In the West District of Backlund, Deacon Ikanser stared at the words on the mirror and finally, through gritted teeth, spat out a single word.
"Yes..."
"Correct answer!"
Playful words jumped onto the mirror's surface, as if thoroughly satisfied with the answer. Having used the mirror more than once, Ikanser took a few breaths to steady himself before putting on a stern face.
"Let's summarize what we've seen so far."
"Yes, Deacon." The young "Wizard" seemed to understand his leader's embarrassment and immediately followed along. "Although that lady was wearing a mask, judging by her clothing, she should be Bernadette Gustav."
"Correct." Ikanser nodded. The Machinery Mind was not unfamiliar with Roselle's eldest daughter. He glanced at the other members and, seeing that no one was foolish enough to ask "Who is Bernadette?", he continued. "The one who acted and killed the True Creator's vessel last night was likely this lady."
"But Deacon, how should we interpret the man who appeared afterward? Did he orchestrate everything?" a younger Machinery Mind member asked urgently,of course, he might have just been trying to use more questions to bury Ikanser's awkwardness. It seemed Everyone in Ikanser's team had fully leveled up this particular skill.
Satisfied with his team member's tact, Ikanser nodded and spoke after a brief thought. "The Nighthawks clearly knew something, but they had no intention of informing us. That isn't normal. Unless it involves an internal gag order, there must be a reason for the secrecy. Previously, Saint Anthony emphasized the word 'coincidence' as a hint. This proves it's not a gag order; perhaps only by not knowing can this person be caught."
As a veteran official Beyonder, Ikanser undoubtedly possessed considerable experience. Based on the Nighthawks' strange attitude, he quickly arrived at a conclusion that was remarkably close to the truth.
Karlson, who had recently joined the team and didn't seem to know much about the mirror, pushed his thick glasses up his nose and asked curiously, "Deacon, can't we just ask the respected Arodes about the man's identity?"
"That man vanished into the white mist. That isn't a normal conclusion to the observation. Either Arodes was discovered by the other party, or the other party possesses the power to shield himself from Arodes. Regardless, continuing to inquire about him would be very dangerous." Ikanser sighed.
Karlson frowned. "Perhaps we can ask Arodes who reported the True Creator's vessel yesterday."
Ikanser nodded slightly, feeling that his earlier embarrassment had finally dissipated. He straightened his back, but then shook his head. "The other party likely has the ability to create 'coincidences,' which means the reporter might have truly discovered the vessel by accident."
At this point, he felt like he was avoiding the question, but his professionalism as an official Beyonder prevented him from recklessly using a Sealed Artifact just out of impulse.
"Perhaps we can look at it from another angle." Suddenly, the "Wizard" stood up, a confident "I've solved it" expression on his face. "In the images, the Queen of Mysteries left after killing the vessel, but we didn't find the residual Beyonder characteristic. Does this mean someone else took it afterward?"
"That is indeed a possibility. Even if it wasn't the mastermind who took it, a polluted Beyonder characteristic or mystical item is an extremely dangerous Sealed Artifact. It likely contains traces of the True Creator's divinity!"
Ikanser's expression became solemn. He also realized that an item stained with divinity was not something a mere "Wizard" could divine. After a helpless sigh, he once again lifted the silver mirror, brushed its surface three times, and asked seriously, "Respected Arodes, my question is, where is the characteristic left behind by the True Creator's vessel?"
Ripples appeared on the mirror, and an image quickly manifested. But the moment he saw it, Ikanser's face turned grim. It was the same image of the man's back as before.
However, that wasn't what made his face turn ashen. The real reason was that the image was identical to the previous one, down to the exact moment the white mist surged. He had reason to believe Arodes had simply replayed the previous footage!
'This is fraud!' Ikanser thought angrily. But Arodes ignored his thoughts. As the image was completely enveloped by the white mist, words in ancient Feysac appeared once more.
'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 handwriting remained as red as blood, and Ikanser's face had gone completely pale. He swallowed hard, forcing a serious expression, and prayed that Arodes would provide a relatively normal question this time, given the lackluster answer it had provided.
Sensing Ikanser's thoughts, Arodes obligingly flickered with watery light and then provided an equally lackluster question.
'Who was the object of your fantasy when you resolved it yourself last night?'
Ikanser's heroic expression instantly collapsed. His spirit, which had been prepared to endure all the world's humiliations, buckled. This wasn't just a simple matter of social death; even if the name was unknown to others, it would still make him a "legend."
Sigh.
Letting out a deep breath, Ikanser adjusted his stance slightly and spoke in a tragic tone. "I choose punishment..."
...
While Deacon Ikanser was being struck by lightning for trying to hide his preferences, Snow had already seen Trissy off and arrived at Mr. A's house, prepared to play the piano for Made in Heaven.
As he moved through the process of "JoJo-fying" things, an extremely interesting plan surfaced in his mind. However, he didn't have enough chess pieces yet. To grow, Made in Heaven needed to consume a large amount of mental remnants, which clearly wasn't something he could manage on his own.
Though Bernadette had promised quite a few Beyonder characteristics, it was still a drop in the bucket compared to the demand. Fortunately, he wasn't a lone wolf; he was backed by an organization.
With this in mind, Snow turned to his butler. "Go and place an advertisement in the newspaper. I will be hosting a Beyonder gathering tomorrow night."
[Translated and Rewritten by Shika_Kagura]