When her two older brothers had fallen into madness and killed each other under the influence of "Intis," she—the youngest—had been plucked from obscurity and made the new heir.
In name, she was the supreme ruler of Intis.
In truth, she was nothing more than a puppet.
Being such a "king" was utterly meaningless. In an ordinary world, perhaps she could have relied on her intelligence and cunning to slowly seize real power, transforming from a figurehead into a monarch who truly ruled.
Yet no amount of brilliance meant anything before Beyonders who wielded overwhelming power.
She had wanted to escape, but was ensnared in currents she could not break free from. That was why she had ultimately fallen for Intis's manipulative rhetoric, full of deliberate loopholes and deceit.
Now, with Intis sealed away and her family's angel dead, she had finally earned the chance at freedom. After lengthy discussions with members of the royal family, both sides had reached an agreement.
With the Church's tacit approval, she would receive their full assistance to advance to Sequence 4 and transform into a man—after which she would leave behind an heir, "die" suddenly in a staged accident, and from that moment on, be free.
Of course, this entire plan depended on the secret trade she had made with that black-robed witch—she had obtained the Witch pathway's potion formula. Yes, once she attained her freedom, she intended to switch to the Witch pathway and become a woman again.
Reading this, Edward couldn't help but applaud.
Her entire scheme—she had truly mastered the art of exploiting adjacent pathways.
Absolutely brilliant!
Edward even began to suspect whether everything this queen had once done in cooperation with Intis…had all been part of her plan from the very beginning.
If that were true, then she was terrifying beyond words.
A few minutes later, Dorian Sauron broke free from the Imperius Curse. Instinctively, she reached for her sealed artifact—only to find that the old man was long gone.
But she knew with certainty that he must have used some means to read her memories. Her expression darkened as she gripped the throne with white-knuckled fingers and muttered, "Zaratul…"
———
No. 15, Emerald Street.
The night was utterly still.
Aside from the faint yellow glow coming from a bedroom on the second floor, the surroundings were drowned in a deep black tinged with crimson.
Edward slipped silently into the villa. Apart from two maids and the mistress of the house, there was no one else inside.
He had come for one reason—to test the waters and see what depths that black-robed woman truly possessed.
"Come in."
Just as he reached the bedroom door, a soft, calm voice drifted out.
Edward frowned. His Space Concealment as a Sequence 3 should have been flawless—so perfect that even a Sequence 2 Beyonder shouldn't have been able to detect him this easily.
But since he had already been discovered, there was no point continuing to hide.
He flipped a gold coin, passed straight through the wall, and entered the room.
Inside, Krismona sat cross-legged on her bed, wearing a thin black nightdress. Her long hair cascaded loosely over her shoulders, and in her hands she held an open book. When she looked up and saw him, a flicker of surprise crossed her eyes.
"Zaratul? What are you doing here in the middle of the night?"
Edward's tone was deliberately rough and teasing. "There's been such a huge incident in Trier—of course I had to come back and take a look."
"Take a look? At what? Wasn't the beating I gave you last time enough?"
"…"
Edward froze, his grin faltering.
What the hell? Zaratul had no dignity in the past? She even beat him up?
If she had dared to strike even Zaratul…this woman might be far more dangerous than he had imagined.
"Heh."
Krismona suddenly set her book aside and smiled. "You're not Zaratul."
"Oh? So the one from last time was you, too?"
"I don't know what you're talking about. Of course I'm Zaratul."
She shrugged lightly. "Fine, fine, let's say you are. What brings you to me at this hour?"
"I just came from the Intis royal palace."
"Oh?"
"The king of Intis told me it was you who sealed away the Conqueror beneath Trier?"
Krismona nodded. "That's right. Is he your friend? Did you come to avenge him?"
"Of course not. I have a grudge with him myself."
"Oh, then you're welcome. Though, if you're feeling guilty about benefiting from my work, I suppose I could reluctantly accept a token of your gratitude."
Edward: "…"
This so-called Demoness of Catastrophe doesn't quite match the image of a terrifying embodiment of disaster…Why does she sound so cheeky?
"That fellow owed me something before you sealed him."
She sighed regretfully. "Then that's unfortunate. Unless a true god intervenes, his seal won't be undone for another two hundred years."
"Ah—wait." She blinked in sudden realisation. "Don't tell me you came here to demand compensation because I sealed him up?"
"That's…not it."
Edward thought for a moment before saying, "To tell the truth, I was one of the people entrusted by Him to protect those brass rods."
Krismona raised an eyebrow. "Didn't you just say you were Zaratul?"
"…"
"Pfft."
Krismona covered her mouth and laughed softly. "Alright, alright. Let's just say Zaratul can accept commissions too. Go on—I have very good self-control. I usually don't laugh…unless I can't help it."
"…"
Edward took a deep breath. "He said you're a traitor to the Demoness Sect, that you've turned against them."
"Yes, that's true."
"Can I ask…why did you become their enemy? I once heard a saying: All witches are children of the Primordial Demoness. The higher the Sequence, the closer one gets to Her. How did you manage to stand against Her?"
