With a creak, Mammon opened the door and showed mild surprise at the visitors: "Mr Luo Shu?"
"It's me." Luo Shu nodded, glancing at Mammon before asking: "Is Ravel in?"
"Miss Ravel is resting in her room." Mammon promptly stepped aside and bowed.
During this, Mammon glanced at Kotoko Iwanaga, finding the girl behind Luo Shu vaguely familiar.
Hearing Ravel was resting, Luo Shu studied Mammon briefly before saying, "Please inform her I'd like to discuss something."
"Then... please wait a moment." Mammon hesitated, then hurried through the living room towards the bedroom.
Soon, a faint conversation between Mammon and Ravel reached them. Within a minute, Mammon returned and invited, "Please come in first. Miss Ravel will join you shortly."
She then fetched indoor slippers for Luo Shu and Kotoko.
Luo Shu entered first, changed into the slippers Mammon placed down, passed through the entryway and stepped into the living room.
Meanwhile, Kotoko Iwanaga, who had fallen behind, walked towards Mammon with a smile. Facing the other's respectful expression, she lightly punched Mammon's chest and said:
"You really had me fooled this time, Mammon-san~"
Caught off guard by this sudden action, Mammon was momentarily stunned. But then, she detected an unexpected familiarity in Kotoko Iwanaga's tone:
"That tone... Miss Olivia?"
"It's me."
Kotoko Iwanaga nodded, then looked at this chief steward who had served as the bridge between her and Ravel within the Phenex Society. She couldn't help but complain:
"If I'd known you were a demon and President Ravel was a real phoenix, I wouldn't have had to work so hard..."
Hearing this, Mammon frowned slightly and eyed Kotoko Iwanaga with suspicion.
Since Kotoko Iwanaga had revealed herself as a member of the Phenex Society, Mammon could guess she was an undercover agent, but still suspected her of having ulterior motives regarding the phoenix.
Noticing Mammon's changing expression, Kotoko Iwanaga cheerfully explained:
"Relax. Although I'm also an unofficial government operative, I've now joined the Hidden Management Department for various reasons. Loosely speaking, we're allies now, so even if I had any bad intentions, they wouldn't affect you anymore."
With that, Kotoko Iwanaga waved her hand with a smile:
"I'll treat you to coffee sometime."
Mammon frowned at this, then watched as Kotoko Iwanaga entered the living room. After a moment's silence, she quickly closed the door and went to prepare tea.
When Kotoko Iwanaga entered the living room, Luo Shu, already seated on the sofa, teased her:
"Got treated as a suspect, didn't you?"
"Better to come clean now than have Miss Mammon and President Ravel figure it out later."
Kotoko Iwanaga giggled as she walked over to Luo Shu, lifted her skirt slightly, and sat down beside him, leaning against his right side while curiously observing her surroundings:
"But speaking of which, is this the standard room in the garrison? Looks quite nice."
"What? Thinking of moving in?" Luo Shu glanced at Kotoko Iwanaga before casually adding, "If you want to, just report to Megumi—that is, the girl listed as Megumi Kato in the main group—and pick a room."
"There are still over a dozen rooms available for immediate occupancy."
Kotoko Iwanaga tilted her head at this: "Not really necessary. There are several apartment buildings owned by my family nearby. I can stay there."
"Oh, if dormitories become insufficient later, I could vacate those buildings to support the Familia."
Hearing this, Luo Shu fell silent.
He'd almost forgotten this girl was a wealthy young lady.
After being dazzled by Kotoko Iwanaga's display of wealth, Luo Shu heard a door opening.
Ravel, wearing pink pyjamas with her curly hair draped over her shoulders, gently pushed open the door. She glanced at Luo Shu sitting on the sofa, then took small steps forward and bowed:
"Pardon me."
Watching the golden-haired girl approach the living room sofa with small steps, Kotoko Iwanaga widened her eyes in astonishment at the child who appeared even younger than herself:
"President... Ravel?"
Why has Ravel become a child after not seeing her for a while?
Hearing this voice, Ravel, who had climbed onto the sofa, froze for a moment before turning her head to glance suspiciously at Kotoko Iwanaga, asking in surprise:
"You are..."
At that moment, Mammon stepped forward and whispered a few words into Ravel's ear.
Afterwards, Ravel looked at Kotoko Iwanaga with slight surprise before smiling and inquiring:
"I see..."
"Should I continue addressing you as Olivia, or something else?"
"Just call me Kotoko Iwanaga. That's my real name."
Seemingly sensing the young lady's demeanour, Kotoko Iwanaga now spoke more formally:
"My apologies for disturbing you at this hour, Miss Ravel."
"No need for apologies. The irregular schedule is on my side."
Ravel glanced at Kotoko Iwanaga before turning to Luo Shu, hesitating briefly before asking:
"So, Mr Luo Shu, what brings you to visit me this time...?"
Ravel's tone was carefully measured, a stark contrast to her earlier indifference towards Kotoko Iwanaga.
Noticing Ravel's reaction, Kotoko Iwanaga raised an eyebrow. She checked the Divine Pantheon Reconstruction System and, failing to find Ravel's name in the main group, immediately understood the situation.
Kotoko had assumed she was meeting a Familia senior, but it seemed Ravel hadn't joined the Familia after all.
Did that mean she was now the senior herself?
Instantly, Kotoko seemed to puff out her chest slightly.
Ignoring Kotoko's internal musings, Luo Shu studied Ravel briefly before asking:
"Have you heard from Ajuka?"
At this question, Ravel's expression immediately became uneasy.
Seeing this, Luo Shu sensed something amiss and probed cautiously:
"...Are you trying to hide something from me?"
"No, nothing like that." Ravel quickly denied before looking at Luo Shu anxiously and explaining: "It's just... I'm not sure how to explain it yet..."
"Then just state the facts clearly and let me interpret them."
Hearing Luo Shu's words, Ravel hesitated before lowering her voice to explain:
"This afternoon, I received a message from His Majesty Ajuka. He... he asked me to assist His Majesty Serafall."
"Serafall?" Luo Shu was surprised by the name.
If he remembered correctly, Serafall was the name of one of the Four Great Satans, Serafall Leviathan, wasn't it?
Satan Leviathan coming to the human world?
Now that was interesting intel.