In Empress Borough, inside Count Hall's luxurious villa.
Audrey padded her lips with a white silk napkin, watching her maid prepare breakfast for her. Just as she was savoring the aroma of her black tea, she heard her father grumbling over the newspaper in his hands.
"The Aurora Order truly is insane."
'The Aurora Order?' Audrey blinked, immediately recalling the message Mr. Devil had passed along the previous night. Thinking something had gone wrong with the Lanevus situation, she asked curiously, "Did they do something?"
"Oh, darling, you wouldn't want to know! They actually assassinated the Intis Ambassador, Bakerland. This gains them absolutely nothing." Count Hall shook his head while flipping through the paper.
Audrey didn't listen to her brother's subsequent speculations. Instead, she marveled in her heart. 'Of course they gained nothing, because it was Mr. Devil who did it! Mr. Devil really is incredible. While releasing Lanevus, he also assassinated the Intis Ambassador, and he had both actions happen simultaneously. Now everyone thinks Lanevus killed the ambassador before fleeing. This really is an ingenious plan!'
'I'm truly curious about Mr. Devil's Sequence. He clearly uses abilities from the Spectator pathway often, yet he claims he isn't a Spectator. Mr. Fool said that at higher Sequences, one can switch to neighboring pathways. Could Mr. Devil actually be a high-sequence powerhouse who switched pathways? Was he once a Spectator and now belongs to another Sequence? No wonder he didn't ask anything when Mr. Fool mentioned that. Heavens, I'm actually acting as a piano teacher for someone who might be a demigod?'
...
"Extra! Extra! Intis Ambassador Bakerland assassinated! Terrorist organization 'Aurora Order' claims responsibility!"
Newsboys' cries echoed through the streets, but the heads of various organizations remained equally silent. Although they publicly declared that the loud noises and coma incidents in the West District the previous night were a diversion created by the Aurora Order to assassinate Ambassador Bakerland, they knew very well that these were two completely unrelated events.
Military Intelligence 9 was relatively calm about the situation. Since there were no clues regarding Bakerland's death, they would either blame the Aurora Order or claim Intis staged it themselves; regardless, they needed a scapegoat. But for the three major churches, the fact that an unknown saint had killed someone in the West District once again was the primary source of their headache.
To make matters worse for them, the Nighthawks seemed to know something, yet they said nothing. Unlike the other two churches, the Church of Storms and the Aurora Order were true mortal enemies. This time, the reporter had notified the Machinery Mind, and the one with inside information was the Church of Evernight. Only the Church of Storms, which was closest to the incident, knew nothing. This was unacceptable for the hot-tempered Church of Storms, and Ace Snake had already smashed three tea sets in a single night.
In contrast, the Machinery Mind deacon's team, which had received the report directly, continued to patrol the crime scene. This wasn't because the other two churches had given up, but according to the rules, the handling of Beyonder incidents followed the distribution of believers and districts. Since the Machinery Mind had received the report first, the responsibility lay with them until they requested assistance from the others.
At that moment, the Machinery Mind deacon, whose facial features were rugged and firm, held an ancient silver mirror. Seeing the expectant gazes of his team members, he sighed.
"Really, was nothing found?"
"No." The young "Wizard" responsible for divination shook his head, looking ashamed. "I'm sorry. The note the child brought was composed of letters clipped from a newspaper. It didn't carry enough of the sender's aura."
Ikanser didn't say anything more. He lifted the silver mirror and brushed its surface three times with his right hand. After a brief pause, he spoke in a deep voice.
"Respected Arodes, my question is, who were the participants in the battle that took place here last night?"
As the question was posed, layers of watery light appeared on the silver mirror. These lights quickly intertwined, forming an image that wasn't particularly clear.
Under the cover of night, a young man humming an unknown tune was walking on the road. Though he wore a shirt, a faint, blood-red inverted cross mark could be seen flickering on his chest.
The scene then shifted. A woman in an old-fashioned black bonnet and a youthful yellow tiered dress stood elegantly in mid-air. She wore a pale mask. Although her face wasn't revealed, this appearance was not unfamiliar to the members of the Machinery Mind.
However, just when everyone thought it was over, the image shifted once more. The back of a male figure appeared in the mirror. But before the image could zoom out, his body was enveloped by white fog, and he completely vanished from the surface of the mirror.
"The person just now was..." Ikanser was about to speak when several lines of ancient Feysac appeared on the silver mirror.
'According to the principle of reciprocity, it is my turn to ask a question.'
'If you answer incorrectly or lie, you will be punished.'
The word "punished" was as red as blood, appearing as if it were still dripping. Ikanser's expression twitched, and he became exceptionally solemn. Sensing he was prepared, the light on the mirror flickered, and a new line of words appeared.
'Did you resolve your desires by yourself last night?'
Ikanser's face instantly froze. Although every team member instinctively looked away, he felt as if countless gazes were scanning his face.
...
"What is it?" Trissy, who was enjoying a breakfast worth five soli, noticed Snow suddenly freeze and asked with a frown.
"It's nothing. Someone just tried to divine me." Snow shook his head.
Trissy immediately grew tense. "Is it the Intis Embassy or MI9?"
"It has nothing to do with the Intis Embassy." Snow shook his head. The ability of Made in Heaven was quite useful. Almost the instant he was divined, he knew the location of the person doing it. If it weren't for "A White Horse is Not a Horse" automatically shielding the observation, he might have even let them enjoy a "God's Vocal Performance."
However, considering the person was divining at the location of Lanevus's death, Snow had a few guesses. Anyone brave enough to divine the site of a battle between a saint and a vessel for descent was either a demigod or an angel, or they were using a special Sealed Artifact.
Given that he'd had the reporter notify the Machinery Mind yesterday, it was likely they were using the little mirror.
Thinking of this, Snow felt a slight headache. He wasn't sure what kind of existence he appeared to be in Arodes's eyes. While the mirror's level shouldn't be high enough to penetrate his defenses, as evidenced by how easily "A White Horse is Not a Horse" had terminated the observation, he wondered if it knew the secrets of his ability.
'I have to consider the possibility of my cover being blown in front of Mr. Fool.' Snow sighed, but then he cheered up. He realized that if his cover was blown, the one who would be embarrassed wouldn't be him,it would be Mr. Fool.
...
"Achoo!"
Mr. Fool, who was nibbling on a piece of bread, suddenly sneezed. He thought about how he had just faced a life-and-death crisis the night before, yet today he had to go out and catch an adulterer. He couldn't help but marvel at the strangeness of life. However, considering the generous reward, he decided to pick up that most wicked camera...
[Translated and Rewritten by Shika_Kagura]
T/N: Arodes (阿罗德斯) - A magical silver mirror Sealed Artifact.
T/N: Wizard (巫师) - Sequence 7 of the Apprentice pathway.
T/N: Machinery Mind (机械之心) - The Beyonder organization of the Church of Steam and Machinery.
T/N: Made in Heaven (天堂制造) - Snow's special mystical item.