"He thinks what?!" Klein asked calmly.
"I know! It makes absolutely no sense at all!" Irina even threw her arms into the air for emphasis. "Like, genuinely, where did he even get the idea from?!"
Klein leaned back on the now very familiar sofa, staring at nothing in particular as he retraced the events of the past few days, but nothing felt out of the ordinary.
I never acted like that, did I? It wasn't part of the plan either. Gehrman and Elena are supposed to be two adventurers traveling together. The first insane and the other calm, but both powerful.
His mind kept circling through the memories: the voyage aboard the White Agate, the incident at Bany Harbor, Danitz's near-death, and even their current stay at the Azure Inn. Nothing matched the pirate's bizarre interpretation of their relationship. And Alger too? How did Mr. Hanged Man even get involved in this misunderstanding?!
After several minutes of silence, Klein finally gave up trying to decipher Danitz's logic. He sighed, sinking deeper into the cushions. "This is... certainly unexpected," he concluded.
"You tell me!" Irina grumbled, swaying side to side on the sofa in sheer frustration. "This ruins my plans! How am I supposed to come out as powerful when he thinks I'm not even a beyonder?!"
Klein's expression grew serious. He began rapping his fingers against his thigh in thought, while Irina brooded beside him. How is it that every single time I try to plan something, it all just falls apart?! Am I THAT bad?!
"Actually," Klein said suddenly, "it might work in your favour."
"Huh?" Irina stopped mid-motion, focusing on him. "How?"
"You'll just have to adjust it a little," he explained. "But the core of your plan can stay the same."
"... elaborate."
"Removing what Danitz and his captain now think, the facts remain unchanged," Klein began. "From their perspective, you always come out on top. Even when you didn't apparently do anything, you still benefited."
"Yes?"
"If he spreads that around, everyone's expectations of you will drop. That makes your eventual reveal even more impactful. If played right, you could even pass for a Sequence 4. It would paint you as a mysterious, powerful beyonder who follows Gehrman out of boredom or amusement rather than need."
"Wouldn't that ruin your image?" Irina asked with concern. I can find another way for myself, but Klein needs to ascend quickly, before that monocle freak shows up.
"Not necessarily," he replied. "Especially if you're revealed as at least a Demigod. That sun attack you used was extremely powerful. With some refinement, it could easily pass for a much higher-sequence ability." Klein sounded confident.
Hmm... that could work, Irina mused, tilting her head thoughtfully. But it will delay the reveal. I'd have to wait for Danitz to share his 'findings' with the people he knows.
Then again, this plan also fits Alger's impression of me.
"That would seal Mr. World's connection to Ms. Hierophant," she said aloud, "and eventually the churches will know about it. I risk them figuring out I'm a lower sequence beyonder."
"No," Klein countered, "the Tarot Club won't leak the identity of a 'Goddess' walking the earth. To outsiders, you'd just appear to be a mid- to high-sequence beyonder."
Irina considered his words carefully. There didn't seem to be any real flaws in his reasoning. "Well... might as well go with it, I guess. In that case, I'll delay the reveal until we meet higher-level beyonders. If they fall for it, the digestion will progress much faster."
Both Anderson and Cattleya are sequence 5, if they fall for it I'm pretty sure I can consider the potion digested. In that case, I should focus on finding the formula for Dweller of Time...
Klein nodded in agreement, and after a few quick refinements to their future act, the two left Alexandria.
At a quarter past eleven that evening, Irina and Klein sat respectively on the sofa and the chair, both watching blankly as Danitz performed the Soulfall Ritual. They memorized every detail of the process in silence.
Act nonchalant and calm but still interested in any kind of entertainment. Easy enough, no?
Irina's attention returned to the ritual just as the various items on the altar began to float—everything except the three candles.
Danitz shuddered violently, his expression turning cold.
Moments later, a distinctly feminine voice echoed from his lips. "Good evening."
Goddess, that sounds weird. Irina cringed inwardly. And why does she sound angry, like someone just woke her up? Her poor beauty sleep...
