Lord of Mysteries: Sustainer of Salvation

Thursday, April 25, 428. 11:00.

Gregor put the finishing touches on his disguise. He already got used to putting it on and felt comfortable in it. The first time he wore it, he had great difficulty walking in the heels and securing the wig, as it always revealed a part of his brown hair.

Lana had left almost an hour ago to buy something. Is she okay? What if something happened to her?

Gregor anxiously awaited Lana's return, repeatedly walking around the room to make time pass quicker.

He glanced out the window while walking, looking for anything out of the ordinary.

Suddenly, he heard someone unlocking the door and immediately shifted his attention to it. His body froze, his breath was shallow, and he could feel the adrenaline rushing through him at the idea of getting caught.

The door finally opened after what felt like an eternity for Gregor.

Lana entered the room calmly, humming a song from Balam. She noticed Gregor standing like a statue and glanced around, looking for anything unusual before chuckling.

"Greg, you need to relax. Everything's fine, don't worry."

Seeing Lana, Gregor sighed in relief.

"It's not that easy to relax when the police are after you, Lana…"

"Yeah, yeah, here, take this." She handed him a bag filled with different things.

Gregor took the bag and began to take out the items inside.

A wine-red and white hat with jingling bells, a checkered wine-red and white motley coat, and a pair of wine-red pointed shoes with an upward curl at the toes.

As Gregor took the clothes out of the bag, he looked extremely confused about why Lana had bought them.

"Jester clothes? Why did you buy that, Lana?"

Although curious, he decided not to press further. Lana often bought things she never used, claiming it was to "be prepared." Gregor had started to suspect she was simply addicted to spending money.

"Jester? These are fool's clothes. Anyway, I bought them for you. Since you're going to act as a wandering clown, you'll need the right clothes."

Fool? I'm pretty sure these are jester clothes... Gregor thought. The language barrier made communication tricky, but he understood what she meant.

Before he could say anything, Lana continued, "And don't even think about saying something like, 'Oh Lana, I can't pay you back for this, I can't accept it.' In my culture, it's extremely rude to refuse a gift!"

She smirked. "If you really want, consider it payment for the adjacent pathways lesson."

Gregor was left speechless. All he could do was smile at her and the clothes.

"Oh, there's more in the bag," Lana said, pointing.

Gregor took from the bag a makeup palette made for artists.

Different from normal makeup palettes, an artist's palette had more varieties of colors that usually wouldn't work for a common person, like bright white and pitch black.

"If we had more time, I'd teach you how to use it," Lana said. "But since our train leaves at noon, you'll have to figure it out yourself."

Gregor smiled as he placed the clothes and palette back in the bag. He walked to the drawer where he had stored a small box containing Rebecca's jewelry the day before.

Opening the box, he took out a small gold bracelet and tossed it to Lana, who caught it effortlessly.

"When I get to Lenburg, I'll need money. How much do you think this is worth?"

Without even looking at it closely, Lana said, "In the legal market, nothing. This is clearly Rebecca's jewelry; in about three months, every jeweler in the North will know that. You can only sell this on the black market."

"But if the news about Rebecca hasn't reached Lenburg yet, you could probably get three to five hundred pounds for it."

Gregor's eyes widened in shock; the amount clearly exceeded his expectations.

"Three hundred pounds?! For this thin little bracelet?"

It's the average price; it's made of gold, after all. You are, or were, a noble. Why are you so surprised by it? I thought 300 pounds for a noble was pocket change."

"Do you even realize what three hundred pounds can buy? That's almost three years' rent for a high-end apartment in a nice city!"

Gregor suddenly grasped the true value of the box he was holding.

Lana chuckled, not giving much attention to him. She walked to the wardrobe and began to pack her bags.

After nearly half an hour, she finished packing and was ready to go.

"By the way, Greg, I took that purple suit of yours. It's mine now," she said firmly, leaving no room for argument.

"Do as you want. It's not like I wanted that piece of garbage anyway."

Lana grabbed the room key. "Ready to go, Greg?"

Gregor nodded, carrying the bag she had given him along with her luggage.

...

Gregor waited outside the hotel while Lana checked out.

After checking out of the hotel, Lana and Gregor took a private carriage to the train station.

A private carriage cost 30 coppets per kilometer; because of that, even for someone with good economic conditions like Lana, it wasn't a good idea to take one often, especially since Trier's public carriages were among the best on the continent. People usually took private carriages only for convenience or to show off.

....

The ride was calm, and they arrived at the train station just in time, five minutes before noon.

An employee was checking people's tickets at the entrance to ensure they boarded their designated seats.

He glanced at Lana's ticket. "Ah, ma'am, your seat is 5B in first class."

Lana nodded and walked to her seat.

The employee then looked at Gregor's ticket. "Sir, your seat is 4B. Are you with that lady?"

Gregor smiled. "Yes, I am."

As he walked towards his seat, the employee had a strange feeling that he had seen Gregor before.

"If he weren't blonde, I'd swear he was Michael the Ungrateful…" the employee murmured to himself.

...

At 12:05, the train departed and began its journey.

He took the small box containing Rebecca's jewelry from his pocket.

He opened it and took out an emerald pendant that Rebecca wore for important occasions, such as Michael's recovery party.

He held it tightly, Rebecca's image fresh in his mind.

Becca... I'm sorry for not protecting you...

Even though I'm not your real brother, I love you just as much...

I'm sorry for taking his place, and for lying to you about it...

He closed his eyes, holding the pendant close to his heart.

At least now, you and the real Michael can finally be together. I'm sure he'll love helping you with your paintings…

Gregor tried to comfort himself, saying that Rebecca was in a better place with her brother after her death, even though he knew that was unlikely, as a way to comfort himself, he began to believe it.

Now you can finally become the great painter you always wanted to be. I'm sure even Da Vinci and Van Gogh will be jealous of your art.

As he kept telling himself these comforting lies, he felt a weird sensation in his stomach, like something was being slowly digested.

He chuckled, placing a hand over his eyes.

Becca finally being happy with Michael is nothing more than a delusion… What a shitty world...

Gregor understood a part of the acting method of the Delusional potion, but instead of happiness, he felt empty and lost.