In the living room, Countess Kaitlin sat on the sofa, with the deputy butler, butler's assistant, and stewards for corresponding matters standing before her.
She was giving clear and orderly instructions for various matters of today's banquet, until her daughter Audrey came to her side.
“Mom, I need to talk to you about something.” Audrey's gaze swept over the others in the room.
On her way to the living room, she had felt the ground tremble slightly twice, but hadn't noticed any other anomalies.
The Countess looked around and nodded slightly.
“You can come back in a moment.”
The living room quickly quieted, and even the golden retriever Susie was sent out of the door by Audrey's look.
“You should always be by my side, learning how to handle affairs. Although your family lessons aren't lacking in this kind of content, how to effectively combine them with practice is still a profound subject.” The Countess, who was over fifty but looked only a little over thirty, smiled and gave her instruction. “Alright, my little angel, what do you have to tell me?”
Audrey wanted to show the elegant smile she had practiced repeatedly in etiquette class, but found herself unable to lift the corners of her mouth, feeling heavy and nervous.
She moistened her dry lips and said directly:
“Mom, I've been keeping something from you.”
“Hmm?” The Countess tilted her head slightly, waiting for an explanation.
Audrey's words were halting at first, then became fluent:
“I am, I am already a Beyonder, someone with extraordinary powers, transformed by consuming a potion.”
The golden-haired, blue-eyed Countess Kaitlin raised her eyebrows slightly and responded without surprise:
“I know.”
“Your father and I both know.”
“Ah?” Audrey was momentarily at a loss for how to continue.
The Countess covered her mouth and chuckled:
“You took so many mystical materials from the treasury. Did you naively think that your father and I wouldn't notice?”
“By your father's side, inside this villa, and in the family's territories, there are many Beyonders. Some come purely from employment contracts, some are sent by the Church of the Goddess, and some are members of the Hall family themselves. His Majesty the King tacitly permits these things, and we have also tacitly permitted your small adventure. Sigh, you will eventually grow up and mature. Your father and I can't always keep you under our wings. There will come times when you need to face things alone. Having additional extraordinary abilities as a backup makes your hand better.”
“Well, based on the common sense I know, the earliest stages shouldn't be too dangerous. Advancement takes a year, two, or even three years. So your father and I are not anxious. We planned to wait until you formally come of age to give you some advice, to let you stop at your current position.”
No, Mom, your common sense is wrong. You don't know about the Acting Method. If I can gather the materials, I can become a Sequence 7 Psychiatrist before the new year... And I don't want to stop. Duke Negan's death made me understand that this world is not as peaceful and calm as I thought. I want to have the strength to protect you all at critical moments...
Mr. Fool is gradually awakening, and one evil god after another is attempting to descend. Although I am still not mature and lack the necessary experience, I can sense the hidden, indescribable crisis from these matters... Audrey had always been clear that the extraordinary materials she took from the treasury were an unavoidable problem, but she naively believed that her parents didn't know the specific uses of those items, at most suspecting that she was getting deeper into the circle of mysticism enthusiasts.
After unburdening herself, she avoided her mother's advice and spoke:
“Mom, I later joined a secret organization, one that is more academic and does not worship evil gods. Please forgive me for not being able to say its name and details, as I have taken an oath for that.”
Before the Countess could ask, she cut in:
“I received a message today: the common girl that Prince Edessack has fallen in love with is a witch. They are plotting some conspiracy.”
These two statements of hers actually had no necessary connection. The former referred to the “Psychology Alchemists,” while the latter's source was the Tarot Club, Mr. Fool.
Through this arrangement of words, every sentence she said was true and could be checked through divination, but would lead people to believe that her information came from the Psychology Alchemists.
The smile on Kaitlin's face gradually disappeared, and she asked seriously:
“A witch?”
She didn't know much about the mystical world, but this term alone made her feel evil and unease.
Audrey quickly nodded:
“Yes, a 'Pleasure Witch.'”
“And what terrifies me more is that her name is Trissy Chik.”
“What's the problem?” The Countess asked in confusion.
“In that organization, some members have seen the name 'Chik' in an ancient book.” Audrey said the lie she had just fabricated. There were no flaws in her tone, wording, expression details, or body movements. “In the Fourth Epoch or earlier, it belonged to the Primordial Witch.”
Then, she added gravely:
“That is an evil god!”
Countess Kaitlin didn't understand what the “Primordial Witch” meant, but she clearly knew what an evil god signified.
She couldn't sit still and asked in an accelerated tone:
“Are you sure?”
“...Not sure.” Audrey believed in Mr. Fool without a shred of doubt, but she could not say that on the surface. “Regardless, I think it is necessary to ask the royal family, no, ask the Beyonders of the Church of the Goddess for some confirmation. When it comes to matters of evil gods, no matter how cautious one is, it is always correct.”