Klein hesitated only briefly before speaking. "I have a way to find the Admiral of Blood."
"What?" Edwina Edwards' voice—collected and emotionless once more—responded through Danitz.
"They use the latest wireless telegraphy technology," Klein said simply. "I received the frequencies and passcodes from White Shark."
"Wireless telegraphy? You know such things?" Edwina's voice carried a faint surprise through Danitz's lips, clearly not expecting Gehrman Sparrow to also dabble in modern radio communication technology.
Klein offered a simple polite smile. "A little."
Edwina was silent for two seconds, then asked through Danitz, "Have they discovered that?"
"Perhaps. But we can try."
Her tone shifted, calmly evaluating the possibilities. "I'll have Danitz help with the surveillance."
Klein grinned faintly. "Okay."
Cool. It's as if I didn't even exist during their conversation. Irina thought with mild irritation. Other than a single glance at the beginning, Edwina had completely ignored her.
Alright, I either have to do my reveal in front of Anderson—who's already Sequence 5—or Cattleya for the same reason. Either works to be honest. I just have to play the long game.
When the Soulfall Ritual ended, Danitz watched Gehrman Sparrow take out a sizable piece of machinery and its matching accessories with a complex expression.
Irina slipped away soon after. I'll wake up once the radio transceiver began its 'act' anyway.
Sometime later, Danitz didn't know how long, he was jolted awake by the sound of rhythmic clicks echoing in the dark.
What?
He turned uncomfortably and squinted toward the source of the noise.
Under the serene glow of the moonlight, the radio transceiver was working on its own, the device spitting out faintly glowing, illusory sheets of white paper one after another.
"...what's this?" Danitz muttered, conjuring small flames in his palms as he crept closer, heart hammering in his chest.
The scene reminded him far too much of the horror stories pirates liked to tell after too much rum—tales of haunted ships, cursed compasses, and whispering relics.
There's a problem with the radio transceiver? Did it connect to an evil spirit?!
He made up his mind then and there: the moment something truly strange happened, he'd yell for Gehrman Sparrow at once.
What Danitz didn't realize was that both Klein and Irina had silently opened their doors, standing quietly in the shadows, observing him.
Klein focused on the scene with a serious look, meanwhile Irina's face carried a mischievous grin, this time not hidden by her large blue scarf.
Hello Arrodes, she almost said out loud. We finally meet~
As Danitz drew closer to the transceiver, he saw several lines of ancient Feysac forming on the illusory paper. "Hello. I sense a familiar but unique aura, but it's about to dissipate."
"...hello," Danitz ventured cautiously. "Who are you?"
The radio transceiver clicked rapidly again before spitting out another strip of glowing white paper. "My name is Arrodes. In exchange, you have to answer one of my questions."
A question? Danitz blinked. This strange radio transceiver is... interesting.
He cleared his throat, trying to sound composed. "You can ask, but I might not answer."
Hehe, you think I'm one of those idiotic adventurers or archaeologists who die from their own curiosity? he thought smugly. Not me.
The device clacked again, faster this time, before producing another strip, its words this time appearing in red ink: "Do you have a secret crush on your Captain?"
"... no! Don't speak nonsense! Who—who told you that?!" Danitz's face flushed red.
Irina immediately cast her new Clown spell, suppressing her laughter and emotions as tightly as possible. After all, she didn't want the poor pirate to notice her standing in the door.
Danitz stood frozen, mortified. The secret he had buried deep for so many years had just been dragged into the open by a normal item. He was ashamed, embarrassed, and utterly confused. How could anyone possibly know? I've never told a soul...
He forced out a fake smile. "What a silly question, I refuse to answer!"
The radio clicked again, faster, livelier, and another paper slid out: "Then let's change the question. If you really don't like her, who can endure such dry and boring lessons? Isn't that right?"
"No! It's because I'm not strong enough to beat her!" Danitz blurted out, his expression twisting in frustration.
