Hearing Sylvia's little joke, Robin, who was already curious, covered her mouth with one hand and let out a soft giggle.
"Hehe~ Then I guess my brother will just have to endure it for a bit."
Truth be told, while she couldn't see Sunday for the time being, she could perfectly picture how anxious he would be.
Sparkle, on the other hand, flashed a grin that practically screamed 'ooh, drama,' and urged, "Care to explain?"
"It's still just speculation, so I won't go throwing around conclusions. Just be careful. Without Sunday's help, the Family's records on the Stellaron are going to be hard to find."
Sylvia declined to answer Sparkle's question, choosing instead to simply warn Robin to stay vigilant.
"Boring. Then what is Lady Sparkle supposed to do~"
Sparkle skipped right over, forcing herself right into Sylvia's space. Tilting her head, she stared straight at Sylvia with an unblinking gaze.
"...Don't think I forgot that you've read Silver Wolf's script. You can just go do whatever it is you want to do."
Sylvia had no intention of trying to direct someone who had already read the script.
Even if it was only a partial script.
Besides, Sylvia didn't exactly think she could boss Sparkle around anyway. It was better to just let her run wild.
"Pfft~ Stingy."
Sparkle puffed out her cheeks in an exaggerated display of complaining. Then, snapping upright in an instant, she said with a bright smile, "In that case, I'll tag along with the little white-haired girl and have some fun."
Robin and Sparkle left the room one after the other.
Once they were gone, Mei asked curiously, "Do you have some kind of theory? About the Family's current situation."
Sylvia shrugged. Pulling Mei down to sit with her, she leaned against her shoulder and said, "Honestly, I hadn't thought much of it at first. But just now, Robin said Sunday was deliberately excluded. And yet, he's the one in charge of the entire Charmony Festival."
Sylvia looked up at Mei.
Mei nodded slightly in understanding. "From a perspective of pure interest, the Family's attention is entirely fixed on Robin. If Sunday is the mole, then right now is the perfect time for him to act—and this setup will likely last all the way until the Charmony Festival itself."
"Yeah, exactly. At least for now, Sunday looks incredibly suspicious. Of course... there's one more person. It sounds absurd, but they're just as suspect."
"Who?"
"The Dreammaster."
Sylvia squeezed Mei's hand, her fingers tracing the slightly rough surface of her pads as she explained, "The current situation was entirely orchestrated by the Dreammaster."
"If the Dreammaster hadn't stepped in to guarantee her safety, Robin definitely would have been detained before we even got back. And if that happened, Sunday, as her own brother, would inevitably have been held accountable and purged."
"If we look at both Sunday and the Dreammaster as moles, then the Dreammaster's reasons for doing this actually become quite logical."
If the Dreammaster hadn't stepped up, the heads of the other Lineages would have descended upon Sunday like hawks. That would have made it impossible for him to move an inch.
Clearly, it wasn't time for them to expose themselves yet; that wasn't the outcome they wanted.
On the contrary, by backing Robin's actions, the Dreammaster not only cleared his own suspicion in Robin's eyes, but Sunday was also intentionally excluded by the other Lineages. It effectively turned the entire Oak Family into outsiders.
All Sunday had to do was tell everyone in his Lineage to steer clear of Robin, and he could perfectly render himself invisible.
Only an explanation like this made sense to Sylvia.
Why would a Dreammaster, who had accepted the existence of the Stellaron years ago and had been constantly devouring human lives to feed it, allow or even support Robin in shaking his very foundations?
Even if it was to build up a heroic figure to serve as a successor, Sunday—the current head of the family—would have been far more fitting and natural for the role.
If Robin were suited to lead a Lineage, she wouldn't have been wandering the cosmos for so long without anyone calling her back home.
Robin likely didn't want to consider that her own flesh and blood could be the traitor.
But then again, given the current state of affairs, it was hard to say whether siding with the Family or going against them was the lesser of two evils.
So, Sylvia didn't plan on spelling this out to Robin just yet. After all, when it came down to it, it was still just speculation. There wasn't a shred of proof.
Mei quickly followed the logic as well.
If that were the case, then Robin's actions were essentially being entirely exploited by them.
"If that's how it is, why keep playing along?"
"For the Stellaron, of course. We're technically Nameless right now, so we might as well do what Nameless do. Besides, given how messy things are, the mole might not necessarily be an enemy. We're going to clash with the Family either way."
"Hmm... true. I almost tripped over my own thoughts there."
