In the third-floor bedroom, Ebner closed the door behind the three ladies under Mrs. Skade's puzzled gaze.
He then drew the curtains, lit candles, positioned a mirror, and joined Hazel and Xio on the sofa as observers.
Fanny took a deep breath and carefully drew the symbols and ciphers Ebner had just taught her on paper.
Truthfully, Ebner hadn't simply replicated Stewart's arcane technique but had made certain improvements.
Being quite familiar with Arrodes' capabilities and temperament, he knew the "obstacles" and tricks Stewart had "designed" wouldn't significantly constrain the mirror.
It could easily bypass so-called "restrictions"—it only played along to avoid scaring people off completely. In short, it was all part of the game.
Ironically, the stricter the "restrictions," the more thoroughly Arrodes might make you "socially embarrass" yourself...
Given that, it was better to keep things authentic—the outcome couldn't possibly be worse.
The room gradually darkened as an eerie, chilling wind began to blow.
The mirror's surface rippled like water, coalescing into ancient Feysac script in dark red:
"You have summoned Arrodes, who seeks its master. You must abide by the rules."
"Ask a question, then answer a question. Lies or refusal will be punished."
"Understood." Fanny responded calmly, having been briefed by Ebner beforehand.
Xio and Hazel watched curiously, leaning forward slightly to get a better look at the mirror's text.
Hazel, in particular, had limited exposure to mystical artifacts and ritual magic yet remained fascinated despite Bishop Utrafsky's teachings on restraint and caution—some inclinations were simply innate.
Ebner reminded them again: "Try to ask open-ended questions. Avoid 'yes/no' or similar binary phrasing... Arrodes dislikes those and might refuse to answer."
This wisdom came from Ikanson's extensive firsthand experience, relayed to Stewart, who then passed it to Ms. Daly during the technique's dissemination.
"I understand." Fanny nodded, then respectfully posed her question:
"Honorable Arrodes, my question is: What are Johnson Fleiss's motives for targeting my grandfather and me?"
She couldn't bring herself to ask about her grandfather's whereabouts first, fearing the unthinkable answer.
The mirror's surface rippled again, soon displaying a young man with a thin mustache.
After days of investigation, even Hazel—who'd helped gather information—recognized him as Johnson Fleiss, the Intis Embassy's chief secretary.
In the vision, the young man was writing a letter to a family elder.
As the image zoomed in, everyone could read its contents:
So, simply because his ancestor John had served as Intis's ambassador to Loen, he felt entitled to the same position? He'd go so far as to eliminate Fanny's grandfather—his rival—by leveraging family influence against the Surrys? And shockingly, his family had approved this absurd scheme, judging by subsequent events!
The letter further revealed Johnson had secretly colluded with Baron Larry and Prince Edessak's butcher. To divert blame for the Duke of Negan's assassination and the Great Smog incident, he planned to frame Cottin Surry, using the entire Surry family as leverage to force a confession.
His men targeting Fanny were merely meant to break her grandfather's resolve...
After reading Johnson's report to his elders, Fanny trembled with rage—yet paradoxically felt some relief. With no news of her grandfather confessing, perhaps he remained unbroken... and might still be rescued?
Hazel, equally indignant, ranked Johnson as the second-worst person she'd encountered—topped only by the girl-trafficker Capin.
While angered, Xio—having witnessed far worse in MI9—found such colleague-betrayal tactics unremarkable despite their scale.
Ebner, however, frowned. The letter never mentioned Special Envoy Owen—yet according to Xio's royal superior, Owen was actually "Lust" from the Psychology Alchemists' council. Ebner doubted he'd stay uninvolved.
"Well hidden indeed!" Ebner mused silently as dark red light in the mirror formed new squirming lines—likely the next question.
He watched intently, not to witness Fanny's impending "social demise," but to gauge whether his plan would proceed smoothly.
To be honest, the reason Ebner had proactively offered to teach this arcane technique was precisely so Arrodes could reveal the truth about Fanny's grandfather's death... Then, by leveraging the mirror's notoriously embarrassing and shameful questions, he could help dilute Fanny's grief and divert her attention—preventing her from becoming obsessive and taking extreme actions.
At this moment, Fanny clearly realized the mirror was about to ask its question. Focusing intently on the mirror's surface, she watched as a line of dark red text, resembling bloodstains, slowly emerged:
"Who was the other participant in your erotic dream from the early hours of December 15th, 1349, besides yourself?"
