"Are you waiting for Katarina?"
The figure walked slowly in the dim light, and it wasn't until he got close to Stratford that he could see the appearance of the person clearly.
What caught his eyes first was the long pale golden hair, then the beautiful face and the suffocating figure hidden under the dress. Stratford's eyes were fixed on the other person's face, and his dull expression suddenly changed, and he exclaimed:
"You are...'Golden Queen'!"
His hand holding the cross composed of golden light shook, and this Mystical Item, which could still maintain a certain amount of light even though it was suppressed by "Imperative Mage"'s Prohibition, fell to the ground.
As soon as the spikes on its surface left the blood supply, they immediately returned to their original mottled patina, hiding the pure light inside, like a cheap decoration that had been discarded in the trash can.
"Yes, it's me. Are you disappointed that the one who came is not 'White Saint' Katarina?"
Angel chuckled, and walked past Stratford, who was trembling and unable to resist at all, and unceremoniously occupied the only single sofa in the living room.
Looking at the three Demoness who had their own characteristics but each looked colder than the last, the surrounded Stratford not only did not feel happy, but secretly swallowed a mouthful of saliva.
If just now he had the courage to fight Shermane and Trissy with the help of crosses, then now that "Golden Queen" has come here, even if he is covered with crosses, he has no chance of winning, unless...
"... Unless Katarina comes to save you, right?"
Angel, who was sitting in front of him, asked with a chuckle, her calves looming under her skirt, which made Stratford couldn't help but imagine how wonderful the scenery was under her skirt. Hearing this, he just raised his head in silence, and the last hope in his heart was completely shattered.
The collaborator of "Demoness Sect" and the royal family, one Saint, disappeared so quietly or even died?
Then am I also... today?
Suddenly, there was a buzz in his head, as if some switch had been turned on. He got up from the ground with a calm expression and stood respectfully in front of Angel, as if he was facing his immediate boss.
This scene made Shermane on the side confused. Trissy seemed to have thought of something. His face softened and he sat on another sofa, pretending to be watching a show.
"Next, I want to ask you a few questions."
Angel leaned on the sofa, relaxed completely, and said.
She mentioned Katarina in order to change Stratford's mood, so that she could use the "Manipulator" secretly held in her hand, which originally belonged to Hvin Rambis, to try out Hypnosis, the "Disciplinary Paladin" of Sequence 5.
Although she did not have the experience of passing the "Spectator" Pathway ability Hypnosis to others, she still had some experience fighting against Hypnosis, so she quickly figured out how to use the original Beyonder Characteristic to sneak into the opponent's Island of Consciousness and modify her subconscious.
In fact, I didn't want to participate in this matter. If everything goes well, Shermane can kidnap Stratford here with the help of the necklace I made that can enter "Mirror World" for a short time, and then use "Slumber Charm" with Trissy "Having a dream interrogation with "Dreamland" Charm... Unfortunately, that cross seems to have the power of Demigod, which is almost equivalent to a powerful "1" level Sealed Artifact. If I don't show up, even if the two of them can deal with each other, they will be discovered and have to escape from here...
Angel murmured in his heart, glanced at the two Demoness who were not so up to date, and looked back at Viscount Stratford who had regarded himself as his boss and was waiting to report on his work, but did not immediately ask questions.
It wasn't until the rays of sunlight that penetrated the room through the window covered by curtains dimmed, and the entire living room seemed to be shrouded in deep, quiet darkness, that she spoke carefully:
"Who is your true allegiance?"
According to the answers of Hvin Rambis and Katarina, Angel has actually guessed the answer a long time ago, but this kind of known question can be a good start for the interrogation, allowing her to determine whether her Hypnosis is valid.
Sure enough, Stratford maintained a respectful demeanor and answered without hesitation:
"I will always be loyal to Your Majesty."
The expression of Trissy on the side changed, and he leaned forward, getting closer to Stratford and Angel.
You usually act like you don't care about anything, but now you are so concerned about these clues... Angel glanced at her again and asked:
"Why are the royal family and MI9 so wary of Trissy? Are they even willing to give you this Mystical Item to use against her?"
As she spoke, she kicked the bronze cross on the ground.
Stratford thought for a moment and said:
"Because of what happened with Prince Edessak... after Great Smog, 'Demoness Sect' came to us again, saying that Trissy, who cooperated with Edessak to make Great Smog, betrayed the sect. They are still willing to cooperate with the Loen Royal Family, but ask us to find her..."
Having said this, he glanced sideways at Trissy, who had a serious expression, with a trace of fear in his eyes. He was not as obsessed with her as he had seen her before. This made Angel even more impressed by the powerful effect of "Hypnosis", which allowed a Sequence 5 Beyonder to say everything while maintaining his sanity.
