The Black Box Is Ours / Sneaking Into Tenshukaku at Night

Kiana nodded in realization, indicating that she had no further questions.

Soon, the details of the evening's operation were finalized. Yae Sakura went to start cooking, Mei and Kiana went to help. Gwen was just about to try and get Raven involved when Kallen stopped him...

Chapter 214 The Black Box is in Hand

"Um... you..."

Kallen had just called out to Gwen, hesitated again as she met Gwen, who was looking at her with a puzzled expression.

Or rather, Kallen didn't actually know what she wanted to say; she just looked at Gwen's back and instinctively called out to Gwen.

"Is there something you need?"

Miss Kallen.

Seeing Kallen's hesitation, Gwen couldn't help but feel puzzled, wondering what she wanted to say—

Even if the Kallen in front of me is really Hiyori in disguise, she wouldn't choose this moment to make her move.

"Mr. Ida, when you traveled around, did you ever meet people whose clothing was very different from the locals?"

After much hesitation, Kallen suppressed the strange feeling in her heart and got down to business.

"People dressed very differently from the locals?"

Upon hearing this question, Gwen understood immediately. After a moment's thought, he slowly shook his head.

"I have traveled all this way and have not seen any people dressed in strange clothes."

However, I've occasionally heard passersby mention it, and it seems there have indeed been some people whose clothing deviated from traditional styles.

"Is that so..."

Kallen had just breathed a sigh of relief, tensed up again upon hearing this and quickly asked,

"Mr. Ida, do you remember where you heard this kind of talk?"

How far is it from here?

"Well... please forgive me for not remembering clearly. I can only be sure that I heard about it in a town about fifty miles to the north."

Knowing that Kallen was worried that the pursuers were coming, Gwen estimated the time and casually replied.

The Schicksal Pursuers' role is limited to capturing Kallen after everything has settled down; they don't have much screen time.

Moreover, if Gwen acts today, he won't have to wait for the Schicksal pursuers to arrive.

"More than fifty li..."

Upon receiving Gwen's response, Kallen frowned even more deeply. After hesitating for a moment, she raised her head again and looked at Gwen solemnly.

"Mr. Ida, I have a box here that is inhabited by demons. May I take a look at it?"

Although Yae Sakura didn't explain everything to Kallen, who was part of the dream, she did let her know that Gwen's strength was actually not weak, and that his previous miserable state was because he had encountered Great Demon.

Therefore, Kallen regained her confidence and wanted to see if Gwen could deal with the demon in the black box.

"A box inhabited by demons?"

Upon hearing Kallen's question, Gwen was startled and replied with a serious expression,

"Please take me to see it."

Soon, the Black Box that Kallen had taken from the church and used to escape from Europe to the Far East appeared before Gwen.

"..."

Gwen scrutinized the Black Box before him, his brow furrowed, and remained silent.

After waiting for a long time without Gwen speaking, Kallen, who was already very worried, finally couldn't hold back and asked:

"Mr. Ida, this box..."

"..."

Gwen slowly shook his head and let out a long sigh.

"Judging from the residual aura, this should be the seal of a very powerful vengeful spirit."

This time, Gwen's answer wasn't entirely based on the plot; in his perception, the box in his hand bore...

"!"

Upon hearing this, Kallen's pupils widened slightly—

Having left everything familiar and wandered here alone, Kallen was at the peak of her intelligence and instantly understood Gwen's meaning—the demon in the box... had escaped.

Seeing Kallen's expression, Gwyn knew she understood his meaning. Gwen nodded slightly and looked up at the Tenshukaku, which appeared magnificent and beautiful in the setting sun, yet also somewhat sinister in the shadows.

"Moreover, the residual aura in this box is closely related to the demons in the Tenshukaku."

"So, the demons in the Tenshukaku are the same demons that were originally in the box?"

Upon hearing this, Kallen's mood grew even heavier.

"Perhaps, or perhaps there is only some connection."

Gwen shook his head slightly, unable to confirm whether that was indeed Hiyori's true form...

Or rather, until the battle is completely decided, perhaps even Hiyori himself doesn't know in what form he will ultimately appear.

Seeing the heavy, guilty expression on Kallen's face, Gwen smiled again and comforted her:

"Don't overthink it. What has already happened is hard to change. All we can do is seize the moment and strive to bring the future closer to the direction we hope for."

