Redstone: Sanctuaries
Chapter 23: The Unveiled

Devon stood up as soon as he saw Mary coming. The woman was not wearing a pink nightgown of sheer length, but rather a plain pastel truss dress. Her brown hair was woven back, held in an ornamental circam. But Devon knew that he was not wrong, it was indeed the woman he had seen in the other Redstone.

"My lady," she said awkwardly. "I-I'm glad you survived. Uh, emm .. sorry for leaving so suddenly."

Maria smiled politely. "I'm also glad you survived, Mr. Devonian. Thanks to you, Jose can come on time."

Devon glanced at Jose who was standing next to Maria. "My lord" he said. His feelings were mixed between embarrassment, annoyance, and relief. Blake was right, all this time he's been hearing wrong. The man's nickname wasn't Sphere but Spare. All this time he thought the servant was the landlord in Redstone. He knew that Jose Argent was young, but did not expect their age to be much different.

And his wife is beautiful! Devon swore in the heart. In a room this bright, Mary was much clearer than she remembered. But Devon would rather see a brave woman in another Redstone than a polite mistress like this. It feels like he's falling in love.

Jose looked around the room. "Where is Mr. Krucher?"

"Oh ... Blake .. uh, he's got business. He wanted to tell Lucy I was back. Lucy is my sister" said Devon. "Blake apologized for having to leave suddenly, but he. I mean, he's busy. He regretted not being able to stay longer."

Both Jose and Maria chuckled softly, both looking amused.

"Mrs. Krucher's the decoy?" Jose laughs.

"There is no need to pretend to be nervous Mr. Devon," Mary's turn is speaking. "Mrs. The Devon I know is the one who remains calm despite being lost in another realm alone. Why would you act like this?"

Devon's cheeks are heating up. He sighed, realizing it was impossible to deceive the couple in front of him. When caught by a predator, small animals will pretend to be dead or show the stomach to show that they are not dangerous, that they should be abandoned. Using the same principle, Devon always makes his attitude look stupid and harmless when caught. Usually it helps him get away. Now obviously not.

"Blake does have a need" he explained. "And you're not a footman."

"I never said I was a footman" said Jose.

Devon wants to argue, but he himself does not remember if Jose ever said that he was a servant. "You used to say you were a worker!"

"When?"

"The first time we met." Devon looked at Jose critically, regretting why he never realized he was too neat and clean even for the size of a noble maid. The suit is always smooth without stains. "You weren't this neat."

"Two years ago? As I recall, I said I was a errand boy." Jose confirmed. "My uncle made me a messenger and I spent the whole day running around here and there doing waiter work. I was a messenger at the time."

Devon clucking. He looked at Jose for a long time, then finally laughed. "All right, I was wrong. Who would have thought that the person who was running around with me on the roof of the city and stealing fruit in the market turned out to be a young master!"

Jose laughed. He approached Devon and hugged her warmly, patting her on the back full of friendship. "Thank you for helping Maria" he said sincerely. "You can ask for anything, I'll grant it."

If I ask your wife, you'll kill me. Devon grimacing. He patted Jose. "You also found me, so we're even. But if I could, I'd like a full story of what happened."

Jose nodded, allowing him to sit down. He himself took his place across from Devon, sitting side by side with his wife.

"How are you doing? You sure you don't need to call a doctor?" ask Maria.

Devon shook his head firmly. "I was just hungry and cold, but here's some good whiskey." He pointed at the glass on the table and smirked in satisfaction. It wasn't a cheap lager like he used to drink at Todd's shop. "And I ate too."

"Still as strong as you used to be" Jose chuckled. "I remember how you appeared bloody and still escaped from the pursuit of the market people."

"Well, you do like to bring up embarrassing things. Uh, do I have to use polite language with you now?" Devon asked doubtfully. The person in front of him was still the familiar Sphere face, but now he felt something different. A different aura. Maybe because the clothes are different, he thought.

"Just be comfortable, I don't mind you acting like you used to." Jose never had a problem with that sort of thing. "By the way, did Mr. Krucher said where he was going?"

"No." Blake is not the kind of person who used to say where he was going. Devon was confident that if he could, the young man would also bury his own remains upon death. "She just said it was your business, so she wanted to do something else."

"My business?" Jose doesn't understand. "What?"

"Yes ... this deal with ghosts ...," Devon said carefully. "Say, that's why you've been given this territory. To take care of the ghost. He can only take care of people, so he's gone."

Jose quiet.

Maria stared at the two alternately, then deflected the topic, "Mr. Devon, do you know why you're stranded on another Redstone?"

"Devon alone, my lady," said Devon quickly, "if you don't mind. I don't know why it could be stranded .. but the beginning was when the train that Sphere said, I mean Jose, passed by. You don't mind me calling your name, do you? No? Thank ye. Where did it go? Oh, ja. I saw it from the edge of the field. Then I heard a voice."

"Sound?"

"Yes, someone called me. At first I thought Lucy's voice. But Lucy's too far away. Then I saw .. uh, people. A lot of people." Devon imagined what he was going through the day after tomorrow. "There's a lot of people gathered there, but I don't feel weird. Though there was no one before, but I felt that those people were natural to be there. They're swarming around, so I'm also interested in seeing what happens." He was silent for a moment to look around, feeling uncomfortable. "Then I saw her. .. there's a woman ... hanged."

