After roughly grasping the situation, Klein looked at the full-length mirror in the room and turned to ask: "What is the king's secret?"
The mirror's surface, as if leading to another world, rippled with watery light, gradually reflecting a scene: It was a ruin hidden deep in the darkness, covered in the dust of history, yet almost completely intact.
This means the king's secret is within the ruins of the 'Blood Emperor'... Is
The scene in the mirror didn't change at all, only highlighting silver word after silver word: "Great master, do you have any other questions?"
"Yes." Klein nodded unceremoniously. "Where is the 'White Saint' Katerina right now?"
In the mirror, the silver words quickly faded and vanished, but the background hadn't changed at all, still the ruins of the 'Blood Emperor'.
If it weren't for the words appearing and disappearing, I would have thought this 'Magic Mirror' had crashed... Is Katerina hiding in the 'Blood Emperor's' ruins? The real ones? Klein nodded thoughtfully: "Your turn."
Over that scene, the silver words congealed again: "Merciful master, why don't you leave
That's a good question. I originally had that intention... My initial investigation into the Great Smog of Backlund was based on righteous indignation at the innocent deaths of the poor like
As for the present, knowing a war that might sweep the entire world could come, and finding that the advancement ritual of the 'Ancient Scholar' is practically 'tailor-made' for me and full of traces of someone's arrangement, I have come to understand that even if I truly wanted to flee, it might not be possible. Or rather, I could escape Backlund, but I would most likely not escape the fate I have carried since the beginning. Since that's the case, it's better to actively take risks and challenge, to see if I can uncover the truth, find any possible opportunities, and seize my own destiny...
Klein's thoughts rose and fell chaotically, then gradually settled.
Then, in a calm tone, he replied: "Leaving won't truly solve the problem."
After saying this, Klein began to ask: "Where is Triss right now?"
The scene in the mirror finally changed. This time it was pitch black, with occasional massive shapes sliding across the surface.
Arrodes can't see Triss's situation either... Klein nodded slightly: "Your turn to ask."
Watery light shimmered in the mirror again. Strands of silver coalesced into coherent sentences: "Great master, I have something I wish to tell you. May I speak?"
"Speak," Klein replied with some curiosity.
The silver words squirmed and transformed into new text: "You must be careful from now on!"
And it even used an exclamation point... Did the 'Magic Mirror' Arrodes sense something bad? Klein thought for a few seconds and said: "What do you think could threaten me?"
"I don't know. Just a feeling..." Arrodes rearranged the words, changing their color from silver to grey-white, intuitively showing what depression and self-blame meant.
Before Klein could respond, new grey-white words sprang out from the mirror one after another: "Great master, I have another scene I wish to show you. May I?"
"You may," Klein said, slowing down his speech.
On the mirror's surface, the watery light rippled, and the pitch-black scene shifted.
It grew deeper and deeper, adorned with diamond-like sparkling dots of light.
It was a beautiful and vast night sky.
Does this scene shown by Arrodes point to the Goddess whose essence is 'Stars', or the 'Starry Sky' from which a gaze is cast? It seems it doesn't dare to express it directly... Klein considered this and stopped trying to ask questions: "Let's end it here for today."
"Okay!" The grey-white words were dyed silver again, but for some reason appeared slowly. "Great master, you... you haven't said that if you have questions later, you will summon me again, your faithful servant Arrodes..."
"What a ceremonious mirror..." Klein found it amusing and said, "Of course, I will summon you again, when I have other questions."
"Yes, master! Goodbye, master!" On the mirror's surface, the silver words returned to their normal speed and sketched out a simple figure continuously waving its hand.
When everything returned to normal, Klein burned the paper with the summoning symbol on it, drew the curtains, and gazed once again at the gloomy, cold sky.
...