The Secret Code of Monsters.

Chapter 1004, Chapter 1003: The Knight's Dreamcatcher
Theodore Gabriel Thackeray is an interesting gentleman.

In Roland's eyes, the person Harida kept at a distance was simply 'interesting' enough—after all, those who knew Roland well understood that good or bad was not the basis for his choice of friends and stories.

It is 'interesting'.

—If we were to look at it from an outsider's perspective, he, Xander, and even Rose would have been hanged ten or more times over.

afternoon.

The coffee shop of the Golden Tooth Gang in the South District.

Roland met Theodore here.

In such a short time, 'Mr. Knight' had even changed his clothes, put on lighter shoes, and put a simple handkerchief in his pocket that was more appropriate for the occasion—Roland felt that it was no problem to call him 'Knight'.

He lived a more respectable and well-mannered life than those self-proclaimed aristocrats of the West End.

Good day, Mr. Collins.

Mr. Collins, who was poking his beer mug with fries, looked up and said, "We just met this morning."

“This is a new side of things,” Theodore Gabriel Thackeray said, gesturing to the seat opposite Roland. “Can I?”

"Otherwise, are you going to stand up and talk to me?"

Roland said a listless "please".

He began to understand why Rose was always getting angry at the etiquette teacher.

"I just ordered my own beer, a basket of fries, and burnt bacon—actually, burnt bacon, they insisted on burning it… What do you want? It's not very good anyway."

Theodore's smile froze.

I silently turned around and glanced at the small blackboard at the end of the coffee shop.

Those lines of text…

It's like a cripple, clinging to a woman, writing with a crooked pen using the toes of his bad foot as he reaches the end of his trembling state: it can only be described as words.

"A beer, too, sir."

Theodore called the waiter in a low voice and ordered the same drink as Roland—actually, he didn't drink beer very often, but in a place like this, he ordered a bottle of red wine…look at the words.

"So what are we going to talk about? I will absolutely not admit to being a cult member."

Roland took a sip of beer and brushed the spiky hairs off his lips with his tongue.

Theodore certainly cannot be called a cultist.

But that's not what he wanted to talk about.

“I would like to talk to you about the ‘offerings’ in the Thunderstorm Festival.”

He said.

Just as Roland had guessed, the dream was indeed related to Theodore Gabriel Thackeray—Before meeting Florian Westwick, Theodore had already met Vanessa from Coldpine.

He was indeed a rather unqualified 'beast fang'.

“Vanessa shouldn’t have died, Mr. Collins.”

Speaking of the poor woman, the blond man said sadly, "She shouldn't have died, nor should those 'sacrifices.' On my way to meet Lord Westwick… I witnessed too much 'injustice' created by the Church of Justice in Coldpine Town…"

Roland ran his fingertips along the rough wooden wine glass: "What's in the dream isn't everything."

"No."

Theodore nodded.

“I concealed it—” He paused.

This means that he admitted that he was the one who created that dream.

“I concealed…my traces.”

He said.

Traces of his acquaintance with Vanessa.

"She's only sixteen, Mr. Collins. What did she do wrong?"

There are too many people in this world who have not done anything wrong but have been 'punished'. When Roland was a child, he also wanted to ask what mistakes he and Jam Jones had made.

curse?

“If you want to become a saint, you should probably ask the church.” Roland admitted it was a good story, but didn’t believe that someone in the Fifth Ring Road could have so much free time—the homeless in London alone wouldn’t be enough for him to squander his kindness.

“I’m not the kind of person you think I am, Mr. Collins,” Theodore understood what Roland meant and shook his head. “I only made a promise with Vanessa and that child… before she was put in a sack, her hands and feet were tied by the people of the Church of Justice, and she became a real sacrifice… We made a promise.”

Roland indicated that he was listening.

"so…"

Theodore took the beer the waiter offered and took a sip. "I hope to give these people who didn't deserve to die a fair ending." Very well.

No wonder Harida kept her distance from him. When she got home that day and talked about this blond man, she had an expression that said, "Sir, sir, I've discovered a new species."

Roland tapped the wooden cup, slightly interrupting the increasingly 'mournful' expression of the man opposite him.

“If I heard you correctly, you mean: on your way to meet Mr. Westwick, you passed through Coldpine Town, met Miss Vanessa, and then learned about her tragic story—before she was taken away, you promised her that you would give all the ‘sacrifices’ a just ending… Oh, that was also Miss Vanessa’s wish… Did I hear you wrong?”

After Roland finished speaking, Theodore read it over and over in his mind several more times.

That's right.

That's what he meant.

"very good."

Roland nodded.

"May the Father of all things bless you, and may all be well. Farewell."

Get up and say goodbye.

Theodore: ...

"Mr. Collins."

Following the man who hurriedly got up, she walked around the narrow table: "I don't understand?"

Roland wholeheartedly agreed: "I don't understand either, Mr. Thackeray."

"I'd be happy to answer your question."

“I think that would only add more confusion, Mr. Thackeray.”

"You have to let me finish..."

“Haven’t you already finished speaking?” Roland said helplessly. “What can I do to help you, Mr. Thackeray? You are from the Fifth Ring Road, and you met a poor girl in Cold Pine Town, a girl who is not yet twenty years old—is there anyone stopping you from saving her from a tragic fate?”

The blond man, who was more than a head taller than Roland, had a conflicted look on his face.

"I can not."

He said.

"Because that's against the rules."

Roland: ?
He doesn't understand it now either.

"What's not in accordance with the rules?"

"As a gentleman, a disciplined ritual practitioner, a citizen of the Empire, a follower of the Great Vortex, and a believer... I will not, and cannot, interfere in the affairs of other Crowned God sects. Moreover, the Thunderstorm Festival is the most important annual ritual for the Church of Justice..."

Roland's doubts deepened.

It's like a thief who goes through all sorts of hardships to find the vault, only to say that entering without permission is against the rules—forgive him, I'm not trying to mock Rose, but there's really no more apt example than Rose.

What exactly is this man saying?
That brief silence concealed too much indecisiveness.

Roland slowly sat back down in the chair, rubbing the bridge of his nose repeatedly: he hadn't noticed that this gesture often appeared on a certain person.

When Fernandez faced him in person.

Fate's left hook spun around a lot and landed back on the back of someone's head.

"You mean, 'saving people' is 'incorrect'?"

“At least I personally insist,” the blond man said with a hint of pride, nodding slightly, “you probably can’t convince me.”

"Then what about drawing half of London's citizens into the same dream?" Roland countered.

To his surprise...

Theodore didn't think there was anything wrong with the latter.

He kept his promise to Vanessa, spreading 'justice' to the ever-burning sun.

presumably…

The various cults of the Crown God, and even the Empire, will give those unfortunate people a just end…

“This is a win-win situation, Mr. Collins. I haven’t broken the rules, I’ve fulfilled our agreement, and I’ve let everyone ‘see’ the truth… The Church of Justice has also completed a dozen or so of their rituals.”

What about the citizens?
In which part of their statement?

Roland remained silent for a long time.

"Excuse my boldness, Mr. Thackeray, has anyone recently carved a wooden sword for you as a birthday present? Or, are you perhaps curious about why a music box can make sounds?"

How can there be such a person in the world?
"I wanted to ask you the same question when I met you."

(End of this chapter)