Bumblebee, with its top-notch driving skills, reached the designated location in just twenty minutes.
During the trip, Saltana updated Gerald on the latest findings via her phone, only to receive some bad news in return.
"Roy, Paxton Fertel has gone missing!"
Saltana frowned as she looked at Roy.
"I'm guessing the FEA should've been mentally prepared for this, knowing that succubus is still alive, right?"
Roy scanned the surroundings outside the car. Lydia's house was eerily quiet—too quiet.
By all accounts, the Underworld Police, who'd left before Roy and his team and used the Spirit Ledger Prison for transport, should've arrived long ago.
Yet, Lydia's house was dead silent, not a single shadow in sight.
"You're right, but Fertel knows too many FEA secrets. If that succubus has him under her control, FEA headquarters could be in serious danger from the inside! And to make matters worse, Iris has gone missing too!"
Iris hadn't shown up for three days—a completely unthinkable situation in the past.
The Wisdom Angel always left some kind of message for the FEA, no matter what she was up to. But now? Total radio silence.
"Iris still hasn't contacted the FEA?" Roy asked, his brow furrowing.
He'd initially thought Iris was just dodging his calls, but to cut off contact with the FEA entirely?
"Yeah, not a peep. If she'd at least sent a letter, the FEA wouldn't be this helpless!"
Roy scratched his head, clearly frustrated.
"Have you guys talked to Clary?"
"Clary Frey? What's she got to do with this?"
"Clary's a descendant of Jesus' bloodline—she's practically the Holy Grail, half-angel in a way. Plus, Iris took her on as an apprentice. She might know where Iris is. Oh, and keep Clary's identity under wraps!"
Saltana nodded cautiously.
"Don't worry, I won't even tell Director Olin!"
"Alright, let's get out of the car."
Unlike Crowlia, Bumblebee didn't have long-range scanning capabilities, so Roy and Saltana had no choice but to enter Lydia's house to investigate.
The place was a mess, like a pack of huskies had torn through it. Furniture fragments were scattered everywhere.
"Looks like a serious fight went down here. Lydia and the Underworld Police must've been here already," Saltana observed.
She spotted bullet holes in the walls. Neither the Underworld Archmage nor the succubus would need guns, so the source of those holes was pretty obvious.
"Then where is everyone?" Roy asked.
That was the million-dollar question. Saltana didn't have an answer—there was simply too little information left at the scene.
If only Roy knew Lydia, the Underworld Archmage, or even the succubus, he could've used the Hound Ring to track them.
Just then, Saltana's phone rang.
"Hello, this is Saltana Rivera… What did you say? You found a strange structure under the mental hospital?"
Saltana glanced at Roy before quickly hanging up.
"What's going on?" Roy asked.
"That abandoned mental hospital where you did your Brotherhood initiation test? The FEA found an artificial structure underground."
"No way, there's more to that place?"
Roy thought that whole chapter was behind him, but apparently not.
"Roy, I've got to head back to the mental hospital to take charge. You're on your own here!"
Roy nodded.
"Alright, let Bumblebee take you there. Stay safe!"
"I will!"
Saltana left, leaving Roy alone in the house to search for clues.
It wasn't easy. Roy wasn't a trained FEA agent, nor was he some cheat-code-wielding detective like that Ynglen guy who could solve cases with a snap of his fingers.
Roger Hastings: Got a problem?
But luck hadn't completely abandoned Roy. A few minutes after Saltana left, someone else showed up at Lydia's cabin.
And not just anyone—two stunningly gorgeous women.
"Well, well, what a handsome guy! Hey there, cutie, wanna chat?" one of them said, her eyes lighting up like she'd spotted a tasty snack.
Roy looked up and saw a tall, sultry brunette. His jaw nearly dropped.
Whoa! Isn't that Monica Bellucci?
Had Monica Bellucci ever starred in a horror movie?
Actually, yeah, she had!
Roy vaguely recalled watching her play one of Dracula's vampire brides in Bram Stoker's Dracula in his past life, complete with some pretty bold scenes.
But beyond that, he didn't think Monica Bellucci had done other horror flicks.
Or maybe, after Roy's reincarnation, she'd starred in some new horror movie?
As he was mulling this over, a familiar voice snapped him out of it.
"Little Master, what are you doing here?"
A wave of sweet perfume hit him as a very familiar figure threw herself into his arms.
"Lilith?"
"Yup, it's me!"
Lilith nuzzled her head against Roy's chest, purring like a cat high on catnip, soaking up his presence.
The brunette stared at Lilith, shocked.
"Lilith, what did you just call this guy?"
"Little Master. Why, is that a problem?"
Oh, it was a big problem.
The brunette had known Lilith since ancient times, and she'd never heard Lilith call anyone "Master"—not even God or Samael got that treatment.
Yet here was this young, handsome guy being called "Master" by Lilith. It felt like a nightmare.
Roy gave a wry smile. Lilith only called him "Master" in private, but ever since he'd helped her fix her body, she'd started using the term everywhere, regardless of the situation.
It caused all sorts of misunderstandings, but Lilith seemed to love it.
"Lilith, I told you not to call me that!"
"But I want to!"
Lilith kept nuzzling for a few more minutes before finally hopping out of his arms, satisfied.
The brunette was floored by the sight.
"Good grief! I must not have slept well last night to be hallucinating like this!"
Lilith shot her a glance.
"You're a ghost—you don't even need sleep. Oh, Roy, let me introduce you. This is Dorothy, the Death Witch. She's been my friend since ancient times. And this is Roy Black, my man."
Roy studied the brunette closely. Her face was flawless, though some faint scars on her pale skin slightly marred its perfection. Still, her allure was enough to drive anyone wild.
