On Sunday, in a café on Belloto Street in the West Borough, Angel, disguised as an utterly unremarkable young woman, chose a window seat and ordered a cup of Southville coffee and a Cream Small Ring Cake. She savored them slowly, seemingly intending to spend a lazy afternoon there.
Of course, whenever no one was watching, her eyes flickered from time to time. Nearby glass, mirrors, and even inconspicuous puddles became the eyes of this Unaging Demoness, allowing her to observe everything around her.
These "cameras" focused on an upscale restaurant diagonally across the street. A carriage bearing a Flower Ring Combination Crest had just pulled up outside, and a middle-aged man had stepped out and entered the restaurant flanked by two bodyguards.
That was Viscount Stratford, who possessed certain secrets of the royal family.
Today, Angel and Klein would carry out operations simultaneously at two locations. One would handle Stratford, whom they had been watching for some time, while the other would handle Qonas Kilgor, the deputy director of MI9, who had been invited to a hunting event at Meige Manor on the outskirts.
Both men were linked to clues concerning George III's orchestration of the Great Smog. Although Angel already knew that the King's true aim was to ascend as the Black Emperor and become the first God of the Fifth Epoch, Chunas knew how to enter those ruins, while Viscount Stratford very likely possessed evidence that George III had violated the contract. Both were targets they needed to deal with before Hvin Rambis's death came to light.
Becoming a God...
At that thought, Angel's hand stopped in midair, still holding the cake.
Although she had visited Mr. Fool's realm early that morning, discussed their next steps with Klein, and confirmed what they both wanted to do, she