The gears in Mei's temporarily stalled brain finally began to turn again. When she was alone with Sylvia, Mei never really liked making the decisions, so she had gradually fallen out of the habit of overthinking.
To Robin, the blow dealt by the Family over the Stellaron was far heavier than any betrayal by a mole.
To put it harshly, discovering a mole would just make Robin sad because someone in her trusted family had turned traitor. But what the Family was doing?
To Robin, that meant her entire family had collective turned their backs on everything they stood for.
Clearly, the latter was far more devastating.
"To put it bluntly, the biggest issue right now is that the Family hid the Stellaron inside the Dreamscape. That's the real headache. Himeko has sealed plenty of them, but I doubt she's ever seen one like this."
The Penacony Grand Theater opened up whenever there was a major event. Countless people went in and out without ever noticing anything amiss.
God only knew how that Stellaron was being concealed.
One had to admit, the Family's research into the Stellaron truly was something else. On this front, they could only rely on luck.
Sylvia clapped her hands together, stood up, and then leaned down to press her cheek against Mei's, rubbing against her affectionately.
"Be careful, okay? The Family... has Emanator-level entities on their side too."
Hearing Sylvia's warning, Mei couldn't help but smile. Reaching out, she pulled Sylvia into her embrace and gently nipped at her cheek.
"Shouldn't I be saying that to you? If we actually run into one, aren't you the one who's in greater danger?"
"That's true, but logically speaking, the probability of you running into one is higher. A family head or even the Dreammaster seeking me out is probably the absolute limit."
Emanators didn't just grow on trees. Sylvia figured that under normal circumstances, an Emanator wouldn't actively go out of their way to find her.
"You make a point, but right now, you have a Fool's mask brimming with power sitting right in your pocket. In the eyes of outsiders, there's no difference between you and an Emanator."
Not everyone was like the few of them.
An astonished, bewildered reaction like Robin's was what a normal person would display. Or rather, Robin's reaction had already been remarkably composed.
If an ordinary person knew Sylvia held such a mask, they would undoubtedly treat her as an Emanator outright.
"...I guess so."
Sylvia thought about it, and it did make sense. Though, looking at it that way, the mask felt a bit like a hot potato now.
An idea flashed in her mind, and she suddenly blurted out, "Hey, what do you think would happen if I hosted an Emanator Mask Auction right here in Penacony? Do you think I'd make an absolute fortune?"
"..."
"Aha really didn't pick the wrong person."
After a long silence, Mei could only squeeze out that single, exasperated remark. No matter how poised Mei usually was, she was thoroughly stunned by Sylvia's striking display of "brilliance" right now.
Just moments ago, she had wondered why Aha had chosen Sylvia. But now, it suddenly clicked.
Aha really hadn't picked the wrong person after all.
You hold an artifact like this, and your first thought is to throw a once-in-a-lifetime auction.
The Fools' Tavern would probably frame your portrait on the spot, turn you into their spiritual idol, and point at your photo to brag to everyone they meet about the legendary achievement of Aha getting played by their own Emanator.
Aha THEMSELVES would probably give you a thumbs-up, manifest in the flesh, and personally help build the stage for your auction.
But hearing Mei's commentary, Sylvia couldn't help but roll her eyes.
"What kind of talk is that? Listen to yourself! Go on, get out of here."
As she spoke, she pressed her hands against Mei's shoulders and began pushing her toward the door. Mei chuckled, offering no resistance, and let Sylvia's momentum guide her out of the room.
"Phew... honestly."
Sylvia closed the door and couldn't help but grumble a bit.
She just wanted to flip the mask for a high price; who knew how many resource-rich planets and interstellar fleets she could trade it for? What was Mei even implying?
Sylvia twirled the mask in her hands. She still had no intention of putting it on herself. If it were any other Aeon, Sylvia would have used it instantly. It was just that Aha's reputation genuinely warranted that level of caution.
--+--
Entering the Dreamscape via the Dreampool.
The moment her feet touched the ground, Sylvia looked up at the massive opera house looming overhead. Under normal circumstances, the Penacony Grand Theater was closed to the public.
However, given the ongoing preparations for the Charmony Festival, the restrictions had been loosened slightly, granting staff members permission to enter and exit.
Of course, Sylvia didn't have that clearance. But it didn't matter, because she could always just sneak in.
As for Sparkle—
"Hi there, kept you waiting~"
Robin materialized from behind her with a sweet smile, carrying a mischievous, wicked grin as she leaned in close to Sylvia's face. One look was all it took to know it was Sparkle in disguise.
"...I thought you'd be more interested in other things."
