The dagger in Sylvia's hand had clearly come from Acheron.
If Constance let herself get stabbed by that thing even once or twice, all she could do afterward was lie down and pray luck was on her side. Power granted by an Emanator of Nihility wasn't something to take lightly.
Of all the people she could've run into, she'd encountered the two groups least compatible with her abilities—and now they'd joined forces to corner her here.
Constance's original plan had only accounted for provoking Sylvia and Acheron. Even if a Bloodhound intervened, an ordinary Bloodhound wouldn't be able to deal with the power of Remembrance.
But who could've known?
When had this History Fictionologist infiltrated the Family? And why had he happened to show up right here?
Had he been waiting to ambush her on purpose?
Gallagher's appearance had caught Constance off guard. Her luck truly couldn't have been worse. Of all the Bloodhounds who could've come, she'd gotten one who was actually a History Fictionologist in disguise.
Without Gallagher, Constance believed the kindhearted Acheron wouldn't draw her blade here. After a little harmless trouble, she would've found some way to escape.
And if Sylvia and Acheron hadn't come, leaving Gallagher alone, Constance could've traded the chance to 'expose his lie' for her freedom.
But now both sides were here.
Gallagher could track her traces, while Sylvia held a weapon she couldn't resist. Add the Self-Annihilator blocking the door, and a real fight would end with Constance completely screwed.
There was nothing else to call it but rotten luck.
Couldn't even one of them have been replaced by someone else?
Constance sighed inwardly.
She might as well surrender. There was no winning this round.
Just as Sylvia raised the dagger and prepared to strike, Constance suddenly lifted both hands in surrender.
"All right, I give up~"
"...?"
"Heh..."
Sylvia only looked puzzled, but Gallagher lowered his guard for real and turned toward her, as though waiting for Sylvia to make the decision. Mei's gaze also fell on her.
"Hold on, Gallagher. Why're you looking at me? You're the one who works for the Family."
"Come now." Gallagher spread his hands. "This lady's clearly a handful. Without you two here, I wouldn't be able to take her down by myself."
He looked like a man eager to shirk his duties and sneak off for a nap.
"..."
Sylvia fell silent. She'd almost forgotten that Gallagher wasn't exactly loyal to the Family.
Despite what he'd said, he probably meant that resolving this without a fight would be best. With that thought, Sylvia turned toward Constance.
"Why did you come here in the first place?"
"For you."
Constance smiled, making no attempt to hide the interest in her eyes.
"An existence like yours is far too fascinating to me. Devouring you, hollowing out all your Memoria, or being killed by you—I'd welcome any of them~"
Someone like Acheron was protected by the black sun engraved upon her soul. Anyone who tried to explore her existence would be swallowed without distinction by its shadow.
Her memories couldn't be investigated, but at least the reason was clear.
Sylvia was different.
Constance couldn't see anything at all, yet no matter how she investigated, she couldn't discover why. It was as though some inexplicable jamming device simply blocked every method a Memokeeper could use.
It made no sense.
Her condition was nothing like Acheron's. It was an entirely different phenomenon.
Constance's curiosity toward Sylvia was much like Black Swan's, except Constance was far more extreme, and what she wanted to do was much worse.
She truly wanted to pry open Sylvia's skull and look inside—in the most literal sense.
After hearing Constance's assessment, Gallagher glanced at Sylvia. Just as Constance had seen through his identity, Gallagher could naturally recognize the power she wielded.
Did Sylvia possess some trait that drew the attention of Memokeepers?
Gallagher was curious, but he soon suppressed the thought. The Galaxy Ranger behind Sylvia was staring daggers at him, so it'd be better not to invite trouble.
The corner of Gallagher's mouth twitched.
Sylvia truly was strange. She'd somehow earned the unwavering devotion of a Self-Annihilator who should've struggled even to preserve her own sense of self.
What kind of magic had she used?
Sylvia, meanwhile, glanced back at Mei.
She didn't say anything, but Mei still understood her meaning.
Could she place some sort of restraint on an existence like Constance?
Mei gave Sylvia a slight nod, indicating that she could.
Reassured by Mei's usual reliability, Sylvia turned back toward Constance.
