Stunned, he took a step to the side, putting some distance between them.
"Calm down, big guy, calm down..." Cordis pressed his lips together as he observed his new enemy.
He was very tall, easily a head taller than him and twice his size, perhaps even three times his size!
His long, black hair blended into the shadows behind him, but the most striking feature was his red eyes, like the moon in the sky—penetrating, deep, and eager for him to make the slightest mistake to unleash that barely contained fury.
Cordis backed away even further, "N-now, let's not do anything rash, okay? Friend?"
"How cute. You really think you're in a position to make demands~" Adryan snorted amusedly as he took a step forward, no sound coming from his feet.
"Ah… shit." Cursing under his breath, Cordis laughed uncomfortably.
'I never thought I'd be so happy to see Mr. K! He may not give a damn about exploiting me to the bone, but at least that bastard takes good care of me!' With her heart about to explode as she watched her attacker practically shit his pants, Vivian could only praise her luck.
Her boss was a crazy exploiter who saw Workers' Rights as a challenge to break, but at least he had her back!
Her job was exhausting, but it was definitely worth it if these were the benefits!
'What did that piece of shit even do to me? I don't remember anything!' Her mind was still clouded, meaningless details strung together, making it even more confusing to remember.
Also, how did she even get here?
Discreetly, Vivian approached the second in command without taking her eyes off the scene. Apart from the boss, this was the best way to find out what disaster she had fallen into.
Leaning slightly forward, she whispered as quietly as she could, "Ma'am, can you explain to me what's going on?"
Flora glanced sideways at the Barbarian who was talking to her, sighing exasperatedly to herself.
'This is not the time for stupid questions'
Without letting her annoyance show, Flora simply replied.
"We don't know, keep your guard up."
'A surprise attack, then?' Not surprised by this development, Vivian held back her curiosity and didn't probe further.
There would always be a chance to ask more questions later.
Looking at what she was still holding and knowing that it would only annoy her now, she closed the umbrella and placed it to one side.
Following that, she took out her hidden weapon and pressed it tightly against her chest. Her finger was ready to activate it.
Out of the corner of her eye, Jacob observed what the woman had taken out in great detail.
A pocket watch, simple with a lime green crown.
'A fairly strong artifact, but its level isn't that high. Maximum grade 2... Ha, that grandfather of yours put a lot of effort into giving you one with mild negative effects.'
Being a Dream Stealer, a single glance was all she needed to get an idea of an artifact's value. Combined with her Superior Observation, the artifact's strength was revealed to her, along with a very slight idea of its negative effects.
Based on her spiritual awareness and experience, it was an artifact she should not underestimate.
'And that's just one of three. The earrings and necklace are the same, but they seem to be passive, unlike the watch.
'If one of those had been activated, it would have been impossible to avoid attracting attention...' Satisfied, Flora turned her attention back to the front, analyzing everything with her eyes, whose gray seemed more mysterious than before.
Cordis had tried but failed to get away from the tall man who always stayed five steps away from him.
Knowing he was running out of space and surrounded, the musician tried to calm the situation down again.
"Come on, friend. Violence is unnecessary at this point, don't you think? Look, why don't we sit down and have a cup of coffee to chat? Yes? I promise you it's a brand name, straight from Bayam!"
Looking down at the guy, Adryan narrowed his eyes and his smile grew a little sharper. "After what you did, do you really think I would trust a drink you offer me?"
Slowly tilting his head to the left, he continued in a dead voice, "Be thankful I didn't cut off your head when I had the chance."
And that was the truth.
The moment the soldier in charge of guarding the lawyer saw that a stranger had appeared out of nowhere and taken her away, he prayed and reported the situation.
After ordering him to watch and report any changes, he sped here via the Dream Jump from Feynapotter's Children's Stories, bringing Flora, Sharron, and Maric with him. In the Mind World, he informed them of what was happening and what they would do once they reached their destination.
Due to the time of day, most of the population was already asleep, allowing them to reach the location relatively quickly.
They left the Mind World at the same time Vivian entered through the red door.
