Backlund, St. George Borough, in a factory room filled with junk.
Light flashed in a mirror filled with obvious cracks. Its surface turned dark and deep, as though it was connected to another world.
Suddenly, a white hand reached out from under the mirror, as though it had penetrated through layers of aqueous waves.
A figure walked out from the shadowsâshe was none other than the sweet and beautiful Demoness Trissy in a long black dress.
There was a rare paleness to her face, as though her face had lost all its ruddiness. Her forehead was covered in dense beads of sweat.
With a smacking sound, the suitcase in Trissyâs hand fell to the ground. She could hardly suppress the horror in her eyes.
She then muttered to herself blankly, âHis messenger is actually an angelâŚâ
At that moment, Trissy felt a chill run down her spine, as though a cold wind had blown at her.
She had never expected how dangerous it would be to summon a messenger previously. Thankfully, the woman holding the four heads in her hands watched her silently for a while before she left without doing anything.
This nickname⌠Klein was taken aback when he heard that. For a moment, he didnât immediately figure out who Miss Messenger was referring to.
In his mind, the people who knew how to summon his messenger quickly flashed past, one by one, as he filtered through them.
In a few seconds, he had the corresponding guess.
Trissy!
From what Klein knew, this Demoness, who had been renamed to Trissy Cheek, might very well be one of the mediums for the Primordial Demonessâs awakening or descent upon the world.
In such a situation, calling her a âvesselâ wasnât wrong.
And people who knew enough about the mysterious world knew that the Primordial Demoness was an evil goddess, one that was known as the ultimate bringer of the apocalypse that would end everything. âSheâ had the creation of the apocalypse and the destruction of everything as âHerâ mission. She also wielded authorities such as desires related to feelings and emotions. It wasnât very apt to describe âHerâ with dirtiness and darkness, but it was understandable.
Similarly, dirtiness and darkness could also describe Trissy, who had been corrupted by the evil goddess to a certain extent.
As expected of an angel. âSheâ actually dared to say that about the Primordial Demoness⌠Klein secretly marveled as he opened the letter and quickly read it.
At that moment, he suddenly recalled something. He hurriedly looked at Miss Messenger and said, âWhat reaction did the sender have when she saw you?â
âSheâŚâ âWas âŚâ âVery scaredâŚâ Reinette Tinekerrâs three heads spoke one after another without giving the last one a chance to speak as its head was simply left agape.
Kleinâs expression turned slightly heavy as he deliberated and asked, âDid you mark her?â
The head of Reinette Tinekerr, which failed to speak previously, rushed to speak.
âNoâŚâ
The remaining three blonde, red-eyed heads added, âBecauseâŚâ âSheâŚâ âHadâŚâ
âThe auraâŚâ âOfâŚâ âPrimordialâŚâ
Klein fell silent for a few seconds before nodding.
âI understand.â
After watching Miss Messenger step into the void and leave, he unfurled the piece of paper and quickly read Trissyâs letter.
She actually sought me out to deal with Saintess of White Katarina⌠Isnât this exactly what I wanted to do? Kleinâs eyes shimmered a few times as he immediately rummaged for a black sticky blob.
Right on the heels of that, he transformed into Gehrman Sparrow and smeared the blob uniformly onto a tiny mirror in the room.
After patiently waiting for nearly ten minutes, the black sticky blob vanished into thin air, leaving nothing behind. Klein had failed to contact Demoness Trissy.
As expected, Trissy, who has been corrupted by the Primordial Demoness to a certain extent, managed to identify Miss Messengerâs level and was given a fright⌠She probably wouldnât communicate with Gehrman Sparrow anytime soon⌠Sigh, if I had known Miss Messenger is a special angel, I definitely wouldnât have let âHerâ appear in front of Trissy, or I wouldâve informed âHerâ that if a Demoness were to summon âHer,â she can bring both the person and letter over⌠Klein sighed silently and could only blame it on his luck.
At that moment, he suddenly heard a series of illusory pleas.
In a dark alley in the Backlund Bridge area.
Xio hid Wintry Blade and entered the area, looking around warily.
âNot bad, youâre getting more and more experienced.â
A deep male voice sounded, and a figure walked out from the darkness around the corner.
He stood tall, wearing a golden mask that revealed his eyes, nostrils, mouth, and cheeks. It was none other than the MI9 member who had contacted Xio before.
âWhy did you contact me so urgently?â Xio asked.
The golden-masked man didnât make any small talk and directly asked, âYou still seem to be monitoring Viscount Stratfordâs surroundings. Have you discovered anything unusual recently?â
Xio thought and said, âYes.
