She suddenly furrowed her brow and asked, "But what if I hadn't escaped back then and had actually attempted the assassination? Facing four Sequence 5s, I definitely would have been taken down on the spot. So how exactly did they plan to assassinate that old man?"
"Either they calculated that you would definitely escape, or they had other contingencies prepared. It's also possible this was just a random attempt. In any case, judging by the outcome, their objective was achieved."
After all, looking at the original attempt by the Twilight Hermit Order to assassinate Duke Negan: even though the first attempt failed, Negan eventually died, and everyone involved was eliminated—leaving the Twilight Hermit Order hidden in the shadows, having advanced the so-called trend of the times.
What made Edward particularly wary was whether this assassination attempt had been arranged by that "Intis" and was deliberately aimed at himself—
If Intis had indeed hidden something important in this villa, there was no way they would lower their guard just because of the piece of "investigative intelligence" Edward previously provided. They would, while attempting to assassinate Count Clair, take the opportunity to probe the residents here, killing two birds with one stone.
If that were the case, this matter was far from over.
With that thought, Edward gestured and activated the Traveler's Door. "Let's go."
"To where?"
"To send you back to Feynapotter, Miss Accomplice in the Assassination of Count Clair."
"...Since when the hell did I become an accomplice? Who said I was an accomplice?!"
"After tonight, the whole of Trier will say exactly that."
"..."
Akasha clenched her fists, her blood-red eyes gleaming with righteous indignation. "Boss, Mr. Sparrow, I'm your housekeeper. Being tricked like this, used as a pawn, and nearly killed—how is that not the same as humiliating you? Such an insult—can you really endure it? Because I sure as hell can't!"
Edward glanced at her and said, "I can."
"No, I mean—you're a demigod! Where's your dignity? Shouldn't you strike back immediately?"
"If you really can't stomach it, then hurry back to Feynapotter, round up your parents, your grandfather, your great-grandfather, hell, your entire clan, and bring them here to avenge you."
She actually pondered seriously for a moment, then frowned. "But I don't even know who the hell they are."
Edward was about to say something when he suddenly arched an eyebrow and smiled slightly. "You might find out now."
"What?"
Edward didn't answer. Instead, the spiritual power of a demigod surged, and False Reality instantly blanketed the villa, bringing everything under his control.
"Let's go meet the person who actually attempted to assassinate Count Clair and see what their true identity is."
Edward knew very well the assassination attempt tonight originated from the Twilight Hermit Order. But the Order had a rule when "guiding the trend of the times": they never personally dirtied their hands.
The future assassination of Duke Negan had involved first contacting Qilangos and the Devil Families.
Tonight's attempt on Count Clair was no different—Akasha was merely one piece, paired with another "partner."
Akasha's eyes lit up. She cracked her knuckles eagerly. "Boss, please restrain him for me later. Let me finish him myself."
The two of them had barely descended the staircase when a man in a grey tweed coat and gentleman's hat, reeking of blood, walked straight through the wall.
Despite being only a few meters away from them, he seemed completely oblivious to their presence. He first smiled faintly and glanced at the stairway leading to the second floor, then proceeded directly toward the basement.
"Huh?"
Edward was surprised and stopped Akasha, who was about to rush forward. "Let's observe first."
The man strode swiftly into the basement, heading unerringly for a corner. He pressed a hand to the floor and channelled spirituality.
Accompanied by a creaking sound, the spot infused with spiritual power began to slowly contract, revealing inside a wrist-length metallic rod made of what appeared to be brass.
He bent over, reached out, grasped the rod, and slowly pulled it out with deliberate force and rotation.
The surface of the brass rod was engraved with shallow, circular patterns, but neither Edward nor the man seemed able to sense any extraordinary power or figure out what purpose it served.
After several minutes of examination, the man pulled out a black pouch, placed the brass rod inside, and turned to leave. His eyes gradually gleamed with a mixture of excitement and cruelty.
But at that very moment, he saw two figures appear as if from thin air directly behind him.
"Frenzy!"
Without hesitation, he unleashed the Psychiatrist's "Frenzy." His body instantly swelled, his skin darkened to pitch black, two curved, wickedly patterned goat horns sprouted from his head, and sulfurous wings unfurled from his back. His height surged to nearly three meters, transforming him into a demonic creature.
With a guttural roar, he lunged at Edward and Akasha.
"What the hell is that thing?"
Akasha was startled. She instinctively tugged Edward backwards—yet instead of retreating, he stepped forward, the ancient gears in his eyes beginning to turn.
