That introduction was the single, absolute signal that made the four of them lower their heads. Leaving no loose ends, no suspicions. Every movement meticulously calculated, as they had discussed in confidence a couple of hours earlier.

They knew that Aurelia Eramisaptor could easily discern the difference between lies and truth. An innate gift, like a Divinity? Or simply pure perspicacity? Neither Tristessa nor anyone else knew, and it wasn't the time to try to find out. It was already extremely dangerous to look into her eyes, capable of decoding and interpreting unconscious signals; the truth filtering through the fog, forcing its way into the light.

Experience was a great teacher, Tristessa had learned that the hard way. An infallible teacher, just like Death.

"Raise your heads."

The four obeyed and saw Aurelia closing the distance between them, while Mystia stalked and circled them like a predator around its prey. Tristessa glimpsed the woman's eyes like amethysts in the gloom, heavy with perpetual suspicion, and almost instantly averted her gaze. Her gaze was drawn to the round table and further to the right, where the statue of a hulking, four-armed, winged demon stood.

A statue that didn't actually serve as one, but rather as a weapon rack only for Aurelia's weapon: [Twilight of the Terror Hand], grim and magnificent, held with the delicate touch of the statue's four hands. A weapon that had caused Tristessa's last Death; that sharp, black blade that absorbed light had tasted the girl's blood. A perverse connection could transcend the barrier of time and space.

"Interested in my weapon, Tristessa Irandell?"

Hearing her name faintly echo in that hall, spoken by that woman, sounded like something that was wrong. As if failure was unavoidable, just like in the previous loop, when she had no secrets to hide from Aurelia…

Except for one, revealed seconds before she was brutally murdered.

"Yes…" Tristessa came face to face with the one they knew as the She-Dragoon. Her calculating violet gaze stripped her bare, wanting to reveal every secret and lie. "It's magnificent. And it terrifies me. Just like you."

Absolute truth. She couldn't help but feel intimidated by Aurelia, even unarmed and at an apparent disadvantage before three people armed that weren't asked to relinquish their weapons: there was no need for the Lady of the Dominion to fear them, considering them inferior in skill enough to pose a real threat.

The lustrous and beautiful combat armor Aurelia was wearing was enough to command respect and authority. Tristessa felt like an insect before the woman who had murdered her.

"…"

No reply after her sincere answer. No sarcastic laughter, no reprimand for her audacity. Aurelia blinked once before turning her attention to the others present.

"You have an interesting group of friends. Except for you, I know them all. Crestfallen, sad and lonely characters…" The ruler of End-World remarked, her hands behind her back, eager to gauge the reactions of the three silent companions of the gray-eyed girl. "Auron Casimir. The Adventurers' Guild offered you many opportunities to work, and you rejected them all. That a Holy Gunslinger like yourself is loitering around the city, aimlessly, disturbs me. I would think you live on the streets, like a vagrant."

"Well, my lady, you are not wrong at all. And I will only say that the Guild's profits are an insult to my abilities," Auron replied, tipping his hat so as not to disrespect Aurelia. At least partially, since he wasn't going to take the handkerchief off his face. "For my services, the least I can accept is five [chaos gems]."

"Ridiculous," she spat with disgust, then addressed the blood elf. "Malak Drakan, you look very serious. The last thing I heard from you was at a dinner with the Academy's directors, and they kept praising your qualities as the class buffoon. Or at least they did before you were supposedly expelled."

Severus's fingers clicked as he gripped his cane tightly. Anger emanated from him, which everyone felt with a certain intensity. Aurelia, even amidst that spiritual warmness, didn't even flinch.

"I haven't had much reason to be a clown lately, my lady. Forgive me if that disappoints you," he retorted, his passive-aggressiveness evident. Tristessa looked at him with concern, unlike the woman with black and blue hair, who made a face that seemed almost amused.

