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Two seconds after Merlin vanished from Hermes's and Ariehogg's sight, the two Spectator angels finally exchanged a glance.
Hermes smiled somewhat awkwardly.
"As you can see, my authority has been stolen. I'm merely a spectator now."
He spread his hands and looked at Ariehogg, who had yet to speak. "It looks like you'll have to give me a ride into the Sea of Collective Subconscious here."
Ariehogg pondered for a second before asking cautiously, "Who was that just now? Do you have some sort of feud with him? Why did he call himself a Wandering Magician? I clearly sensed something on him..." The aura of Sefirah Castle and a certain Uniqueness!
Although he seemed to be missing part of his power, by any reckoning, he was already a god-and a sufficiently powerful one!
He watched Hermes warily, trying to distinguish his lies. If Hermes had a conflict with that god-level powerhouse, he would decisively distance himself from him, leave Hermes here alone, and enter the Sea of Collective Subconscious to search for Liveseyd himself.
"There is no conflict between us..."
Hermes answered calmly, showing no sign of guilt or unease. "At least not at present, is there? If he really wanted to do something, he could simply have killed me just now. With his abilities and standing, surely he couldn't have failed to steal the soul of a mere Sequence Two like me."
"Who knows whether that might be a trap?"
Ariehogg was still uneasy. "The power he used just now was a high-level application of Theft, and I'm very familiar with that Angel of Time's personality and preferences. Together with his aura and the Beyonder Powers he possesses, could he be the one above Sefirah Castle?"
"I pose no threat to you now, nor to him. I'm merely