The transceiver's clicking quickened to a feverish rhythm. Another strip of paper appeared, and the words seemed to pulse faintly with crimson glow: "A lie. Let's change the question. The type of female you like is beautiful, powerful, mysterious, intelligent, and someone who can step over you, right?"
Irina's entire body began shaking at the words, the clown spell not being enough to suppress them. Gold—this is GOLD!
"..." Danitz's lips quivered as he felt heat rush up his body, flames flickering to existence in his fist and smoke rising from them.
At that moment, it was as if his mind had exploded. He felt utterly exposed, as if someone had stripped him naked and tossed him into a busy street.
Subconsciously, he glanced around in panic, searching the room and trying to avoid any gazes that might have landed on him and seen the event.
Then he froze.
The master bedroom door was open, and Elena was leaning casually against the doorframe. She wore an intricate nightgown, crimson moonlight catching on the fine details of the fabric, but worst of all, she was smiling.
That damn teasing smile plastered across her face sent a jolt of mortification through him.
What kind of reaction is that supposed to be?! It's not like you can actually read what's on the paper from all the way over there! If it was your boyfriend, though, I'd actually be worried—
Instinctively, Danitz turned toward Gehrman Sparrow's room. His heart sank when he saw the man standing there quietly in an untucked white shirt with loose sleeves and black trousers. It was impossible to tell how long he'd been watching.
"You... when did you come out?" Danitz stammered, face blank and voice trembling.
Please tell me you just opened the door! He prayed inwardly.
Klein stepped forward, calm as ever, and replied, "From the beginning."
As a Seer, how could I not sense the strange activity outside? Even asleep, my spiritual intuition remains active, Klein thought, suppressing a chuckle.
Danitz's face turned ghostly pale. He spun halfway around and lunged toward the radio transceiver that seemed possessed by an evil spirit, desperate to tear apart the illusory paper covered in those humiliating questions.
But his fingers passed straight through the glowing script, unable to grab anything.
With growing panic, Danitz conjured a scarlet-red fireball in his palm, ready to blow the damn machine to pieces.
And then Gehrman Sparrow's cold gaze cut toward him.
He froze instantly.
... right. This is his, he realized, lowering his hand. He stepped aside as Gehrman walked past him, stopping before the uncanny device.
From her spot near the door, Irina's grin slowly softened. Good lord, I actually feel bad for him, she thought, the teasing glint fading from her eyes. I'd hate having my feelings and secrets dragged out like that. She stepped forward, her bare feet walking just above the ground on an invisible shield spell she kept casting at quick speed, and joined Klein's side.
Danitz, meanwhile, glanced sideways at the two of them, like a prisoner awaiting the noose.
When Gehrman's expression remained unchanged, Danitz let out a tiny sigh of relief. At least the man watching him was a madman, not a normal human being. A madman wouldn't care about such things.
If it were any other pirate, he thought bitterly, I'd be too embarrassed to ever return to the Golden Dream. No... I'd be too embarrassed to even set foot on a ship again!
He cast another hateful glance at the radio transceiver, the so-called demon who called itself Arrodes.
And why is that woman still smiling?! There's no way she read it from that far away! Why is she so confusing?! And that damn smile—!
Before he could spiral further, the machine clicked again. Another strip of white paper slid out with neat words printed in Loenese: "Your loyal and humble servant, Arrodes, is honoured to follow in your footsteps once again, constantly at your service."
"... this isn't the same evil spirit as that Arrodes from before, right?" Danitz muttered, face twitching. The entire night felt surreal, like a fever dream.
Still, Irina noted inwardly, he should count himself lucky he didn't get struck by lightning. This isn't the physical mirror, after all.
Klein turned his head slightly toward Danitz and said, "Go out and guard the door."
"... alright!"
Without hesitation, Danitz bolted out, slamming the door behind him. The last thing he wanted was for that demon to start asking him new questions.
When the room fell quiet again, Klein turned back toward the radio transceiver—connected now to the sealed artefact Arrodes—and said evenly, "I have some questions."