"... Therefore, after the mysterious death of William Sykes related to the Edessak incident, MI9 stepped up their vigilance and asked me to be careful about the appearance of Trissy, because they believed that I was also one of the relevant persons, and she seemed to be looking for a revenge target for the death of Edessak..."
Withdrawing his gaze, Stratford added.
Trissy on the side jumped up from the sofa, grabbed Palace Guard Captain by the collar, and shouted in a sharp and angry tone:
"What did George III think? Just to get rid of suspicion, he framed what he had done on his son? That should be his blood descendant, and he ended up like a... beggar on the street."
Stratford took a step back, broke away from the furious Demoness's hand, straightened his wrinkled collar, and looked at Angel.
"Answer her question."
Angel ordered.
"How can there be so much family affection in the royal family? Your Majesty has five Prince and four Princess. The succession order of Edessak is not high, and Great Smog's matter is so serious. Someone has to take responsibility. Isn't it normal to push him out in order to appease the church's doubts?" Stratford nodded and replied.
The cold words made Trissy gradually calm down. Her black eyes were hidden in the shadow of her bangs, and she slowly sat back on the sofa and stopped moving.
"Let's continue," Angel glanced at Trissy, who seemed to have all his strength taken away from him, and continued to ask, "It seems that you also have your own guess about Edessak's death... So do you know the plans of King and the royal family? For example, the cooperation with 'Demoness Sect', their arrangements in the ruins in the suburbs, and the traps they asked you to set."
"Relics? Are they the ruins in the eastern suburbs where the members of 'Demoness Sect' were stationed before?" Stratford first asked in confusion, and then said suddenly, "The place has been abandoned, and I am not sure about the subsequent disposal. The cooperation with the Demoness Sect was handled by Ms. Katarina and Major General Cole Gregg. I was only responsible for the peripheral parts, such as the operation to capture Trissy."
"Tell me more about this action." Angel immediately asked.
"We originally planned to use Shermane to gain her trust after she contacted me. When she and Trissy behind her took action, we would set a trap in turn. At that time, Ms. Katarina would personally take action and capture Trissy. After our interrogation, Then hand it over to 'Demoness Sect'... In fact, I think the main purpose of Katarina is Trissy. She mentioned 'Divine Descent Vessel', which may be related to 'Primordial' that Demoness believe in."
Stratford glanced at Trissy who lowered his head and said nothing, closed his collar with lingering fear, and continued:
"Shermane invited me out today, so I was on guard and brought out this Sealed Artifact that can hold most of Purification Demoness's power. Ms. Katarina should hide in the dark and provide support at any time.
"After Shermane brought me into that world full of mirrors and passages, I was worried that I would get lost in it if I resisted casually, so I waited for Trissy to appear and they brought me here before launching a counterattack. Unexpectedly..."
"I didn't expect that it wasn't Katarina who appeared, but me?"
Angel chuckled and sorted out the whole thing in his mind.
Unexpectedly, while we were planning to kidnap Stratford, Stratford was also planning to fish out Trissy behind Shermane. If I hadn't deceived Katarina in advance and kept her out of this operation, they might have succeeded... But if so, would Shermane...
Thinking of this, Angel glanced at Shermane standing by and found that she was unexpectedly calm, and then he felt relieved.
When asked to this point, Angel no longer intends to continue. It is obvious that this Palace Guard Captain does not know the deep-seated conspiracy of the royal family, and still thinks that Edessak is because of his relationship with the Demoness Sect cooperated and was abandoned by the royal family... Of course, he himself had some doubts, but as Palace Guard Captain, he was loyal to King, and it was impossible to turn this doubt into action.
As for the Major General Qonas Kilgor he mentioned, Klein should have carried out synchronized "operations" at this time. If nothing else, Klein, who was also under the influence of "stealth", has also completed his mission.
"Do you have anything else to ask? After the 'secret' ends, he probably won't survive."
Angel turned to Trissy and asked.
She knew that the question she asked must be within the scope of "Secret Keeping". Once the Arianna who secretly provided help removed the "secret", the ensuing feedback would immediately kill or seriously injure the Beyonder of Sequence 5.
Trissy raised his head, looked at Stratford with inexplicable emotions, and said:
"I have nothing to ask. You can hand him over to me later and I will destroy all traces of him."
She belongs to the Hate House and Wu... But in order to keep it secret, the viscount cannot be kept in the first place, so she can kill him... Angel was thinking about it, and was about to agree, when Shermane on the side suddenly said:
"Can I ask a few more questions?"
Including Stratford, the other three people in the room all turned their attention to this "Pleasure" Demoness, especially Trissy, with a hint of surprise in her eyes.
Ignoring this gaze, Shermane took two steps forward after getting Angel's consent, stood in front of Stratford, took a deep breath, and asked:
"Do you know the former Palace Guard Captain, Mason Diel Earl?"