July 24, 1349, Night.
Snow sat before a decent dinner, hands clasped against his forehead, softly reciting in ancient Hermes, "Thanks to the Fool for granting me dinner."
Though such seemingly pointless prayers occurred multiple times daily, Snow found them far from tedious. The sensation of the potion's hard shell cracking with each prayer was exhilarating!
The crack-crack of spreading fissures, the feeling that one more push could shatter it completely, brought not only the thrill of growing stronger but also satisfied a primal human urge for destruction.
"I hope Mr. Fool's gotten used to the discomfort of these brief prayers," Snow thought, guiltlessly "blessing" him. He picked up his knife and fork, ready to dig in, when Lily, previously meditating on the table, suddenly stood. Her back arched high, amber eyes brimming with wariness.
Snow instinctively reached for the charm in his pocket, but a pleasant voice echoed from the room's corner—
"Your pet's quite impressive."
Hearing it, Snow relaxed, withdrawing his hand. Facing the voice's source, he bowed slightly, tracing an inverted cross—long at the top, short at the bottom—on his chest.
"Welcome, esteemed Mr. A."
As he spoke, the room's shadows stirred, coalescing into a mature man of striking beauty.
"The Lord is pleased with your devotion," Mr. A said, flashing a charming smile. He mirrored the inverted cross on his chest, glancing at Lily, still poised warily.
"Don't worry, she's one of us." Snow patted Lily's head, signaling her to relax, while releasing his spirituality.
Thanks to the Secret Supplicant pathway's trait of gaining varied powers from divine gifts, Mr. A showed no suspicion of Snow's activated ability. Sitting casually on the bed's edge, he smiled.
"I read your letter. What's the situation?"
In that moment, Snow felt the room freeze. The hum of summer insects vanished. Though no ritual was performed, Mr. A's words sealed the surrounding spirituality, turning the room into a secure "mystery chamber" for safe conversation.
"Have you seen the woman carrying the divine child?" Snow asked, sidestepping a direct answer.
Mr. A didn't take offense, instead warming to Snow's "devotion." Shaking his head, he replied,
"Tingen lacks high-sequence Beyonders, but using mid-sequence abilities here draws attention easily. Your letter's details were too peculiar, so I came to you first for clarity."
Mr. A's demeanor was impeccable—handsome features, elegant speech, calm aura, and an approachable style that felt like a spring breeze. If Snow didn't know the Secret Supplicant pathway's treacherous quirks, he'd never connect this model boss to the unhinged beauty from the original novel.
Mentally chanting "he's a lunatic" several times, Snow nodded.
"I don't know how they did it, but I saw a mortal woman carrying the Lord's heir. Unforgivably, she believes the child is that Swindler!"
Snow deliberately triggered two pre-set mental choices, pushing himself into a slight loss of control. As fur sprouted from his anger, Mr. A's satisfaction deepened.
"Calm down. Don't punish yourself for others' mistakes."
"My apologies for losing composure." Mr. A's soothing words activated Snow's designed trigger, tipping his mental balance. As he made his choice, the fur receded, and his pointed ears rounded.
Seeing Snow recover swiftly, Mr. A reassessed his potential, considering serious cultivation. But now wasn't the time. Waiting until Snow fully retracted his spirituality and all anomalies vanished, he continued,
"What do you know about the Swindler? And how did you find the woman with the divine child?"
"I learned of the Swindler from that idiot Hanass Vincent but never met him. I only know Vincent taught him the ritual for the Lord's descent. How he managed to make a mortal woman bear the Lord's heir, I don't understand. As for how I found her…" Snow shook his head, feigning confusion.
"It was a coincidence. To get close to Vincent, I posed as a divination enthusiast. Today, I visited the Divination Club, and she was there, divining about the Swindler. It must be the Lord's will!"
"…" Mr. A paused, the speaker's "careless" words striking a chord. After a moment, he said,
"Normally, mortals—even low-sequence Beyonders—can't bear the Lord's heir! There's more to this. You mentioned coincidence? Tell me everything that's happened in Tingen these past two weeks, beyonder or not. Everything you know."
"One moment." Snow turned, retrieving a stack of Tingen Honest Man newspapers from his briefcase. Noticing the marked pages, Mr. A nodded approvingly. Snow spread the papers, recounting chronologically,
"Two days before I arrived, the ordinary person who bought the Antigonus family notebook died in a dark divination, and the notebook vanished. But an unexpected survivor emerged, prompting official Beyonders to investigate. That idiot Sirius borrowed related books from the library during this, getting spotted by Nighthawk heretics. That's why I killed him.
Afterward, numerous incidents tied to the notebook occurred—seemingly coincidental, yet somehow always leading Nighthawks to us. That's how Vincent got targeted.
Then there's this, and this…"
Snow pieced together mundane news into extraordinary events. Mr. A's expression grew increasingly grave. Though Snow seemed oblivious, Mr. A suspected a mid-to-high-sequence Beyonder's shadow loomed over it all.
(End of Chapter)
Author's Notes:
I. The 'Seers attract Spectators' line was tailored for Klein, the novice, specifically referring to high-sequence Spectators. Their trait means 'if you know me, I know you.' A Seer's divination instantly alerts them.
II. On Mr. A avoiding mid-to-high-sequence abilities in Tingen—though I think it's self-explanatory, some questioned the 'loss' of buying Triss's life with intel, so I'll clarify:
Think of it like an exam. In Backlund, 'top students' (mid-to-high-sequence Beyonders) abound; high scores are common, and no one cares. In Tingen, everyone's a 'slacker' (Sequence 7 or below); passing is rare. Scoring an 80 makes you a spotlight.
If Mr. A used his abilities freely, officials would know a mid-to-high-sequence Beyonder was in Tingen. Even if they couldn't find him immediately, they might call Backlund for aid—a half-day trip, faster with abilities. If each Church sent one Sequence 5, Mr. A would lose his 'Tingen's strongest Beyonder' edge.
III. Mr. A is mad, not foolish. He wouldn't squander his advantage so easily.
Translator's Note: Pardon me for using trickster in the previous chapters as Lanevus's nickname/alias or whatever it is instead of using swindler. That's all—Thank you!