Loen Kingdom, Empress Borough.
Wearing a green strapless dress and a matching medium-sized hat, the youngest member of the Hall family gazed at the blue sky from inside the carriage. Sitting next to her was her maid Annie, who had her hands in her lap.
Audrey's bright green eyes slightly reflected the sunlight hanging high above, deep emotions dancing in them.
In a few seconds, her mind wandered, a memory surfacing from that...
One that painted the sky black and the sun a bloody crimson red for a moment before returning to that suffocating blackness without stars.
Blinking once, that terrifying scene vanished, and the yellow sun returned along with a clear blue sky.
'It's hard to believe that two months have already passed...' Audrey narrowed her eyes slightly before sighing inwardly.
While the cleaning and reconstruction were progressing well on the outskirts, all those lost lives could never be recovered...
At that moment, the carriage stopped in front of a large mansion, the mansion where Viscount Glaint had lived since taking his title.
While not on the same level as her family's grand villa, it wasn't bad at all for a new noble.
The carriage door was opened by the driver, who, after helping them out, quickly stood to one side and bowed deeply.
"Have a good time, young lady. I'll be waiting for you."
Audrey smiled sweetly at the man and, giving an elegant curtsy in thanks, continued on her short walk to the entrance of the home of one of her few friends in the nobility, followed a few steps behind by Annie.
There were a couple of butlers at the entrance who saw her get out of the carriage, but they didn't move from their spot. However, once she was a few steps away from the entrance, they opened it for her without saying a word.
With the corners of her lips turned up in a smile, Audrey thanked them with a very slight nod and entered the mansion.
Even though she was responding and moving normally, Audrey couldn't help but think back to when she got out of the carriage. The handle of a revolver was slightly visible at the driver's belt.
She couldn't help but sigh silently.
'Father is still worried...'
Security had been increased not only in the villa, but throughout Empress Borough.
With that last thought, Audrey finally arrived at the hall where the party was being held.
As was customary with parties organized by the Viscount, several tables were arranged throughout the room, displaying trays of cakes of different flavors, various sandwiches, and other savory snacks. Servants roamed the room, carrying trays with glasses of various juices and wines.
As a spectator, with crystal-clear eyes, Audrey silently observed the event's attendees one by one as she moved to one side, making sure not to draw too much attention to herself.
Although the vast majority had smiles on their faces and engaged in conversation with considerable enthusiasm, appearing happy on the outside, she could see beyond that.
Having increased her ability to analyze people after advancing to Telepathist, Audrey noticed several things after a moment of observation.
The vast majority of those present were extremely stressed. Their lips were tense when they smiled, clearly forcing themselves to do so. It was harder to notice in the young ladies because of their makeup, but as with the men, thanks to her abilities, Audrey could still see the exhaustion in their eyes.
'When was the last time they had a good night's sleep?' Audrey couldn't help but feel a little sorry for them, remembering how tired her father looked.
Shaking her head slightly, her crystal-clear emerald eyes returned to the side of the hall.
The reason for her visit to this party and the owner of the mansion was there, chatting calmly with two other young men.
Viscount Glaint had changed a little. His hair, which he usually wore in a ponytail, was now loose, covering his ears. His gaze had become a little deeper.
He still had that delicate appearance, which, combined with his hair and gaze, made him look older than he was.
'His posture is straighter but a little tense. He still has his confidence, but he's tired... Judging by how well-groomed he is, he's probably been up late working on something...' Her gaze swept over the young man's body, suddenly stopping at his hands.
'His nails are a little damaged?' Stunned, Audrey almost snapped out of her spectator state in shock, but before she could, she recovered.
'Right. Glaint is an apothecary; he must have started growing his own garden...' A part of her wondered for a moment if he had discovered the acting method, but that possibility was quickly dismissed.
'He was never the brightest when it came to those things...'
Blinking once and stepping out of her spectator mode, Audrey walked calmly toward Glaint, who had finally broken away and was serving himself a slice of cake at one of the tables.
Standing beside him and noticing that he hadn't noticed her presence yet, Audrey smiled slightly, "Good morning."
The young man's shoulders tensed for a moment at the sudden voice, but recognizing it, he turned his head and discovered the young lady beside him.
"Miss Audrey—cough... I'm sorry, I didn't see you." Almost raising his voice too loudly, Glaint coughed falsely into his fist, turning his body to face her.
