Nighttime, No. 160 Berklund Street, inside the master bedroom.
In his dream, Dwayne Dantès suddenly became lucid—he knew an "outsider" had arrived.
A Nighthawk? But as the husband of a Nighthawk, Dwayne should have been thoroughly screened already…
As he muttered inwardly, he looked around and realized he was standing inside his own second-floor bedroom.
Next came the knocking—thump, thump, thump.
"Come in…" Dwayne tried to make his voice sound like he was talking in his sleep.
The handle turned. The bedroom door opened, and a familiar figure walked in.
Clad in a black windbreaker, wearing red gloves, black hair and green eyes, handsome features—
It was Leonard Mitchell, Klein's so-called "poet classmate."
"Dwayne, we meet again." Leonard casually sat down on a chair in the bedroom and took a sip from the teacup.
"What brings you here, Leonard?" Dwayne slipped naturally into character.
Under the effect of the Nightmare ability, he knew he had to behave normally.
Leonard set down the teacup. His voice sank:
"Why did you invest in Ebner Bryan's domain?"
Ah, so it's for this… I thought you came to expose me.
Well, even if you wanted to, best wait until I pass the Goddess' trial and enter the Chanis Gate. Otherwise, something unexpected might happen.
Klein's mind spun quickly, and then he "honestly" responded:
"I knew Viscount Bryan before I came to Backlund. Yes, when I was doing business in Bayam, I received a lot of his support…"
Dwayne's entire résumé had been fabricated by Klein and memorized thoroughly.
And Ebner's "Fragrant Leaf Tavern" in Bayam had dealings with countless merchants—utterly untraceable.
As for revealing who owned the tavern… Ebner no longer cared about such trivialities.
After giving the fictional story—and conveniently "selling" Ebner along the way—Klein finished speaking.
So that's why…
Leonard nodded internally, but wore a stern expression as he asked:
"Does Daly know about all this?"
Klein answered without hesitation:
"She does. When we went to Bayam to complete that arms transaction, we also received Viscount Bryan's help."
In truth, the Church of the Evernight's special department had done the real work, but given Ebner's relationship with the Goddess, stretching the definition counted as "his help" too.
Klein added silently.
So Dwayne's 'luck' and sudden fortune were connected to Ebner Bryan—that old monster. Maybe even arranged by him. No wonder Dwayne would invest in his domain…
This explains everything…
After confirming there were no other secret dealings, Leonard finally relaxed.
As long as Daly wasn't getting dragged into danger, he had no reason to object. Otherwise Daly would definitely be upset.
Leonard stood up and used Nightmare to cloud Dwayne's memories—ensuring that when Klein woke later, he would only remember vaguely "having had a dream," with no clear details.
Having done that, he left the dream.
Didn't even say goodbye. Truly rude!
After Leonard vanished, Klein muttered before sighing:
"It's still not the time. And even if I revealed myself, you might not believe it…
Better wait until you discover it yourself."
He sat silently for several seconds, a wry smile tugging at his lips. Then he "woke up."
He shifted, leaning against the headboard, and gazed toward the window.
Outside the pitch-black night, gas street lamps cast a pale, withered glow, making everything seem cold and lifeless.
The next moment, the reflection on the windowpane shifted—
Sharron, wearing a small black soft hat and an elegant dark court dress, appeared in the glass, meeting his eyes.
"Someone came?" Sharron asked concisely.
Her soft, ethereal voice and doll-like beauty somehow lifted Klein's mood instantly.
…
In Backlund's West Borough, inside a luxurious residence—
Princess Vera, in her nightgown, watched Ebner emerge from the spatial transit. She smiled and waved a hand, releasing thick mist that enveloped the room, draining the crimson glow from the windows.
"Good evening, Princess Vera." Ebner placed a hand over his chest in salute and greeted her.
"Strictly speaking," Vera glanced at the clock, teasing, "it's already deep into the night."
That's because I stayed chatting with Torszna… But considering you're one of MI9's chiefs, even if I came earlier, you might not have been free.
Though he complained inwardly, he apologized politely on the surface, then went straight to the point:
"What was the outcome of Monday night's battle?"
He needed to know whether the Loen royal family might react rashly due to the attack on the "Black Saintess"—
Possibly triggering an early war, or pushing George III into a reckless ascension.
Seeing his concern, Vera smiled:
"Don't worry. The Loen royal family still doesn't know the 'Black Saintess' was attacked. They only learned someone reported a high-sequence Demoness infiltrating the Hall family's ball."
"But the Black Saintess is their highest-ranking liaison…
If she goes missing or dies—or stops contacting both Loen and the Demoness Sect—wouldn't they become suspicious?
"And if she escaped, the situation would be even worse!" Ebner analyzed.
Princess Vera wagged a finger in mock admonishment:
"We had five angels present. Medea may be experienced at fleeing, but escaping that lineup was impossible.
"And besides—she cannot defeat me."
"Medea?" Ebner, though his Cognizer abilities already told him much, still asked aloud.
Vera gave him a playful look before explaining:
"Medea is a member of the Fourth Epoch 'Succubus' bloodline. She once served the 'Night Emperor,' and even took part in the siege against me back then."
Without waiting for his next question, she continued:
"After I Imprisoned her, I forced her to open her spiritual body and inscribed three rules upon it:
"First — For the next hundred years, so long as it does not harm her or deliberately send her to death, she must obey at least one of my commands each month.
"Second — She may not reveal, in any form to any existence, that she is under my control.
"Third — She may not seek revenge on you, nor on any of your friends.
"With these three rules carved directly onto her spirit, she's essentially our servant now. Naturally she won't expose anything to George III."
Ebner considered a moment before asking:
"What if she prays to the Primordial Demoness?"
"These rules were inscribed through the Uncertainty Fog. Even Chik cannot remove them,"
Vera replied confidently.
"And praying to a deity would violate the rules—she can't do so at all.
"Besides, I hold the ultimate right of interpretation. She can't bypass them."
So that's how it is.
Ebner studied the rules—though there seemed to be loopholes, Vera could patch them instantly. No real issue.
"Right—after being bound, Medea voluntarily revealed information.
Some of it… concerns you," Vera added, noticing Ebner preparing to leave.
Ebner swallowed his farewell, interest piqued:
"What information?"
"The Demoness Sect's 'Red Saintess' and 'White Saintess' have paid a heavy price to invite the 'Blue Saintess.'
The three of them plan to head to Trier to capture Owen Delien…
"They originally wanted Medea, too, but she refused."