70. Miss
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"Eat slowly, don't choke yourself," Mother said, gently patting my back as I devoured the breakfast she had prepared, like a beast starved for a hundred days. "Geez, what happened to you?" she complained, though a warm smile lingered on her lips as she set about making even more breakfast for me.
I'd taken it all for granted until now—last night's feast had been incredible, and Mother's breakfast was just as delicious! Huu… the spices truly amplified every flavor a hundredfold.
"You'll make yourself sick if you eat that much," Mother scolded me again. I did feel a little bloated, but the satisfaction lingering in my chest made it completely worth it.
Thinking about everything I'd eaten over the past month… ugh, I really had to be careful not to puke myself. The meat itself wasn't bad, but where it had come from was another story entirely.
"See, you've eaten too much," Mother scolded, giving me a playful chop on the head. She must have thought my sigh was from her warning.
"Hehe, I can't help myself when you make something so good, Mom," I said. She chopped my head again—why, I wondered? Isn't a little praise supposed to make the world peaceful and free of wars?
Click.
The sound of Father's coffee cup drew our attention. He had never made a sound like that before, so when it happened, it was clearly deliberate—a call for our notice.
He slowly folded his newspaper. "Be careful when making connections. Intis's ambassador was assassinated recently, and no one knows what kind of repercussions this will cause." His words seemed aimed more at Mother than at me.
"You don't have to worry. I'm already aware of that," Mother explained, though lately she had been attending more and more parties as the CEO of the booming new fashion industry. As the owner, she now enjoyed a fair share of recognition among the nobility, though she had no real intention of immersing herself in high society.
"Mhm." Father nodded, apparently satisfied with Mother's explanation, and returned to reading the latest news from Backlund. Meanwhile, Mother, with a smile on her face, approached him.
Chop.
She playfully tapped his head as well, causing Father to nearly drop the coffee in his hand. I think he wore the same stunned expression I did.
"Just because," Mother said, reading his face, and offered an even brighter smile.
"…" We were left utterly speechless.
***
After the usual uneventful morning in class, I made my way to the outskirts of the city. Once I found a secluded spot free of onlookers, I began testing my abilities one by one, starting with Detection—just to be sure no one was secretly observing me.
I might not be able to detect those from the Evernight Pathway with her concealment skills, but I hadn't done anything that would draw their attention anyway. Even if I had caught her gaze, unless I stopped using my powers entirely in Backlund, I wouldn't be able to hide from her. In that sense, it made no difference at all.
"Just like before, I can feel my overall abilities have improved." The aftereffects of using Detection were now only half as intense as before. My Thread had also grown stronger, strong enough that it should now serve as a bulletproof shield against a handgun.
The force of Repellent Evil Eye had also increased significantly. My physical abilities had improved, and I could sense that my poison had grown more potent, though I couldn't measure its strength at the moment.
Uriel's Stigma remained unchanged, and the Devil's Footprint appeared the same—or so I thought. Yet, they too seemed stronger. Perhaps it was because my enhanced physical abilities made me sturdier, allowing me to wield and withstand more of that power.
I tried using Petrifying Evil Eye on a nearby insect. It was difficult to gauge the effect when targeting their senses of sight or hearing, but disrupting their sense of balance worked like a miracle. After that, I ran a few tests on other small animals, and the results were just as promising. It's a very effective support ability, though it requires me to focus my eyesight more intently than with Repellent Evil Eye.
And finally… Today's cream on top.
Following the knowledge in my mind, I tried to use Dark Bullet.
Then, strange rectangular blocks appeared, circling around me. From the center of that circle, a Dark Bullet was fired, like the barrel of a gun.
Each time I used Dark Bullet, the rectangles would form first, followed by the bullet shooting from the center. It was like a magic circle specifically for the Dark Bullet. The knowledge I had gained from my advancement also indicated that it was impossible to fire a Dark Bullet without those rings of rectangles.
The power was comparable to a regular firearm, which was quite impressive. For now, I specialized more in running away than fighting, but having another tool to attack an enemy was a welcome addition. I would need to explore more combinations with this new ability later—but for now, I had to start heading back, or I'd be late.
After erasing as many traces as I could, I left the place.
***
The sun was about to set, but the smog in Backlund had blocked nearly all the sunlight, making it feel as though night had already fallen—at least in Backlund itself. It was the usual time to meet up with Emily. Even after Mother had finished making the doll's outfit, I still spent time with him, sometimes lending a hand with his work.
Audrey was the new chick just out of her shell. Fors wasn't particularly interested in Beyonders to begin with. Xio had some information, but it was at the level of a casual, unofficial Beyonder—barely more than rumors. She had connections with MI6, but since she was employed by them, very little valuable intelligence actually reached her.
Emlyn, on the other hand, had his sanguine background. With just a little flattery toward the Sanguine family, he would easily open his mouth—truly a golden goose, whether for money or information.
But today, he wasn't at his usual residence. I tried to locate the White family's doctor, only to find that he, too, was missing.
With no other choice, I headed back, my mind spinning over the reasons for his disappearance. Then, a sudden thought flashed through my head: Ah—he must have been caught by Earth Mother.
I suppose there was no other way. I decided to stop worrying about it. He would find Klein soon enough.
…
Meanwhile,
"Chief, look at this!" A young man, slightly older than Chris, carried a strange, rusted, old-looking box toward his master, Grandar Diffodil. "They say Roselle's secret invention is hidden inside this."
"Isn't it just a scam?" Grandar asked, having encountered this sort of scheme more times than he could count.