"It's okay, I shouldn't have approached you without saying anything." Audrey paused for a moment, then asked in a small whisper, "How have you been?"
Glaint pressed his lips together slightly, but couldn't help letting out a tired sigh, slouching slightly.
Stepping away from the dessert table, he replied in a whisper, "Honestly... It's been a horrible few days."
"Ah..." Audrey almost tripped over her dress, but managed to recover before anyone noticed.
They could consider themselves close friends, so it wasn't strange that he would respond that way. What surprised her was that Glaint chose to do so in a place with almost no privacy.
Looking more closely at her friend, Audrey saw that his gaze had become somewhat lost.
Noticing this, she turned to look at her maid beside her, who was even more absent-minded. A small blush appeared on Annie's cheeks.
What Audrey was about to say died on her lips, and internally, she raised an eyebrow. 'Really?'
Had Glaint now become her type?
'I didn't know that was her taste in men...' Judging her maid's questionable taste in her heart, Audrey spoke, calling her attention, "Annie, would you give us some space, please?"
"Oh, of course, young miss." Coming out of her little trance, Annie stumbled a little in her speech, but she complied almost immediately after a short curtsy. She stood a few feet behind them.
Now, a little more alone, Audrey turned her attention back to Glaint, "Have you talked about this with your psychologist?"
"My days have gone from terrible to horrible thanks to her." He took a bite of cake, the mild taste of chocolate doing little to calm him.
"Miss Jane was her name, if I'm not mistaken, right?" Audrey said after a few moments.
The viscount nodded slightly, his eyes softening. "Jane Lecter. She's been my psychologist since... what happened in June.
"Without her help, I don't know how I'd be getting through everything. The Witches' Party, the Moonless Night... Dutch..." He paused for a moment, his gaze lost in nothingness for an instant.
Audrey didn't comment on the sudden silence, giving her friend space to breathe.
Sighing, Glaint continued in a weak voice, "I owe her more than I can say."
"..." Audrey didn't respond for a few moments, reminded of all the disasters and tragedies her friend had gone through and survived.
'Compared to me, Glaint has already experienced the worst of the Beyonder world...'
Once again, she had been extremely lucky that Mr. Fool had chosen her for the Tarot Club. That experienced Beyonders would guide her through the true, dark side of this world, advising and helping her in her moments of need.
After about five seconds, she replied slowly, "... I'm glad she's helping you."
Smiling slightly, Glaint nodded, "She's one of the best in the hospital."
Feeling that was enough for now and following the plan she had created, Audrey asked with concern, "Is it fine to talk about this here?"
"Miss Jane mentioned that talking about my problems with friends would help with my sleeping problems. Something about releasing some stress." The man explained calmly, eating another bite of cake.
Audrey's interest piqued a little, noticing something, "Problems?"
Glaint paused, a visible shiver running through his body and turning him a little pale.
"Sigh... Since the Moonless Night, I've been having night terrors. They're not so bad now, only happening once a week. But for three weeks after that night, every time I dreamed, I had a strange nightmare...
"I never remember what they're about, but when I wake up, I'm hit with this horrible feeling of being watched... Like I'm not alone in my room, someone else is there with me, watching me while I sleep and greeting me when I wake up, a dark intruder..."
"How scary!" Audrey raised her hand and covered her mouth, unconsciously making a circle over her chest.
"He he..." Somewhat uncomfortable, Glaint laughed a little, "Sorry if I scared you. But I really needed to talk to someone about this."
"No, it's fine. I just... I wasn't expecting that." Audrey shook her head, calming her friend as best she could.
Although her friend's revelation made her tremble, she understood immediately what it was about.
'The Church of the Evernight Goddess is watching him. The path they control is one capable of altering dreams from Sequence 7. It has to be them! Adding to what Mr Chariot said, it's not surprising. Glaint was Dutch Willson's closest friend, so he's the one most at risk of being affected...' She had to make a considerable effort not to look around.
It was very likely that Church forces were watching them right now.
This was something she had expected, but it was one thing to expect it and another to confirm that it was true. Her heart raced a little, but Audrey didn't let it show in her body language.
Feeling that it was enough for today, Audrey smiled apologetically at her friend and bowed slightly, "Thank you for the short chat, Mr. Glaint."
"It's always a pleasure to talk to you, Miss Audrey." Finishing the last of the cake on his plate, the viscount nodded back, "Enjoy the party, the chocolate cake is delicious, you should try some before it's gone."
