Just after her enlightenment, Emily collapsed unconscious.
Finding no more traces of enemies anywhere, Samantha quickly took care of everyone who fell asleep. She carried each person to their quarters with the help of the servants who had returned upon seeing calm restored. Mai and Levi helped as much as they could before falling asleep in turn, finally allowing their bodies to rest after this long night.
A few hours later, at dawn, Avalo arrived by landing in front of the devastated manor.
Doooouuumm
Samantha welcomed him immediately as she was told beforehand by Asaka when the signal on her phone came back.
"You didn't need to come here in person, Mr. Avalo,"
"It doesn't bother me. Give me a report instead."
Samantha explained in detail everything that had happened in one night while Avalo was content to listen until she finished. Toward the end of the report, Avalo clenched his fist tightly in his pocket, deeply regretting not having arrived earlier.
"I see... so Geoffroy is dead," Avalo finally said.
"He left us, but he passed down his dream to us before departing. We have to protect it as best we can," Samantha replied with a tone tinged with hope.
"Emily Whitefeathers... she inherited [Dream World]?" Avalo asked.
"I checked, and she indeed possesses the symbol of the Whitefeathers family engraved on her shoulder."
"We must send her to the Academy as quickly as possible. I doubt the other factions of the Whitefeathers family will accept her succeeding as family head so quickly."
"Yes, it's the only way to protect her while things settle down. We don't know when Evelyn and Morgan Whitefeathers will be informed about the situation."
"As for the Genesis Stone... It's preferable to inform Shakya first. I don't know what they're scheming, but the Temple of Iblis has been strangely active lately... Samantha?"
Paf
Samantha collapsed without warning, and Avalo caught her as she fell.
While observing her sleeping face, Avalo whispered a few words to her: "Good work. Have a good nap—I'll handle the rest." Then he gently carried her in his arms without waking her and brought her to her room.
Frou frou
When Emily reopened her eyes, she caught Mai in the act of wiping away her tears.
"What are you doing?" Emily asked.
"Nothing, you were crying in your sleep. Are you okay?" Mai replied.
Emily contemplated the ceiling for a moment.
"Yes... I just had a very long dream. But now I'm fine," she said, getting up from the bed and displaying a serene smile.
She touched her right shoulder and discovered, without surprise, a white feather tattooed there. Then she whispered, "Father..."
Clac
"Ohh! You're finally awake?" announced the blonde-haired troublemaker. "Emily, we picked flowers for you. I picked them at the right moment like you explained to me!" Levi continued.
"No, I picked flowers for you!" Noah retorted, rushing toward Emily with the bouquet. "Here, Princess, I didn't have time to introduce myself properly—Noah Riviera, at your service," he said with the elegance of a gentleman.
"Hahaha, thank you. That's very kind," Emily's laughter filled the room with lightness, and the three other children smiled and laughed in turn.
The moment felt precious and fragile, like the first rays of sunlight after a terrible storm.
With Mai's help, Emily made her way to her mother the Countess's room.
As soon as their eyes met, Emily dove into her arms, and tears began to flow again. Mother and daughter embraced tenderly in a silence of mourning, the mother gently caressing and comforting her daughter, who let lamentations escape through her sobs.
The Countess held her daughter close, feeling the profound changes that had occurred overnight. Emily seemed different, older somehow.
Mai, who had remained outside leaning against the door, heard the cries of sadness echo through the empty corridors. As she returned to rejoin the boys, she couldn't help but feel deep empathy for Emily, as she too knew the pain of losing a loved one.
The manor itself seemed to mourn, its walls holding the memories of laughter that would never return, of a man whose presence had been the heart of this home. Even the servants moved more quietly, as if afraid to disturb the sacred nature of grief.
Bip
"—and chicken nuggets with extra honey mustard sauce. Thank you!"
"Ahem, President, the video call is connected," Asaka indicated.
"Oh come on, I know you haven't eaten since last night, you must be hungry— OUCH, okay, okay."
Avalo, accustomed to Shakya's eccentricity, could only sigh at this scene. Through the screen of the phone, President Shakya, under the threat of Asaka's ear pinch, then took on a serious posture.
"Good work, Avalo. I received your report. How is Samantha?" Shakya began.
"She's still sleeping. Taking the full brunt of attacks from two incarnations at the 4th stage while continuously protecting the entire territory for several hours must have been exhausting, even for her," Avalo indicated.
"Yes, she really did remarkable work. Geoffroy as well... We will organize his funeral and burial with the honor and respect due to him as a former Mandala executive. We will also pay for the repairs to Whitefeathers Manor. Asaka, immediately prepare the necessary arrangements as well as condolence gifts for the family."
"Yes, President."
Shakya continued: "I would like to offer Samantha well-deserved vacation time, but unfortunately the situation requires us to act quickly."
Avalo nodded. "Indeed, now that the Genesis Stone has been stolen and is untraceable, our only lead is Han Ran. As mentioned in the report I sent you, Samantha confirmed his participation in the attack and the presence of a second Temple of Iblis member who we suspect to be Archbishop Fantoccio according to the descriptions provided by Mr. Charley and the Countess and the presence of multiple body parts of puppets in the forest.
