"An evil god's heir, an imminent divine emissary, and a Spectator lurking in the shadows…" Klein listened to Mr. Devil's muttering prayer, his expression growing graver by the second.
Tingen was a minor third-tier city, barely a third-rate town by pre-transmigration standards. Its only claim to fame was its cluster of higher education institutions, akin to a university town.
Such a city naturally received little official attention. The Church of the Evernight Goddess's strongest asset here was Captain Dunn, a Sequence 7 Nightmare.
For Tingen, whether it was the fate-manipulating Spectator, the arriving Aurora Order emissary, or the Fallen Creator's heir, any one was an unbearable burden.
But what could he do?
Report it? Would such a vague, sourceless claim be taken seriously? He couldn't exactly say he saw it in a divination.
Pacing above the gray fog, Klein mulled it over. Finally, he extended his spirituality, pulling Devil onto the gray fog…
…
Feeling the sudden surge of deep crimson light, Snow froze briefly. Then, his spiritual body materialized above the gray fog.
He's pulling me up directly? Klein's still quite green at this point! Snow thought, smirking inwardly. On the surface, he adopted a reverent posture, hand to chest, bowing deeply. In a tone befitting a devout follower, he said,
"Honorable Mr. Fool, how may I serve you?"
Straight to asking for orders? Devil's got some serious devotion! Klein quipped bitterly to himself, adopting the pleased tone of a lofty superior.
"I found your recent prayer intriguing. Care to elaborate?"
"As you wish." Snow bowed again, then began,
"You may recall I mentioned two Secret Supplicants planting a seed in Tingen. My investigation pointed to a Trickmaster named Lanevus. After a brief probe, I decided to leak his existence to a peripheral member of the Secret Order. While the Secret Order and Aurora Order aren't direct enemies, the Secret Order's potential plans in Tingen would make them wary of an evil god's arrival. Plus, they're adept at tracking people."
Problem is, you didn't pick a Secret Order member! Klein screamed internally, maintaining a facade of listening to a detective story. Tapping the table lightly, he said with interest,
"A clever plan. And then?"
"After setting up the commission, I planned to monitor the Secret Order's peripheral member to contact their Tingen higher-ups. But I unexpectedly spotted a woman carrying the True Creator's heir. As a Secret Supplicant, I'm highly sensitive to the True Creator's divinity. One glance confirmed it's undeniably an evil god's heir."
True Creator's heir… a woman… Lanevus… wait! Klein's pupils constricted. Thankfully, the gray fog hid his shock.
He suddenly recalled Miss Megose, and one detail snapped into focus—
Why did I 'forget' to use Spirit Vision?
It wasn't forgetfulness—his spirituality had been warning him!
Warning him not to gaze upon a god!
It was that close! Klein's heart pounded with dread. Snow continued,
"Fearing the heir might sense me, I left immediately and wrote to the Aurora Order's divine emissary. Barring any surprises, he'll arrive in Tingen within two to three days to take the lady and her unborn heir. But I doubt it'll go smoothly."
"Oh? Why inform the Aurora Order's emissary?" Klein asked in a testing tone. From Mr. Devil's behavior, he showed no loyalty to the Aurora Order—quite the opposite, he seemed principled. Klein couldn't fathom why he'd report to them first.
To his surprise, Snow performed a grand, panicked bow, speaking nervously,
"Honorable Mr. Fool, I swear I'm not disloyal. But you seem to prefer we not spread your name, so I dared not trouble your angels. In this case, having the Aurora Order's emissary handle the evil god's heir seemed the best choice."
Snow paused, as if gauging Mr. Fool's mood. Seeing no anger over his perceived impiety, he continued,
"Tingen lacks strong official Beyonders. Whether Punishers, Machininary Hivemind, or Nighthawks, the strongest is Sequence 7. Even with high-grade Sealed Artifacts, they can only suppress Beyonders below Sequence 5. News of a likely demigod-level evil god's heir in Tingen would cause catastrophic casualties.
Backlund's different. Even excluding the royals, it hosts at least three angels and numerous demigods. An evil god's heir born there wouldn't cause much stir. Plus, the Aurora Order emissary's high profile means his trip from Backlund to Tingen might draw official attention, possibly bringing higher-sequence official Beyonders."
Not troubling my angels? You really think highly of me. Klein muttered inwardly but gave Snow's logic considerable credit.
About to end the conversation with an excuse, Klein suddenly recalled the "Spectator" issue. Snow's wariness of this pathway nagged at him, hinting at deeper secrets.
Asking directly risked exposing ignorance and denting his mystique. After a moment, he spoke in a tone implying he'd seen through everything.
"And?"
"…" Snow stifled a laugh. He'd planned to offer a step, but Mr. Fool played along perfectly. Nodding, he said,
"Your insight is unparalleled, Mr. Fool. Indeed, I've realized Tingen's events are orchestrated. A high-sequence Spectator—or someone wielding a high-sequence Spectator item—planned it all. The so-called evil god's heir is merely a pawn they 'created' for their goal. My attempt to drag the Secret Order into this was to muddy the waters. After all, as you know, Seers are the ones most likely to catch a Spectator's eye."
Tingen's mastermind is a Spectator? Seers attract their attention? But Mr. Devil, the Seer you roped in is your revered Mr. Fool!
(End of Chapter)