"Thank you, but I'm watching my diet." Audrey cordially declined the recommendation.
Not wanting to comment on that, and knowing how delicate it was to talk about a lady's weight, Viscount Glaint took his leave with a bow and went to greet new arrivals.
"Has the viscount been exercising?" Annie asked, returning to her side, her gaze and head following the man's gait.
'He's still as skinny as ever...' The young Hall didn't know what to make of those words, so she just said a quick reply.
"He looks healthy."
...
Lenburg, Azshara. University of Knowledge. Four o'clock in the afternoon.
With classes over and a long weekend ahead, Hazel didn't rush to put her notebooks and pens in her briefcase. She needed to rest her head, which was throbbing slightly after another day of classes.
Pressing two fingers to her forehead, she massaged in small circles, trying to ease the pressure she felt.
'No wonder the baldness rate is so high in Lenburg if this is what classes are like...'
Unconsciously, she grabbed a strand of her greenish hair and rubbed it gently, noticing how soft and healthy it was. Pausing for a moment, Hazel also gave it a few experimental tugs, but the deep roots of the strand in her fingers remained strong and did not give way.
At that, she sighed slightly, a weight lifted from her shoulders.
If, while rinsing her head in the shower, a handful of her hair fell out... She didn't know how she would react.
'If I don't want to end up with a head as shiny as most of the teachers here, I'd better take more care of my hair...' Wandering a little, her mind quickly jumped to her current teacher's shiny red hair.
'I wonder if Teacher has something to deal with that or some advice? He obviously takes good care of his...'
Maybe he used a special kind of oil or shampoo? His hair always seemed to be shining...
As she thought about how she could approach her teacher with her fear of ending up with a shiny head and how to avoid that possibility at all costs, someone undesirable approached her.
Anna stood next to her, smiling, her eyes shining sweetly. Her head was slightly tilted to one side, and her briefcase was held quietly between both hands.
"Are you free tomorrow, Miss Hazel?" Anna asked.
"No"
The young Match didn't even raise her head to answer, her response flat but elegant, befitting her education.
The less she spoke to leeches, the better.
The young woman, several years her senior, raised an eyebrow slightly, curious.
After a short pause of five seconds, Anna continued, her voice a little slower, "Are you sure? We're going to the library to study for next week's midterms."
'You have a talent for being annoying, I'll give you that.' The Swindler barely contained the urge to roll her eyes. A weaker person would have given in to that, but she wasn't going to fall for such simple manipulation.
Not wanting to waste any more time on this, Hazel got up from her seat and calmly grabbed her briefcase.
Without looking at Anna once, she walked past her expressionless.
"I study better without distractions."
With those simple parting words, Hazel continued on her way and left the classroom.
Staring at the classroom door, Anna pressed her lips together with some force. Her eyelid twitched, and the corners of her mouth twisted slightly into a small grimace.
Clicking her tongue silently and turning away, she walked to a corner of the classroom and left through the second door.
Meanwhile, elsewhere in the city...
On top of an elegant dark wood desk, an open notebook was dimly lit by a lamp.
A quill wrote quickly across the white pages, its clean metal tip leaving traces of ink that shouldn't have been there.
Its movements were quick and agile. In just over 4 seconds, it had filled a page and was halfway through the second.
This quill was not held by anyone; it moved on its own, dictating its own movement. It was as if an invisible hand was holding it.
Suddenly, a pair of pale hands grabbed the quill with extreme force, stopping its ghostly writing in its tracks.
Eyes of different colors, dark blue and white, looked at the pen tremblingly, extremely alarmed.
'It escaped its seal again?!'
At that moment, a loud laugh rang in his head. It was full of mockery.
"Hahaha! How can you lose sight of something you carry with you all the time? You can't be that useless!"
Gritting his teeth, the traitorous archbishop of the Church of the Evernight Goddess and mastermind of the Tingen tragedy, Ince Zangwill, growled.
"Why didn't you say anything? If something happens to me, you'll be affected too!"
The Evil Spirit inside him cackled again, its voice horribly scratching his mind, "Ha! Don't flatter yourself, you're not that special.
"Besides, I'm not your babysitter. Any mistakes will be your problem to deal with."
Ince Zangwill just gritted his teeth in annoyance, but he no longer played along with the spirit.
He knew that if he did, he would only be provoked endlessly.
His eyes then moved back to the pen, his furrowed brow twisting in discomfort.
