Not long after the discussion wrapped up, Sakuya stepped out into the courtyard carrying a fresh tray of food. The travelers sat around the table together, enjoying their meal while watching the evening broadcast. Once darkness fell over the capital, they each retired to their respective quarters to rest, gathering their energy for the next day's adventures.
Several days flew by in a similar fashion.
Clever, who had been a nervous wreck at the start of the holiday, relaxed significantly after realizing they hadn't crossed paths with any high-ranking Sarkaz officers over the course of the week. Combined with the excellent meals and peaceful sleep she enjoyed while following Flandre's group, the lingering paleness on her face vanished, and she looked far healthier than before.
Soon, their week-long stay came to an end, and the group gathered their belongings to prepare for their departure.
With their luggage securely packed, Sakuya left the courtyard to settle the final rental bill with the resort administration, while the rest of the entourage waited by the carriage. Before long, Sakuya reappeared around the corner of the villa, carrying a heavy leather bag in her hand.
Seeing her approach, Clever instinctively stepped forward to help carry the load.
But in the very next fraction of a second, a violent gust of wind whipped past her face.
Before Clever could even blink, she watched Sakuya fly backward through the air, slamming heavily into the thick stone perimeter wall. The sheer force of the impact was so immense that it left a deep, fractured indentation in the solid masonry.
"What... what just happened?" Clever froze in place, her mind spinning into complete bewilderment.
Weren't they companions? Wasn't Miss Sakuya the head of the household and Meiling's direct superior? If Clever remembered correctly, she had literally witnessed Sakuya lecturing Meiling about her sleeping habits earlier that morning. Why had they suddenly suffered such a brutal falling out?
And more importantly, what was that monstrous strength? Punching a person clean into a stone wall with a single blow was completely terrifying.
While Clever was trapped in her frantic thoughts, she noticed another figure walking briskly toward them from the exact same direction. It was another Sakuya.
The newcomer glanced down at the crumpled copy of herself resting in the shattered wall, which had already lost all signs of life, and furrowed her brow slightly. "What is the meaning of this?"
"Someone tried to get close to the carriage by stealing your face, so I punched them to death," Meiling explained smoothly, nodding to her coworker before continuing her march toward the horses.
Sakuya didn't press for further details after hearing the explanation. She simply turned her gaze toward the corpse that shared her identical features and shook her head with a quiet sigh.
"Wait, please hold on! What exactly is going on here?" Clever cried out, entirely unable to keep up with the pacing.
"It is exactly what it looks like," Meiling answered, her expression perfectly calm. "An imposter disguised themselves as Sakuya to infiltrate our circle, so I took care of the threat."
"But how could you possibly tell that person was a fake within a single second? And how can you be certain this newcomer is the real one?" Clever asked, backing away a step and looking at the second Sakuya with intense suspicion.
"Don't worry, this one is definitely the real deal," Meiling said with a reassuring smile, reaching out to pat Clever's trembling shoulder. "An illusion can easily trick a person's eyes, but it can never replicate a person's unique spiritual energy. It can't fool their qi."
Meiling hadn't earned her position as the gatekeeper of the Scarlet Devil Mansion simply because she possessed the eccentric talent of sleeping while standing upright. Her true strength lay in her innate ability to read a person's power and true identity through the flow of their life force.
Granted, if one were to ask how a certain black-and-white magician managed to slip past her guard on multiple occasions to steal books from Patchouli's private library... well, the very first instance had been a genuine oversight. But after discovering that Marisa and Patchouli actually shared a strange, chaotic friendship, Meiling simply stopped bothering to intervene.
After all, the intruder was only coming over to browse the archives; it wasn't as if she was causing real harm. Instead of wasting energy playing a game of wits every afternoon, Meiling figured it was far wiser to catch up on her sleep. Lost rest, after all, was gone forever.
Back in the present moment, she had detected the foreign, malicious aura of the fake Sakuya the exact instant the copy turned the corner. Without giving the imposter a single chance to speak or act, Meiling had stepped forward and delivered a pair of clean, devastating punches, neutralizing the spy instantly.
As for the real Sakuya... after working alongside her for so many years, how could Meiling ever fail to recognize the unique texture of her life force?
As the pieces finally clicked together in Clever's mind, she was suddenly drenched in a cold sweat.