The plan was for Sharron to use possession to freeze Cordis, and through Shadow Leap, he would bring Maric closer to take Vivian away from danger. For their part, Flora and he would be hidden, waiting for the right moment to finish off Cordis or intervene if anything happened.
The latter ended up happening, with the gothic duo trapped and forced to dance. At that moment, he moved Flora with another Shadow Leap to deal with that while he waited for the right moment.
Precision, Cull, and Weakness Investigation ensured a clean hit and the least risk of hurting Vivian after all; he just needed to find the right moment.
The only reason the musician still had his head on his shoulders was that he had let Vivian go before he could cut it off.
And while he had avoided dying without knowing what hit him, he had only gone from the burning oil to the fire of the oven.
'Well, rather... It would be the cutting board.' The Reaper let out a laugh.
He hadn't been sitting idly by while waiting in the dark corner and watching everything like a pervert.
Surrounding Cordis, threads invisible to the naked eye were hidden, stuck to the walls, the ceiling, and the floor itself. All connected to the fingertips of his left hand.
Now, the only thing preventing Cordis from becoming mincemeat was that Adryan did not kill without reason.
Smiling sweetly at his musician, even though he did not know that, the red-eyed man spoke slowly.
"You've asked your questions. Now it's my turn to ask them, don't you think?"
Cordis nodded energetically, his face a blur from the speed.
He knew when he was outmatched, and right now, the music whispering in his ears was a funeral march that seemed ready to rise in pitch.
The only way he would get out of here alive was to obey!
So, without daring to move his body in any aggressive way, he shouted energetically:
"Of course! Ask whatever you want! Sir!"
If he was satisfied, the red-eyed man did not show it; his expression still held that grim smile. He pointed to the empty sofa against the wall.
"Then take a seat."
"Yes, sir." Without hesitation, the musician quickly did as he was asked and sat down.
Vivian watched this and snorted in disbelief.
'You've got to be kidding me!'
This was the guy who had kidnapped her? Seriously?!
If she had died because of someone so pathetic, she wouldn't be able to look her ancestors in the face out of shame!
'All I'd need is a hat and a nose to look like one, but then I'd really be a clown! Arghh!!' Unable to help herself, a sigh of relief escaped her; her respect for her boss grew a little.
Grabbing the small table in the center, Adryan dragged it over boredly and placed it in front of Cordis. He maintained the five-step distance from before.
Without haste, he sat down on it, much to the visible discomfort of the musician, who clearly heard the wood creak under the weight of the large man.
Tilting his head to the left, the black-haired, red-eyed Adryan spoke amusedly, "Now we can talk better, don't you think?"
The corners of Cordis's lips twisted into an uncomfortable smile. "Hehe... Yes..."
The funeral music in his ears intensified slightly, silencing any complaints.
Not wanting to hear the end of this melody, he braced himself, ready to answer anything.
Looking at him deeply, the red-eyed man spoke.
"What are you?"
"I'm a musician—"
"That's not what I asked." The man cut him off, the pupils in his ruby eyes visibly shrinking.
"You're not human, but you look like one. Are you some kind of spirit world creature?"
The musician's eyebrows rose exaggeratedly, "Wait, you can see it?!"
"Call it instinct," Adryan replied mysteriously.
Ever since he had set his eyes on this house, he had activated his spiritual vision to reconfirm what he had seen through his spy bird.
The musician's aura was the same—transparent and turbulent. It hadn't changed at all since he investigated him after his lawyer's first suspicion of his strangeness, nor when he observed him through the bird soldier.
According to his Spiritual Vision, Cordis was a normal human. Something that was impossible after what he had shown himself capable of doing.
'This Eagle Sight isn't as powerful as I thought, there are ways for beyonders to hide their auras from me... Sigh.' Adryan couldn't help but be somewhat disappointed, but it was to be expected.
In this world, everything has limits. And also, in a way, it was reassuring to know that his vision was not immutable.
'Although, of course... This could also be something else...' Clicking his tongue inwardly and not wanting to wait any longer, Adryan raised an eyebrow, "Well?"
Coming to his senses, the thin man nodded, still visibly stunned, "Excuse me, I wasn't expecting those words..."
