Your Majesty... Upon hearing Viscount Stratford's reply, Hugh was momentarily bewildered, his heart filled with doubt.
She couldn't understand why Shermane would deliberately approach the chief of the palace guard just to investigate who the man was loyal to; it didn't seem like something that was particularly important or valuable.
Viscount Stratford's answer was perfectly orthodox, without a single flaw.
Shermane gave her life just to get this answer? Hugh wanted to ask Shermane about her purpose in investigating that trivial matter, but then he thought that it might be too quick to touch on more core information and cause resistance from Viscount Stratford, who was not yet fully "in the zone," so he temporarily suppressed his impulse.
She hesitated for a moment, then asked:
Do you know Mason Diel?
"I know him," Viscount Stratford replied blankly.
Xio Derecha then proceeded to ask simpler, less important questions:
"Who is he?"
"He was the former Chief of the Royal Guard." Viscount Stratford simply answered the question without elaborating further.
At this moment, Fors ignored the rudimentary " Mind Reading " and took out the pure crystal ball, placing it in Hugh's pocket.
After moving the items, she bent down again, carefully trying to pick up the patina-green cross.
This time, despite her slightly trembling fingers, the soul-scorching sensation did not come through touch, allowing her to easily pick up the object with several sharp spikes.
Sure enough, this cross rejects all magical objects other than itself, not allowing them to exist... Uh, I still carry the remnants of the " The Moon Paper Figurine " and the Ancient Evil Spirit Spirituality, yet it doesn't react... Does this mean it doesn't reject things that don't contain Beyonder Characteristic, and isn't resistant to Spirituality and power? If that's the case, could it also reject the Beyonder Characteristic within me, but not as obviously...? Is this another negative effect of itss, which takes time to manifest? Fors roughly judged the ancient, verdigris-colored cross and cautiously put it into the dark bag containing various ritual materials.
After finishing this task, Fors looked down at the silver bracelet on her wrist, confirming that it was now empty and no longer adorned with any decorations.
She had now used up all five stones that allowed her to " Teleportation ".
However, Fors wasn't as terrified as before. Although she was certain that with each use of the stone, the " Full Moon Ravings " would become clearer and more terrifying, she also knew that with Mr. The Fool's help, it wouldn't be a problem. For the past year or so, if it weren't for having to spend a short time above the Gray Fog every Full Moon or Blood Moon, she would have almost forgotten that she was still suffering from the torment of the " Full Moon Ravings."
Hopefully, one day, this curse will completely disappear... Fors couldn't help but sigh as she turned her gaze away from the gradually dimming silver bracelet.
She immediately and sincerely thanked Mr. The Fool in her heart:
"... Whatever His true purpose may be, He has saved me time and time again, not just in the ' Full Moon Ravings '..."
"This cross seems to be of a high level. I wonder if Mr. ' The Fool ' would be interested and willing to accept my sacrifice... Before, I didn't have good items or information to repay that kindness, but now I finally see a possibility..."
"Uh... this is shared spoils, I only own half, I don't know if Mr. ' The Fool ' would be willing to accept a sacrifice with only half ownership... no, Hugh was also saved by Mr. ' The Fool '..."
"Hehe, maybe this will please Mr. ' The Fool '... If He's satisfied, perhaps He'll bestow a few extraordinary abilities upon me to Record in ' Lemano's Travel Notes.' No, ' Lemano's Travel Notes ' certainly can't Record divine abilities, and it's difficult to bear the power of Mr. ' The Fool '... Hmm, the abilities of His Angel would also work. No, no, no, I can't be too Greed. Even if I could only ask Mr. 'World' to copy a few abilities, I'd be quite satisfied..."
Fors's thoughts wandered, and he began to dream about what he would become.
This is the instinct of a bestselling author.
As for why she didn't expect anything else but only Record of extraordinary abilities, it was because she had come to a profound realization today of the importance and terror of extraordinary abilities at the Demigod level.
If Lemano's Travel Notes hadn't recorded that " Tornado," she and Hugh would have had no chance of catching Viscount Stratford tonight, and might not even have been able to escape.
Even disregarding the verdigris cross, Viscount Stratford himself was a formidable Beyonder. Had he not been injured by the " Tornado " at the outset and left dizzy, their sneak attack would likely have failed to achieve its intended effect and they would have been highly likely to be countered.
Of course, separating the terrifying " Radiant Cross " from Viscount Stratford was the key to the outcome of tonight's brief battle, and that was also thanks to the " Tornado."
"Thinking about it carefully, in a less urgent environment, provided we can eliminate the patina cross and the Demigod -level abilities in the Travel, Hugh and I joining forces to deal with Viscount Stratford isn't impossible to win, and the chances are even quite high..."
