"Heh."
A faint smile flickered across Krismona's eyes. "Oh, I remember now—you're the kid from the spice shop. I buy things from your place quite often. It's getting dark soon. It's not safe for a child to wander around. You should hurry home."
"Alright~ thank you, ma'am."
Edward turned around, ready to leave.
"Wait a moment."
Krismona suddenly called out to him. Out of nowhere, she produced a small box of ice cream and walked over gracefully. "If I recall correctly, you like ice cream, don't you? This is freshly made by me today—something you can't find in any shop. Would you like to try it?"
"..."
Edward swallowed a little, hesitation flashing across his face. "My mom said…I shouldn't accept gifts from strangers for free."
"It's not free," she said with a soft laugh. "Think of it as helping me with a taste test. Once you finish, you'll have to tell me its strengths and flaws."
"...Okay."
Edward, holding his ball in one arm, accepted the ice cream with the other. "Thank you, miss."
Krismona blinked and smiled sweetly. "You're welcome. Go on, try it—I'm waiting for your review."
She even pulled out a pen and a small notepad, looking as if she were about to take notes seriously.
"..."
Edward looked down at the ice cream in his hands, its chocolate aroma mingling with the faint scent of cream. Even though his spirituality gave no warning of danger, he still dared not recklessly eat something handed to him by a witch.
She wouldn't have already seen through me and poisoned it on purpose, right?
"What's wrong?" she asked gently. "Do you not like this flavour?"
"It's not that."
Edward scratched his head and said in a small voice, "I'm just worried that if I eat this now, I won't be able to eat dinner later…and my mom will scold me."
"Oh, in that case…"
Her lips curved into a faint smile. "Then you can take it home and eat it later."
"Alright, thank you, ma'am."
"Mhm. Such a good boy."
Krismona bent down slightly and pinched his cheek, then leaned close to his ear and whispered, "Don't forget to tell me your review later."
In that instant, a surge of heat welled up inside Edward. His heart pounded, and an inexplicable wave of attraction toward the woman before him washed over his body and mind. Uncontrollable desire took hold of him—the seductive power of a Witch's Charm.
Damn it, using enchantment on a kid? As expected, no witch is ever innocent.
Edward immediately activated [Unfettered], regaining his clarity and composure. Then, putting on his most obedient smile, he said, "Okay~."
"Then, goodbye."
She turned and stepped back inside the villa.
Click.
The moment she closed the door, the smile on Krismona's face disappeared. Her brows furrowed slightly.
"Was that the same impostor pretending to be Zaratul again? Last time it was Zaratul, this time it's the Snake of Mercury. Why does that guy always enjoy impersonating well-known figures?"
She frowned deeper. "What's he trying to achieve by coming here over and over?"
Still puzzled, Krismona walked to her bedroom and stood before the dressing mirror. Bringing her hands together, she spoke softly, "Mr. Arrodes."
After a few seconds of silence, the surface of the mirror shimmered faintly, and a line of words slowly appeared:
"I…am here."
"How is Mother's condition right now?"
The mirror flickered for a long time before fragmented, distorted words began to form with great difficulty:
"She is…safe…but my true body…has followed Her…deeper into…the world inside the mirror. Soon…I will be…unable…to obtain…real-time information."
Krismona's expression changed slightly. "Why did Mother go into the Mirror World in the first place?"
"I have answered one of your questions. According to the principle of equivalence, it's my turn to ask one."
Then, a blood-red sentence appeared prominently on the mirror's surface:
"As an angel of Sequence 2, do you still possess human desires?"
"..."
Krismona fell silent for several seconds. "Yes."
"How honest of you."
The mirror glowed again, displaying a new line of words:
"Miss Lilith's purpose for entering the Mirror World is beyond my capacity to know. You may ask another question."
"The child I just met—is he the same person as the Zaratul I encountered a few days ago? And why is he looking for me?"
Light around the room rippled slightly, like reflections after rain. The mirror quickly responded:
"You've asked two questions. The answer to the first is: yes. The answer to the second: he's looking for Miss Lilith."
Then, in crimson script, another question surfaced:
"As an angel on the Demoness Pathway, how do you deal with your desires when they arise?"
"...I can control them."
Krismona's face remained cold as she replied swiftly. She then pressed, "His appearance—does it bring harm or benefit to Mother?"
"I don't know."
"You don't know?"
Krismona frowned. "How could you not know?"
The mirror continued to flicker faintly, but no further reply appeared.
"Then…tell me where that boy is right now."
Within the dressing mirror, the misty light began to twist, and a scene gradually emerged:
It was a dining room inside a villa. Will sat at the table with his parents, happily sharing breakfast—a picture of warmth and peace.
"According to the principle of equivalence, it's my turn to ask a question."
New words appeared on the mirror's surface:
"How does the Primordial Demoness vent her desires?"
