Prelude

Although Ebner found the photograph that flashed past somewhat familiar, before he could seriously recall it, he heard Detective Isengard return to the previous topic.

"I told them about Member of Parliament Macht's banquet tomorrow night. I believe you will meet Madam Daly."

Upon hearing this, Ebner snapped back to his senses. He estimated in his heart that with Madam Daly's character, she probably wouldn't clash with Bishop Utravsky. Only then did he nod and say, "I understand, Teacher."

Later, after talking to Detective Isengard about what had happened tonight at the Bravehearts Bar, Ebner returned to his room.

After sealing the spirituality, setting up the altar, and holding the ritual, Ebner saw the information gathered by Miss Justice on the altar.

After habitually praising Mr. Fool, Ebner flipped open the book and began reading it seriously.

He picked up the photo of Earl Lorena's youngest son and studied it for a moment. Soon, he understood the source of the familiarity.

Leland looks a lot like Witch Lena… Lena, maybe Leland? That's why she had an affair with Prince Edessak because they were originally good friends! And Prince Edessak suddenly stopped searching for Leland's whereabouts at the end of last month, and then became enemies with Earl Lorena… From the looks of it, it might not have been his wish for Lena to become an Assassin…

"In that case, maybe we should ask Lena about the whereabouts of the Demoness of Afflictions. After all, she should know a thing or two about where her father can hide people."

With this in mind, Ebner wrote his theory on a piece of paper and set up the ritual again. Then, he took a step back and said in ancient Hermes,

"Me!

"I summon in my name:

"A spirit that wanders between life and death, a friendly friend that can be driven, a messenger that belongs solely to Cullen Tia."

Wu!

Wind surged within the wall of spirituality as the candle flames used for the ritual rapidly expanded. Soon, a tiny bird with silver-white illusory wings flew out.

After dripping several drops of "Amantha" extract that had been prepared long ago to the little bird, Ebner gave it the note he had written and the book of information.

The bird first inhaled the scent of the extract in its mouth in enjoyment, then tilted its head and studied the pile of information that was taller than its body. Then, it flapped its illusory wings, and the information was lifted up by a gust of cold wind.

The bird chirped at Ebner as if to say goodbye then flapped its wings again and disappeared with the information.

…

South of the Bridge, Harvest Church.

After resting for a while, Cullen and Judy were about to set off again to investigate the suspect's dream when they saw the little bird, Silika, appear in front of them with the information.

Cullen smiled and rewarded her with some spiritual material powder before flipping through the information.

After a moment, Cullen looked up and handed over the information. "Judy, go to Talim's dream again tonight and contact him. Tell him we need to meet with Witch Lena again as soon as possible."

"Understood." Judy nodded solemnly. She had always been serious when it came to serious matters and never argued with Cullen under such circumstances.

…

Empress Borough, Earl Lorena's residence.

The Earl of Lorena of this generation was named Herich. He was about fifty years old, tall and thin. His black hair was nearly half white, but his eyes were sharp.

Just as he was about to go to bed, he suddenly realized that his bedroom had been sealed by someone's spirituality. The two bodyguards outside the door hadn't even noticed it.

The earl was alarmed, but he didn't panic. Apart from his calm attitude, he was also a Mid-Sequence Beyonder.

"Who's there? Come out!" The earl deliberately shouted with a spiritual voice, hoping to attract the attention of the bodyguards and guards in the mansion.

However, even after shouting a few times, he still didn't obtain the result he wanted. It was clear that the other party's sealing technique was much more brilliant than the ordinary wall of spirituality.

"Pa! Pa! Pa!"

Following a round of applause, a clear and melodious female voice came from the window. "Hehe, as expected of the Earl. You can still maintain your composure under such circumstances."

"Who is it?!" The count took out his revolver and aimed it at the window. Then, he focused his gaze and saw a beautiful girl who was at most seventeen or eighteen years old sitting on the window sill. Her head was slightly lowered, and her long fringe covered her eyes. However, the corners of her mouth curled up into a mocking smile.

"Who are you?" The earl asked for the third time. He instinctively felt that the girl was familiar, but he could not recall where he had added her.

"Hehe, looks like you've completely forgotten… Father!" At this point, the girl suddenly raised her head, revealing her delicate and cute face to the count.

"You call me father? You… you're Leland?" The earl's eyes widened at the words, but he quickly reined in his emotions and said coldly, "What are you doing back here? Are you trying to get back at me?"