"This is disastrous... we might be completely exposed. That creature... that wasn't an ordinary spy. That must have been a member of the Sarkaz Royal Court serving by Theresis's side—one of the Damazti!"
"Damazti?" Remilia murmured, turning her head toward her resident scholar.
Patchouli adjusted the bridge of her glasses, her violet eyes narrowing. "The Damazti Cluster represents one of the legendary Ten Royal Courts of the Sarkaz, and they are universally regarded as the most mysterious lineage. Although their status isn't formally recognized by the Liches, who also sit on the council, they are indeed genuine royalty.
"According to historical texts, no living soul knows the true physical form of a Damazti; whatever face they present to the world is merely a fluid illusion. Furthermore, they do not just mimic a target's physical appearance; they can utilize ancient Originium Arts to read the memories directly out of a victim's flesh. They are, by definition, the ultimate spies."
Remilia offered a slow nod of appreciation. If the entity truly possessed the ability to copy both form and memory seamlessly, they would indeed pose a terrifying threat to any conventional security system. Unless such a spy made a blatant tactical error, an ordinary guard would never be able to distinguish them from a true ally.
Unfortunately for the Royal Court, the infiltrator had run straight into Meiling.
The dragon gatekeeper didn't evaluate individuals based on their visual presentation; she read the core of their spiritual energy. The Damazti's transformation was visually flawless, but it captured only the superficial shape without the underlying spiritual essence, allowing Meiling to spot the deception instantly.
"A Damazti, hm? How intriguing," Remilia mused, a sharp smile touching her lips. "Meiling, if another one tries to sneak into our camp next time, don't crush them immediately. Leave one alive so Patchy can study their biology."
While Clever was practically on the verge of tears from sheer anxiety, the travelers from the Scarlet Devil Mansion remained completely unhurried, casually chatting about the assassination as if it were a minor inconvenience.
Meanwhile, on the opposite side of the district, a pale figure belonging to the Damazti Cluster turned to face Duq'arael.
"I have located our targets."
"And?" Duq'arael replied idly, examining his manicured fingernails with an air of aristocratic elegance.
"The splinter form I deployed to examine them was killed within seconds of contact. They possess a method to see clean through our transformations."
Upon hearing the report, the Sanguinarch's interest was thoroughly piqued. The shapeshifting capabilities of the Damazti were exceptional. The fact that the intruders could instantly identify and execute a royal spy meant their defensive strength was significant enough to warrant his personal intervention.
"Where are they positioned?" Duq'arael inquired, his red eyes gleaming.
"They have checked out of their residence and are preparing to depart the capital."
"Then we shall intercept their carriage once they clear the checkpoints," the Vampire Prince decided, rising from his velvet seat. "Engaging them inside the commercial sectors would create an unnecessary scene."
For a Sanguinarch, the dark alleys of a crowded nomadic city were actually the perfect hunting grounds. However, the military council's deep presence within Londinium could not be prematurely exposed to the Victorian public, making an open magical brawl outside the walls a far cleaner option.
"I shall keep our eyes fixed upon their path," the Damazti nodded smoothly before fading into the background.
Back inside the traveling carriage, Flandre suddenly leaned forward, her eyes bright with mischief. "I actually happen to know a massive secret regarding the Damazti, and I guarantee it is completely true."
"Oh?" Remilia asked with a warm smile, reaching over to affectionately ruffle her sister's blonde hair. "What kind of secret do you have tucked away, Flandre?"
"The entire Damazti lineage—or rather, the entire collective swarm—has actually been just one single person from ancient history all the way to the present day."
Flandre delivered the shocking revelation with total confidence, recalling the deep lore embedded in her memories.
"A single individual since ancient times?"
Patchouli's academic curiosity was instantly sparked. She placed her heavy research tome down on her lap, giving Flandre her full attention to analyze the incoming data.
"That's completely impossible," Clever interjected, shaking her head in disbelief. "The Damazti Royal Court has maintained its seat on the council for thousands, if not tens of thousands of years. How could a massive branch of royalty consist of just one lone individual?"
To Clever's traditional understanding of Terran history, the claim sounded entirely absurd. If Flandre's words were true, it meant every single historical encounter with different Damazti lords throughout the centuries had been an elaborate theatrical performance. A being capable of surviving and multiplying across millennia wouldn't just be a powerful caster—they would be a monster far exceeding any conventional legend on the continent.