The next moment, the charging "demon" rapidly shrank in size, and in the blink of an eye, reverted back to his previous human form. His eyes were filled with utter disbelief—he had just plummeted from Sequence 5 Shepherd to Sequence 6!
And this "regression" continued. Soon, he became Sequence 7!
Even for a frenzied fanatic like him, a chill ran down his spine at this point:
What on earth was happening?!
Edward extended a hand and stole the man's current thoughts, raising his brows slightly in surprise:
—Aurora Order?
Tsk, as expected, all the dirty and rotten schemes of this World, sooner or later, ended up connected to the Aurora Order.
After a brief consideration, Edward used the Invisible Hand to grasp the man and, together with Akasha, teleported them to the outskirts of Trier city.
The instant they landed, the Shepherd regained consciousness. He immediately dove into the shadows, attempting to flee—only for a streak of silvery-white lightning to crash down, striking his shadowy form and reducing him to a lump of scorched charcoal.
A Sequence 5 Shepherd, killed in an instant.
Only then did Akasha fully react. She stepped forward and delivered a fierce kick to the charred remains, then turned around in confusion and asked, "Shouldn't we have interrogated him first with severe torture? Why kill him outright?"
"There's no need to ask questions. Spirit communication will suffice."
Edward smiled lightly. "This guy is a lunatic from the Aurora Order. Getting anything useful from his living mouth is practically impossible."
"The Aurora Order?"
At this point in time, the Aurora Order had only been established for a short period. Far from the illustrious reputation they held in the future, they didn't yet claim responsibility for every little matter.
Edward first divined whether touching the brass rod was dangerous or if it would alert anyone to his presence. Upon confirming there was no risk, he said, "Wait here for me."
With a wave of his hand, he concealed the area he occupied, disappearing from Akasha's sight. Then, entering his leather pouch along with the Shepherd's residual lingering spirit and the brass rod, he took four steps backwards and reappeared inside the Sefirah Castle.
Thanks to the Sefirah Castle's enhancement, Edward didn't need to beseech anyone when performing spirit communication. He could channel spirits more directly than any so-called "spirit medium."
Looking at the muddled, remaining spiritual presence before him, he asked, "Did you kill Count Clair?"
"Yes."
"Why did you kill him?"
"For money. To spread the glory of the Lord."
"Who ordered you to kill him?"
"Don't know. Don't care."
"Why did you take that rod from No. 7 Rose Street?"
"Same person's request."
"What's the rod for?"
"Don't know."
"After the deed is done, where should the item be delivered?"
"He will come find me."
"State your base of operations."
"No. 2 Camellia Street, Quartier de Noël."
Edward then tried to ask several more consecutive questions, but the Shepherd remained utterly ignorant, answering nothing useful.
So, he simply leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes, and directly used Dream Divination.
"Who sent him to the villa?"
In the grey, hazy, unreal world of dreams, a provocatively beautiful woman dressed in revealing attire appeared, holding a thick stack of Felkin bills.
"You Aurora Order people will accept any commission?"
"Of course."
"I want you to kill Count Clair."
"Impossible."
"Why not?"
"He has four Sequence 5 bodyguards around him. Attempting to assassinate him is equivalent to suicide."
"Why do you know that so clearly?"
"Hahaha, what do you think?"
"If I could lure away two or three of his protectors?"
"Then it's worth a try."
"Fine. This money is the deposit. The rest will be paid after the task is completed." She paused for a few seconds. "Oh, by the way, after the assassination is done, go to the villa at No. 7 Rose Street and retrieve an item from the basement."
"Should I kill the resident there while I'm at it?"
"Doesn't matter. I only want the item."
"Hehe…"
The woman vanished. The "Shepherd" then took out a Hanged Man's cross from his chest and murmured to himself, "Lord, we will soon spread Your supreme radiance across the entire world! Then all will know the Aurora Order. All will piously worship You, becoming lambs under Your shepherding!"
The dream ended at that point.
Edward leaned back and chuckled, "As expected, the Aurora Order just does dirty work for money. But it's truly amusing how Adam's people found a true believer of the True Creator to help push forward the tide of time and assist Adam in becoming a god."
However…the woman in the dream seemed oddly familiar. Where had he seen her before?
He then clapped his hands and exclaimed in surprise, "Isn't this the witch from Roselle's family banquet?"
———
[Note]: Don't forget to VOTE. It keeps me motivated.