Thump-thump~
As the two spoke, guards, likely summoned by Councilor Perseus, arrived at the door, their expressions grim as they surrounded Grey.
Grey remained calm. "Allow me to reiterate: I am now a diplomat of Okhema. Are you truly going to lay hands on a foreign diplomat?"
Dio rushed forward to mediate, "Calm down, calm down, Councilor Perseus!"
Perseus was understandably furious, having discovered that a spy had been living by his side for ten years. He had once held Grey in high regard and treated her well; the more he had cared for her, the more enraged he must feel now. It was human nature.
For Grey, however, her decade-long stay as a maid here had been purely coincidental. Her appointment as diplomat was simply a matter of convenience.
Putting herself in Perseus's shoes, Grey understood the insult. In normal diplomatic relations, such an incident could even lead to enmity. But... Okhema simply didn't care.
Okhema was simply too powerful.
As previously mentioned, even considering only its basic military strength, Okhema already surpassed any major nation in the world. When factoring in its high-end combat capabilities, the gap became even more overwhelming.
Whether it was the superweapon Elemental Reactor or the twelve Demigods, either could single-handedly decide the outcome of any conflict.
Long ago, Tribios had prophesied that twelve Demigods would protect Okhema, but these divine beings had yet to return. Naturally, all Okhema citizens firmly believed in the Holy Maiden's prophecy.
Then, several months ago, news arrived of Mydei's crushing defeat of the Imperial Army. While many Alliance leaders dismissed this as mere hearsay, Grey instantly believed it.
Could it be that the Demigods are currently absent, searching for traces of Divine Artifacts?
Turning back to Grey herself, she couldn't decide whether this development was good or bad. Regardless, the vast majority of Okhema citizens harbored some degree of prejudice against foreigners, and this bias was even stronger for Grey, who had lived in Okhema before serving as a spy abroad. Having experienced life on both sides, her perspective was particularly acute.
It was like city dwellers looking down on rural folk. In their diplomatic relations, Okhema didn't engage with other nations as equals, but rather with an air of arrogance, placing themselves on a higher plane.
Grey glanced at her four guards: a Gold-tier Warrior, Wizard, Ranger, and Rogue. Well, five if you count Dio.
Protecting a Senior Councilor warranted such a lineup, but Grey remained completely unfazed. As a spy operating undercover, she couldn't possibly lack combat skills. On the contrary, Grey herself was a Gold-tier Ranger Class Holder, armed with a substantial arsenal of Magitech Weapons.
Taking on five opponents might be challenging, but calmly withdrawing from their encirclement should pose no difficulty.
Urged repeatedly by Dio, Perseus took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing his anger and adopting a remarkably composed demeanor. "Everyone, disperse," he said. "And you, Okhema's diplomat, please sit."
Clearly, he had switched from Family Mode to Work Mode. When dealing with foreign nations, personal emotions had no place; the nation's interests must come first.
Grey didn't stand on ceremony. She simply pushed Dio aside and took his seat, while Dio stood behind Perseus, giving the salon the air of a genuine diplomatic negotiation between two nations.
Perseus asked, "So, what's your purpose in revealing your identity at this moment?"
Having calmed down, Perseus realized Grey's hidden identity would have been far more valuable kept secret. After all, for a spy to infiltrate such high circles, both extraordinary luck and formidable skill were essential—a feat that should have been extraordinarily difficult.
Wouldn't it have been better to save this trump card for a critical moment? Putting himself in their shoes, if the Alliance had such a spy within the Empire, they would undoubtedly use them to continuously leak high-value intelligence and then, at the climax, orchestrate a wave of assassinations to maximize their strategic advantage. Yet Okhema's spy had simply revealed herself with no apparent purpose?
There were only two possible explanations. First, Okhema's leadership might be utterly incompetent, squandering their strongest asset. But frankly, in national strategy, relying on your opponent's incompetence is the height of folly itself.
Therefore, only the second possibility remained: they simply didn't care!
Just as Grey had initially stated, her mission was merely to gather basic intelligence from the common people, nothing more. Her current role as a maid was purely coincidental.
A nation blessed by the gods? If that's true, their arrogance is completely understandable, Perseus thought to himself.
At that moment, Grey spoke, "Okhema's objective is simple: we have remained hidden for far too long. Now is the time to declare our existence to the world. First, we wish to establish formal diplomatic relations with the Alliance. Second, we offer a small suggestion."
Perseus naturally asked, "What suggestion?"
Grey replied, "Purge all Artemis Believers and Artemis Priests within the Alliance."
Perseus: "?"
Dio: "?"
This demand was as absurd as two strangers meeting for the first time, and one asking the other to cut off their own arm—utterly preposterous.
Grey explained, "The goddess Artemis was corrupted by an Evil God long ago. All her believers and priests have been tainted, now corrupted into followers of the Evil God, secretly plotting something sinister."
Perseus frowned deeply. "Do you have any evidence to support this claim?"
Grey was prepared. She pulled a sleek, rectangular device from her pocket—a smartphone. After a few taps, she quickly located a video and pressed play.
She placed the phone on the table and slid it toward Perseus.
The video showed Silver Moon City. After Aria, Feidric, Douglas, and the others had left, Aglaea had continued to control the entire city with her Golden Threads until dawn.
During this time, Tribios sent Melly to gather more information and record this video. The footage showed crimson-eyed citizens struggling futilely against the Golden Threads binding them, their desperate roars and writhing bodies offering no escape.