The device clacked rapidly in response, spitting out another line of words: "This is my honor. Can I address you as Master? The great existence above the spirit world?"
Klein frowned slightly. You're too obsequious... and too shameless. Why do I have the nagging feeling something's wrong?
He thought for a moment, then replied calmly, "You can use any form to address me."
"Yes, Master!" Arrodes wrote, with an unmistakable exclamation mark. "What's your question?"
"Where can I find mermaids?" Klein asked directly.
Irina reviewed the exchange quietly, cross-checking with what she remembered from the novel. No changes here, she noted to herself with a small nod.
The machine clacked again, and new words appeared: "Is your female companion trustworthy?"
Irina frowned slightly. What kind of question is that? That's not how it went in the original novel!
Klein's expression didn't waver. "Of course," he replied calmly.
Arrodes' reply never came.
For several long seconds, the radio transceiver remained eerily silent—as if it had simply stopped working out of nowhere.
The machine that moments ago had been brimming with restless energy now looked dull and lifeless.
Irina frowned, tilting her head. That's not right. That's not how Arrodes usually acts at all... just what is going on?
She met Klein's questioning gaze and could only shrug helplessly. "I don't have the faintest clue."
Just as she finished speaking, the device clacked to life again, spitting out one final line of text: "The aura above the spirit world is about to disappear. I await the next opportunity to be at your service, great Master."
After the last illusory sheet of paper slid out, the radio transceiver fell completely silent once more, its ominous atmosphere fading like a receding tide.
Danitz was soon permitted to return in the room.
He glanced at Gehrman with an awkward smile. "You won't tell anyone what you just saw, will you?"
Klein didn't answer with a simple yes or no. Instead, he halted midway to his bedroom and said flatly, "That was a question."
"Right, right, a question! That was a slanderous question with no basis!" Danitz said quickly, voice rising in nervous excitement. "Besides, I also gave a negative answer."
Mwahaha! You asked him and not me! Irina thought gleefully as she walked back toward her own room. Oh, I'll have a field day with Fors once we meet properly~
Klein gave a slight nod. "I will clarify this with your captain."
You cruel, merciless man! Irina nearly burst into laughter but managed to restrain herself. Don't you dare 'clarify' this without me present!
"Clarify..." Danitz froze, his mouth half-open, expression twisted in dread.
He was a somewhat knowledgeable man, and that alone saved him from further humiliation. Forcing a grin, he quickly shifted the subject. "Is there anything I can do for you?"
Klein drew in a deep breath, invoking his Clown powers to keep his face straight. "Monitor it well."
"Yes, alright!" Danitz replied instantly.
As Gehrman turned to walk away, Danitz hesitated. "You're... not going to clarify this with Captain, right?"
Klein's hand rested on the door handle. Without turning, he said with a perfect and even tone, "Monitor it well."
He pushed open the door and stepped inside. Before the grin threatening to break across his face could escape, he closed the door behind him.
Irina, now inside her bedroom, pressed both hands over her mouth to keep from laughing out loud—her Clown abilities not yet fully under control. Even so, a wide, ridiculous smile was plastered across her face as she skipped back to bed, having completely forgotten the earlier incident with Arrodes.
The next morning, Klein left after breakfast as usual. Irina, meanwhile, spent her time inside. She scribbled pages of notes filled with complex spells, refining her new ones—especially an improved version of her 'sun' attack—this time inspired by the abilities of higher sequences.
Later that day, Klein returned to the Azure Inn. The moment he opened the door, he spotted Danitz sitting before the radio transceiver, his expression grave and strangely stiff.
"Got something?" Klein asked, his voice low.
"No, no." Danitz raised his right hand, shaking a few papers as though they'd betrayed him. "My bounty! My bounty has been raised to five thousand five hundred pounds..."
That amount was nearly on par with Steel Maveti's bounty!
Because of it, he didn't even dare step outside to drink or relax. All he could do was sit in the room, listening anxiously for any signals.
