North City

...?

What kind of thing...

It was practically impossible to expect Alice to keep a secret. By now, all the Tarot Club members knew that Frank was the "Druid" who had developed those mushrooms. His full name was Frank Lee, and he was also known as the "Poison Expert." He was the first mate of the Future. His bounty... After advancing to Druid, Frank had raised his price... No, wait, that wasn't the point.

Alice drew a sharp breath, seemingly unable to imagine such a scene. She asked nervously:

"What has Frank been doing lately???"

"He is preparing to advance to Sequence 4." Cattleya's expression was extremely grave. "He believes his current strength is no longer sufficient to support his research... He longs for his creations to possess souls and truly achieve the creation of life."

"...?" Alice's mouth fell open in shock. "I don't think that's right..."

She instinctively frowned, imagining a group of mushrooms begging her for mercy.

...Just destroy it all. Really.

"Mr. Sun," Alice solemnly shifted the topic to Derrick, "it looks like your idea is about to come true. You'll soon have a batch of mushrooms that can automatically identify and actively hunt monsters."

"Really?" Derrick looked delighted.

"...No." Alice turned her head away. "Don't let him advance to Sequence 4 yet. I'm a little scared... Wait, isn't there someone by his side..."

After a pause, Alice asked with a strange expression, "Is that follower of the Primordial Moon still serving as his experimental assistant?"

Cattleya nodded.

Alice frowned slightly and asked hesitantly, "...Are you sure there's nothing wrong with Frank?"

"...Not as far as I can tell," Cattleya answered with some hesitation. "But that follower of the Primordial Moon is in poor condition. I had thought Frank could alleviate his state, but recently, it