"Oh, don't worry, elf. I have several prisoners in my dungeons if I feel like having some fun." That comment made Tristessa swallow hard, for more than one reason. Aurelia noticed her reaction, but chose to turn her attention to Astoria, who stood with the firmness and professionalism expected of an Imperial Guard like herself. A disgraced one. "Silverthorn. I can't decide whether it's odd or not to see you in company of this group of misfits. At least you don't look as pathetic as always… Seeking sympathy, like a forlorn child."

"…I appreciate your words, Lady Eramisaptor," Astoria said with no emotion at all in her voice, giving another brief curtsy.

"…"

From the way Aurelia frowned and looked at them all, something didn't add up. Mystia was still preying on the four of them, growling softly and sending shivers down Tristessa's spine; soon the beast reached its mistress, and Aurelia stroked the side of its head.

"It is indeed curious to see the three of you together with a girl I've never heard of. And I am someone who pays close attention to my citizens… It is my duty to ensure everyone's safety and to bring to justice those who are about to stray from the righteous path. But you, Tristessa Irandell… I am quite certain I would remember someone with so much Discord emanating from their dark soul. Perhaps I should pay closer attention to my citizens…in the same way that a certain individual did. She who informed me of your need for a meeting."

Inwardly, Tristessa smiled. Aurelia's lack of knowledge meant only one thing:

"You did it, Stormcrow. You managed to deceive her."

Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

The image of the Wraith visiting them at the House of Healing hours earlier was fixed at the forefront of her consciousness. Her words, her plan to enter that castle and leave with their aim accomplished, was the beacon the four of them had to cling to. It had been a leap of faith, a show of faith in that assassin, for the moment, was paying off.

"Hurry, we need more help…"

Positive results with the risk of being lost quickly. With every passing minute, with every idea that arose in the mind of the Lady of the Dominion. With every lie that she would inevitably dismantle and expose truths that could kill everyone present.

She still couldn't find out that Tristessa was a [Stranger]. Neither she, nor Stormcrow, nor anyone else.

"I'll tell you one thing, Tristessa Irandell: you were very lucky to get this meeting with me. It was thanks to your Discord, unusual as that may sound," she remarked, giving Mystia one last pat on the back so the beast could continue her way, distrusting those present with hostile glances.

"Well, that's refreshing to hear, my lady. The Discord within me has done nothing but cause me trouble." Smiling nervously, Tristessa couldn't help but feel more intimidated by Aurelia by every passing second. Like a battering ram against a fortress gate, she was wearing down her defenses. How long it would last was uncertain. "Uh… A-about the meeting…!"

"Yes, I know you have information about the Coven. I'm listening."

Aurelia waited with her arms crossed. She had no interest in making her guests feel comfortable, like asking them to sit, even on the floor, or offering them something to drink. That would have been an effective way to lower someone's guard, but that wasn't necessary for the She-Dragoon.

Not when that place had an implicit aura of Death, indicated by a kind of a sixth sense that Tristessa possessed thanks to her [Divinity of Whispers in Dark]. A place that had witnessed so many meetings that ended in the worst possible way, with so much bloodshed it could have flooded the entire length and breadth of the hall.

With that wretched feeling of doom lingering within her, Tristessa licked her lower lip and began to speak:

"The Coven is coming. A mercenary from the Fireclaw Company told me so; he's recovering from some serious injuries right now. They're coming this way, pursuing more members of the mercenary group who are protecting Madame Luchie's merchant caravan."

"I see… And that mercenary gave you all that information?"

"No. I'm an acquaintance of that caravan. I knew the Coven was after them. In fact…" Tristessa glanced at her companions, finding their serious and resolved expressions, supportive, and ready to assist her whenever she needed it. "…I asked the three of them to help me stop the witches."

The girl faced Aurelia with determination. She was resolute, now that the moment she had been waiting for had arrived.

"And I also want your help, Lady Eramisaptor. I want to destroy the Coven… I want Daiana Mercer-Archeos to pay for her crimes!"

Aurelia pondered in silence. Analyzing every word she heard, every sound, Tristessa's expressions. Finding no deception… But, inevitably, her suspicions were growing. There was no escaping that, given the woman's inquisitive nature.

