Cloth chose its bearer, seeking one with the greatest affinity.

"What's unbelievable about it? I think it's a miracle of Athena's blessing!" Moses replied in kind. He was not as suspicious as Walker and naturally attributed this survivor to the goddess's protection.

As the gentle guardian of the earth, leaving such a miracle was perfectly normal.

Seeing Moses invoke the goddess, Walker dared not object. He could only reply in thought, "Just to be safe, shouldn't we finish the boy off?"

With that, he raised his hand in a knife-edge.

Noticing their silence and Walker's slowly lifting hand, Yin Seventeen grew tense, his hair standing on end.

He understood the man was likely harboring murderous intent. Even so, he had to maintain his pitiful facade, sitting motionless on the ground. The killing intent was not yet firm; if he betrayed himself now, it might only steel Walker's resolve and bring death upon himself.

To run meant certain death; to stay, there was still a sliver of hope.

"Stop!"

Seeing Walker about to act, Moses hurried to intervene, warning sternly through thought, "Don't forget who you are!"

"We are Athena's Saints, the embodiment of peace and justice on earth."

"If you want to purge evil, I won't stop you."

"But you have no proof this child is evil. If you kill the wrong person, it will stain Athena's name!"

"I absolutely will not allow it!"

Hearing his companion's words, Walker hesitated. The goddess's honor was paramount; if his suspicion and rashness led to innocent blood and tainted her name, he could never atone.

After careful consideration, he lowered his hand.

Yin Seventeen quietly let out a sigh of relief. He had gambled correctly.

"He can't be killed, but we can't just let him go. What do you propose?" Walker asked through thought.

"Take him back to Sanctuary. Let the Pope decide," Moses replied firmly.

They could not bear the sin of killing the innocent or tarnishing the goddess's name—better to let their superiors handle it.

Satisfied with this answer, Walker gave a thumbs up and grinned. "Wise choice!"

Seeing this, Yin Seventeen timidly asked, "Sirs, what does this mean?"

The two were silent for a moment, and when they finally spoke, it was with a cryptic remark that left him at a loss.

Walker ignored him, but Moses smiled and said, "Young man, have you ever been to the Sanctuary in Greece?"

"No," Yin Seventeen replied, already sensing what was coming.

"Today is your lucky day. We have decided to let you witness the glory of the Sanctuary!" Moses declared proudly, nodding toward the northwest.