Holy shit! Seeing this question, Ebner was momentarily stunned. While he didn't know about Fanny's dreams on other dates, he was all too familiar with the one from December 15th... After all, he'd watched the "replay" using the "Magic Mirror"...
How did I get dragged into this?! Classic Arrodes... If Fanny answers truthfully, Xio will immediately connect it to me, won't she?
Same date, same type of dream, same other participant... Hah, it's not just Xio—Hazel will definitely figure it out too...
No matter how you look at it, "I" am the prime suspect...
But I'm completely innocent here!!
While inwardly wailing, Ebner instinctively glanced at Xio and Hazel. Sure enough, he noticed their expressions had grown slightly unnatural—a mix of embarrassment and confusion.
Whew... At least... On the other hand, Fanny actually breathed a sigh of relief. As an Intisian girl, she wasn't particularly shy about discussing such topics.
Still, she pretended to be "shy" as she glanced at Ebner before answering:
"It was Ebner Bryan."
I'm done for... Ebner nearly facepalmed. He could clearly feel Xio's astonished gaze locking onto him, her eyes practically screaming "So it was you!"—something Ebner didn't even need mind-reading to discern.
That night, when Xio had gotten up to shower and coincidentally ran into Fors doing the same, she'd suspected some "evil" force was at play. After all, both she and Fors having such dreams simultaneously—and to such an intense degree—was astronomically improbable.
But she'd never imagined Ebner might be behind it...
Hazel also shot a suspicious look at Ebner, only to meet his completely unruffled gaze—he'd prepared for this. This made Hazel second-guess herself, wondering if she was overthinking things.
After all, on the 15th of last month, Ebner had still been vacationing in Bayam and hadn't returned to Backlund yet.
After answering, Fanny looked around at everyone, suddenly sensing the atmosphere wasn't quite what she'd expected.
Before she could ponder this further, Ebner coughed and said, "Ask your second question."
I just admitted to dreaming about you... Couldn't you at least give me a normal reaction? Fanny gave Ebner a resentful look but quickly refocused, steadying herself before posing her second question:
"Where is my grandfather, Cottin Surry, currently located?"
The "Magic Mirror" Arrodes erased its previous dark red text, projecting a new series of images:
Johnson tampering with the embassy's ritual chamber;
Mr. Surry entering his office and being ambushed by a woman with a holy aura. In his panic, he tried activating the embassy's ritual defenses but failed;
The Beyonder characteristic that emerged from Mr. Surry was handed by Johnson to an underling, who then sold it at a secret gathering in a valley near the Tussock River;
The woman who purchased the characteristic traveled to a small town, then boarded a steam train leaving Loen for the Intis border city of Tosk. She entered the city's sewer system, navigating maze-like tunnels before stopping at an underground space resembling a bar.
The images ended there.
Grandfather is dead?! Johnson killed him! The Fleiss family... Damn them all!
By the second image, Fanny's last shred of hope shattered. Her legs wobbled, and she nearly collapsed—only Ebner's quick reflexes kept her upright.
Fortunately, thanks to the earlier psychological preparation, Fanny managed to maintain some composure. After sobbing against Ebner's chest for a while, she wiped her tears and re-examined the mirror's images.
"Who was that woman who killed Grandfather?" she asked hoarsely.
"Likely a Demoness... a high-sequence one," Ebner replied. Having faced a half-goddess Demoness head-on before, he recognized the abilities used—they matched Katarina's.
"A demigod? Archbishop Ramir was also killed by a demigod-level Demoness..." Fanny murmured, her voice hollow with despair.
Against Johnson alone, she might have mustered the strength for revenge... but a Demoness capable of killing Archbishop Ramir was utterly beyond her capabilities.
Reading her thoughts, Ebner patted her shoulder reassuringly. "Don't lose hope. While a demigod Demoness is terrifying, she's not invincible... The Church of Steam certainly won't let her go unpunished."
Fanny's eyes brightened slightly as she realized she'd been momentarily overwhelmed by the shocking news, foolishly considering direct retaliation alone...
Just as she moved to express gratitude for Ebner's comfort and advice, new dark red text formed in the mirror:
"In your erotic dream from the early hours of December 15th, 1349, which specific action by the other participant brought you the greatest satisfaction?"
This time, even the typically open-minded Fanny was flustered, her cheeks flushing crimson instantly.
(End of Chapter)