âHow was it? Did you take a good look?â Just as Fors left the street where Viscount Stratfordâs mansion was, she saw Xio walk out with a down and vacant expression.
Xio nodded hesitantly.
âI didâŠâ
Having said that, she seemed to come to her senses and said in shock, âI know herâno, him!â
âHim?â Fors was confused.
Xio habitually observed her surroundings before saying, âHeâs Sherman! The Sherman I told you about!
âH-he actually became a woman!â
Fors was stunned as she subconsciously asked, âWere you mistaken?
âCould she be Shermanâs sister?â
Xio firmly shook her head.
âNo, she admitted it herself and even told me not to disturb her. She wants to bid farewell to her past!
âBut⊠how did he become a womanâŠâ
Forsâs eyes darted around as she suddenly recalled something. She said in thought, âItâs not impossible either⊠Thereâs a Beyonder pathway that allows a man to become a woman at a certain stage.â
She recalled Miss Justice mentioning something similar during a free exchange session.
âAh? Really?â Xioâs widened as she asked in disbelief.
Yes!â Fors had already recalled the exact conditions as she gave a rather confident answer.
âThisâŠâ Xio was momentarily unable to accept it, but she couldnât find a rebuttal. All she could do was ask, âWhich pathway is it?â
Fors replied, âDemoness!
âUh, itâs the Assassin pathway.â
âDemoness⊠Sherman actually became a DemonessâŠâ Xio repeated to herself.
Suddenly, her voice became louder.
âCould it be that sheâs being taken advantage of?
âNo, I must warn her!â
Just as she said that, Xio turned around and ran with great strides in an attempt to catch up with the rental carriage again.
However, she couldnât find the target after attempting to pursue it for a few blocks. Sherman and the carriage seemed to have disappeared into thin air.
Xio gradually slowed down and finally stopped. She looked at the bustling streets ahead of her with a complicated expression.
Behind her, Fors passed through a few walls and finally caught up to her.
âGoneâŠâ Xio whispered.
Fors also cast her gaze forward and thoughtfully replied, âWe were discoveredâŠâ
Without waiting for Xio to speak, she turned around and sighed.
âLetâs return and find another opportunity.â
Xio didnât take a step forward as she continued standing there.
After a few seconds, she said under Forsâs puzzled gaze, âSince they discovered a problem, will they speed up their plans ahead of time?â
âItâs possible! If they donât wish for their plans to be foiled, they might attempt one final strike tonight before weâre prepared!â Fors immediately agreed with Xio. âLetâs return to Viscount Stratfordâs place and hide in a more concealed spot. Weâll continue monitoring it!â
Xio immediately nodded and replied without any hesitation, âOkay.â
In the dock area, inside a warehouse with plenty of goods.
Shermane was sitting on a dirty wooden crate. Her hands were crossed behind her back as her body had thin but firm spider webs coiled around her.
She appeared as though she was encased in a transparent cocoon, unable to make a single sound.
âItâs not a bad thing for you.â Trissy stood in front of Shermane with a pitch-black flame that resembled ink burning in her palm. âAt the very least, you can determine if he really loves you or is lying to you.â
Shermane was angry and afraid. She desperately used her whimpers to express her wish, but Trissy was unmoved. She turned her flame-wielding palm around and pressed it into Shermaneâs stomach.
The flames seemed to have intelligence as they scattered like flowing water. Following that, they penetrated her skin and flesh in an attempt to drill inside.
Trissyâs smooth, black hair flared up in defiance of the laws of nature. They were being pulled by invisible hands as they extended out in every direction. It stained the surrounding air with a peculiar smell.
The strands of hair thickened as they scattered into distinct strands.
Beneath them, dark beams of light surged, bringing about curses and words. They flowed rapidly, fusing into the pitch- black flames. Upon entering Shermaneâs stomach, they quickly vanished.
Shermaneâs face twitched uncontrollably, but she didnât feel any pain. It was as though it was purely on reflex.
She soon calmed down as she saw Trissyâs figure turn faint and gradually turn transparent until it vanished.
Shermaneâs pupils widened as she struggled again, but she was unable to break free from her restraints.
She tried again and again like a flood was rising, centimeter by centimeter, inside the silent warehouse.
After an unknown period of time, the door to the warehouse opened with a thud and slammed into the two sides of the wall.
A figure staggered inâit was the middle-aged Viscount Stratford.
He didnât wear his white wig like he always did while outside. This revealed his rather high receding hairline and rather messy black hair. The latter was stuck together as though it had been drenched by a storm and was air-dried. But in the past few hours, the clouds were thin and the crimson moon high in the sky. It hadnât rained at all.
