In the Empress Borough, at the luxurious villa of the Earl of Hall, in a study that was exclusively Audrey's.
This soon-to-be adult girl was discussing the price for the "Ocean Songster" potion formula with her psychology teacher, Iselant.
"Did the other party choose 7,000 gold pounds?" asked the member of the Psychological Alchemy Society in a lowered voice.
"That's right." Audrey cheerfully placed a briefcase in front of Iselant, opened it, revealing stacks of cash inside.
Iselant counted it somewhat reservedly, then sighed with relief, saying, "The amount is correct."
After pausing for two seconds, she took a book from her materials and flipped to a certain page.
Immediately, a rolled-up parchment appeared in front of Audrey.
Iselant untied the string on it and showed Audrey the contents: "Sequence 5, 'Ocean Songster,' main materials: the complete vocal cords of the Selira Siren, the eye of a three-eyed thunderbird..."
Before Audrey could examine the auxiliary materials, Iselant quickly rolled up the parchment again.
Then, she closed the book, pushing it, with the parchment tucked inside, toward Audrey.
Audrey pressed the book down but did not immediately hand over the 7,000 gold pounds to Iselant.
Meeting her confused gaze, Audrey smiled lightly and explained:
"The other party fears the formula might be fake and wants to conduct a verification first.
"Until it's verified, both the money and the formula are in my custody. They trust me, and I won't risk losing that reputation over a mere 7,000 pounds."
A mere 7,000 pounds... Iselant's gaze was blank for a few seconds before she composed herself and nodded, saying, "I understand their concern... and I trust you as well."
Just as Audrey was about to politely say something in return, she suddenly saw boundless gray fog and a blurry figure in what seemed to be a forest, making a prayer-like gesture.
Was that Mr. "World"? Before Audrey could think more about it, the figure's voice entered her ears.
Prince Edsack... the Witch Sect... "Witch" Triss... Demoness of Pleasure... Trissy Cheek...
So that's it, the disaster Mr. "Tower" mentioned could come from the witches and the Aurora Society because Prince Edsack fell in love with a witch, then colluded with them, causing the crisis in Bekeland?
Audrey linked these key terms together and was forming a preliminary guess when she saw Mr. "Fool" casually comment in a tone that carried a hint of mockery:
"Cheek, hey, that's the true name of the 'Primordial Demoness'..."
The true name of the "Primordial Demoness"? With a buzzing sound, Audrey's expression instantly lost control.
After a moment's thought, she didn't bother to conceal it much, requesting leave from the "Telepathist" Iselant before running to the parlor where the Countess was.
Suzi and Iselant, left behind in the study, exchanged a glance out of instinct. Suzi quickly averted her gaze, then wagged her tail.
I exchanged a glance with a dog? Iselant, with her long black hair down to her waist and lake-blue eyes, muttered self-deprecatingly, then started analyzing why Miss Audrey had suddenly left.
"Which of my words made her react, causing that young lady to think of something?
"Or perhaps, she's using this as an excuse to go meet the buyer of the formula?"
Just as she thought this, Iselant felt a small tremor beneath her feet. She looked out the window, surprised.
.....
At a cafe in Cherwood Borough, the "Witch" Shawk, or rather, Shoko, who had been preparing desserts, suddenly froze for a moment. She then lowered her head, whispered a praise, then threw aside her utensils and hurried up to the second floor of the cafe, knocking on the door of "Demoness of Pleasure" Lina's room.
Lina frowned when she saw Shoko rush in without warning. "What happened?"
"I... I just received a prophecy from Mr. 'Fool'. He told me... something big is about to happen in Bekeland, and Prince Edsack might be in danger!" Shoko hurriedly relayed the news she had just received.
Lina's expression changed briefly, then she calmed down, thinking for a moment, before making a decision: "I'm heading to the Red Rose Manor now. I hope we're not too late!"
"What about me?" Shoko asked.
Now a "Witch" herself, she felt she could assist Lina.
"You go report to the authorities that someone may be planning something against Edsack... but remember, be discreet and try not to expose yourself."
"If everything goes well, we'll meet tomorrow at this time, at the abandoned manor in the northern outskirts."
Lina seemed to be assigning tasks, but in reality, she didn't want her little "sister" to take unnecessary risks.
"Okay." Shoko trusted Lina's abilities and didn't overthink it. She immediately agreed.
Just as they finished speaking, a simultaneous spiritual sensation made them look out the window. They saw fiery meteors slicing through the fog over Backlund, falling towards the outskirts of the Empress Borough.
"Is that... the direction of Red Rose Manor?" Lina's face showed urgency, and before she could finish speaking, her figure disappeared quickly, as though wiped away with a cloth.
Immediately after, the window flew open.
Shako snapped out of her daze, first heading downstairs to close the shop, then heading towards the nearby Saint Wind Cathedral.
—As far as she knew, most royal family members were followers of the Storm Lord, and Prince Edsack should be no exception.
As for how to report, she already had an idea.
Her good friend, Inspector Wayne's youngest son, Bruce, had previously been arrested by the Storm Church for being an extraordinary person.
However, due to his clean background and the "Gravekeeper" potion formula's origins not involving any secret organizations, he was eventually recruited by the Substitution Squad and became an official extraordinary person.
She had interacted with him before, and now that she needed to report something, perhaps he could help...
.....
In a warehouse near the East Borough's Rossde Dock industrial zone...
