"Never... see Johan again for the rest of my life...?"
Pheles could not help but lower her gaze to the Reiji Maigo in her hands.
Her sorrowful, beautiful eyes revealed tremendous turmoil.
Now, Pheles's lover was practically lying in her arms.
Given how dearly Pheles missed Johan, in this very moment, even if the heavens collapsed and the world ended, she would not hesitate in the slightest to free Johan.
Yet Pheles, who feared neither heaven nor earth, feared one thing alone.
Never being able to see Johan again for the rest of her life.
Perhaps Fang Li had seen through that, which was why he had handed the Reiji Maigo directly to Pheles.
After all, both of them had lovers of their own and understood perfectly what could make the other stop.
Pheles clutched the Reiji Maigo to her chest and instinctively chose to ask.
"What exactly is going on?"
Pheles's question made everyone present relax.
What they feared most was Pheles refusing to listen to reason altogether.
Now that they had a chance to talk, things could not have been better.
Wilhelmina stepped forward.
"Pheles, listen to me."
Only then did Pheles turn her eyes toward Wilhelmina.
"Wilhelmina..."
Pheles's weak, helpless voice finally softened Wilhelmina's ever-expressionless face.
Then, Wilhelmina began explaining everything to Pheles.
"After Johan was sealed inside the Reiji Maigo, you did not see what happened afterward."
Starting with those words, Wilhelmina told Pheles everything.
As she listened to Wilhelmina's explanation, Pheles gradually went pale.
An unknown Inherent Formula had been implanted into the Reiji Maigo, altering its internal structure. Johan, sealed within the Treasure Tool, might have undergone a mutation, causing the Reiji Maigo to gradually become something dangerous.
That truth made Pheles's heart tremble.
"How could this be... How could this be..."
Pheles hugged