Silence surrounded the room. For a while there was only the rustling sound of the cloth when Devon tightened his borrowed coat from Weston.

"He seemed to suffer ... his body was thin, too light, because it was .. Perhaps because of that, he did not die immediately," Devon's voice whirred. "Our eyes looked up, and then as soon as I realized .. I was no longer in Redstone. Everything is dark and cold. It's still the same place, everything's the same as the Redstone I remember, but .. I soon found out I was somewhere else."

"The girl's name is Cory" Jose said. "In addition to you, there are also people who have had the same illusion. That's why I found out the list of people listed as criminals and hanged. His name is Cory, he killed the man who tried to attack him in the street."

"It's self-defense, right?" ask Maria. His tone was not happy.

Jose nodded. "It happened in the 1880s. No investigation was conducted, Cory was taken directly to court and all jurors requested the death penalty. That afternoon, on the same day, he was hanged. She's fourteen years old."

Devon gaping. "How do you know all that?"

"I have my own way" said Jose Short. "Mrs. Krucher said you brought the Ghost Relic, is that true?"

Devon nodded. "I brought amulet. That something to do with?"

"No idea" Jose answered honestly. "Daily you are in another world but once you wake up you can immediately move as agile as a rabbit. Thats odd. Maybe your amulet's protecting." He looked at Maria. "You were suddenly in another world as soon as you met the apparition, just like Devon. You guys are immediately stranded so you experience the same thing. So I guess the trigger was the interaction with ...," he was looking for the right word, but in the end said, ". the creature."

"Look," interrupted Devon. "Before me, people had seen apparitions several times, but they were fine. Nothing is strange."

"Blake?" Devon was half in disbelief.

"Well, the business that he did to leave immediately without saying goodbye must have something to do with this." Jose seems sure. "I can't wait for the report. For a while, if you want, you can stay here first."

"For what?" Devon does not want to. He glanced at Maria, who gave him a polite smile as a reflex. "No, I'm going home. Lucy must be worried about me."

Jose doesn't stop him, but he forces Devon to return home in a worker's escort. Devon did not refuse, but he was reluctant to get in the car. Eventually, Boris drove Devon home on foot.

"How could he remain that calm when he had just returned from another world?" jose's comments were astonished as soon as they stayed alone. He looked at Maria, who was still sitting in the living room. "You too."

"Everything feels like a nightmare" answered Maria lightly. "As soon as I woke up and saw that everything was fine, I was not afraid anymore. Maybe he is too. You yourself also remain calm, right, even though you go back and forth to the world of the dead?"

"Indeed .. but at that time I did not have time to think about anything because there were other problems that were more severe. Uncle Marco is missing."

"Maybe Devon is also thinking of something else heavy."

"It can be." Jose looked at his cold teacup on the table. He hasn't had a drink yet. "I thought you wanted to ask her something, but you just kept quiet."

Maria shrugged her shoulders. "He doesn't seem to know any better than you. Anyway ..."

"After?"

"When I talk to him more, you'll be jealous."

Jose laughed blandly. "Why should I be jealous?"

"I was wrong?" Maria laughed crisply. "You look at Devon like you want to eat him alive."

Jose got up, pulled and Maria was with him. He kissed the red lips, wondering for himself why he had been able to spend the day without touching them. "I'm not jealous" he whispered firmly as soon as their faces parted. "You better get some sleep. It's late."

Maria banged her forehead against Jose's forehead, gently swiping their cheeks."You sure I won't be back there when I sleep?"

"I'll accompany you, of course. I think we should sleep in the same room from now on."

"Good idea! I like your room, so we sleep there."

"certain." Jose thought about breaking into the walls of his room and creating a new door that would connect their two rooms to make it practical. Initially when they moved to Redstone, Jose wanted them to sleep in the same room. But Maria refused on the grounds that she did not want Jose to see her while doing makeup or making up. Even though Jose assured him that it was not a problem for him to see any side of Maria, his wife simply said that women needed privacy.

But usually Maria moves into Jose's room and sleeps there whenever the man does not come home.

Holding Maria up to the second floor, his mind floated back to Devon's words.

He said, that must be why you were given this territory. To take care of the ghost. He could only take care of humans, so he left.

That makes sense. In the first love letter that came to her, the queen clearly said that what interests her is Jose's ability to solve problems at Bjork. The miracle.

All this time Jose thought that what was demanded of him was the same thing that was asked of Marco. He thought Redstone was handed over to him so he could build it better, like Bjork turned more civilized. That's why he's been slamming his bones building up here and there.

But what if he's wrong? What if Blake's right?

The Queen must know Redstone's condition. Could it be that the queen also knew there was a supernatural problem that needed to be addressed in this place? Perhaps that was why all the reports he sent to the palace had always received the same reply: the question of how far the development in Redstone had gone.

If indeed what is demanded of him is not to overcome all corruption and dilapidated systems in Redstone, it is appropriate that all reports are not read. It was impossible for him to change Redstone within three months, but another story was that what was asked was to address the problem of Ghost Relics and mushrooming apparitions. It was possible that he would not be able to directly solve his problem, but there would at least be something he could report.

Jose made up his mind. He'll bet here.

I thought Blake was useful, he thought satisfied.

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This chapter is longer than usual for those of you who still love support 😘 now I am so rarely balesin comment one-on-one, but all your comments I read really. Thanks for the coin support and comments.