The musician paused for a moment, gathering his thoughts. After a few seconds, he spoke again, his voice heavy and somewhat strange.
"I am not human, but something similar. You could say I am a reflection of you, a mirror image."
"Wait? A reflection? Doesn't that mean you're from the Mirror World?" Vivian immediately joined the conversation from her seat in the back, her eyes wide with shock.
Her knowledge of mysticism was decent, so she immediately understood what Cordis was referring to.
"That's right," Cordis nodded, but as soon as he did, he tensed up.
"You know, what usually comes out of the Mirror World isn't exactly peaceful," Adryan spoke with a strange calmness, one that didn't match his gaze.
He finally understood why Cordis had abilities so similar to those of the instrumental monster Roselle had mentioned in his diary.
They were both related to the Mirror World!
His left hand tightened slightly, and his threads moved, enclosing the musician in a birdcage.
"The Disharmonious, yes, I know them. I am not related to them at all! My people are peaceful!" Trying to calm himself, Cordis clenched his teeth, trembling in place.
The funeral music had intensified again. This time, footsteps could be heard.
His words enraged the Barbarian, who, coming out of her shock, pointed an accusing finger at him from behind Maric.
"Hypnotizing ladies and taking them to your house against their will is peaceful to you?!"
Cordis tensed as if he had been slapped by an invisible hand, "I already said I'm sorry!"
Rather than calming her down, it seemed to have added fuel to the fire.
Trying to take a step, but being stopped by Maric, Vivian raised her middle finger at him.
"How about I cut off your legs and apologize?! Huh!? Let's see if they grow back, you noodle-eating ape-ass!"
The zombie tried, but failed to keep his eyelid from twitching. His head turned slightly, looking over his shoulder, somewhat out of the loop.
Honestly, Maric could only applaud the audacity and creativity. Those were the most specific insults he'd heard in a while. Even more so, coming from a lady.
Even Sharron glanced sideways at Vivian.
Pressing two fingers against her forehead, feeling her brain throb, Flora growled silently.
'I knew she was a Harlot, but I didn't know she also screamed like a Banshee! That voice will give me nightmares!'
Not even the ravings she heard when advancing to Parasite scratched her brain so much!
Having had enough, Flora raised her free hand and casually twisted her wrist.
"I bet they dropped you as a baby, and instead of picking you up, they stepped on you because you were so ugly! You disgraceful noodle—" Vivian's lips moved, but no sound came out.
Adryan chuckled a little, looking over his shoulder and nodding to his worm, "Thanks."
The white-haired woman just nodded; what she was learning now was too juicy to be interrupted.
Behind her, the barbarian held her neck, trying but failing to scream.
Turning his gaze back to the front, he clapped a little, "For a non-human, you sure know how to annoy people."
Pressing his mouth into a thin line, Cordis spoke cordially, "I... I didn't mean to."
"Oh?" A black eyebrow rose.
"And might we know what your intention was, then? You went to a lot of trouble to catch her for just information after all, it must be very interesting, no?"
"As I said, I just wanted to ask about the gate. Nothing more. As soon as I got what I wanted, I would have let her go. I swear!"
Hearing the same answer, Adryan's eyes sparkled a little.
Cordis hid it very well, but to a Hunter, no matter how hard he tried, he would always know when his provocation was successful.
Adryan crossed his hands over his lap, leaning forward a little more.
"You keep mentioning that door. Is it so special that you're willing to risk being discovered? Intelligent creatures from the mirror world are rare on this side of the reflection."
Cordis made an 'oh' sound with his mouth, one hand on his chest, indignantly. "Creature? I am an Armonos! Not a 'creature'!"
'Armonos… Did they name themselves? Are they similar to the Sanguines who were created by a deity or evolved from monsters? Do they have a religion or believe in something? Or are they atheists? The Mirror World has no 'ruler,' but that doesn't mean that some species don't have their alpha...' Several theories ran through Adryan's mind about the possible origin of this species; curiosity consumed him, but he managed to control it with force.
This was the first time he had interacted with something that came directly from the Mirror World, a place directly connected to the City of Calamities!