Melly's skillful camerawork created a chilling, zombie-movie-like atmosphere.
However, Perseus and Dio were more intrigued by the mysterious rectangular device than by the video's contents.
"What is this thing?" Perseus asked. "Some kind of Divination School magic?"
"But it's not a Crystal Ball, and you didn't cast any spells just now," Dio pointed out. "How did you do that?"
Faced with the duo's barrage of questions, Grey couldn't help but show a helpless expression. She reluctantly gave a simplified explanation: this was a "phone," one of Okhema's inventions.
She elaborated, "In short, this incident occurred in your nation's Silver Moon City just a few days ago. Under the guise of the Artemis Festival, the Artemis Priests were actually sacrificing to an Evil God, channeling its power to corrupt the populace. Fortunately, Lady Aglaea, the Demigod of Romance, happened to be present and disrupted the ritual."
"But such things could never be isolated to a single location or occur only once this year. This ritual has undoubtedly been performed many times before, only remaining undetected until now."
"If you still doubt me, perhaps you could find an Artemis Believer and..." Grey glanced at Dio. "Isn't there a Bard skilled in Enchantment Magic right here? Questioning an Artemis Believer would reveal the truth, wouldn't it?"
Grey's arguments were logical and well-supported. Perseus clearly believed her to some extent, but he still insisted, "This matter is too grave for me to decide alone. I must convene a meeting with the Senior Councilors and discuss this with them!"
Grey shrugged at the response, saying nothing, but inwardly she sighed at the Alliance's tedious bureaucracy.
They insist on holding a meeting, waiting for everyone to arrive, and then spending weeks debating the issue, she thought. And that's if things move quickly! Have they even considered the possibility that some of these Senior Councilors might be corrupted? What then?
But such was the Alliance's system—an unchangeable reality. Grey couldn't help but think how fortunate Okhema was to have the Holy Maiden.
Absolute centralized authority. If something happens in Okhema, decisions can be made instantly, without the slightest delay.As for whether the Holy Maiden might make a mistake?
Impossible. In the past three centuries, the Holy Maiden has never once erred. She never has, and she never will. This unwavering belief was shared not just by Grey, but by every Okheman.
Snapping back to the present, Grey retrieved her phone, tapped a few times, and said, "Alright, I've already reported the details of this conversation to Okhema. I just hope you can make the right decision quickly."
Perseus stared blankly. "What the hell?"
Dio chimed in, "Wait, when did you even report?"
Grey: "..."
Dealing with these bumpkins is exhausting.
Tribios quickly received Grey's information. To be precise, Grey sent the report to the "Spy Captain," who then reported it to Melly, who finally relayed it to Tribios. As a low-ranking spy, Grey naturally lacked the authority to contact Tribios directly.
Studying the intelligence on her phone, Tribios shared the same concern: could there be corrupted individuals within the Upper or Lower Houses? If they held a meeting to discuss this, wouldn't their treachery be exposed immediately?
Yet the fundamental issue remained: the Alliance's system of governance meant that unilateral action was impossible. This was both a strength and a weakness. Tribios tapped her fingers lightly on her desk, pondered for a moment, and then decided to send Aglaea to the Alliance to get a handle on the situation and prepare for the worst-case scenario.
Well, "send" wasn't quite the right word. It would be more accurate to say she was having her "other self handle the matter."
Without a doubt, Aglaea—with her ability to detect lies and precisely control vast areas—was the ideal candidate. For example, if all the corrupted Believers in a city suddenly went berserk and attacked, Mydei couldn't simply use the lance of fury to level the city to the ground—there were still many innocent civilians within.
Aglaea, however, could instantly blanket the entire city with her Golden Thread, precisely restraining all the frenzied individuals without harming a single innocent bystander. Without a doubt, she was the most suitable candidate for the task.
The next morning, after changing her clothes and combing her hair, Aglaea gazed at her reflection in the mirror—a golden-haired beauty. She realized she had lived as Tribios for so long that she had grown accustomed to that appearance. Seeing her reflection in a different body was, naturally, refreshingly novel.
Having finished preparing, she glanced back at her other self, Cipher, still curled up asleep in bed. The only regret was that their time together had been too short; it felt like they hadn't had enough fun. But official matters clearly took precedence, so she decided to postpone any further leisure until later.
A Century Gate materialized before her. Aglaea stepped through, and in the blink of an eye, she was transported from Okhema's home to the depths of a secluded alley. A cat-eared girl in a maid's uniform had been waiting there for some time—Grey.
Grey bowed slightly, her tone respectful yet excited as she said, "Lady Aglaea, I'll be responsible for your life in the Alliance from now on, meow~!"
Though she knew it was unrealistic, Aglaea said, "You don't need to be so formal with me. Just call me by my name."
Grey nodded her small head rapidly. "Understood, Lady Aglaea!"
Aglaea: "..."
The moment they left the alley, Grey was still explaining the city's layout to Aglaea when a passerby caught sight of Aglaea. His eyes lit up instantly, and he hurried over to stand before them, declaring:
"Beautiful lady, the moment I saw you, my heart was captured. Would you..."
"Absolutely not!" Grey hissed, her tail bristling. It's worth noting that this man wasn't some philandering bard, but a Believer of the Goddess of Love, one of the Twelve True Gods.
The city's primary faith centered on the Goddess of Love, Helena.