The immediate execution of Han Ran was impossible due to the detection of an extremely dangerous bomb located in his heart. Without further preparation or knowledge of disarmament, Samantha judged it preferable to let him go.
However, before releasing him, she cast a high-level protection spell on him to be able to trace his position at any time. We need to capture Han Ran as quickly as possible to make him talk and eliminate the danger he represents."
"I'm glad you understand so quickly," Shakya sighed with relief. "The fact that the Genesis Stone was kept with Geoffroy in the Whitefeathers manor was a well-guarded secret. He was undoubtedly the most capable person to protect it. And yet the information still leaked... What do you think, Avalo?" Shakya asked with a mischievous tone.
Avalo, who could see through his game, didn't have the answer. "You know very well that this kind of mind game is Manju's specialty. All you have to do is tell me who I need to settle accounts with."
Shakya began to laugh, hearing exactly what he expected. "Hahaha, that's why I say you two make the best pair! Hahahahaha! Haaa… You said Samantha had placed a high-level protection spell on Han Ran to track his exact position?"
"Yes."
"Is he aware of it?"
"Most certainly."
"Then he'll probably seek for a way to dispel it. Since he's only at the 4th stage, he'll need help from an expert at the 5th stage to hope to break Samantha's spell. In other words, we can not only capture Han Ran, but he can also serve as bait to hook a bigger fish. Demonic humans at the 5th tier aren't common, there's a strong chance his surveillance will lead us straight to a demon nest..." Shakya concluded.
"Samantha relayed his position in advance and we dispatched the nearby allies and agents on his tracks a few hours ago. He's going East." Avalo assured.
Enjoying the new game of chase that was about to unfold, Shakya smirked.
"Very well, I think it's time to give the anthill a good kick."
BAAAM
KRAASSHH
In an old, dilapidated church, benches shattered on all sides as a furious priest, covered in bandages from head to toe, unleashed his anger. Another priest, with a larger build and a stoic gaze and stature like stone, calmly watched him destroy the monastery.
"How much longer do you plan to raise hell, Fantoccio?" the stone man temporized.
"AAAAHH Leave me alone, Malthazar!! F•ck that b•stard Dream Sovereign. I should have skinned him, I should have mutilated his wife!!"
"Stop your anger. It will lead you nowhere. You can always rebuild puppets."
"Easy for you to say! I could have died if I hadn't had this backup body. He absolutely destroyed my entire collection!! He's going to pay dearly for it!"
Malthazar sighed. "According to our informant, Count Whitefeathers' death will be announced publicly in the coming days. You have no one to take revenge on. Moreover, it seems they didn't find the Genesis Stone at the scene."
"What, the old man still croaked??" Fantoccio burst out laughing. "Hahaha serves him right!! He surely thought he'd take me to death with him, that idiot. Hahaha! But wait. I'm certain the puppet carrying the stone was destroyed with the others. If it wasn't the Count who destroyed it and Mandala couldn't recover it, who could have done it?"
"There's only one other possible person," Malthazar announced with absolute certainty.
"That Dream Sovereign… I think he had a daughter if my memory serves me right..."
Fantoccio's rage had subsided into something far more dangerous—cold, calculating hatred. The bandages covering his reconstructed body served as a constant reminder of his humiliation, each thread a promise of vengeance yet to come.
The next day, in the city of Amsterdam, in a telephone booth. A man who had just changed clothes in a nearby thrift store, now unrecognizable but still wearing a black orb as a pendant around his neck, made a dubious call.
Biiip
"Hello, this is Thermopharm AG. What can I do for you?" Answered a receptionist through the call.
"Put me through to Professor Thaddeus." The man said with a pressing tone as if he was in a race against time.
"I'm sorry, we don't have Professor Thaddeus in our company. If you wish to—"
[ Death is a lie.]
Before the receptionist could redirect the conversation elsewhere, the man interrupted her mid-sentence with words that sounded less like speech and more like invocation.
"... ... One moment, I'll connect you right away. ...
Bip ...
Well, well..."
The new voice was old and malicious, trembling with age but edged with a quiet, poisonous delight.
"To whom do I have the distinct pleasure of speaking?"
"This is Han Ran."
"Ah, my prodigal little Han Ran!" Professor Thaddeus' delight was palpable, almost obscene in its enthusiasm. "I was beginning to wonder when you'd reach out. The whole underworld is buzzing about your... theatrical performance in England. Quite the spectacle, from what I hear."
"Enough chatter, Professor." Han Ran spoke with a tint of insanity as if he were becoming more and more paranoid and obsessed with something. "You know very well the reason for my call. I have a very interesting deal for you."
Han Ran said with the smile of a gambling addict about to gamble his whole fortune to get the jackpot.
Already imagining the benefits he might get, the Professor answered amused.
"Hohohoho, tell me more~"
End of Chapter