The tip of the pen was clean of ink, as it always was since it wasn't needed for writing, but at that moment, Ince Zangwill felt as if it were dripping with fresh blood.
Controlling himself, he resealed the artefact in its case and tucked it away among his robes. He double-checked to make sure the seal was secure.
After that, Ince grabbed the notebook from the desk and began to read what 0-08 had written. He made sure not to skip a single comma.
Anna Roleffes has been very successful in integrating into the University of Wisdom, not only forming good, deep relationships with almost all of her classmates in classroom 404, who trust her deeply, but also managing to remain hidden from the forces of the Church within the university...
Oh? What is this?
Surprisingly, one student in class 404 has rejected Anna's advances and even managed to get an idea, albeit a mistaken one, of what she is trying to achieve.
Hazel Match.
As the only daughter of a noble family, as well as an heiress, Hazel Match easily noticed Anna's attempts to get close to students with powerful backgrounds.
Since then, any attempt by Anna Roleffes to approach her has been unsuccessful. It has even generated a bit of enmity on Anna's part, although she hides it expertly and no one has managed to notice the small slips.
Realizing that if she continued to bother her, Anna risked being discovered or attracting the attention of the teachers, she made a decision. Finally, after several failed attempts, Anna decided to give up trying to form a relationship with Hazel Match.
One less person wouldn't affect the outcome.
This is certainly a curious development, though not an unexpected one.
With Anna no longer bothering her, Hazel Match would simply ignore her for the rest of the semester, paying no attention to anything she did. Then, at the end of November, she would return to Backlund to wait for the start of the next semester.
The story unfolds normally...
Ince Zangwill narrowed his eyes at the new story that had been written. He quickly reviewed the previous and subsequent pages, but found nothing different from the last time he wrote something.
However, this did not reassure him at all. Instead, it only tripled the alarm bells and concern he felt.
This artifact was always trying to kill him by creating deadly coincidences in the stories it wrote. Sometimes it was more obvious, other times more discreet. Therefore, even if it seemed safe, there was always a hidden trap.
Although this time, Ince found it difficult to figure out where the trap might be.
'Lately, 0-08 has been very quiet. This is the third time it has escaped from its seal in 20 days...'
The quieter the quill, the worse the coincidences would be. So, rereading what it had written, Ince Zangwill felt a sense of familiarity with the way this other student was acting.
'Anyone named directly by this quill has the potential to affect the story...' Ince narrowed his eyes, his mind quickly returning to the events of months ago...
... To the enormous failure of his plan in Tingen, and how he lost control of the situation because of one person.
'Klein Moretti was supposed to die by suicide once he returned Antigonus' book, but somehow he not only survived, but also discovered what was going on and got the Church to send the Red Gloves for support...'
A minor ant who was supposed to help carry out his plan ended up ruining it completely, and he only appeared four times on one page.
A few more than Hazel Match, but it was enough to catch his attention.
"..."
Ince reached into one of the pockets of his black robe and pulled out a greenish-black mass. Walking to a corner of the room, he came to where a large full-length mirror rested against the wall.
Standing in front of it, he smeared the mass on the surface of the glass. Like disturbed water, the glass rippled for a moment. The simple room with lime green walls and a desk soon changed into an elegant and clearly expensive luxury room with orange walls and wine-colored curtains.
In this new reflection, a bed with blood-red sheets could be seen. And on it, with her nakedness barely covered by the thin sheets, was a beautiful woman.
She had a striking appearance, but a sacred aura. She looked like a church saint in a private moment.
Seductive eyes looked at him with delight, her soft lips curving into a smile. "Oh? Isn't it a little early for a visit? Do you miss the touch of our skin so much?"
Giggling, Lady Despair, or as she preferred to be called, Panatiya, blew a playful and tempting kiss.
"If you continue to take advantage of my kindness, I will have no choice but to limit our communication to once a week~"
Ignoring the blow he felt in his heart, Ince quickly spoke in a deep, gravelly voice, "I need one of your witches to deal with someone."
Lady Despair raised an eyebrow slightly, somewhat surprised at such a sudden request, "Oh? And why would I do that?"
"Have you forgotten that you're in our debt now? Do you want to increase that price even more?"
Ignoring the tremor in his eyelid, Ince explained,"It could cause a problem."
The beautiful woman's raised eyebrow lowered and she took on a serene expression, her sweet voice taking on a deadly edge, "I'm listening."