Krismona's eyes narrowed slightly. "You've certainly got some nerve. Cheek, after all, is a Sequence 0 god…"
"Please answer my question directly."
"I…don't know."
"Wrong answer."
A flash of silver lightning erupted from the mirror, striking the top of her head.
Of course, such a feeble bolt couldn't possibly harm her—but her hair instantly frizzed in all directions like a startled cat.
She drew in a deep breath and forced out a smile. "Mr. Arrodes, I'll have to trouble you…to keep providing as much assistance to Mother as possible."
"Naturally."
The faint glow on the mirror dimmed away, leaving behind nothing but an ordinary dressing mirror.
Krismona stared at her reflection, her expression thoughtful.
"Arrodes…does he truly not know anything about that person, or is he deliberately concealing it?"
"If it's the latter…then why?"
She frowned. "Perhaps I should pay the Snake of Mercury a visit."
———
Meanwhile, Edward had gone to Rose Street No. 7 as planned, circled around for a bit, and then ended his summoning to return to the Sefirah Castle.
"Did she see through me or not?"
Seated upon the bronze throne, Edward furrowed his brows in contemplation. "If she didn't, then why use that charm on me? But if she did, it doesn't make sense for her to have attacked me outright last time, yet now play along with this 'pretend game'."
His choice to appear as Little Snake wasn't arbitrary—it was a carefully calculated move.
If he created a random child out of thin air, it would arouse suspicion immediately. But if he impersonated a local resident's kid, there was a risk that, once things went wrong, the witch might direct her wrath at the real one.
Little Snake, on the other hand, was different. He was a real person, yet resilient enough to handle any possible retaliation. After weighing the pros and cons, it was clearly the best option—of course, provided he had Little Snake's consent first.
Muttering to himself, Edward suddenly realised how unusually quiet the Sefirah Castle was today—Amon hadn't, as usual, started babbling the moment he appeared.
He turned his head—and met Amon's pitch-black eyes.
The two locked gazes for more than ten seconds before Amon finally said, "What are you staring at?"
"…"
Edward swallowed the 'staring at you, so what?' that almost slipped out and instead asked, "Why are you so quiet today?"
Amon's tone was flat. "I don't feel like talking."
"Why not?"
"It's boring being here alone. I'm in a bad mood. Depressed."
"You…get depressed?"
Edward's face went stiff, a black line practically sliding down his forehead.
Amon shot him a sidelong glance, then tucked his head into his feathers.
"Oh, congratulations then," Edward said dryly. "Getting depressed means your humanity's getting stronger."
He certainly didn't believe a single punctuation mark of Amon's words. Tossing out the line casually, he left the Sefirah Castle.
Amon slowly lifted his head again, his pupils reflecting faint confusion.
Why did it feel like, overnight, my fate had subtly shifted?
Could it be that the paranoid had done something?
But…this change came too suddenly.
Strange.
———
The next morning, just after Edward finished washing up, Dubois knocked on his door.
"Sir, someone's here to see you."
"So early? Who is it?"
He transformed into Klein Sparrow's appearance and went downstairs. Laughter drifted from the living room—Dubois chatting amicably with a woman. Her voice was familiar…one he'd heard not long ago.
"Boss," Dubois said quickly, hurrying over. "This is Miss Kris from 15 Emerald Street. She says she's here to see you."
A woman in a black dress stood up, a cup of coffee in hand, smiling gracefully.
"Good morning…sir. How was the ice cream last night? I'm here to collect your review."
"…"
Edward had to admit, the moment he saw her, his heartbeat spiked several times. But he instantly reined in his emotions and said coolly, "Come to my study."
Without waiting for her response, he turned and went upstairs.
Krismona set down her cup and smiled at Dubois. "The coffee was delightful. Thank you for the hospitality."
"…"
Dubois watched her disappear around the staircase corner, his expression full of confusion.
He still remembered this black-dressed woman—the same one the boss had taken a second glance at when she first moved in. At the time, Dubois had even teased him, asking whether he liked that type, only for the boss to deny it outright.
And now, after the boss somehow turned into a child, she had come to visit—and they clearly already knew each other.
Dubois' thoughts spiralled with curiosity.
An adult woman and his childlike boss…what sort of relationship did they have exactly?
Cough cough…could it be that after turning into a kid, the boss developed some rather questionable tastes?
Once they entered the study, Edward immediately sealed off the space, concealing it completely, and asked straight to the point:
"How did you find out I live here?"
After all, he had never met her using his real identity—and with the Sefirah Castle's concealment and the secrecy powers masking him, even if she had seen through him before, there was no way she could have tracked him down this easily.
Not to mention, the Witch pathway wasn't exactly known for its divination prowess.
Krismona replied calmly, "I know the Snake of Mercury."
"…"
"I went to see Him. He pointed me here."
———
[Note]: Don't forget to VOTE. It keeps me motivated.