"The variety and strategic combination of extraordinary abilities described in the Travel are truly impressive. Add to that Hugh's ' Spirit Piercing ' ability, the ' Blade of Coldness ' effect, and the distraction of direct combat, and it's clear that Viscount Stratford's defeat would be a logical outcome without some special magical item..."
"A seasoned and still-living ' Scribe ' is this powerful..." Fors felt increasingly uneasy as he thought about it.
That means I might have become quite capable!
She had already gained some similar insights from dealing with the Ancient Evil Spirit, but after being corrupted by a strange phenomenon, she was left with only lingering fear and didn't think about it further. When punishing Ernes Boyar, the Sanguine Viscount, she and Hugh didn't participate in the actual battle, so naturally they wouldn't assess their own strength based on that.
This time, their enemy Viscount Stratford, was the chief of the royal guard of the Loen royal family. He was at least Sequence 6, most likely Sequence 5, and possessed a Demigod- level item. His strength was quite clear, allowing Fors to immediately determine her "rank" in the extraordinary world. Although their victory was largely due to the sneak attack, a successful sneak attack was itself a demonstration of strength.
I'm already a " Scribe," and after transcribing and matching my abilities, plus " Lemano's Travel Notes," I'm roughly equivalent to a strong Sequence 5... The only problem is, I still lack experience... Fors sighed as he turned his gaze to Hugh and Viscount Stratford, continuing to listen to their conversation.
At this point, Hugh's problem has entered a more core area that is likely to cause resistance:
"What caused Mason Diel's death?"
After asking the question, Hugh's emotions suddenly became extremely complex, a mixture of anticipation, trepidation, excitement, and fear.
This was a question she had wanted to ask eight years ago. For nearly three thousand days and nights, she had been searching for the answer, yet she was also afraid that the answer was not what she wanted, afraid that her father had indeed participated in the rebellion and was therefore executed without any honor.
Viscount Stratford did not answer Hugh's question immediately, and seemed to struggle for a moment before saying:
He discovered His Majesty's secret and attempted to inform the three major churches, but failed and was Execution on the spot.
Hugh stood there for several seconds, finally confirming that he had found the answer.
Although the answer terrified her, it also calmed her down and brought her peace of mind.
"A secret... His Majesty's secret..." she muttered to herself, then asked urgently.
What secret is it?
Fors, who was next to her, was also stunned, never expecting things to develop to this extent.
At this moment, Viscount Stratford's facial muscles Distortion noticeably, and he managed to utter a few words with great difficulty:
"The secret is..."
Suddenly, his body trembled violently, and his dazed eyes regained their light.
Then, it disintegrated from its smallest structural components, instantly collapsing into a cloud of "fireworks".
The crimson "fireworks" shot straight into the sky, exploded with a bang, and illuminated the night, entering the eyes of Fors and Hugh.
Having learned from his previous experience, Fors paused for a moment, then without saying anything more, he immediately squatted down and grabbed Shermane's corpse and Hugh's calves.
Their figures became transparent in an instant, disappearing from the spot, " Teleportation " to the Bridge South Borough.
Above the Gray Fog, Klein, holding the " Sea God Scepter," also saw the "firework" that had dyed the sky red.
When Fors prayed to him earlier, he happened to be observing Qonas Kilgor. He casually took in the " Red Priest " card, captured the paper figure he had cut out, and mobilized the power of the mystical space to respond.
During this process, he discovered that the person lying next to " The Magician " and " The Judgement " was actually Viscount Stratford.
This was one of his key targets. Although he hadn't investigated her personally, he knew she was problematic and that the Witch Trissy was targeting her. So, at a ball, he memorized her appearance and characteristics.
Klein wasn't sure what the two Tarot Club members were up to, but since it involved Viscount Stratford, he certainly wouldn't ignore its importance. He immediately began observing the subsequent fates of " The Magician " and " The Judgement " through the corresponding crimson star.
After ascending to Demigod and gaining more authority here, Klein can now directly investigate the situation in a certain area around Tarot Club member without the member's request, using the corresponding crimson star. This is similar to a specially marked believer, but Klein is very restrained in doing so and has never tried it before.
This allowed him to overhear Hugh and Viscount Stratford's conversation.
Having learned the inside story, he was well aware of the true meaning and weight of the question of "whom to pledge allegiance to."
Combined with the fact that former Chief of the Royal Guard Mason Diel had discovered the King's secret and failed in his attempt to inform the three major churches, Klein already had a guess about the answer:
He suspected that the biggest culprit behind the Great Smog of Backlund Incident was King George III of the Kingdom of Loen!