"You're our enemy, and I've got the advantage. Why should I accept your surrender?"
"Hehe~ That's perfectly reasonable. I wouldn't mind being killed by my darling, either~"
Constance was as unhinged as ever. She even took a step closer to Sylvia's dagger, as though she truly wouldn't mind dying by her hand.
"But I can help you investigate certain secrets. For example~ I'm sure you're very interested in discovering who the Family's first traitor was."
"...You'd really be that helpful?"
"Why wouldn't I be? All I want is a chance to share an unforgettable dance with you alone. This situation isn't what I had in mind."
Constance even winked at Mei behind Sylvia.
Sylvia was the only one who interested her. Unfortunately, the usual method of implanting memories and slipping into Sylvia's life was completely useless.
Being forced to approach someone openly for the first time was rather difficult for her.
And it was all Gallagher's fault.
Constance cast Gallagher a subtle glance. Without this meddling History Fictionologist, she wouldn't have been driven into such a passive position.
"I can swear an oath. As long as my little darling accepts my invitation, I'll behave myself until the Charmony Festival ends."
"...Who exactly are you swearing to?"
Sylvia rolled her eyes.
Which Aeon in the universe would care about an empty oath like that?
As for bringing Robin over and using the power of Harmony to determine whether Constance was telling the truth, lie detection wouldn't work on someone who walked the Path of Remembrance.
Still, Constance's offer was tempting.
Black Swan clearly preferred to remain an observer, so she'd only given Sylvia limited assistance. If Constance was willing to investigate, however, that would make things far easier.
At the very least, Sylvia could learn what was happening with that Family lineage.
With that in mind, Sylvia pointed toward Mei.
"If you agree to let her place a few safeguards on you, I'll be willing to discuss your offer."
"Her?"
Constance's expression shifted.
Of the three people present, she was confident she could handle even the History Fictionologist's mysterious methods. At worst, they'd be forced onto equal footing.
But Nihility...
There was a reason nobody wanted anything to do with it.
Constance clearly didn't want a mark of Nihility left inside her. Honestly, even Destruction would've been preferable.
Yet given the situation, there didn't seem to be another choice.
As an old Xianzhou saying went, a wise person knew when to yield. Circumstances were stronger than individuals.
Constance's unease lasted only an instant before she restored her smile and nodded.
"Of course I agree. Do I have the right to refuse?"
"A wise choice."
Sylvia smiled and nodded.
What followed was Mei's performance.
Sylvia couldn't understand what Mei did. She only saw Mei leave one mark between Constance's brows and another over her chest. Aside from sensing the familiar power of Nihility, Sylvia couldn't make out anything else.
"It's done. I can now track your location and detonate the power inside you. Don't do anything dangerous."
Mei delivered the result without expression, her eyes full of warning.
Constance could clearly sense the dangerous power buried within her body. It had only been suppressed to keep it from spreading.
She tested it briefly, but ordinary techniques of Remembrance couldn't remove the two masses of power attached to her.
"Hehe~ Now we can all relax a little, can't we?"
Constance lowered her raised hands as though she hadn't heard Mei's threat.
Gallagher also looked exhausted. He tugged at his collar and dropped onto the nearby sofa.
"Ah—everyone's happy, aren't they? At least we don't have to fight someone troublesome."
Sylvia glanced at him.
Fine. So that was how thoroughly he planned to slack off.
She couldn't help rolling her eyes before turning back toward Constance.
"As long as you don't try anything, I'll agree to fulfill one request of yours after the situation on Penacony is over."
A smile bloomed across Constance's face. Her slender tail even tried to coil around Sylvia's wrist.
Then Sylvia's expression turned strange as she looked at her.
--+--
[Target: Constance]
[Affection: 70 — A Peculiar Existence]
[Relationship: Prisoner]
[Reward: One Green Draw]
--+--
Not only had Constance's affection risen, but it'd gone up by quite a lot.
When they first met, it had already started at sixty. Now, during their second meeting, Sylvia had captured her and made her a prisoner.
Yet merely promising to grant her one request had made her affection shoot up by ten points?
