"Hello, Mr. Dorian Grey Abraham."
Hearing the gentleman beside his own student openly state his surname, Dorian no longer held onto any remaining hope. He let out a breath, responded to the greeting, and then led the two of them into the private room.
After both sides sat down, Dorian had no mood for small talk and asked directly, "Your Lordship Viscount, I'd like to know whether the matter you mentioned earlier—the imminent return of our ancestor 'Alvin'—is actually true?"
"You're Fors's teacher; you can just call me Ebner…" Ebner offered a polite remark first before answering. "By the end of this month, or early next month at the latest, His Highness Alvin will surely restore the glory of the Abraham family."
If the glory of the Abraham family doesn't return, how am I supposed to complete the 'Miracle Invoker' ritual?
Hearing the certainty in Ebner's tone, Dorian felt both excited and uneasy. He asked again, "Did our ancestor 'Alvin' obtain the help of the God of Knowledge or the Earth Mother Goddess?"
In his view, since Ebner, who was a Blessed of both deities, had taken the initiative to reveal this matter to the Abraham family, it had to be due to divine instruction behind the scenes.
The greatest supporter behind Alvin's advancement was actually the Evernight Goddess…
While thinking this inwardly, Ebner only smiled and shook his head. "No… The reason I had Fors notify you was actually for your own good.
"As far as I know, before His Highness Alvin disappeared, he was on very poor terms with the Abraham family…
"If you wish to resolve that estrangement, then it's best to welcome Him when He returns!
"And as a Sequence 2, Alvin should be able to provide some of you with protection during the full moon."
Hearing this, Dorian could no longer restrain himself. He sprang to his feet and asked excitedly, "Your Lordship Viscount, is this true?"
Is the nearly two-thousand-year curse of the Abraham family finally going to end?
"It's true," Ebner replied firmly.
With the abilities of a Miracle Invoker, even without borrowing the power of the "Unknown," he could still create the miracle that allowed a small number of people to "not hear the ravings."
And he wanted the Abrahams present also because the ritual required enough members of the Abraham family gathered together, appearing before others, to announce that this angelic family—forgotten by history—had returned.
After the initial excitement, Dorian gradually calmed down. He pondered for a moment, then looked at Ebner and asked:
"Can you give me a reason to believe you?"
After all, gathering the clan carried significant risk. If this was a trap, they could all be captured in one move.
Ebner glanced at him, curled his lips, and countered, "There may be considerable risk, but compared to what you stand to gain, would you really not take the gamble?"
Even if you don't gamble… since you appeared before me, your aura has been recorded, your fate observed. That means most Abrahams connected to you no longer have secrets from me…
If you truly don't come by then, I could simply capture you all myself.
Dorian did not know of Ebner's "bandit-like" thoughts. He mulled over the words and finally gave a bitter smile.
Yes, with hope right before his eyes, how could he not gamble?
He had devoted great effort to nurturing Fors—aside from her good character—mostly because of a vague "prophecy" from an ancestor.
At most, he only needed to make some safe arrangements: hide the Sealed Artifacts and formulas more securely, leave some descendants behind as seeds…
That way, even if it turned out to be a trap, the Abraham family could still continue.
After a long time of thought, Dorian finally took a deep breath, made his decision, and asked, "Your Lordship Brain, where should we go to welcome the return of our ancestor 'Alvin'?"
"The main peak of the Hornacis Mountain Range…
"But remember, do not attempt to climb the peak. Just wait at the foot of the mountain." Ebner reminded him solemnly.
...
Late at night, near the Backlund Bridge, Klein followed the location provided by the Hermit, searching for signs of the "Queen Mystic" Bernadette.
This was information he had obtained during a private discussion with Cattleya at the Tarot Gathering about mythical creature blood.
At that moment, he suddenly saw strands of green pea vines falling from the sky, weaving into a lush, dense forest.
Klein paused briefly, then followed the path formed by the vines and stepped into the "forest."
He walked through the fairy-tale scenery for quite a while before seeing the green plants merge into a hammock-like seat, gently swaying above.
The "Queen Mystic" sat there, dressed in an Intis-style white shirt and a dark black jacket, a thin rapier at her waist. Aside from not wearing a tricorne hat, she was dressed like a standard sea captain.
Unlike the last time in Backlund, when she had only shown a pair of black leather boots while meeting "Sherlock Moriarty," her chestnut hair now flowed freely. Her deep blue eyes looked over gently but without emotion as she said:
"You were willing to venture out to meet Him for Cattleya's sake. That is good…
"Mm, I can offer two types of payment. One is allowing you to observe the 'Wheel of Fortune' card once. You should already know what it represents, as one of those Blasphemy Cards He created. The second is a method to allow the temporarily weakened to briefly recover some power."
A method to recover power during a weakened period? Venturing out to meet Him? Did the Queen Mystic guess that this was related to the Snake of Mercury? Does she think Will Auceptin is being hunted, and that my visit to Him involved significant risk?
That doesn't make sense. Angels include Sequence 2 Prophets… Why wouldn't the Fool be allowed to have an angel from the Fate pathway serving Him?
Believe it or not, I could just ask Mr. Tower for a drop of the Luck God's blood!
Forget it… His blood might have side effects. If Miss Hermit gets contaminated, that would be bad…
I also don't know whether Will Auceptin knows the method for reaching Sequence 0 in his pathway. If he doesn't, then the chance to observe the Wheel of Fortune card would be irresistible. But… unlikely. He has lived so long and is Sequence 1—there's no way he doesn't know the ritual for becoming a god…
Heh… I wonder what image Roselle has on the Wheel of Fortune card… A snake with the Emperor's face and other animals?
Thinking with mild anticipation, Klein nodded coldly in Gehrman's usual manner.
"Alright."
Bernadette's gaze did not shift as she asked:
"What else did you want from me by requesting this meeting?"
Klein paused briefly, then spoke the lines he had prepared:
"I want your help in making him appear as though he has long been suffering from the erosion of the core seal behind the Chanis Gate of the Church of the Evernight.
"In exchange, I can guide you through the eighth and seventh floors of the Dream Labyrinth Tower."
As he spoke, Klein let the Wraith Senor manifest beside him.
Bernadette's eyes lit up. She looked deeply at the properly standing "Admiral of Blood." Without asking how Gehrman Sparrow knew she had a method or how he knew she couldn't pass the eighth floor of the Dream Labyrinth Tower, she simply nodded lightly.
"I can inflict the corresponding erosion upon him, but once that is done, your marionette will essentially be ruined. He will function normally at first, but as time passes and the erosion deepens, he will gradually fall asleep and never awaken again."
She paused, then added, "He can last no more than two more months."
Klein struggled internally for two seconds, then replied without much expression,
"Alright."
He placed his hand over his chest and bowed.
"Thank you for your help."
The "Queen Mystic" Bernadette said nothing more. As she summoned her "servant" to deliver the needed supernatural items, she casually reminded him, "The conditions need slight adjustment—it will be the ninth, eighth, and seventh floors. All three."
Klein was stunned at first, then realized—
The Queen Mystic can't guarantee stable passage through the ninth floor of the Dream Labyrinth Tower either!
...
On Tuesday morning, after leaving the Dream Labyrinth Tower, Bernadette—who had been silent the whole time—finally couldn't hold back and asked, "You… how did you do it?"
Klein, for once not maintaining Gehrman's persona, answered with a smile:
"As you know, I used to be a detective."
(End of chapter)