New Gods of North America.

Chapter 712 Gemini
Given the detective agency's recent interactions with the Erland yakuza, Wayne originally didn't intend to have direct contact with the Secretary of State who was behind them.
After all, according to American social etiquette, some things can be treated as if they never happened as long as there is no face-to-face confrontation, while other things are best discussed with people after the dust has settled, so as not to add unnecessary complications.

Especially those from the South who came from plantation families, in the stereotype, still carried some of the bad habits left over from the Windsor aristocracy. They liked the subtle social manner of speaking and cared about their reputation and prestige—in other words, they were "concerned about face."
Since some things are worthless if they don't weigh them, but once they do, they're like a thousand pounds that can't be pulled back, then try to avoid weighing them at all. That way, at least on the surface, everyone can still have a chance to "pretend nothing happened even though they all know it in their hearts."

For example, O'Sullivan, the leader of the Erland yakuza, is currently being held either by the cathedral or by the police. On the same day, the leader of the Sailors gang, who was also arrested for questioning, was killed by Jason, and O'Sullivan has still not been released.
If the cathedral is behind this, it could involve the Elran gang's previous assistance in disposing of the body of that high-ranking extraordinary individual, and it might also involve collusion with church personnel and the unauthorized release of Jason from the monastery.
If the police are the ones taking action, it might be the city hall's intention to give a warning to gangs who are not cooperating with tax collection.

but no matter,
Nobody wants O'Sullivan to "return to his former glory" right now.

Some gangs in the dock area have been causing trouble for the Ellan community lately, resulting in real bloodshed. Wayne wants to take this opportunity to separate the Ellan gangs from the ordinary people in the community, and it seems to be starting to work.

Nobody wants to see a scenario where "a god saves his own little monster who descended to earth without permission." The gangs that have already taken action might not dare to directly confront the Secretary of State and his family, but they might vent their anger on the detective agency, which would put Wayne in a difficult position.

So Wayne's initial response to Sanders was rather simple: "Tell the secretary I'm not here right now, and have Doug try to find out what the other party's purpose is today. If necessary, the intelligence team should conduct fact-checking in some cases."

After Sanders, that tough guy, went back to relay the message, the conversation in the carriage returned to the twins.
This time, Wayne asked more concisely: "Why?"

They wanted them to explain why they had offended so many strange organizations, and they also wanted a reason for what kind of reward the detective agency could specifically receive.

Michelle, who is suspected to be the "older sister" of the two, clearly feels that the latter situation is more important:
"Michael and I both have rather unique abilities. He can, to some extent, transfer other people's injuries and pain onto himself. My extraordinary ability is almost the opposite of his; I can inflict some abstract kind of 'pain' on others."

"The reason those organizations have been unwilling to let us go is that they want us to do things for them. Some people are even more dangerous, believing that there is an unknown, mysterious connection between the two of us that is worth studying more deeply."

Honestly, as soon as these words were spoken, not only did Wayne instantly become interested in them, but even Inessa seemed to have just found out.

On her usually calm and beautiful face, a rare look of curiosity appeared again, like a curious child who had just heard a knowledge point in class.

Wayne then followed up by asking, "Would you mind if I explained in more detail? This relates to what kind of help we can provide and what kind of trouble it might cause. But don't demonstrate it directly for now; there are still church monks in the stronghold, and they might be detected."

“Actually, our extraordinary abilities are not something we can easily display.” Michelle was still keeping an eye on the movements outside the carriage. “What details would you like to know? I can even read you the contents of the scholars’ reports directly.”

Well……

Wayne was deep in thought at the moment. Inessa, who had known them for a longer time, didn't need to be so polite.
She blinked slightly, then asked a seemingly unrelated question, "Do you feel pain yourselves?"

“?” Michelle seemed a little stumped by the question.

Inesa explained her thoughts: "Based on my understanding of extraordinary abilities, those that are associated with negative emotions and states are likely to cause the most harm to the extraordinary individual in the end, and should be avoided as much as possible. So I was wondering if you would feel the same way."

Michelle didn't know what she was thinking, but she was truly stunned by Inessa's words for more than ten seconds.
Then she continued, somewhat annoyed: "Actually, it's alright. The injuries and ailments that Michael and I can transfer are roughly limited to what would be 'fatal' to an ordinary person. Michael can't completely transfer fatal injuries, but he can share some of them with the target. This is very valuable in emergency situations, but he needs to be in contact with the target when using his extraordinary abilities."

"I can only replicate pain; I can neither preserve pain in advance nor cure the original injury. But I only need to have a mystical 'contact' with the target to have a chance to use extraordinary abilities directly—for example, I initially got the inspiration from a nursery rhyme and put someone else's hair and nails on a rag doll."

Wayne felt that Michelle had unintentionally had her armor pierced by a gentle but unintentional remark from Inessa.

Once the conversation started, Michelle seemed to have a rare opportunity to confide in someone normally, and she had a somewhat arrogant and self-deprecating air about her, as they talked about some past events and details more and more.