And that slightly curvy figure? It was hard to look away.
Noticing Roy's gaze, Lilith leaned in close, whispering loud enough for all three of them to hear.
"Like what you see, Little Master? I could convince Dorothy to join our little family. She's actually pretty lonely!"
Dorothy immediately bristled.
"Lilith, what nonsense are you spouting? When has the Death Witch ever been lonely? My suitors could line up from Santiago to the Bering Strait!"
Santiago, Spain, was practically the western edge of Europe, while the Bering Strait sat at the eastern tip of Asia, next to Alaska.
That's a line spanning an entire continent—Dorothy was clearly very confident in her charm.
But Roy, surprisingly, agreed with Lilith.
"She does seem kinda lonely."
That comment sent Dorothy into a rage, a long staff materializing in her hand as if she were ready to throw down.
"You little punk, what did you just say?"
Lilith quickly stepped between them.
"Dorothy, chill! Roy and I were just joking. Didn't you come here to get revenge on the Underworld Archmage? Roy's strong—he can definitely help!"
Roy raised an eyebrow.
"Wait, you're here for the Underworld Archmage too?"
Lilith blinked.
"Roy, you too?"
Talk about a coincidence.
Roy grinned at Dorothy.
"I'm curious—what's your beef with that guy?"
Dorothy clenched her jaw, refusing to answer. That grudge was tied to a dark chapter in her past.
Back in the late Middle Ages, around the 15th century, Dorothy was active in Paris, France.
By chance, she came across the Underworld Archmage, who was still just a grave robber back then.
Seeing his extraordinary potential, Dorothy took him on as her apprentice, teaching him magic.
But her motives weren't pure. She wasn't some saintly mentor—her real plan was to groom him, then drain his magic and soul to boost her own power.
Her plan worked too well. The naive Archmage never suspected a thing and even fell in love with the beautiful Death Witch.
After reaching legendary status, he proposed to her.
Dorothy happily accepted, planning to use a potion to kill him on their wedding day and claim his magic and soul for herself.
But, as these things go, something went wrong.
The Archmage somehow survived her potion and, wielding a mysterious axe, turned the tables, killed Dorothy, dismembered her, sealed her remains in a wooden box, and tossed it into the Spirit Ledger Prison.
That's why Dorothy was in pieces when she first appeared—a truly epic failure.
After scheming for so long, to be so easily defeated by her own disciple? No way was Dorothy spilling that story.
But the Archmage didn't walk away unscathed. While her potion didn't kill him, it shattered his sanity.
Thus, the crazed, erratic Underworld Archmage was born, forgetting his own name and adopting the title instead.
He became obsessed with chasing beautiful women, proposing marriage left and right.
Maybe Dorothy's influence left him with some kind of fixation.
Seeing Dorothy's reluctance to talk, Roy and Lilith didn't press her.
"Roy, have you seen that guy?" Lilith asked, referring to the Archmage.
Roy shook his head.
"I got here just a few minutes before you. The place was already like this. From what I know, the Underworld Police were here too, and the Archmage was fighting a succubus."
"It's that complicated?" Lilith said, frowning at Dorothy.
"Hmph! I don't care where he's hiding—I'll catch him myself!" Dorothy declared.
She stretched out her hand, and a dark purple energy orb appeared in her palm, flickering with images.
"I see him! He's hiding in the Spirit Ledger Prison!"
Roy was impressed—the Death Witch had divination powers?
"Lady Dorothy, could you divine what's going on with the succubus who fought him?"
Dorothy tilted her chin up proudly.
"Hmph! Not just anyone gets the honor of my divinations!"
She carried herself with an air of superiority, but her best friend Lilith didn't hesitate to throw her under the bus.
"Dorothy's divination magic is called Misfortune Divination. Every time she uses it, it builds up bad luck for her. That's probably why she messed up so bad back then."
Dorothy shot Lilith a glare.
"Oh, you're one to talk, Lilith! Got a man and now you're ditching your bestie?"
Lilith shrugged.
"Just join our family, and you'll be one of us. Problem solved!"
"Dream on! I'd rather jump off the Leaning Tower of Pisa or get chopped into pieces again than be some man's sidekick!"
Dorothy was putting on a tough front. Hopefully, she wouldn't eat her words later.
"How about this, Lady Dorothy? We team up. I'll help you catch that guy, and you divine the succubus for me. Deal?"
Dorothy sized Roy up.
"You? Can I trust you?"
Roy's charm was undeniable. Dorothy had to fight hard not to swoon while looking at him.
"Want me to prove it?"
"Go ahead. Show me what you've got."
Before she could finish, Roy vanished from sight. A moment later, she felt an overwhelming presence behind her.
"Satisfied now?"
Dorothy whipped around, stunned. The speed Roy just showed could easily take down a witch like her.
That kind of explosive power was a caster's worst nightmare.
She quickly composed herself, trying to play it cool.
"Hmph! Not bad, I guess."
"Dorothy, don't doubt my taste. Have I ever picked a weak guy?" Lilith chimed in.
Dorothy rolled her eyes.
"Stronger than the King of Wrath?"
Mentioning Lilith's ex-husband soured her mood. Most people avoid bringing up exes unless they're playing cards.
"He's better than you," Lilith shot back.
Seeing the two about to bicker, Roy stepped in.
"Enough! Save the arguing for later. Lady Dorothy, can you divine the succubus now?"
"Fine. The succubus was in this house, right?"
"Yeah."
"Alright, I'll start."
Dorothy summoned the dark purple energy orb again.
But this time, the moment an image appeared, the orb exploded.