"Um..."

Although still somewhat naive, she was no longer the girl Francis had protected. Kallen nodded, quickly regaining her composure, and looked at the Black Box in Gwen's hand.

"Now that the demon in the box has escaped, then this thing..."

"Let me keep it for now, at least so that its lingering resentment won't cause any more trouble."

Seeing Kallen's hesitation, Gwen weighed the Black Box in his hand and spoke first.

"... Won't this affect Mr. Ida's plans tonight?"

Upon hearing this, Kallen hesitated for a moment.

Although Kallen can move around normally now, her injuries haven't healed yet, so she might have limited strength at night. Also, carrying this thing might affect Gwen's performance, so Kallen was originally prepared to take on the task of carrying this Black Box.

"This thing sealed that demon. I'm going to study it and maybe I can find something out."

Gwen smiled and shook his head.

As for the impact...

Ha...

At least for me, it won't cause any major trouble.

"Um..."

Looking at Gwen's confident smile on his face, which bore a striking resemblance to Otto's, Kallen couldn't help but think of her childhood sweetheart and best friend, and slowly nodded.

Soon, Kallen returned to her room to rest and recharge, hoping to be able to exert more energy that night.

After examining the Black Box in his hand, Gwen put it away and continued walking out of the shrine, intending to try and win over Raven.

Although it's unclear whether Raven experienced the threat posed by the Mobius and became Flame-Chaser, at this point in time, Raven should at least have A-rank strength, making her the most powerful fighter here besides Gwen, and there's no reason not to let her go.

"Oh, you're here again?"

Upon seeing Gwen arrive, the Raven, who was listlessly perched in front of the counter, raised an eyebrow, smiled, and waved.

"Hmm... after changing clothes, you look somewhat presentable."

"It seems you're not surprised that I came to see you."

Seeing Raven's familiar demeanor, Gwen raised an eyebrow, slightly surprised.

"Actually, I was a little surprised."

The Raven wagged its finger and laughed.

"It's just that you look better than I expected when you're all dressed up, so I couldn't tell."

"..."

Gwen's brow twitched, and he asked in surprise.

"What kind of persona is this?"

Gwen wanted to test whether the Raven in front of him had deceived him before, or simply sensed that something was wrong.

Chapter 215 Tenshukaku

"Personal image?"

Raven raised her slender eyebrows, looking quite surprised. After a moment's thought,

"I have a vague recollection of it, but I can't quite remember."

As she spoke, Raven scratched her smooth, short gray hair, a troubled look on her pretty face.

"It seems you've already noticed the anomaly..."

Gwen breathed a sigh of relief, his calm smile returning, but his tone held a hint of amusement.

"So, those words you said before were a test?"

Not entirely.

Raven casually poured two glasses of wine and placed them on Gwen's table. Raven sat down opposite Gwen with a graceful demeanor, a faint smile on her pretty face.

"I was supposed to say these things anyway, I just edited them a little."

As for probing... there was indeed some.

After all, you're very strong, so strong that you're almost on a different level from me...

What, then, is dimension?

"This is a bit complicated to explain, and it might require some props to help."

If you'd like to know, I can tell you all about it when I have time later.

Gwen avoided answering Raven's question, smoothly steer the conversation in the direction he wanted.

"Moreover, compared to this currently insignificant issue..."

Have I passed your test, Miss Natasha?

"Certainly."

Under Gwen's gaze, Raven felt a strange sensation rise within him. He chuckled softly and agreed, casually picking up the bowl of wine and taking a small sip.

"Now that I've confirmed that you do know a lot, of course I'll join you."

After all... this feeling is very uncomfortable..."

As he spoke, the Raven tapped its head, the meaning of which was self-evident.

"Very good, Miss Natasha, it seems you are a decisive and intelligent person as well—"

Having so easily captured the Raven, Gwen smiled gently, picked up the wine bowl in front of him, and took a small sip.

"Tonight, we'll storm the Tenshukaku."

"So urgent?"

Although Raven also wanted to get out of this state where her Remembrance were being manipulated as soon as possible, she was still somewhat surprised.

"This is their home turf. The longer it drags on, the more disadvantageous it will be for us."