What a freak...
Sylvia sighed inwardly.
At least she'd gained another draw. She hadn't used the system much lately and wondered what she might receive.
Judging by the result she'd gotten from Dan Shu, draws related to non-playable characters seemed to have weaker connections to the source. There was no telling what she'd get.
(T/N: Written before Dahlia's release. I forgot the patch. I think it was 2.6.)
"Oh, right."
As Sylvia thought about the draw, she suddenly remembered that Constance had mentioned hearing some interesting news.
"What is it?"
Once they'd confirmed they were no longer enemies, Constance had even brewed Sylvia a cup of tea and handed it to her. She'd prepared one for Mei as well.
Gallagher, however, was ignored with magnificent thoroughness.
"You said you'd heard some kind of news earlier. Was it about a Lord Ravager?"
"No. If it were only a Lord Ravager, why would I risk coming here to find you, darling?"
Constance glanced pointedly at Gallagher.
It went without saying that Gallagher understood she didn't want him to hear what came next. He drank half his tea, stood, and spoke in his usual lazy manner.
"Since the matter's settled, I'll be going. This room's reservation will be canceled according to investigative procedure, so remember to leave once you're done talking."
With that, Gallagher pushed open the door and left.
Constance's expression grew more serious.
"I don't know whether you've heard of a certain genius known as the Lord of Silence."
"The Lord of Silence? Oh... You mean Polka—"
The title startled Sylvia for a moment, making her think Constance was talking about someone from a horror film. After searching her memory, however, she recalled seeing the name on Herta Space Station.
Just as she remembered the title and tried to speak the woman's name, Constance showed a rare flash of panic. She reached out and covered Sylvia's mouth before the name could escape.
"Shh—don't speak her name. You might draw her attention."
Sylvia pulled Constance's hand away from her mouth and frowned.
"Is she really that frightening? I know she hunts other geniuses, but she's still only an Emanator. You weren't this afraid when you faced Acheron."
"No. That person's different."
Constance shook her head.
"I don't know much about the Lord of Silence. I've only caught glimpses of her through scattered fragments of memory. Her specialty is manipulating causality to create death. Many people have died in accidents, but she was the one behind those accidents."
Constance seemed to know far more than she claimed.
Her meaning was clear.
Acheron was certainly dangerous, but at least if she stood before you, you'd know who was attacking you.
If the Lord of Silence targeted you, however, you might die without ever realizing someone had murdered you.
"She can do that?"
Sylvia's eyes widened.
Seriously?
They were both Emanators. Wasn't that ability a little too absurd?
If she could control causality itself, how was anyone else supposed to compete?
"I'm not certain, but it's highly likely."
"...All right. At least now I know what the Lord of Silence can do. What does any of this have to do with me?"
"She may have set her sights on you."
"..."
That single sentence silenced Sylvia.
Now that was something worth waking up for.
Or rather, something terrifying enough to jolt her wide awake.
"Are you sure?"
Faced with Sylvia's question, Constance couldn't offer a guarantee. Almost all information concerning the Lord of Silence had been pieced together through deduction from scattered memory fragments.
She couldn't possibly claim certainty.
Instead, Constance asked, "Have you encountered any dangerous accidents recently? Perhaps something that didn't seem dangerous at the time but looked far worse in hindsight?"
"Dangerous accidents? I don't think—"
Sylvia raised an eyebrow and almost said no.
Then she froze.
She'd suddenly remembered her experiences while testing the Simulated Universe.
She hadn't taken part in the Simulated Universe project many times. Yet the first time she'd entered the Swarm Disaster scenario, she'd immediately become an Emanator of Aha and fought Tayzzyronth.
An Aeon's power had nearly blasted her into an idiot, though Herta had managed to save her.
Then, the last time she entered, she'd become an Aeon again and even joined a divine war. The battle had eventually caused the entire Simulated Universe to collapse.
She'd only escaped with her mind intact because she'd invested in mental resistance. Otherwise, she would've ended up an idiot again.
Seriously?
Had that woman set her sights on Sylvia that long ago?
--+--
T/N: If you want advance chapters, you can find it at [email protected]/AspenTL