The morning sunlight pierced through the curtains and spilled onto the exquisite bed, illuminating that handsome face with an almost divine aura.
However, with a series of rustling sounds, the handsome man on the bed suddenly melted like a wax statue in a fire, turning into a puddle of flesh. At the same moment, the closet door opposite the bed was pushed open from within, and a man identical to the one who had just melted stepped out.
As he approached, the puddle of flesh on the bed began to writhe violently. It flowed down the bed legs onto the floor, finally creeping up his calves to transform into a set of decent home attire.
Mr. A gently adjusted his necktie, which was essentially made of flesh and blood, and gazed out at the street scene with somber eyes. Then, he uttered words in Ancient Hermes, reciting the honorable name of the True Creator toward the east.
The loss from this trip to Tingen was massive. Not only had they failed to bring back the spawn, but it had nearly led to the total destruction of the Aurora Order's forces in Backlund. The low-sequence Beyonders who had come to provide support were also largely depleted, and even he himself had sustained significant injuries. By a conservative estimate, it would take at least two months before he could return to his peak state.
'Fortunately, I retrieved the divinity from the spawn. As long as I find Lanevus, everything will be worth it.' Thinking this, Mr. A checked the "Devil" he was pasturing once more, confirming that the Malice Perception ability was still functioning normally. He finally relaxed.
'It seems Snow has no issues.'
When he had issued his orders earlier, he knew that the Aurora Order's forces in Backlund would take a major hit. Aside from a few personnel he had protectively sent away, only a handful of outer members with questionable loyalty remained.
Now, in the vast city of Backlund, the number of people he could truly use could be counted on one hand. Among them, Snow happened to be the one with the shortest tenure.
Mr. A had come to Snow's place partly to test his loyalty and partly because he didn't trust the others.
He didn't doubt the loyalty of the other members, but for these madmen of the Aurora Order, loyalty didn't necessarily equate to respect for one's superiors. Although the remaining two were only Listeners, below the level of a high sequence, nothing was absolute. Mr. A had no doubt about the kind of ambushes and assassinations he would face if he went to the others. With the abilities of a 'Devil' as his foundation, he certainly didn't fear such threats, but now that the Aurora Order was in desperate need of manpower, it would be foolish to kill off his only remaining subordinates over such matters.
In fact, he had chosen this moment to have Snow drink the potion specifically to reduce his threat. Yes, a newly advanced Sequence 8 posed even less of a threat than a fully digested Sequence 9—at least for the Secrets Supplicant pathway.
'Next is to have them expand the flock. I must restore our low-level strength in Backlund within two months. As for Lanevus...' Mr. A summoned his messenger and had it deliver three letters to their respective recipients.
Having done all this, he adjusted his appearance, restoring his image as a cold beauty. He pushed open the guest room door and stepped out, immediately hearing Snow praying to the Lord in Ancient Hermes.
'Not bad. Very devout.' A trace of a smile appeared at the corner of Mr. A's mouth. He didn't interrupt Snow's morning lesson; instead, he used the power of shadow to hide himself, wanting to see if this new Listener truly was as devout as he appeared.
Snow's prayer lasted about five minutes, conducted entirely in Ancient Hermes. This left Mr. A very satisfied. Unlike most gods, the True Creator answered all prayers comprehensively. As long as you recited His honorable name in Ancient Hermes, you would definitely hear His voice. Being able to maintain this for five minutes proved that Snow wasn't just putting on an act because he had noticed Mr. A.
Emerging from the shadows, Mr. A acted as if he had just stepped out of his room and happened to run right into Snow. As their eyes met, Snow raised his right hand and said quite casually, "Morning, Mad Beauty."
"???"
"???"
The moment the words left his mouth, both Snow and Mr. A wore expressions of pure bewilderment. For a moment, they couldn't even process what had happened. After two seconds of dead silence, Snow finally slapped himself. At this moment, he finally realized what his second conditioned reflex was. He looked awkwardly at Mr. A, whose expression was gradually becoming playful, and said with a slight tremble, "Apologies, Mr. A. This is just like the test tube from yesterday. For some reason, I instinctively..."
"It matters not." Mr. A gently shook his head. If he could tolerate subordinates who wanted to kill him, how could he not tolerate such a verbal offense? Moreover, he understood that it truly must have been an unintentional slip on Snow's part. After all, under normal circumstances, no matter how much courage Snow had, he wouldn't dare call him that.
However...
'Mad Beauty?' Mr. A found the title somewhat amusing. Aren't you a "Mad Beauty" yourself?
The morning, which had seemed fraught with danger but ended with nothing happening, thus began. To compensate for his rudeness—and to soothe his own wounded heart—Snow spent a significant amount of money to purchase an Intis-style breakfast sufficient for a middle-class family's monthly expenses. After finishing the meal with Mr. A, Mr. A suddenly spoke, "Have you mastered the 'Whisper' ability?"
"I have, but I haven't tested it yet." Snow nodded and then shook his head. The so-called 'Whisper' was the ultimate simplified version of 'Power of Words'. Through language, one could slowly implant their views into the target's consciousness. For the Aurora Order, aside from using money to pave the way, this was their primary method of recruitment.
"That's good. From today on, you can start using 'Whisper' to expand our flock. However, you don't need to spread our Lord's name at the beginning. Instead, supplement it with profit and temptation. Don't use it on those nobles yet; if you aren't skilled enough, it's easy for heretics to notice. The East District is a good place. You can form an ordinary gang and then select suitable candidates from within to develop into outer members."
At this moment, Mr. A truly resembled a kind elder, meticulously teaching Snow how to quickly establish an underground cult... er, a hidden organization.
Snow listened intently, but toward the end, he suddenly asked:
"Lord Oracle, do you have any strict requirements regarding the philosophy of our disguise?"
Hearing Snow's question, a smile that could stir one's heart appeared at the corner of Mr. A's mouth. "None. The savior of the poor, food for everyone, 'all nobles deserve to die,' or even 'messengers of justice', as long as it doesn't conflict with our Lord's teachings, you can say whatever you like."
[Translated and Rewritten by Shika Kagura]
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A/N: Mr. A's "Devil" - Referring to the Sequence 5 'Apostle of Desire' he has grazed (pastured) within his 'Shepherd' ability.
A/N: East District (东区) - The impoverished and overcrowded area of Backlund, a prime recruiting ground for secret organizations.
T/N: "Oracle" (神使) - I used 'Lord Oracle' here as a respectful address for Mr. A, who holds a high position in the Aurora Order.