"In short, that's how things stand…
"Teacher wants to commission you to eliminate the 'Saint of Secrets,' Boutis… Supposedly, this was the intention of that Abraham family angel!"
Inside the bedroom of the villa at 28 Kingster Street, Fors covered her mouth with one hand, yawned, and—with a haggard expression—relayed her teacher's request to Ebner.
She had just been attempting to "record" several demigod abilities that Ebner had demonstrated, so she was mentally exhausted.
Ebner, who had not long returned from Intis, wasn't surprised at all. After all, he was the one who had arranged for Dorian to come looking for him in the first place.
As the "ancestor" of the Abraham family, it wouldn't have been appropriate for him to directly ask the younger generation for money. By switching to this method, the problem was solved perfectly.
Thus, he knowingly asked, "How much compensation are Dorian—or rather, the Abraham family—prepared to offer?"
He paused, then added in an emphatic tone:
"Boutis is a 'Mystic Mage'—he won't be easy to kill! Especially after Alvin Abraham's return, he'll definitely be even more cautious!"
At this moment, Fors was lying face-down on the bed without any regard for her image, rubbing her temples as she replied,
"Teacher said the Abraham family can offer assets and property worth three hundred thousand pounds.
"In addition, all of the political resources they control will be tilted entirely in your favor."
Three hundred thousand… To be honest, for a Saint of the Aurora Order, this price was actually a bit low.
And although the political resources accumulated by the Abraham family over thousands of years across the nations of the Northern Continent were indeed a considerable force, to Ebner they were more like tasteless chicken ribs…
After all, he was the Abraham family's "Old Ancestor" anyway. He could already mobilize those resources himself.
"The only benefit is that it makes things more legitimate, avoiding any visible inconsistencies…" Ebner muttered to himself. Then he pretended to ponder for a moment before nodding reluctantly.
"The price is a bit low, but for your sake, I'll take the job!"
Hearing Ebner say this, Fors—despite her exhaustion—still curled her lips into a smile. She rolled over, her eyes meeting those of her close friend, who was sitting at the bedside with his head slightly lowered.
"Since the 'Saint of Secrets' is sending people to harass Teacher and the others, he must have a purpose… It might be a trap. You should be careful," Fors reminded him after some consideration.
She trusted Ebner's strength immensely, but if Boutis truly had an ambush prepared, it was obviously aimed at the Abraham family's ancestor.
And in her understanding, no matter how strong Ebner was, at most he could rival an angel.
"I understand… Don't worry," Ebner smiled and nodded on the surface, but inwardly added,
"The helper that 'Saint of Secrets' has found is an old acquaintance."
...
In the basement of a building in the West District, several candles swayed with yellowish flames, illuminating the surrounding altars, chairs, and round table.
At the edge of the light, a young girl in a gorgeous dress—oddly holding a parasol indoors—leaned quietly against a sofa.
She had black hair and black eyes, delicate features, and a monocle over her right eye. One arm looped around the parasol's handle while she held a book, and her other hand continuously stroked a black cat sprawled across her thighs.
Suddenly, the girl lifted her head, the corners of her mouth curling slightly as she spoke with a smile:
"You arrived a bit earlier than I expected."
Near the candles, where the flames were brightest, a figure rapidly took shape.
It was a man clad in a mysterious black robe, with slightly curled brown hair, stiff strand by strand, and deep-set eyes that seemed to hide countless things.
He was none other than Boutis, the "Saint of Secrets," one of the Aurora Order's five great Saints.
Boutis's expression darkened slightly as he frowned.
"Something went wrong. Alvin didn't personally investigate—instead, he had Dorian commission a detective!"
He immediately pulled over a chair and sat down, speaking to the cat-stroking girl.
"Your plan might fall through."
The monocle-wearing girl's smile didn't change as she asked in return,
"A detective? That 'Hero Detective,' Ebner Bryan, right?"
"That's right!" Boutis nodded gravely. "He's a troublesome figure—not only is his personal strength formidable, his background is absurd."
The girl stopped stroking the cat. After thinking for a moment, she slowly nodded.
"Indeed, very troublesome… Every one or two hundred years, the 'Church of Knowledge' produces one such favored nuisance. Who knows what those three are plotting.
"However, Alvin entrusting the task of killing you to him is actually a brilliant move…"
She spoke with great seriousness, as though she had no idea that Ebner was Alvin.
"So what should I do?" Boutis asked.
"Proceed according to the original plan…" The girl smiled faintly, then continued, "Still playing little tricks? After realizing that you always forget to pray to the 'True Creator,' you changed your approach and decided to open that box you obtained from the Abraham family?
"Hehe, I hope next time your methods are a bit more discreet—so I can have more fun… I'm very much looking forward to it!"
After the already-parasitized "Saint of Secrets" left with a livid expression, the girl resumed stroking the black cat, which was trembling yet unable to move.
"Members of the 'Hermit of Fate Society'? Tsk tsk… What a pity your gatherings won't be held again in the short term. Otherwise, I'd replace you and infiltrate that organization to have a look!
"Hehe, a secret organization meant to guard against Amon and deal with Amon—yet with Amon participating in it. Just thinking about it is quite amusing!
"Ha—you parasitized an ordinary animal like a black cat and then didn't speak with humans for a long time, so something went wrong? Are you confused about why the secret knowledge you gained upon advancing to Sequence 4, the hidden voices you heard from the potion, didn't include any 'warnings' about this? Mm, I deleted them…
"But as a member of that organization, how could you not know such things?
"Or rather—were the memories you showed me fake?"
After muttering to herself for a while, the girl extracted streams of flowing light from the black cat's body and absorbed them into herself.
Then she took out a piece of silk, removed the crystal monocle, and wiped it as she muttered,
"As expected, it was a delivered 'fake.' So Alvin Abraham sending his clansmen to commission Ebner was also meant to mislead me?
"After all, out in the East Bayron Sea, I clearly pointed out that Ebner was Alvin. Now he deliberately puts on such a performance to make me believe he doesn't know that I'm behind Boutis?
"Unfortunately, this 'fake' he sent to locate me—or set a trap—has been exposed!
"Of course, this 'exposure' might also be part of his calculations, with further schemes still hidden…
"But no matter what, Alvin could never guess that I'm not here to deal with him at all… Targeting him is also just a façade!
"Pallez… Where exactly are you?"
...
At the same time, inside Princess Vera's mansion in the West District.
Concealed by colorless mist, Ebner finally asked the question he had been wanting to verify ever since the battle in the East Balam Sea:
"Have you already severed the connection between the 'Primordial Demoness' and reality?"
(End of the chapter)