âHe had intimate contact with a girl of unknown origins. He made her visit him at his residence late at night several times.
âI tried to track that woman down, but I failed both times.
âAlso, Viscount Stratford suddenly went out in the middle of the night two days ago. I donât know where he went because I didnât manage to follow him.â
The golden-masked man tersely acknowledged this as he went deeper into the details. Xio answered according to the details she had seen back then. She only concealed the fact that she had met Shermane in the carriage and how she had followed Viscount Stratford all the way outside the warehouse.
âNot bad. Your persistence was rewarding.â The golden-masked man nodded slightly. He didnât seem to doubt what Xio had said.
He sighed and said, âWith this, your contributions to us will increase significantly.
To be frank, if this continues, youâll soon be able to accumulate the contributions needed for the Sequence 6 potion. However, before that, there will definitely be a strict examination. And with your background, heh heh, it will fail the examination without a doubt. After all, I know it very well.
âActually, thereâs no need for you to seek the truth. I know that this was the motivation for you to persist in continuing the mission regarding Viscount Stratford, but my personal suggestion is to put the matter aside.
âWith your current Sequence and abilities, itâs enough to let your mother and brother lead a very good life. Donât worry, no one will cause you trouble.
âAnd if you wish to continue persisting, I cannot guarantee what will happen.â
Although Xio had already expected such an explanation, she was helpless in resisting her emotions and throbbing heart. She blurted out a question:
âWho exactly are you?â
âIâm just an ordinary Mid-Sequence Beyonder,â the golden-masked man said with a smile. âYou might not know that the post of âcaptain of the royal guardsâ has the corresponding authority in MI9. Itâs equivalent to a deputy director that handles matters related to the royal family. Back when your father was alive, I was his subordinate and had received his help in various aspects. After his passing, I, who didnât commit any wrongs or hide any matters, was removed from the core of MI9. See, hehâIâm only responsible for informants on the outside like you.â
Upon saying that, the golden-masked man sighed.
Your father helped me a lot. So, after I recognized you, I deliberately made you become an informant under me. With the extent of my power, I provided you some help. I have a family of my own and my own life, so I canât take excessive risks or do anything too dangerous for you.
âLetâs do this, Iâll help you get the potion formula for Judge. Afterward, stop your contributions and your pursuit to advance your Sequence. Do something that will improve your life. As for what you want to do or plan to do in private, I donât know, nor do I want to know.â
Xio fell into a daze. Her lips trembled as she said, âWhat kind of person was my father?â
The golden-masked man sighed as he replied, âHe was a really brave, noble, and just aristocrat, but he wasnât that perfect. He was impulsive, eager, prone to angerâŚâ
Xio silently listened and had planned on asking further, but all she said was a phrase:
âThank you.â
âGo back. After obtaining the Judge formula, Iâll leave you a message to meet me,â the golden-masked man said with a wave.
After Xio completely disappeared from the alleyâs entrance, the golden-masked man was just about to turn around when a slightly ethereal voice sounded in his ears:
âSheâs lying.
âShe had tailed Viscount Stratford to the scene back then. Itâs something that can be confirmed.â
The golden-masked man fell silent for a moment before saying to the shadow beside him, âShe mightâve only been worried that this would arouse suspicion.
âHow can she defeat Viscount Stratford at her Sequence? Besides, wasnât it said that Viscount Stratford carried a Grade 1 Sealed Artifact?
âI believe that she likely didnât dare approach. Otherwise, she wouldnât even be able to survive!â
The slightly ethereal voice replied, âNo matter what, since there is a doubt, we need to do further investigations. Donât inquire about it in the future.â
Outside the alley, Xio walked calmly along street lamps.
She deliberately didnât mention that she had followed Viscount Stratford.
This wasnât to hide the truth, to clear herself of suspicion, or to not invite trouble; in fact, that was contrary to her true motives.
Before the Tarot Club, her plan was to say that she had followed Viscount Stratford to a particular warehouse in the dock area. Outside, she was scared off by a terrifying hurricane. This was more convincing and made it less prone to suspicion. However, after knowing that this matter piqued The World Gehrman Sparrowâs interest, she secretly changed her mind and decided to use her explanation to garner suspicion.
She felt that if she wanted to investigate the kingâs secret at her level, it might take another three to five years, or even longer. Perhaps, there wouldnât be any hope forever. But with The Worldâs help, success was a possibility.
As such, she was willing to bear the risks and place herself right in the middle of the tides.
And today, before meeting the golden-masked man from MI9, Xio had prayed to Mr. Fool so that âHeâ could inform The World Gehrman Sparrow of her thoughts.