Practically everything he knew about the Mirror World was thanks to the Demoness Sect's Divination book he obtained from the Tower, and that information was more focused on how to use it than on the world itself. While undoubtedly useful, it did not solve his lack of knowledge.
Everything that came out of Cordis's mouth was invaluable to him, inside information.
But this juicy information would not cloud his judgment. So, hiding his intentions behind the false face he now wore, Adryan relaxed a little in his seat, looking Cordis up and down.
"Armonos, huh? Honestly, apart from being very skinny, you don't look anything special.
"The Sanguines are also similar to humans, but they are characterized by their red eyes and weak hearts, not to mention that they are born as Sequence 7 of the Apothecary Pathway. What makes the Armanos different from humans? Seriously, is being a reflection all you have?
"It's kind of sad, isn't it?" The last part was added with a shrug, as if it were no big deal.
For the first time since this whole conversation started, Cordis's face broke. Eyebrows furrowed and teeth bared, like a rabid dog.
In an explosion of emotion, he snorted exaggeratedly:
"Those bloodsuckers?! Please! Those excuse-for-bats want to be us! They can try all they want to imitate us, but we're the only ones blessed by music!
"They say they love symphonies when they can't even hear their own. They say they understand them with just one note, but they rely on their appearance to charm everyone who listens to them! And they call themselves musicians?! Blah!
"Hypocrites! All of them!"
Huff! Huff!
"...Okay." Adryan blinked in surprise.
The rest of his team shared the same reaction, not expecting such sudden anger from someone who had been relatively calm until a moment ago.
'There's animosity there, no doubt about it.' The Reaper took note of this and redirected the conversation to a more pressing topic.
"Again with the symphonies and notes. Why do you mention them so much? Do the Anormos worship music?"
More calm, the thin man nodded.
"We praise creation itself, the beautiful notes that compose it, and that together play a symphony that cannot be described in words." Cordis extended a finger and touched the air.
~
A short note sounded in the room, faint and almost inaudible. But it could be felt vividly on the skin.
"That is the note of the wind," the musician explained with a small smile.
"Everything has a note, rocks, water, even animals. More complex organisms are songs because of the number of notes that compose them, but the principle is the same.
"Everything is connected. From the smallest insect to the largest monsters of the deep sea, we are all part of the symphony that makes up the universe..." There was a short pause, and Cordis smiled.
"We Armonos were blessed with the ability to hear it and interact with it. From the moment we are born, we receive that blessing to be part of the Notes pathway."
'A path centered on music... How curious...' Holding his chin, Adryan was intrigued but calm.
He was already sure before, and what was revealed now only cemented it.
'Cordis is part of a path outside the 22 standard paths, and if he's telling the truth, the Armonos as a whole are too...
'The question now is, is this path controlled by one of the bastards from outside... Tch.'
How annoying.
Smiling at the musician, Adryan laughed amusedly;
"You're being very honest with me, you're not holding anything back. You're not lying to me, are you?"
Cordis replied honestly, his gaze downcast:
"I can't lie, it's not in me.
"Besides, I wouldn't dare lie to you, my friend. It would cost you nothing to suppress me."
Looking up, his yellow eyes scanned everyone present one by one, starting with the pale man.
"An undead
"A specter
"A thief..."
Returning to the red-eyed man, Cordis sighed in defeat.
"And a marionette."
Internally, Adryan froze. Creeping Hunger's Faceless mode saved his reaction.
Holding back the sudden acceleration of his heart, he calmly inquired.
"What do you mean by that?"
Cordis paused for a moment, his yellow eyes looking beyond him, above him.
"The only things that don't have a melody are those that have already perished. There are no exceptions. Once something dies, its unique music comes to an end and cannot be repeated or retouched...
"Even if its notes are manipulated, its music is gone forever.
"You can fool everyone, but you will never fool the music."
Then, those yellow eyes returned to his face.
"You can control the strings, but they will never produce music again. That is the trick you will never be able to pull off, Mr Sorcerer."
He sighed, shaking his head, "Even so, I applaud you.
"Talking to something that appears to be alive is really uncomfortable."