This is turning out to be very tempting... Klein thought dryly. After a moment's pause, he said without emotions, "This is just the beginning, Mr. Ten-Thousand-Pounds."
... dogsh*t! Danitz cursed inwardly but dared not show a hint of disrespect on his face.
From the next room, Irina—who was quietly eavesdropping—had to clamp her hands over her mouth again, using her Clown powers to suppress a laugh. I've said it before, and I'll say it again: if I ever mess up my acting, it'll be because of you, Danitz!
All of those things were done by Gehrman Sparrow! Why did it end up increasing my bounty?! Those sons of b'tches from the Church of Storms! Danitz forced a smile, his facial muscles twitching in visible pain.
Klein held back his amusement, ignored him, and turned toward his bedroom to catch up on sleep—only to freeze in the doorway.
Two things immediately caught his attention.
First: Irina was there, sitting comfortably in one of the chairs, waving at him with a bright, innocent smile. Why is she here?
Second: a letter had materialized out of thin air, drifting gently down from midair before landing on the floor right in front of him.
Klein raised his right hand and caught the letter midair.
The messenger hadn't even shown its face, it just threw the letter and vanished. He frowned slightly, fingers tightening around the envelope. He wanted to read it immediately, but his gaze shifted toward Irina instead. She only smiled wider, eyes gleaming with amusement, and pointed encouragingly at the letter.
Seeing she wasn't in any rush, he opened it and began to read.
While Klein studied the methods Azik had suggested, Irina could barely contain her excitement. Being locked in a room all day got so boring after a while! The local library didn't even have that many novels, and the rest of the books were just plain boring. Writing spells day after day is tiring!
Unable to keep her energy in check, she started swinging her legs back and forth, humming quietly to herself. I even made sure to come to Klein's room while Danitz went to the toilet, she thought gleefully. That way he didn't even notice! Who knows what he'd think if he saw me here...
When Klein finally looked up from the letter, he immediately caught the spark of excitement dancing in her expression.
"In a good mood?" he asked.
"Of course! I get to explore the spiritual world with you today, hehe~"
Klein opened his mouth, ready to ask just how she even knew he was planning to do that, but he stopped himself with a quiet sigh. Not worth it.
Really, he mused, I'm supposed to be the Seer here, yet it feels like she's the one with better knowledge of the future.
"Alright," he said instead, "but I'm doing it by summoning myself. Have you ever done that before?"
"Uh... nope." Irina tilted her head, thinking. "I did sacrifice and later bestow a couple things, but I never did that."
"I can walk you through it," Klein said. "You should be able to do the same thing with the library, since you said those two are very similar."
Irina just nodded happily and stood up, ready to follow his instructions.
After confirming through divination that it wasn't considered dangerous, Klein took out the Dark Emperor card, naturally altered his image, and stepped into the Door of Summoning.
Once he entered the real world, he immediately spotted Irina already floating around, sticking her head through walls as if inspecting the place.
He stared blankly up ahead. Why do I suddenly feel like I'm babysitting a child?
Clearing his throat, he caught her attention. Irina jumped back, floating down to join him on the ground near their real bodies.
Blinking several times, she turned between Klein's armored form and his unconscious body, eyes wide with fascination. She even grabbed his black-armored shoulders and pulled him slightly closer to compare. "This is truly perfect. There's absolutely no resemblance at all!"
Klein sighed. "And you look exactly the same. Come on, take Creeping Hunger and Azik's copper whistle."
Irina wrinkled her nose. "It feels weird to just touch them like that, like—look!"
Instead of listening, she started moving her arm through Klein's physical body.
Nothing happened as her hand simply phased through, like mist. "This is so weird! You can't tell me that the first time you did this, you didn't mess around just to see what you could do. It's so cool!"
Klein didn't answer—he only stared at her flatly, though there was a faint edge of discomfort in his eyes as she casually passed her arm through his head.
"Do it with yours then, it feels so weird," he said, turning toward her body.