Michael, sitting next to her, was similar to Wayne and Inessa, mostly listening. However, Wayne felt that Michael was more like the one who would make decisions on important matters.

Then Wayne listened to Michelle recount their experiences, and the story that was forming in his mind gradually took shape.

I was thinking to myself, "Wow!"

The mother, who inadvertently came into contact with an evil spirit, gave birth to unusual twins during a difficult childbirth. Thanks to the priest's help, the children survived.
If this were one of the horror stories Wayne had read in his previous life, it would probably be called "Mother and Child Ghostly Enemies" or "Twin Yin-Yang Children" or something similar—it was unusual from the very beginning. These twins could be considered "Sicilian" in terms of bloodline, and based on the location of their homeland, they could also be considered Frankish.

According to the newspapers, if that area could unite and form a new independent kingdom after the war, then they might be considered genuine "Italians".

Their original home was located in one of the regions of the Old World that had been plagued by constant warfare in recent years.

When he was young, his relatives passed away one after another, and he could not escape the war, so he could only become a wanderer. In the end, he and a group of orphans were adopted by a Holy See priest who settled in the village and practiced medicine for free.

The Holy See nominally maintained a "neutral" stance in the war. Many of its monks and missionaries provided free and equal medical care to soldiers and civilians from both sides, and condemned all forms of unnecessary violence. Their public image was relatively positive.
However, the higher-ups of the Holy See still engage in some underhanded and shady tactics. Therefore, although the warring parties do not actively attack their clergy scattered throughout the war zone, over time, they have all become somewhat wary of them and ignore them—at least having more free doctors is not a bad thing. They do not expel them, but they also do not protect them.

So, although details confirm that Michael is indeed the "younger brother," and his extraordinary abilities were discovered when he was very young while trying to save his father, due to the war, only a few close people knew about his situation. The priest even kindly helped to keep it a secret.
Until the village became the target of a defeated squad's venting of anger and hatred after a certain conflict, and then Michelle, the older sister, also awakened extraordinary abilities that seemed to be the complete opposite.

The extraordinary ability to heal others' injuries is invaluable, regardless of the cost to the user, especially in the midst of war.

A pair of twins, of different genders but similar in appearance, awaken extraordinary abilities belonging to the opposing realms of "life" and "death," yet they are quite similar in concept and form. This multi-layered symmetry, which is like a mirror image but not entirely identical, seems to be excellent special material for some extraordinary scholars who are eager to understand the mysteries of chaos.

Then, by a twist of fate, they were forcibly taken to Frankfurt by a member of the Abyss Society—a place not actually within Frankfurt's territory, but now the city where the German Federal Parliament is located.

Therefore, in the eyes of the Holy See, they were suspected of murdering the priest from that time and had clearly become members or accomplices of a heretical organization, naturally making them targets for arrest by the Inquisition.

Within the Abyss Society's internal research, they were either being fed or experimented on, not only rising all the way to Rank 5 but also earning the so-called "Twin Stars of Pain," gradually gaining fame among some strange and extraordinary scholars.

The story after that is a bit vague, but it feels like a precious lab rat in the eyes of some people, constantly looking for opportunities to escape in various stages.

Wayne pondered it for a moment and did not find any logical errors or inconsistencies in the details:
"If you haven't concealed anything crucial, then we can provide you with protection. However, since you've already reached the intermediate level, for safety reasons, we may not be able to send you directly to the west in the short term."

"As for the specific cooperation... we don't really need Michelle's 'pain' abilities. If possible, I would like Michael to play a key role in emergency rescues, but you can rest assured that we will try to avoid abuse. Apart from that, you can live a normal life in the detective agency just like ordinary people or ordinary extraordinary individuals."

After Michelle laid everything out, she seemed surprised that Wayne would be so agreeable: "You don't seem to understand what the consequences of harboring people being hunted by those organizations really are."

But Wayne clearly didn't think so: "What you've done isn't really that serious in the detective agency. We're especially experienced in this area. You've come to the right place—this is a new world. You can try living under an assumed name and experiencing a new life."

"?" A question mark seemed to appear on Michelle's face again.

At this moment, Sanders came out again from the back door of the hideout. To show his honesty, Wayne told him not to whisper.

Sanders was shrewd enough to point out the issue but not get straight to the point: "If you have time now, Mr. Doug suggests that you should personally speak with the secretary who came to visit at this time."

Doug is usually very sensible in his actions, and when he makes such a suggestion, it usually means he believes the matter is beyond his scope of knowledge or involvement in decision-making. Wayne also knows he should intervene promptly.

After getting off the carriage, Sanders revealed the details on the way back with Wayne: "From what the secretary subtly conveyed, it seems the Secretary of State intends to hand over the Irish Gang to you, Boss. But he has conditions."

Well……

The remnants of that sailor gang were acting strangely, and now the Secretary of State and the Irish gang are acting strangely too.

With two events occurring in quick succession, could there be some connection between them?

(End of this chapter)