"Only three? You're an Assassin, after all. Surely a single regular client would have asked for more than that?" Snow spread his cat paws and spoke with a trace of mockery.
"Let's get to business. The number of Nighthawks nearby has increased. I must leave this place as soon as possible." Seeing the black cat prepare for another long-winded detour, Trissy spoke impatiently.
It wasn't that she was being arrogant, but rather that in their interactions over the past half-month, she had come to realize that if given even the slightest opportunity, this cat would spin out a long string of bizarre and irrelevant nonsense.
"Alright, alright. Business it is." Snow wasn't at all displeased with Trissy's attitude. He leaped nimbly onto the dressing table, bringing his eyes level with hers before continuing, "This time, it's simple. Help me attack a Sequence 9 Mystery Pryer. Don't kill him, but expose the fact that he has been polluted by the Hidden Sage."
"Hidden Sage? Are you joking?" A look of exaggeration crossed Trissy's face. Snow flicked his tail, restraining himself from doing something silly like chasing it.
"Rest assured. He's just a normal unlucky fellow who was force-fed knowledge by the Hidden Sage. He doesn't have any major Beyonder items; at most, he has a few low-level Evernight charms."
"That sounds more like it." As someone who was roughly half-affiliated with the Demoness Sect, Trissy knew some basic Beyonder knowledge. For example, the fact that the Hidden Sage enjoyed force-feeding knowledge to Mystery Pryer pathway Beyonders was almost public information.
But...
"Is this Mystery Pryer's identity very sensitive?" Trissy raised an eyebrow, her tone slightly playful. This cat's intention was clearly to save someone.
And if someone was worth this fellow saving, they surely had some secret, didn't they?
"Your curiosity is far too strong." Snow gave her a cold look. "He is a Nighthawk, an old one with almost no room for advancement. The reason I chose him is that he is currently the closest to losing control. Well, you must have some understanding of the current situation in Tingen; I need to make those official Beyonders a bit more alert."
"So wouldn't it be better to just let him lose control?" Trissy tested. Snow grinned, "It would truly be for the best if you dared kill an official Beyonder at a time like this. However, I personally suggest you choose to complete the mission through 'Informing'. After all, you are currently a 'Witch'."
"Acting?" Trissy immediately understood Snow's meaning. Informing of misfortune, predicting disaster--this was fundamentally one of the methods for acting as a Witch. Although she had previously leaned toward simple and crude methods like cursing people directly, in the current state of Tingen, recklessly using Beyonder powers would undoubtedly lead to a siege by the three major Churches.
"Very well. I'll do it. Give me his details." Trissy thought for a moment and nodded slightly. She didn't believe this cat was proposing this just to provide her with an acting plan, but she truly did need a method for acting. If saving that old Mystery Pryer could earn her a favor from the other party, she wouldn't be losing out.
"Full name unknown. He usually goes by 'Old Neil'. A Nighthawk, Sequence 9 Mystery Pryer. Skilled in making charms and ritual magic. Frequently visits the Beyonder market behind the Evil Dragon Bar to buy mystical materials. He lives in a detached house on the outskirts of North Hill. There are roses, golden mint, and other plants used for extracting pure dew and essential oils planted in the yard. He likes to wear a black classical robe. Is that enough?"
Snow slowly delivered all the intelligence he remembered. Once Trissy heard it, the experience she had gathered during her time as an Assassin and Instigator immediately provided her with several plans. She nodded slightly:
"Sufficient."
"Excellent. Then, what reward do you want? Given the difficulty of this person, I can answer questions worth up to one thousand gold pounds. If you're willing to pay more, I can even get you the Sequence 6 formula for the Assassin pathway. After all, you know the market price for a Sequence 6 formula is two thousand gold pounds."
Seeing Trissy agree, Snow immediately assumed the posture of someone starting a business negotiation. Trissy looked at the black cat exhibiting an expression completely at odds with its cute appearance and frowned slightly:
"Can it be split?"
"Of course. Do you want to start with a hundred-pound question?" Snow extended a cat paw, attempting to give a thumbs-up, which was an utter failure. However, this didn't prevent him from conveying his meaning to Trissy.
"Then first, can you tell me what on earth is happening in Tingen? Wait--don't answer yet. Tell me how much this question is worth." Trissy watched the black cat warily, suspecting that if she didn't ask, this profiteer would answer and then tell her it was worth five thousand gold pounds, demanding four thousand pounds more of work.
"Hmm. This question involves three major Churches, two Sequence 5s, a Grade 0 Sealed Artifact, and a trace of divinity. Looking further, it can even be traced back to True Gods. It wouldn't be too much to charge you twenty thousand gold pounds for the full story, right?"
Snow opened his cat mouth, revealing a fanged smile. Trissy felt her scalp tingle; she didn't know how many times she had felt the urge to go back in time and strangle her past self--she should never have looked at this damn cat at the station!
"Tell me what I can know. Limit it to within two hundred pounds." Trissy took a deep breath. She had completely realized that doing business with this black cat was a losing game no matter how many lives one had. But considering the current state of Tingen, if she knew nothing, she likely wouldn't even know how she died. After a moment of thought, she made her choice.
"Two hundred pounds, let me see... Got it. Let's put it this way: an Oracle of the Aurora Order has come to Tingen to find something. The three major Churches are looking for him and what he's looking for. And someone else wants to use this opportunity to steal something."
"That's it?" Trissy asked suspiciously as she listened to the cat's tongue-twisting sentence, "That person who wants to steal something... surely it isn't you?"
"Take a guess?" Snow tilted his head, acting cute. To be fair, if one ignored his wicked personality, this look truly could tug at a girl's heartstrings.
"Save the rest of the questions for the tab. By the way, can't you give me a more reliable way to contact you?" Trissy chewed on the information Snow had given her while asking.
"I've told you many times: praying to my Lord is the simplest and safest way to contact me. If you're truly unwilling, you could control a commoner to pray on your behalf! I recall a Witch should have some Beyonder ability like charming people, right?"
[Translated and Rewritten by Shika Kagura]