"You actually feel something?" she asked.
"No, I don't." Klein exhaled, resigned. "I mean it's just... watching you drag your arm through my body is weird and morbid."
"Ohhh." Irina blinked, then continued moving her arm through her own chest this time as she looked back at him. "I hope I don't turn into some weird skeleton if I absorb that whistle."
"That's not what happened last time I did it—" Klein began but abruptly fell silent.
A strange light enveloped Irina, and he froze. It was as if his spiritual perception didn't exist at all. There had been no warning—no sign—nothing at all.
The light flashed, then faded just as quickly.
What it revealed made Klein's eyes widen and his body tremble.
Irina stood frozen, her eyes wide, pupils shrunken to pinpricks. Her arm still hovered halfway through her own chest—but that wasn't what horrified him.
It was her presence.
Her entire aura had changed—pressing, heavy, and suffocating. It poured over him from all directions, drowning him in an all-too-familiar feeling that clawed at his instincts.
Klein's voice came out low, shaken despite himself. "What... did you do?"
Her presence now strongly and unmistakably reminded Klein of the one time he had the misfortune of meeting the Warden of Irina's special library.
Not only that, but her form itself was shifting—there, and not there, all at once. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't make out any of her distinctive features.
Everything about her swirled together in a blur; her outline flickered, fading in and out of existence. His mind screamed that she was right there in front of him—yet his eyes told him otherwise.
Just like when she hides herself in that library... like the gray fog.
While Klein's thoughts raced, Irina's mind was a storm of information, colliding and spiralling too fast for her to process. Her mouth opened but no sound came out.
Then she looked up.
Klein stood trembling before her, his expression somewhere between shock and dread. Something inside her twisted painfully—sadness, regret, realization—and she immediately cancelled the summoning.
In an instant, she was gone.
She reappeared back in Alexandria, no longer on the cold floor but sitting numbly on her sofa. Her body trembled faintly as she breathed out, the weight of her new findings settling over her.
With a flick of her wrist she summoned a mass of dark, swirling substance. Through it, she could see the hotel room and everything that was currently happening within.
She did it just in time to watch Klein cancel his summoning as well and vanish from sight. But that wasn't what caught her attention.
What mattered—what truly shook her—was the small piece of green glass lying neatly on her chest.
The one she had always carried with her, alongside her pocket mirror. The one she'd always dismissed as nothing more than decoration.
Even now, through the vision projected from the library, it looked the same—plain, unremarkable, ordinary. Nothing more than a fragment of pretty coloured glass.
And yet...
Irina kept staring. Nothing changed. The only thing that did was Klein's return to his body—his eyes flicking to her still-frozen form.
After a moment, he muttered a familiar prayer under his breath directed at her.
Irina exhaled softly and allowed him entry into the library. Then, with a weary sigh, she buried her head in her arms, resting her hands behind her neck, her shoulders curling inward.
Klein stood in silence for a while, watching her. Then he stepped closer and sat down beside her.
"Everything alright?" he asked quietly.
"I'm a walking magnet," she said simply.
"Magnet?" Klein repeated, confusion flickering in his tone before realization dawned on him.
"You mean the Law of Beyonder Characteristic Convergence? But doesn't everyone have that to some degree?"
Irina lifted her head, resignation heavy in her eyes. She pointed at the reflection within the dark mass—the one showing her body on the chair.
"Look at that stupid green piece of glass," she said tiredly. "Remember when you asked me about it?"
He nodded. "Yes. It's just some jewelry. When I divined about it above the gray fog, I got that same result, and so did you. We both saw that it had no spirituality whatsoever, nothing else."
"Yes," she said. "And we're both wrong."
Straightening her posture, Irina's eyes never left her own reflection.
"That," she said softly, "is made from three Sequence One characteristics merged into one."
Her voice grew quieter, but the weight behind it was palpable.
"One for each of the three interchangeable pathways: Bookworm, Sentinel, and Adventurer—or rather, Equilibrium, Sanctuary, and Void."