"Why did you attack Owen?"
Hearing the question, the "Scholar of Yore" Daphne Priestley took a moment to organize her thoughts before answering without reservation:
"To be honest, there were three main reasons for that.
"But looking back now… it all seems a little too coincidental.
"First, I happened to turn the Demoness of Affliction, Rena, into a marionette. From her, I learned about the grudge between Owen, herself, and her former wife, the Saintess of White, Katarina.
"Of course, that's not the key point. More importantly, I learned from her memories that Owen had once sent someone to make contact with Baron Larry of Loen — meaning he likely knew something about the Phantom Empire.
"And I, personally, have great interest in the legacy of Trunsoest.
"Second, the Prime Minister of the Delien family issued a covert commission to the Secret Order, requesting the assassination of Mr. Owen. Since I was already intent on obtaining intelligence from him, I took that commission myself. From the Delien family, I received Owen's itinerary and set up an ambush in advance.
"As for what happened afterward, you already know. To avoid alarming the authorities with a demigod-level battle, and to exploit Owen's lustful nature, I drew him into the Book of Virtues...
"Unfortunately, both the intelligence given by the Deliens and Rena's memories were heavily inaccurate. Not only did I fail to take him down quickly, I was forced into a corner instead — and in the end, he used that filthy trick of his to make me… flee in disgrace…"
At this point, Daphne's tone carried a hint of resentment — clearly frustrated that, as a Sequence 3, she had been defeated by a Sequence 4.
Indeed, as a Scholar of Yore, she couldn't make the historical projections summoned within the Book of Virtues perform real attacks. That limitation alone was infuriating… even more so since the battlefield had been of her own design.
The Prime Minister of the Delien family might be on the verge of madness, but he does know who his greatest threat truly is, Ebner thought to himself. Outwardly, he ignored her indignation and continued asking calmly:
"And the third reason?"
After taking a breath, Daphne went on: "The third reason is that many of the noble families in Trier don't want Owen returning to restrain the Prime Minister. They'd rather see the current Prime Minister continue making disastrous decisions that stir up public outrage — that way, future reforms will meet less resistance.
"The leading forces among them are the Surrey Family and the Sauron Family.
"So in addition to the Delien commission, there's actually a bounty on Owen in the black market as well.
"As far as I know, the one who issued the bounty was likely Miss Fanny Surrey — the political rising star of the Surrey Family…
"Though it's also possible that it came from the man supporting her — Viscount Ebner Bryan."
The hell? Ebner putting out a bounty on Owen… Does that mean I hired someone to kill myself? Ebner couldn't help but curse inwardly. Outwardly, he maintained composure, pondering for a moment before asking, "How did you manage to capture Katarina's former husband — in other words, that Demoness of Affliction, Rena?"
That coincidence did seem a bit suspicious. There might be someone else pulling strings behind the scenes.
Daphne glanced at Rena, who sat motionless in the chair with a monocle on her left eye, and spoke cautiously:
"The identity I currently use is that of a female member of Parliament. I keep a low profile, but it's inevitable that I have political enemies.
"When I used 'Spirit Channeling' on Rena before, I saw that she'd been sent by one of my political rivals — as a hired assassin.
"I didn't question it back then, but thinking about it now, there's something off… The result of that séance might not have been entirely true."
So she was deliberately sent to her death — and to deliver intelligence that would pique your interest in Owen… Ebner mused. That definitely smells like a setup.
Who could it be? One of Owen's old enemies? A rival in love? Someone he wronged? Honestly, a glance through Owen's memories could yield at least a dozen suspects… The man really did collect grudges like trophies.
Still, to manipulate a capable Demoness of Affliction like that… there aren't many with that level of skill.
And the person behind this probably isn't that strong — at least not confident enough to take Owen head-on. That's why they used someone from the Secret Order to do the dirty work.
Lastly, the mastermind must have some connection to the Order, or they wouldn't have known Daphne's obsession with the Phantom Empire.
As these thoughts flashed by, Ebner was about to ask another question when a knock sounded at the door of the living room.
"What is it?" Daphne asked after sensing that Ebner had voluntarily withdrawn the Wall of Spirituality.
She could tell it was her butler, so she added, "Come in."
The butler entered, his expression as composed as ever. He noticed the young man drinking tea on the sofa but seemed to regard him as nothing out of the ordinary. After bowing respectfully, he said,
"Madam, Inspector Russell is here to see you."
"Russell? Here to check if I'm dead already?" Daphne sneered before turning to explain to Ebner, "My political rival was promoted by Russell's recommendation. She's been scheming to take my seat for ages."
Russell? Ebner's eyes narrowed slightly. That Russell? The one tied to the murder case on my first trip to Trier — the one who used Roselle's Les Misérables as a blueprint for a 'Devil' ritual? The same Russell who sent Bianca to my home to spy on me?
Tsk. I haven't even made time to deal with you yet — and you've come knocking on my door?
Perfect. I'll settle this today.
With that thought, Ebner turned toward the living room window and softly called, "Yaloran."
Following his gaze, Daphne was startled to see a silver-haired, red-eyed beauty nodding ever so slightly in response.
A… an angel? Daphne's breath caught in awe. So not only has the Divine Emissary descended, even an angel serves the Lord personally! No wonder I couldn't move a muscle before offering up my faith…
Her expression relaxed into one of reverent understanding. To her, it was only natural that a true god would have angels in His service.
…
Meanwhile, in the sitting room, Inspector Russell sipped the tea offered by the servants, his brows furrowed slightly.
He didn't sense danger, yet a faint unease pricked at his instincts.
He'd come today, just as Daphne suspected, to check on the female parliamentarian's condition — after all, Rena had accepted the assassination mission two days ago, and since Daphne wasn't a Beyonder, the matter should've been resolved by now.
But suddenly, he looked up toward the ceiling. His body swelled violently, ripping his clothes apart inch by inch, until he stood as a massive figure nearly three meters tall.
His skin, though dim in tone, was dark and vile; a pair of curved ram horns jutted from his head, etched with countless occult markings. Behind him unfurled a pair of batlike wings wreathed in pale blue flame, reeking faintly of sulfur.
The instant Russell sensed the malicious intent targeting him, he transformed without hesitation into his Devil form — proof of how immense that pressure truly was.
"Who is it that dares to target me? And since I've already advanced to the rank of Devil, what kind of being could instill such terror in me?"
Even as the thought crossed his mind, Russell burst through the window and took to the streets.
But to his shock, there were no pedestrians, no buildings — only a vast emptiness dotted with faintly glowing white pillars in the distance.
Seeing this, he spread his wings and shot off in the opposite direction, trying to escape the unnatural scene.
Yet, no matter how far he flew, the pillars drew ever closer instead of fading away.
"What in the world…?"
The question barely formed in his mind before the pillars surged forward, filling his vision. A tremendous force pressed down upon him, slamming him into the ground and pinning him in place, completely immobilized.
"Mystic Recreation — Five Finger Mountain!"
(End of Chapter)