"You say the Coven is arriving in Entrana, pursuing a caravan of merchants, is that correct?" Tristessa confirmed it with a nod. "Led by that disgusting, repulsive piece of shit you mentioned? That Priestess of the Black Eye?"

"Y-yes… I'm certain Daiana is leading the pursuit herself."

Not based on a hunch, but on the evidence the last loop provided. The severed head of that psychopath, and the smell of the refugees' burned corpses blanketing the entire city.

"You're telling the truth. About almost everything you said…" the She-Dragoon hissed, making Tristessa's heart freeze in an instant. "You lied when you said you asked your companions to help you destroy the Coven."

"Ah… W-well, actually I…" Tristessa's tongue stumbled, her nerves beginning to get the better of her. That was the green light for Severus to intervene.

Since he was the one most invested in the success of this meeting.

"She asked us to help her save the lives of the Mercer-Archeos family," the blood elf blurted out, stepping forward. "Jin, Tiara and their son Lucahn are with the caravan guarded by the Fireclaw Company. They're the ones Daiana is looking for; they're the ones about to arrive in the city. Do you understand, my lady? The Coven wants to end the lives of the Mercer-Archeos, and if we want to stop them, we need your help!"

A spark of anger flashed in Aurelia's violet eyes the moment she heard that names of the members of that family. Her mouth curled into a savage sneer, causing Tristessa to instinctively take a step back.

"Is that exiled family coming to my city?" she asked, overflowing with deep hatred. "Are they willing insult my judgment, when I was more than clear in warning them that I would kill them if they returned? Is that how they repay my mercy?"

A supernatural wind swept through the hall of the bereft throne. The hundreds of paper sheets and papyri that lay on the round table were flung into the air, and the gigantic banners hanging from the ceiling swung violently back and forth, as if a tornado had been unleashed out of nowhere, by the miracle of a wish.

A wish for Death.

"No! Please, listen to me…!" Tristessa tried to reach the woman but was instantly stopped by two hands on her shoulders: Auron and Astoria, forcing her back, sensing the imminent danger.

"I will help them escape the Coven…only so that I may be the one to tear their heads from their shoulders! And you all…!"

Using her [Divinity of Air Haste], Aurelia manifested a gust of wind so powerful it shattered the statue of the four-armed demon, sending her glaive flying straight toward her. The moment she caught it in her right hand, she pointed that bloodthirsty black saber at them.

"You dare assist them?! You dare insult me ​​like this after I gave you work when no one else would, Silverthorn?! You dare help them reach my city, Tristessa Irandell?! I will not tolerate it! Kneel, and you'll be lucky to spend a year in the dungeon as punishment for you transgression!"

"This is going to get ugly…" Astoria said, one hand on the hilt of her greatsword.

"If there is ever a time for help to fall from the heavens, it has to be now, lady!" Auron exclaimed in response, his fingers near the sides of his waist where his revolvers awaited.

"Damn it all…" Equally annoyed and worried, Severus raised his cane, and a faint glow enveloped the crystal. "Lady Eramisaptor!"

"Yes… Do it. Dare to attack me," the She-Dragoon challenged them, more filled with rage than with the desire to spill blood in the name of justice. "Force my hand. I will massacre you all."

"Syco…!"

"STOP, ALL OF YOU!"

Just as chaos was about to erupt, the double doors of the hall swung open, and a shrill male voice deafened everyone.

Two people appeared, intent on preventing a fight that made no sense at that moment, with evil rapidly approaching from the south.

An Imperial assassin, and a man. The owner of that powerful voice, capable of stopping even someone like Aurelia Eramisaptor.

A very tall man, using a cane as a vessel for a thaumaturgical catalyst, just like Severus. Wearing a formal black suit, an emerald-colored tie, and a cape covering his right arm, embroidered with a symbol recognized by everyone:

The Shield Against the Darkness, with the addition of a human skull behind it.

Next chapter will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.