Clash and Capture

Tamara? I remember Vera mentioning that this family had fractured due to differing paths, ideologies, and even faiths among its members, ultimately leading to internal strife... The transparent dagger named "Starfang" currently in my possession originated from one such conflict within their ranks...

With this thought, Xio stole a glance at Vera beside her, sensing an unusual familiarity in the princess's knowledge of this family's affairs.

Vera paid no heed to Xio's curious gaze and merely whispered, "He's here."

Snapping back to attention, Xio discreetly turned her eyes toward the entrance, where a hooded man strode into the bar with feigned composure, casually greeting Swain as if he were a regular.

—Swain was the owner of the Dragon Bar and a former captain of Tingen's "Mandated Punishers" squad. Due to his reluctance to advance to "Seafarer," he remained a Sequence 8 "Folk of Rage."

Though too drunk to recognize the man, Swain still waved him through, directing him toward the billiards room where the three Tamara family members had just entered.

As a "Judge," Xio's abilities far surpassed her old "Sheriff" days. Even outside her jurisdiction, she immediately identified the hooded man as Baron Larry—the ostensible target of her and Vera's mission.

"Let's move," Vera said tersely.

Xio quickly hopped off her stool and followed, whispering again, "Your Highness, didn't you say Baron Larry possesses an artifact that misleads divination?"

Then why has he run into the Tamara members? The Psychology Alchemists likely came to Tingen specifically to track him—this doesn't seem like a misdirection at all.

Though she left the last thought unspoken, Vera understood. After a brief pause, she explained quietly, "The woman he was intimate with... carries misfortune or a curse... He seems plagued by it now.

"That misfortune likely stems from some form of contamination... subtle and hard to dispel."

As she spoke, Vera recalled the woman she'd seen exiting the telegraph office in Port Enmat. No doubt, she was the source.

So, the three Psychology Alchemists were just here for the underground market, and Baron Larry stumbling into them was pure bad luck?

While mulling this over, Xio prepared for combat and followed Vera into the billiards room.

Two men inside, cue sticks in hand, were chatting and laughing. When they noticed the newcomers, they moved to intercept—only to freeze under Vera's imperious gaze and meekly step aside, allowing the duo to pass through a hidden door at the back.

Beyond it lay a spacious plaza. Vendors hawked their wares from makeshift stalls cluttered with bottles and jars, while buyers browsed, haggled, or exchanged whispers.

Baron Larry was squatting at one such stall, haggling intently, seemingly oblivious to the three black-clad figures closing in on him.

Seeing this, Vera nodded to Xio. "Handle the Tamara operatives. I'll ensure the civilians stay safe."

Your Highness, this isn't just going easy—as Ebner would say, you're draining the entire ocean! With your demigod strength, a single "Decree" could lock everyone here down...

Mimicking Ebner's tone in her head, Xio stifled a retort. After all, their superiors had hinted at letting Baron Larry escape deliberately to focus on the factions tailing him. She had no personal grudge against the man anyway.

Besides, Larry probably took the fall for Ebner over the "Ghost Empire" ticket. Poor guy...

Just then, the seemingly unprepared Baron Larry struck first. Twin bolts of lightning flared in his pupils.

"Mind Pierce"!

Even wounded, a "Disciplinary Paladin's" mental assault far surpassed that of a typical "Interrogator."

The lead black-clad man let out a bloodcurdling scream, his features contorting in agony—

—before his form shattered like an illusion. A small mirror carried by another man cracked apart, its fragments scattering across the floor.

"Mirror Doppelganger Technique!"

The lead black-clad man swiftly reappeared beside Baron Larry. With a spiritual cry of "I arrive, I witness, I record," he unleashed several wind blades with a wave of his hand.

He wasn't a "Witch," but a "Scribe."

Seeing this, Baron Larry immediately realized he couldn't afford to keep trying to kill his opponent. After all, as a Sequence 6 of the "Apprentice" pathway, a "Scribe" not only possessed diverse methods but might even have demigod-level tricks up their sleeve if backed by a major organization. Prolonging the fight would only put him at a disadvantage.

I need to find a way to shake them off and escape...

While strategizing, Baron Larry raised his right hand and pushed forward, murmuring in ancient Hermes:

"Imprison!"

Silently, the lead black-clad man and his wind blades came to an abrupt halt. The surroundings seemed filled with transparent walls or a viscous, near-solid liquid.

This not only blocked the wind blades but also left the man as immobile as an insect trapped in amber or a prisoner in a cell.

Seizing the opportunity, Baron Larry immediately ducked into the crowd of nearby customers, hoping to use them as cover to buy time for his escape.

However, the two other men he had subconsciously overlooked suddenly emerged from nowhere. Flanking him, each wielded a dagger wreathed in black flames, disregarding the potential harm to bystanders as they stabbed straight at Baron Larry's kidneys from both sides.

"Assassins!" Baron Larry's heart sank, but he remained calm. While preparing an item, he grabbed an ordinary girl with black hair and brown eyes beside him, intending to use her as a momentary shield.

Just as the oblivious girl was about to meet a horrific fate, Xio's voice abruptly rang out:

"Banish!"

The two black-clad assassins were struck by an immense, invisible force, hurled backward and crashing through several stalls.

Earlier, Xio hadn't rushed to intervene during Baron Larry's clash with the Tamara family members, but harming innocents was something she couldn't tolerate.

Now wearing her "Golden Mask" and wielding the "Starfang" dagger—a weapon comparable to a Grade 1 sealed artifact—even her base "Judge" abilities, amplified as they were, proved too much for mere assassins to withstand.

MI9 is here too?! Has someone been tailing me? Or were they already tracking those three black-clad men, and I just had the bad luck to run into them?

As these thoughts flashed through Baron Larry's mind, the mystical item in his hand finally activated. A surge of green light enveloped him, and his figure sank into the earth below—

"Druid's Earthwalk!"

Another mid-sequence mystical item... Baron Larry's endless tricks only make it more suspicious that he gained substantial rewards from the depths of Daniel's maze.

But if he'd always had this many powerful items, he wouldn't have been held up by a few werewolves in that maze hall...

Though doubts arose, Xio set them aside for now, focusing instead on the "Scribe."

Besides, Baron Larry's "natural" escape worked in their favor—saving her and Vera the trouble of deliberately letting him go.

The "Scribe" had already broken free of Baron Larry's "Imprison." Seeing MI9's arrival, he dared not linger, abandoning his subordinates without a second thought. Activating his "Mirror Phasing" ability, he attempted to flee through a full-length mirror in the market—

Until Vera's voice echoed through the trading area, layered with absolute authority:

"By decree, mirror travel is forbidden here!

"By decree, spirit world traversal is forbidden here!

"By decree, teleportation is forbidden here!"