At that moment, Lilith suddenly turned her head toward Medici and said, "It looks like you have a guest."
Medici's eyes flickered. "I'll go take a look."
With that, He passed straight through the wall and vanished.
Lilith immediately beckoned Priscilla over and whispered, "Come on, let's follow and have a look."
Priscilla froze for a second, then grew excited. "Okay! Audrey, do you want to come with us?"
"This…"
Seeing the anticipation on the two children's faces, she hesitated for a few seconds before nodding. "All right."
The two little ones and one adult hunched over in a line, quietly opened the door, and jogged out. Under Priscilla's lead, they eventually reached a dim, deserted alley. Then they poked their heads out one above the other:
They saw Medici standing with arms folded, leaning against a wall. In front of Him stood a burly, one-eyed man in a double-breasted black trench coat.
"Huh?"
Priscilla and Audrey immediately recognised him—the very person Mr. World had issued a commission to locate and hunt down!
The last time they had heard any news of him was from the Aurora Order's branch in the Feysac Empire. They hadn't expected him to appear in Backlund again…and to have dealings with Medici, an Angelic Evil Spirit.
Priscilla let out a small huff. "Hmph! So all those times Medici was acting all secretive, he was coming to meet this big villain?"
"Most likely~" Lilith replied. "But…how do you know he's a big villain?"
"Because of Mr. World's commission, of course! Mr. World is one of our Tarot Club members. Obviously, everyone in our Tarot Club is a good person. So whoever the good guys put a bounty on must be a big villain!" she declared with absolute certainty.
"…Hmm."
This logic…actually felt pretty sound.
"Then if Medici is connected to that big villain now, and might even have some secret deal with him, doesn't that mean Medici is also a big villain?"
Priscilla froze, rolled up her sleeves, and was about to charge out. "Then I'll make Medici catch him and beat him to death to make up for it!"
Unfortunately, before she could rush forward, the one-eyed Ince Zangwill took a single step and disappeared.
Medici turned his head toward them and said impatiently, "Did you really think you were hiding so well? Come out."
Priscilla marched over with her chin raised aggressively. "Medici! What were you talking about with that big villain just now?"
He shot Lilith a glance. "He came to ask me to work with him."
"And you agreed?"
Medici let out a low chuckle. "As if it were that easy. He wanted me to sign a contract first, then help him with something—as…an initiation gift."
"Oh? What kind of help?"
"To hunt down a Saint of the Church of the Evernight Goddess."
His face held pure disdain. "Heh. Idiot. Do you really think someone like Evernight would care about a few dead Saints? Even if I slaughtered the entirety of the Church of Evernight from top to bottom, as long as I could bring Her what She wanted, She wouldn't waste even half a minute mourning those deaths. And She'd still smile and work with me a second later, each taking what we need."
Huh? The "Evernight" this Angelic Evil Spirit referred to couldn't possibly be…
Oh my god.
Audrey immediately slapped her hands over her mouth. This…this was far too terrifying to overhear!
Although ever since joining the Tarot Club, Audrey had already dedicated all her faith to Mr. Fool, the Evernight Goddess had still been her childhood faith—especially after learning that deities weren't legends but real existences. Even if she no longer worshipped Her, she should at least maintain ten thousand degrees of respect.
Yet this Angelic Evil Spirit actually dared to…
Ah!
Why had she come along to meddle?! She wished she had been a mute…a deaf person just now!
Lilith tilted her head. "So did you agree?"
Medici slanted his eyes at her. "Why wouldn't I? Isn't this what you wanted?"
"Huh? What?" Lilith instantly put on an innocent, confused expression. "Miss Lilith doesn't understand what you're talking about~"
Their exchange finally pulled Audrey's thoughts back on track. When she had rushed here earlier to find Lilith, her mind had been completely preoccupied with the Psychology Alchemists; she hadn't paid attention to anything else.
Now that she calmed down, she finally realised something: Why did Lilith know so many deep, concealed matters?
—Even if all of it could be explained away as things she heard from Edward.
But then…what about the attitude this King of Angels had toward her? And the things He said to her? This King of Angels didn't even put the Evernight Goddess in His eyes; there was no way He would act like this toward Lilith just because of Edward, right?
What in the world was going on?
"Let's go, Audrey. I haven't tasted your family chef's cooking in ages~"
Lilith suddenly grabbed Audrey's hand and walked off. Audrey, her head full of questions, didn't resist. She hastily waved toward Priscilla and Medici before leaving with Lilith.
Half an hour later—
News of Audrey bringing home a child spread rapidly through the Earl Hall household, causing the recently suppressed rumours about an illegitimate daughter to resurface once again.
———
Late at night.
After finally dealing with Audrey and Susie's barrage of relentless questions with all sorts of excuses—and only after the two of them fell asleep—Lilith sprang up, turned into a streak of flowing light, and slipped into the dressing mirror beside the bed. Passing through layer upon layer of mirrored worlds, she stepped out again beyond the villa.
A woman in an exaggeratedly bulky trench coat, woollen trousers, beret, and scarf—an ensemble that looked noticeably odd—leaned slantwise against a tree, tilting her head up as she gazed at the crimson moon.
Lilith walked over with light, tapping steps. "Hey, has anyone ever told you your fashion sense is terrible?"
The woman lowered her head and smiled. "Clothing was an invention created by low-level creatures like humans to cover their shame. Do you really think I need to care about such things?"