Krismona tilted her head, pinching her chin thoughtfully. "Hmm…perhaps it's because all the other witches are the 'children' of the Primordial Demoness in the mystical sense, while I'm Her biological child."
"…What?"
"If you don't get it, forget it." She smiled faintly. "I've already answered your question. Shouldn't you answer one of mine now?"
Edward nodded. "Of course."
Resting her cheek on her palm, Krismona tilted her head and looked at him. "Then tell me—what exactly did you come here for in the middle of the night?"
As she spoke, she lifted one hand. At her fingertips, almost invisible threads of light began to shimmer into existence, spreading outward in all directions, weaving through the air until they layered and crisscrossed, wrapping Edward in a delicate but deadly web.
If she so much as moved her fingers, she could instantly shred him into pieces—his spiritual intuition screamed that even activating [Wandering] might not save him in time.
Edward's heart lurched. He hadn't even noticed when she had set this up.
Good thing I can cancel the summoning at any time.
"Answer carefully," she said softly. "Even the real Zaratul would know to behave himself in this situation."
Edward exhaled slowly. "I came to ask you about someone."
"Speak."
"Lilith…"
The moment the name left his mouth, a suffocating wave of danger exploded from all directions.
Swish!
In an instant, the entire room was sliced into dust.
"He escaped?"
Krismona's eyes gleamed, her expression tinged with surprise.
She couldn't be sure about other witches, but she herself knew—when she had enough time to lay down her webs, she could seriously wound or kill almost anyone of the same Sequence. After all, she was not merely a Sequence 2.
"Who exactly is that man…?" she murmured. "Mama, do you know?"
A gentle, playful voice replied from within her chest. "No idea, little Krismona."
From her chest, a translucent arm extended outward. With a light wave, time seemed to rewind—the destroyed room rapidly reassembled itself until it looked exactly as it had before.
"But I think…"
Lilith withdrew her hand, her voice soft and serene. "He might not bear me any malice. If there's a chance to meet him again, it'd be better to ask clearly before taking action."
"Alright, Mama."
"Mmhm…I'm sleepy. Time for a nap."
She yawned. "Once I've had my rest, it'll be time for me to set out as well."
———
Back home, Edward immediately reverted to his child form. He kicked off his shoes with a few quick motions, then threw himself onto the bed with a heavy thud, waving his arms excitedly.
"Ahhh! That feels so good!"
It was like finally taking off a heavy coat after wearing it for far too long—an indescribable lightness straight from the heart.
Damn, at this rate I'm really going to get used to this kid's body…
Thinking back to the danger just now, he couldn't help but feel a chill of lingering fear.
That saying's really true—anyone who's survived long in the world of Mysteries is a cunning bastard through and through!
That witch had seemed all smiles and mischief on the surface, but in truth, she'd quietly dug a pit for him the whole time, ready to kill him at any moment. If not for his special abilities, he might have really died there.
Still, the moment he mentioned "Lilith," she had attacked instantly.
Was it because she bore a grudge against Lilith—or because she was close to her?
He frowned. I'll have to find a way to confirm that.
If they were enemies, that would be fine. But if they were friends…did that mean the one who almost killed him just now would get off scot-free?
No way. That's not sitting right with me at all!
He suddenly stiffened, sitting up straight, his small face furrowed in deep thought as his fingers tapped rapidly against his thigh.
Wait, that's not right. Judging from my behaviour and emotions tonight, my previous assumption was probably wrong. The influence from Bernadette's memories…isn't some kind of rebellious streak.
Compared to before, his emotions now swayed more easily—acting on impulse, making rash decisions, showing his feelings openly without thinking of consequences.
The more Edward thought about it, the darker his expression became.
"This isn't rebellion…it's childishness! No—my behaviour just now was completely that of a kid!"
"…"
Damn it!
The only good news was that he wasn't always in that state. Normally, he could still think and reason calmly, just like before.
But did that really matter?
When the moment of crisis came, that childish impulse would take over completely—he'd go, 'Screw logic!' and just charge in.
In any other world, that might not be too bad—but in the world of Mysteries, where every being was a scheming old fox, that was fatal.
Edward scratched his head. Then again…even when I'm "normal," I can't outscheme those monsters. Maybe not overthinking and going wild could actually help me catch them off guard once in a while…
But then he smacked himself on the forehead. "Didn't I learn anything from how the God of Combat died? His fists were powerful enough, sure—but one backstab and he was gone! And I think I can just swing wildly and win? Too naive!"
He stood up and began pacing back and forth across the bed, hands clasped behind his back—only to stop abruptly a few steps later.
Wait…isn't pacing like this also a childish habit now?
He immediately sat down cross-legged, resting his chin on his palm, leg bouncing restlessly.
But after a few seconds, he frowned again, doubting that posture too—so he switched between sitting, standing, lying down, and crouching…
"Aaagh! I'm so sick of this!"
———
[Note]: Don't forget to VOTE. It keeps me motivated.