Lynn City and the Demon

In the central region of the Northern Continent, at the origin of the Hornacis Mountain Range, there lay a dry highland. Most of it belonged to the Kingdom of Feynapot, the western edge was under the Republic of Intis, and the eastern side was occupied by the Kingdom of Loen. The indigenous people of the highlands were lean, savage, yet fiercely brave in battle. For a long time, they were one of the biggest headaches for all three nations. But as gunpowder weapons improved and the nature of warfare evolved, the highlanders eventually came to terms with reality and fully submitted.

Lynn City sat right at the junction between the eastern plains and the highlands. It was named after the nearby Lynn Volcano and had developed into a city relying on natural resources and tourism.

The natural resources referred to sulfur ore and the fertile soil formed by volcanic ash. The former was a vital industrial raw material in the age of machinery, while the latter made Lynn's cash crops famous far and wide.

As for tourism, it thrived on the many hot spring pools scattered among the mountains.

In fact, the name "Lynn" itself was taken from the name the highlanders once gave to the goddess of springwater they worshipped...

Of course, with such favorable conditions, the area was now completely under Loen control. At least, after Ebner and the others disembarked from the train, they barely saw any of the true highland natives—those wiry, dark-skinned folk with significantly deeper-set eyes than ordinary Loen citizens.

"Ebner, can we stay at a hot spring inn tonight?" After writing her novel all day on the train, Fors seemed to finally come back to life, asking eagerly.

Ebner, who was holding an umbrella on the surface but actually using it as cover to isolate the ladies from the rain with his "Water Control" ability, had seemed distracted since getting off the train. Upon hearing Fors's question, he narrowed his eyes slightly, then curved his lips into a smile. "Of course."

Helene and Fanny had no objections either. After a long journey, they were also quite eager to soak in a hot spring and unwind.

As for "Lion" Leon, who had transformed into an orange tabby cat, he was currently batting away a stray cat that had tried to approach him, looking completely indifferent to their conversation.

This made the three ladies—who knew his true identity—somewhat speechless: You're a lion bullying a cat?

Only Ebner gave the stray cat a glance before quickly looking away. Then he hailed a passing horse-drawn cab.

"Sir, ladies, welcome to Lynn. Where would you like to go?" the cab driver greeted them politely, eyeing their attire.

He had typical Loen features, though his thin build and darker complexion suggested he might be of mixed heritage.

"Do you have any recommendations for a quiet hot spring inn?" Ebner asked casually, as if without much thought.

The cab driver's eyes flickered, but he replied with a smile, "I recommend Whispering Grace. It's neither too far nor too close to the city center—very peaceful, and it won't delay your return to the train station tomorrow morning. It's a high-end establishment, with excellent spring water. I'm sure it will suit your status and satisfy both you and your ladies."

"Sounds good. Let's go there." Ebner didn't offer any further explanation. He simply handed the man a £1 note. "Keep the change. Consider it a tip."

And also your funeral fee... That last line, he didn't say aloud.

Once the three ladies and one cat were inside the carriage and it began to roll forward through the rain, the stray cat that had been watching them ran into a dark alley and leapt into a shattered mirror beside a pile of garbage.

Inside the mirror was a cramped space, only two meters across, where a middle-aged man in ragged clothes was gnawing on a human finger.

The moment the stray cat jumped in, it hissed at the man with clear hostility: "Herta, I want that orange cat for myself later! It dared slap me... I'm going to eat all its innards right in front of it!"

"That's an extraordinary creature?" The man named Herta paused his chewing and asked with little expression.

"A normal orange cat couldn't possibly swat me away like that… It probably took some kind of physique-enhancing potion, though its Sequence shouldn't be too high." The stray cat offered its judgment. After all, it had been struck—clearly a sign of hostility—but it hadn't received any warning… which indicated that the orange cat's strength was low. So low, in fact, that it posed no real threat.

It paused for a moment before adding, "They got into Gess's carriage. They're probably heading to Whispering Grace."

"Whispering Grace... Tchesia's turf... Looks like Shielsmaier and Baru, who were stationed in the city for an ambush, have wasted their efforts." Herta revealed a twisted grin, as if mocking those three rivals.

"Aren't you in the same boat?" the stray cat retorted mockingly.

"I'm a Mirror Apostle, a demon of the mirrors. Every mirror in the city is within my domain... naturally, my preparations are everywhere." Herta rebutted the cat out of habit.

As one of the few Sequence 5s in the Belia family, he, unlike the other elders, had not cultivated many subordinates. He only had this demonic cat as an assistant—an approach quite similar to that of the now-deceased "Shadow Apostle," Jason Belia, in Backlund.

Different demons each had their own traits and unique specialties.

"You planning to head to Whispering Grace and kill that detective first?" The stray cat pawed over a chunk of bloody meat and licked it as it asked.

"That detective's not that simple. The one who strikes first will likely suffer for it... Better to let Tchesia, Samael, Shiela, and Baru test his limits first," Herta replied, stroking the stray cat's head as he continued, "Besides, I'm not particularly interested in those idiots... My real opponent is the one lurking in the shadows, the one who's skilled in nightmares."

…

Inside the moving carriage, Ebner and "Lion" Leon acted in sync—one cast the mystical art Shield of Glory to envelop the space around them, while the other conjured illusions to distract the three ladies with a harmless scene.

Once they confirmed there was no chance of eavesdropping, the man and the lion exchanged a glance and began their conversation.

"You sensed it too, didn't you? The danger hiding within this storm," Leon said first.

Ebner looked at him, surprised that this lion—corrupted by Roselle's influence—was waxing poetic. But after a moment's thought, he immediately saw through it and said, "That last line came from your 'prophecy,' didn't it?"

At his words, the lion's expression froze for a moment in an oddly human fashion, then he quickly changed the subject as if nothing had happened. "Speaking so directly will alert the demons."

Ebner pointed to the Shield of Glory that had formed around them and explained, "This is a mystical art I acquired from the trait I obtained when I advanced to Mystic Instructor. It can simulate a trace of 'Twilight' power."

"Later, when I was crafting a transformation—crafting an extraordinary item—the materials I used were also tainted by 'Twilight'. That gave me inspiration to improve the Shield of Glory, granting it some ability to obscure the danger-sensing abilities of demons."

"I see... So you're the one who killed that 'Apostle of Desire' in Backlund… That poor soul must've been wounded by '1-42' beforehand. The inspiration you got came from the ancient god's blood on that armor, didn't it?" Leon said with deliberate enlightenment.

Ebner asked in surprise, "Roselle once got hold of '1-42'? Otherwise, how would you know all this?"

But Leon shook his head. "When Roselle was still in the 'Artisan' phase, he asked Zaratul to show him a variety of sealed artifacts and mystical items to gain experience… You should know that for angels of the Seer pathway, as long as they've seen and understood something, they can reproduce it at will…"

Historical projection, huh… No wonder you're so familiar with it… Ebner didn't dwell on the topic and instead asked, "Besides that line, did your prophecy reveal anything else?"

"Nothing more. But just now I sensed a demon's gaze. That stray cat was probably just a scout—it didn't know any real plans." Leon shook his head and then looked at Ebner. "What about you? Did you get any prophecy?"

He was well aware that Ebner possessed the ability to "prophesy."

"I didn't perform a prophecy…" Ebner shook his head, then took out the Magic Mirror and added, "I relied on the danger sense of the demons shepherded by this thing to directly discern their origins and what they're planning to do."

(End of Chapter)