On an island at the border between the Polar Sea and the Fog Sea, Bernadette, Bruna, and Isabella—three "former" princesses—emerged onto the beach in a rather disheveled state.
At this moment, even the usually poised Lady Isabella was gasping for breath, unbuttoning her collar to retrieve a potion from her bosom and drink it down.
"Those creatures' abilities were truly bizarre. Despite their low sequence, they could ignore many of my defenses... And you called this 'relatively safe'?" Bruna plopped onto the sand, voicing her complaints.
Though injured herself, Bernadette remained composed. "Their low sequence means they were within our capacity to handle..."
"As for their strangeness... Didn't I mention my prophecy about entities from beyond our world? Solomon's 'Black Emperor' was close with a Blood Duke—perhaps the latter used a 'High Summoner's' abilities to call those monsters from the cosmos!" Isabella, having caught her breath, interjected.
"But why would Solomon keep such creatures in his mausoleum? And if Roselle had the power to partition the ruins to contain them, why not destroy them outright?" Bruna questioned.
"Isn't that the purpose of our exploration? Perhaps Roselle hid secrets here..." Isabella adjusted her collar, then turned to Bernadette. "This place feels less like a tomb and more like... a laboratory with containment cells. Those cosmic entities might have been test subjects."
"I concur. Given the entrance's location on a southwestern Southern Continent island, the God of Death in the Fourth Epoch would have known of it. Were the Black Emperor and the God of Death collaborating on some experiment?" Bernadette nodded, sharing her deduction.
"Could this be related to the God of Death's subsequent madness and the 'Pale Disaster'?" Isabella speculated after some thought.
"Perhaps..." Bernadette murmured after a pause.
Bruna listened quietly before cutting in: "We've explored 10 of the 20 Blasphemy Slate combinations. The remaining 10 must all include the 'Chained' card... And your prophecies suggest these areas are far more dangerous. Do we proceed?"
Bernadette nodded firmly. Isabella, the former crown princess of Lenburg, added after consideration: "We must continue... but not before resting for a day or two. Better preparations are needed!"
"Additionally, my prophecy indicates we'll encounter something tied to the Abraham family..." She looked to Bernadette for insights.
The "Mysterious Queen's" sea-blue eyes deepened, briefly losing focus as if peering past her companions into fate's currents.
Two seconds later, Bernadette suddenly shut her eyes—as if blinded by unbearable light. Blood-tinged tears trailed down her cheeks, lending her pallid face an eerie cast.
Eyes still closed, she spoke in an ethereal voice:
"A fallen family. The sole light that pierced the curse a millennium ago."
From a "Prophet Master."
After a contemplative silence, Isabella responded:
"Yes, the Abraham family did produce a 'Wanderer' a thousand years ago. His Astronomy and Elements
Bernadette, maintaining her trance-like state, responded: "To my knowledge, the 'Apprentice' pathway's demigod advancement ritual requires sealing a demigod-level entity with clear hostile intent..."
Indor Port, Mountain Hot Spring Estate
After over two weeks of renovations, basic facilities were now operational—at least taller fences kept the baboons out. Ebner enjoyed a rejuvenating bath attended by the countess's staff. The countess herself—"Lady Greed"—had long since departed Indor, though outsiders remained unaware.
Refreshed, Ebner saw no urgency to return to Bayam. Leon the lion could handle social obligations as his stand-in. The pressing matter was reaching Backlund to thwart the Belia family's "Apostle of Desire" from attacking his mentor.
While the original plot saw his mentor escape thanks to Klein's accidental intervention, the current timeline's numerous alterations—including Ebner's own interference—made such coincidences unreliable. Yet Ebner dared not dwell on this; his mere consideration might alert the enemy. Now powerful enough to pose a threat, any change in the assailant's plans could prove more dangerous.
Distracting himself, Ebner dressed leisurely before dismissing the attendants. He retrieved the giant-descendant's notebook—currently the only means to access the nightmare-shrouded Twilight Castle.
Following Mr. Azik's instructions, Ebner waded along the hot spring stream, crossing the boundary between reality and dream into the castle's outer gardens.
"This place, enveloped by the Goddess's power, offers absolute secrecy..." Muttering to himself, Ebner implanted subconscious commands to secretly return to Backlund and temporarily reside with his mentor, then hypnotized himself to forget all original plot details about the Apostle of Desire. Only then did he exit the nightmare realm.
After replenishing his spirituality, Ebner cast "Ivens' Veil of Secrecy"—a technique reverse-engineered from the "Fallen Morningstar" necklace now in Ince's possession. Though only 80-90% effective compared to the original, it sufficed to evade ordinary demigod detection. Donning his cloak, he raced toward Backlund at near-supersonic speeds.
Backlund, St. George District
Disguised outside a villa, Klein absentmindedly tossed a coin while pretending to wait for public transport.
"Heads... So Baron Larry really is hiding in the 'Hero Detective's' old family home!"