Xio strode quickly to Her Highness Vera and reported the matters related to the "Primordial Demoness" that had just been relayed by Mr. "World."
She didn't have time to think up an excuse and simply claimed the intel came from an informant.
However, after a few seconds of silence, Her Highness Vera shook her head and said, "There will naturally be someone to handle matters on the demoness' side... As for us, we have other things to do."
"What things?" Xio asked curiously.
What could be more threatening than an evil god?
"At the request of the Church of the Evernight Goddess, I made several arrangements in the industrial and dock areas. You've seen them, right? What do you think they're for?" Her Highness Vera pointed to the concealed altar in the warehouse and smiled as she asked back.
"These arrangements appear to be some kind of ritual to dispel extreme emotions…" Xio replied after a moment of deliberation, combining it with her own knowledge of mysticism.
"Exactly..." Vera nodded, then handed over a stack of documents to Xio, continuing, "This is an investigation report."
Xio took the typewritten pages and saw that the investigator was a journalist named Mike Joseph. At the bottom was the holy emblem of the Goddess.
A commission from the Church of the Evernight Goddess? I know this Mike journalist—he's a friend of Ebner…
After flipping through it for a while, she saw the hardships faced by the lower classes and the spread of the "Creator" cult—things she was already familiar with.
After a moment of thought, she suddenly understood Her Highness Vera's intention. "You're worried that the 'True Creator' might use this opportunity to descend."
"Not might. He definitely won't let this opportunity slip by." Especially with Augustus likely to turn a blind eye and let it happen...
The advancement ritual for a Chaos Hunter requires one to maintain order to the greatest extent during an angel-level onslaught in the domain of evil, chaos, and madness...
If all goes well, and a Chaos Hunter under Augustus falls, then his characteristics are highly likely to be handed over to me—someone of royal blood who has completed the ritual...
That way, I can "legitimately" be promoted to Sequence 3.
With this thought in mind, Vera sighed and continued to Xio, "We must guard these arrangements. They might save many lives... especially this main altar. The people of the Aurora Order will definitely seize the chance to destroy it."
Hearing this, Xio realized the importance of this place and solemnly nodded.
.....
In the forest outside the Red Rose Manor, watching several meteors burning with fire crash rapidly toward the ground, Klein was struck by a sense of powerlessness, despair, and a resignation to death.
Even though he kept using Flame Jump, he couldn't escape the forest before the "meteor shower" struck, nor could he flee the core of danger. And with the fragile body of a "Seer" pathway Beyonder, it was impossible to take a hit from a falling meteor.
—Even if the mystical item "Roselle's Grip," equivalent to a "Punisher Paladin," did significantly enhance his physique.
After all, even those undead that a pistol couldn't harm would likely be smashed to pieces or reduced to scorched meat paste under such "attacks"...
Fortunately, just as he was relentlessly Flame Jumping, ultimately forced into a situation with nowhere to run, eyes wide as the mushroom cloud loomed over him—Mr. Azik suddenly grabbed his shoulder and brought him into the Spirit World.
On the other side of the forest, just arriving, "Eye of the Goddess" Illya saw this and didn't hesitate to take out a charm and follow in Azik's footsteps.
.....
In an underground space somewhere, an ordinary-looking quill was writing on its own:
"Azik Eggers originally wanted to bring Sherlock Moriarty to a nearby safe location, but due to 'Eye of the Goddess' Illya's tracking, he misunderstood. The brief clash between the two disrupted the stability of the Spirit World traversal passage, causing the three of them to fall not far from Ince Zangwill and his companions."
At this point, the quill's surface dimmed slightly.
The one-eyed middle-aged man, Ince Zangwill, quickly grabbed it, but it was already too late. He could only call out to his companions—Imperative Mage Teste and another royal Chaos Hunter—to prepare for battle together.
But the shadow of his last encounter with Azik still loomed over Ince. Even if he held the upper hand in terms of superficial strength this time, he had no confidence.
.....
In the ruins of an ancient civilization, following Mr. Azik's advice, Klein didn't get involved in the battle between the five demigods. Instead, he turned and fled up the path at full speed.
In a battlefield like this, he was of no help and would only become a burden to Mr. Azik.
Meanwhile, Ince Zangwill didn't immediately respond to the "Eye of the Goddess" attack. Instead, he glanced toward the corner where Klein's figure had disappeared.
The Sequence 4 "Nightwatcher" of the Church of the Evernight Goddess could, to some extent, bestow misfortune on others. Yet after silently "blessing" Klein, Ince Zangwill noticed that nothing happened—no tripping, no falling into a ravine...
Not only that, but he even seemed to hallucinate: faint wisps of gray-white fog appeared before his eyes.
There was no time to think further. He drew his gaze back and refocused on Illya... As for Azik, he was intercepted by the joint effort of the Chaos Hunter and the Imperative Mage.
.....
In the free school at the edge of the East Borough, receiving a message from "The World," Ebner, under the astonished gazes of four students, took out a finely crafted card and spoke its true name, releasing a demigod-level Bone Dragon.
Time was tight. The Demoness of Despair could arrive at any moment. He could only race against the clock... Besides, after today, this identity would likely be impossible to use in Backlund again.
Naturally, he wrapped the Bone Dragon in a layer of "Illusion" to prevent ordinary people from directly witnessing its mythic form and going mad.
"Professor... what is that?" The students, who could only see a vague outline, asked in stunned disbelief.
(End of chapter)