Drops of sweat dripped down Viscount Stratfordâs rather cut facial contours as there were countless black threads flowing beneath his skin.
His body was slightly hunched, and his facial muscles were somewhat twisted. His eyes were filled with pain and concern.
He surveyed the area and was delighted when he found Shermane. However, he turned anxious as he charged over without much confidence.
When Shermane saw him enter the warehouse, her face lit up as though it was covered in a halo.
She then revealed a worried and fearful expression as she attempted to shake her head frantically. However, her neck was held firmly by the spider webs that prevented her movement.
She reeled in anxiety, to the point of tears flowing out of her eyes, drop after dropâcrystalline and frail.
Just as Viscount Stratford was about to reach her, a loud bang suddenly rang out between the two.
It was as though there was an invisible wall that separated him from Shermane, one that was couldnât be surpassed.
âIf you wish to break the curse and take her away, you have to answer my question without hiding anything.â At this moment, a figure quickly appeared in a comer of the warehouse.
Her facial features were charming, forming together into an abnormally sweet look. She resembled the lover that every young lad would fantasize about in his youth. She was none other than Demoness Trissy.
Without waiting for Viscount Stratfordâs response, she raised her right hand and conjured a pitch-black flame.
Viscount Stratfordâs face, hands, neck, and exposed skin instantly turned transparent as they protruded with blood vessels.
And in every blood vessel, there was a black flame silently burning as it flowed silently.
The pain in Viscount Stratfordâs eyes immediately reached a peak, but it vanished the next moment.
His expression turned extremely cold as a jibing look appeared in his eyes. It was as though the one being cursed wasnât him, but Trissy who was a distance away.
Trissy, who was in the corner of the warehouse, suddenly burst into black flames. Dense, countless spider webs appeared, but they couldnât be lit up.
In the blink of an eye, Trissy was like Shermane, being sealed inside a transparent cocoon. She couldnât move or escape.
In a ventilation vent high above the warehouse, a figure appeared. It was a woman whose age wasnât obvious. She wore a simple and sacred white robe. She had black hair, blue eyes, looking sweet and beautiful, giving off an indescribable charm.
âKatarina PelleâŠâ Trissy seemed to expend all her strength before she shouted a name.
At this moment, Viscount Stratford grabbed at his body, pulling out an illusory doll covered in thick black flames.
He glanced at Shermane and smiled at Trissy.
âWhen it comes to matters related to life, I would never be careless. After that fellow, Sikes, died, I knew that it would be my turn one day.
âHeh heh, since youâre hunting me, it means there are obviously others who wish to hunt you. Weâre very patient, afraid of scaring you away. We did nothing and waited until today.
âAlso, your gift was pretty good.â
Upon hearing Viscount Stratfordâs words, Shermane, who was still struggling out of habit, instantly stopped moving. Her expression turned blank.
Her eyes widened, but there wasnât any focus. The look in her eyes seemed to sink deeper and deeper. âLoveâŠâ Trissy suddenly laughed, seemingly mocking herself.
She wasnât nervous at all.
Maygur Manor. Night had fallen.
After settling more than twenty guests and preparing the hunting trip the next day, Klein woke up not long after he fell asleep.
His intuition had been triggered as a scene formed in his mind.
Brigadier General Qonas Kilgor, who was wearing a shirt and pants, had flown out of the guest roomâs window in secret. He landed outside in complete defiance of the laws of nature.
This⊠I havenât even taken action⊠He came here for his own goals⊠With a thought, Klein controlled a cockroach outside and turned it into his marionette. He then used its âeyesâ to observe the surroundings.
Almost at the same time, Qonas Kilgor appeared.
After this demigod left Maygur Manor, he immediately distorted the âdistanceâ and quickly arrived by the bank of the Tussock River. He prepared himself to cross it.
The cockroach watched quietly without any reaction.
Heâs heading for the south bank of the Tussock River⊠What does he want to do⊠Does he have the preference of hunting in the suburbs so that he can attempt to conceal such actions? He also introduced Maygur Manor to me for this reason? Klein lay in bed and seriously analyzed Qonasâs actions.
After the MI9 demigod stepped onto the south bank of the Tussock River, Klein suddenly recalled a matter:
Back when he escaped the underground ruins where Ince Zangwill and company were, he appeared somewhere in the northwest of Backlund. This was the south bank of the Tussock River, making it rather close to where Maygur Manor was.