Sylvia shrugged, intending to find a spot to summon Something Unto Death to ferry them over to Dreamflux Reef first.
Sneaking into the Grand Theater from there was relatively easier. The pathways of the Golden Hour had far too many guards.
"Nope, nope, nope. Right now, I'm much more interested in you~"
Sparkle, sporting Robin's face, pressed right up against Sylvia. True to her words, her eyes scanned Sylvia up and down without stopping, as if trying to peer right through her inner workings.
Curiosity was written all over her face.
Sparkle was probably dying to know why Sylvia had been chosen.
But Sylvia certainly wasn't going to give her the answer. Instead, she looked back with a smirk and said, "Maybe Aha wanted you to be the Emanator, and I'm just the middleman. You never know."
"Mm-hmm. While Lady Sparkle loves your flattery, trying to brush me off isn't going to work~"
Sylvia and Sparkle walked to a secluded spot and successfully made their way to Dreamflux Reef via the meme.
Since it wasn't their first time arriving, the creature dropped them off directly within the settlement rather than a deserted alleyway.
Dreamflux Reef was the same as ever.
The massive accretion disk was still steadily and slowly expanding, gradually swallowing the distant structures. The Golden Hour overhead, along with the Grand Theater hanging upside down in the sky, were just as striking as last time.
Sylvia tapped into the power of the Herrscher of the Void.
Her everyday outfit was replaced by a form-fitting dress, stockings, and high heels.
The perception of space seemed to hold true even within this synesthesia Dreamscape. Or rather... because Sylvia believed it would work, it worked in the dream.
In any case, Sylvia taking flight in her brand-new look drew an appreciative gasp from Sparkle. Floating in midair through whatever means of her own, Sparkle drifted closer, inspecting Sylvia's golden eyes.
"Yoo-hoo, whence the sudden makeover? Or did you get some new abilities?"
"Business first."
Sylvia had no intention of explaining. She flew straight up toward the sky.
From a distance, the brilliant, cascading ripples surrounding the Grand Theater looked like they could be the residual energy leaking from the Stellaron.
Most people probably just assumed it was some special effect cooked up by the Family.
And the truth was, even though Sylvia and Sparkle managed to sneak inside the Grand Theater smoothly—even passing right through those ripples—they couldn't sense the presence that a Stellaron was supposed to possess.
"Little white-hair, do you think our investigation today will yield anything?"
Relying on stealth, Sylvia easily bypassed the Family's security. For some reason, Sparkle was able to do the same, never once losing track of Sylvia's trail.
"Hard to say. If it were that easy to find, the Family wouldn't have stood tall in Penacony for this long."
Sylvia hadn't expected to find it today anyway. After all, even if there were vital records, they wouldn't just leave them lying around the Grand Theater. Today was mostly about scouting the layout.
And while they were at it...
"Heehee, follow my lead! We have to hide the bombs well enough!"
Sparkle produced a massive cloth sack out of nowhere, looking straight out of a comic book, stuffed to the brim with her Sparkle Bombs.
Looking at Sparkle disguised as Robin, Sylvia took the sack and muttered, "I thought you planned on walking into the Grand Theater out in the open. Since you ended up sneaking in with me anyway, what was the point of changing into this face?"
"For the sake of a sense of ritual, of course~"
Sparkle offered a sweet smile using Robin's face. To give credit where it was due, she had actually managed to mimic a bit of Robin's grace. But very quickly—
"Ugh... nope. I can't do the whole innocent act."
Sparkle made an indescribable face and instantly snapped back into her original appearance.
She then scurried over to a corner of the room, stuffed a Sparkle Bomb beneath the sofa, and pressed the button with a sharp click.
Hearing the sound, Sylvia whipped her head around. "You're activating the bomb right now?"
"Huh? Well, obviously. Don't worry, it's a time bomb. There are three whole system hours left before the blast~"
Sparkle grinned, clutching her sack, while Sylvia's mouth twitched.
"...You better have a justifiable reason for this."
"What reason could there be? Didn't you say yourself that the odds of finding clues are super low?"
Sparkle spread her hands, her grin widening. "Since we can't find clues, we might as well just blow this place to smithereens. Who knows, maybe the Stellaron will pop right out."
"I knew you were up to no good." Sylvia couldn't help but roll her eyes at her.
"Oh, come on! Lady Sparkle has been holding back for ages. Today, I'm going to make sure we set off a wonderfully massive firework display!"
--+--
T/N: If you want advance chapters, you can find it at [email protected]/AspenTL