Under the moonlight appeared a striking, heroic face—Christine, yet another avatar of the Mother Goddess of Depravity.
Lilith curled her lip with a huff. "Fine then—so may I ask what this 'higher lifeform' wants with me?"
Christine gave a soft laugh. "You've been wanting to obtain the Sequence 1 characteristic from Mr. Door, haven't you?"
"Mm. What about it? You can give it to me?"
"I can't. But we can cooperate."
Christine continued, "I can help you buy time by stalling the Mother Goddess of Depravity, giving you an opportunity to communicate with Mr. Door. Whether you can obtain the characteristic is your business."
"So what do you want from me?"
"The Brood Hive."
"???"
Lilith froze, stunned. "Please. Even putting aside whether I'm capable of giving you the Brood Hive, even if I could, there's no way I'd hand it to you—'Avatar of the Mother Goddess of Depravity, Earth Division.'"
Christine wasn't surprised by her reaction. She explained, "You should have noticed that although I was created as a split body of the Mother Goddess of Depravity, thanks to Edward's uniqueness, I'm essentially an independent entity."
"I hate the feeling of my life resting in the Mother Goddess's hands, and I dislike the idea of being absorbed by Her one day. To me, that would be no different from death."
"So I have only one objective: to free myself from the Mother Goddess's control. And to achieve that, there are only two ways—either the Mother Goddess dies, or I gain power beyond Her grasp."
Lilith nodded. "Mm. Since killing the Mother Goddess of Depravity is a bit too difficult, you decided to set your sights on the Brood Hive?"
"Exactly. If I obtain the Brood Hive and leave, the Mother Goddess of Depravity will inevitably pursue me. That indirectly solves a major enemy for all of you as well. It benefits everyone, doesn't it?"
"Benefits my—!"
Lilith rolled her eyes hard. "Do you really think Miss Lilith is stupid and easy to fool? All right, all right, don't come to me again. I'm afraid the Seven Gods will misunderstand."
She turned and prepared to leave.
Christine continued, "I can help you first. As for the Brood Hive, I don't need you to sign any contract, nor do I require any promise. I only ask that…if one day things reach that point, consider my request."
"What do you think?"
Lilith halted her steps, turning her head back. "Are you serious?"
"Of course."
"Oh."
Lilith nodded thoughtfully. "So after talking this much, your real purpose was actually me, huh? The Brood Hive and everything else were just excuses. You're not here to help the Mother Goddess of Depravity lure me out, are you?"
Christine stared straight into her eyes.
A long moment passed.
Lilith folded her hands behind her head. "Well…wealth and fortune come with risk. Fine, I agree. When?"
Christine lifted her gaze to the crimson moon. "One week later. On the night of the full moon."
"Done."
Lilith yawned. "All right, this low-level creature is heading back to sleep. You high-level lifeforms can go wherever you want."
She paused. "Oh—and when the time comes, you'll follow my instructions."
"Of course."
Christine smiled and dissolved into a streak of scarlet moonlight.
Back in her room, Lilith lay sideways on the bed, puffing her cheeks as she muttered, "Thinking is such a pain. Nothing beats solving everything with a good smack."
"Ugh, but I don't have the power to flip the table yet."
She rolled over and grumbled, "The war on the Southern Continent…clearly needs to expand further!"
———
The next day.
Klein went to St. Samuel's Cathedral again early in the morning.
As the saying went, he was there to "fulfil a vow"—which, put plainly, meant thanking the Evernight Goddess and reaffirming his loyalty.
Archbishop Anthony received him and brought him to a study room in the cathedral—the very same room Edward had used for his prayers to the Goddess.
Klein looked at the glow of the Evernight emblem hanging on the wall and found himself briefly at a loss. What should he say in his prayer? Just a simple thank-you?
Or should he seize the chance to ask questions—like why he had become a Blessed of the Goddess, or what the Goddess saw in him?
While thinking, Klein took out the materials—"Amantha Pure Dew," a distillate of night incense, slumber flowers, chamomile; "Full Moon Essential Oil," produced from dragonblood tree bark and moonflowers—and quickly set up a sacrificial altar.
Then he recited silently, lit the three corresponding candles, and intoned in Hermes:
"I beseech the power of the Night;"
"I beseech the power of concealment;"
"I beseech the Goddess's favour;"
"Your devout follower Klein thanks You for Your grace and for bestowing upon me the Bizarro Sorcerer potion formula."
Although obtaining the formula had involved multiple brushes with death, what else could Klein do before a deity?
Forgive—no, thank Her, of course!
A few seconds later, the flames flickered. The room's lighting dimmed into shadow, and a gentle breeze began to swirl.
Klein hesitated repeatedly but ultimately chose not to ask any questions. He feared that if he spoke, he would inevitably touch upon the matter of the grey fog. As curious as he was about that mysterious existence, he understood the principle of "a treasure invites trouble."
So—it was better to wait.
The breeze lifted the ashes from the burning herbs, and they drifted silently to the ground, forming a few emotionless words:
"I have been informed."
Then nothing more.
Klein froze for a moment—experiencing for the first time what every Tarot Club member felt when receiving his own indifferent "I have been informed", "I see", or "Noted."
Cool. High-class. Mysterious. Impossible to read.
Except…the Evernight Goddess was truly powerful—and had every right to be aloof.
But as for himself?
He was only pretending.
———
[Note]: Don't forget to VOTE. It keeps me motivated.