At this point, he suddenly thought of something and continued, "It seems that you were the one who instigated Prince Edessak to target me? Heh, Leland, you've really grown capable. You actually seduced the prince to deal with Father."

Upon hearing her father's ridicule, Lena didn't show any anger on her face. She still had a smile on her face as she shook her head and said, "In the beginning, I hated you, but I've long since gotten over it, and I've never thought of taking revenge on you…"

"Then what are you doing here?" The earl was relieved that she did not attack immediately.

Lena ignored her father's question and continued, "When I was an Assassin, I came into contact with all aspects of the kingdom's bottom echelons. Compared to those poor people who were in dire straits, who might have caused their entire family to starve or even die because of a disease, my childhood was just too blissful!

"I understood then that it was precisely because I once had this happiness that I paid the price for it. Since I enjoyed the wonderful life of the Earl's youngest son, I had to bear the responsibility of this identity…

"So from then on, I stopped hating you. I just treated it as me repaying the happy childhood you gave me."

As she spoke, there was a hint of sadness in her eyes. Coupled with her pure and charming eyes, it made one's heartache.

"So, why are you telling me this?" The earl took a deep breath and warned himself not to be bewitched by the Demoness.

"I originally thought that our grudges had been settled and that I no longer owed you anything. I thought that you were just a passerby…" At this point, Lina's gaze suddenly turned sharp, just like her father's. She continued, "But I didn't expect you to help another witch deal with me!"

"What? Help another Demoness? How is that possible…" The Earl frowned. Although he did not care about his youngest son, he had never thought of dealing with him.

"Last week, when I was being pursued by the Demoness of Afflictions, I escaped into a safe house in my family… You should know that only the direct descendants of the Lorena family have the right to know of such places!"

Having said that, Leena gave her father a meaningful look.

"Also, a former police officer told me that the Demoness of Afflictions once rode a carriage with a royal noble's badge… And I'm extremely familiar with that badge!"

The earl frowned again, but he soon understood what was going on. He took a deep breath and said tiredly, "I understand… I'll give you an explanation."

He didn't get angry or deny it again? Leena raised her eyebrows. She could tell something was wrong from her father's tone. She thought for a moment and suddenly realized something. "It's not you… So, it's Marcello?"

Marcello was Lena's eldest brother, the earl's eldest son, and heir.

"I said that I'll give you a satisfactory explanation! You don't have to worry about this anymore." The count didn't reply but instead spoke forcefully.

"I understand…" Leena nodded thoughtfully, then snickered. "But you don't have the right to order me around now."

As soon as she finished speaking, her figure disappeared in front of the window sill like a bubble, and the seal in the bedroom was removed at the same time.

The spirituality fluctuation that had been released from the lockdown alarmed the bodyguards outside. They quickly pushed the door open and rushed in. Seeing that the Earl was staring out of the window in a daze without being injured, they heaved a sigh of relief and asked worriedly, "Earl, what happened?"

The earl shook his head slightly and told his bodyguards that he was fine. He thought to himself, "Your Majesty… What do you want? Isn't it enough that I sacrificed a son…"

Without the tacit approval of the royal family or the king, how could his successor be undetected after meeting the Demoness for so long? He was a palace count, a military officer in charge of the royal family's safety!

At that moment, a petite figure in a black Gothic regal dress suddenly appeared in the full-body mirror on the side of the wardrobe in the bedroom. She held her cheek with her hand and thought for a moment before raising her skirt slightly and bowing before disappearing.

The worried Earl and the confused bodyguards did not notice anything.

…

In an inconspicuous house in Empress Borough.

Not long after Mr. A's Beyonder gathering ended, a black-haired, blue-eyed man with a handsome face and faint traces of beard slowly transformed into a blond, beardless man. However, before he took a few steps, he realized that someone had locked onto him with spirituality.

He closed his eyes and was about to use his Beyonder powers to find the person behind the scenes when he was suddenly stunned by a terrifying aura. He couldn't help but stop his actions and turn around to look at the place with the strongest aura.

It was a beauty with black hair like a waterfall. She was holding an unopened flower in her hands and was smiling at him.

Although he looked like an ordinary person who posed no threat, the man did not underestimate him at all. He quietly looked around, trying to find a suitable place to escape.

At this moment, the beauty opened her lips and said with a charming smile, "Don't be afraid. I just want to ask you if you need a Wind-blessed?"