'A child of an evil god, an upcoming Oracle, and a Spectator lurking in the shadows...' Klein listened to Mr. Devil's mutterings, his expression growing increasingly grave.
Tingen was merely a small, third-rate city. Before his transmigration, it wouldn't even have ranked as a third-tier city; its only real advantage was its significant number of higher educational institutions, making it something of a university town.
A city like this naturally didn't receive much attention from the authorities. The highest combat power of the Evernight Church here was merely Captain Dunn, a Sequence 7 Nightmare.
For this city, whether it was the Spectator secretly manipulating fate, the soon-to-arrive Oracle of the Aurora Order, or the offspring of the Fallen Creator, all were burdens that simply could not be borne.
But what could he do?
Report it? Could such mysterious, source-less information be accepted? He couldn't exactly say he saw it while divining, could he?
Klein paced above the grey fog, thinking for a long while before finally extending his spirituality to pull 'The Devil' into the fog...
...
Feeling the deep crimson light suddenly spread out like a tide, Snow was momentarily startled. Then, his spirit arrived above the grey fog. 'He chose to pull me up directly? It seems that at this point in time, Klein is still quite inexperienced!' Snow grumbled inwardly, but on the surface, he assumed a respectful posture, bowing with a hand over his chest. He spoke in the tone of a devout believer, "Respected Mr. Fool, what are Your instructions?"
'Asking for instructions directly? It seems student Devil has a very high level of awareness!' Klein made a lighthearted comment to himself, then assumed the tone of a pleased, high-level existence, "I am quite interested in your previous prayers. Do you mind elaborating on them for Me?"
"As You wish." Snow bowed respectfully once more, then said, "You may recall that I mentioned two Secret Supplicants who once planted a seed in Tingen. After investigation, I discovered this points to a swindler named Lanevus. Following a simple inquiry, I decided to reveal his existence to a peripheral member of the Secret Order. While the Secret Order and the Aurora Order aren't in direct conflict, considering their potential plans in Tingen, they surely wouldn't want an evil god to descend here. Furthermore, the Secret Order is indeed skilled at finding people."
'But the person you found wasn't a Secret Order member!' Klein screamed in his mind, while maintaining the expression of someone listening to a detective story. Tapping his index finger lightly on the table, he said with interest, "A good idea. And then?"
"After finishing the commission, I originally intended to monitor that peripheral member to come into contact with the Secret Order's upper brass in Tingen. However, I accidentally caught sight of a lady carrying the offspring of the True Creator. As You know, as a Secret Supplicant, I am extremely sensitive to the divinity of the True Creator; I could determine with a single glance that it was undoubtedly a child of an evil god."
'Deity's offspring... lady... Lanevus... wait!' Klein's pupils suddenly contracted. Fortunately, his face was obscured by the grey fog, preventing any slip-up.
He once again recalled Miss Megane, and the pieces suddenly fell into place--
Why did he "forget" to use Spirit Vision back then?
It wasn't that he forgot; it was his spirituality warning him!
Warning him that he must not look directly at a God!
'They're so close!' Klein felt a surge of post-encounter fear. Snow continued:
"I was worried my presence would be sensed by the child, so I immediately left that area and wrote to notify an Oracle of the Aurora Order. If there are no accidents, he should arrive in Tingen within two to three days to take that lady and the child away. However, I suspect it won't go so smoothly."
"Oh? Can you tell Me why you chose to notify an Oracle of the Aurora Order?" Klein asked in a testing tone. From Mr. Devil's performance lately, he didn't seem to have any loyalty to the Aurora Order. On the contrary, he had a very clear bottom line. Klein couldn't understand why such a person would choose to report to the Order immediately.
To his surprise, as soon as Klein spoke, Snow gave a deep, panicked bow and said nervously, "Respected Mr. Fool, it is not that I am disloyal to You. It's merely that You do not seem to wish for us to spread Your name, and thus I dared not trouble the Angels under Your seat. In this situation, having an Oracle of the Aurora Order take the child away is undoubtedly the best choice."
Snow paused for a moment, appearing to observe Mr. Fool's reaction. Seeing that the Fool wasn't angered by his lack of 'devotion', he continued:
"Tingen has no powerful official Beyonders. Whether it's the Mandated Punishers, the Machinery Mind Hive, or the Nighthawks, the strongest is only a Sequence 7. Even with high-level Sealed Artifacts, they can at most suppress a Beyonder below Sequence 5. Detonating the news of a child of an evil god--who is likely a demigod--in Tingen would surely cause immense casualties."
"But Backlund is different. Even without counting the Royal Family, there are at least three Angels and a large number of demigods stationed there at all times. If the child is born in Backlund, it wouldn't cause too much of an impact. Furthermore, an Oracle of the Aurora Order carries a high level of public attention; his leaving Backlund for Tingen is likely to attract the notice of the authorities, thereby drawing in higher-sequence official Beyonders."
'Dared not trouble the Angels under me? You really think highly of me.' Klein grumbled silently, but he gave considerable praise to Snow's approach.
Just as he was about to find an excuse to end the conversation, Klein once again recalled the matter of 'Spectators'. Snow was so wary of this sequence that Klein felt there must be a secret behind it.
However, asking directly might cause him to lose face if the information was trivial. After a brief thought, he spoke in a tone that suggested he had seen through everything, "And...?"
'...' Snow found it amusing. He had originally intended to offer a bridge, and he hadn't expected Mr. Fool to be so cooperative. He nodded immediately, "Mr. Fool is wise. In fact, I've discovered that everything happening in Tingen is premeditated. A high-sequence Spectator--or a Beyonder possessing a high-sequence Spectator artifact--planned all of this. The so-called child of an evil god is merely a 'piece' he created to achieve his goal. My attempt to drag the Secret Order into the water was also to muddy the situation. After all, as You know, 'Seers' are the group most likely to attract a Spectator's attention."
'The mastermind in Tingen is a Spectator? And Seers are the most likely to attract a Spectator's attention? But Mr. Devil, the Seer you dragged into the water is your very own Respected Mr. Fool!'
[Translated and Rewritten by Shika Kagura]