"Dammit, can you stop playing! I'm constipated just from hearing it!"
In the morning, Snow was playing the piano as usual at Mr. A's villa when he heard Lanevus's frantic pounding on the door. Snow paid it no mind until he finished a small section, then stood and opened the music room's door.
"What do you want, you damn bastard?! No matter how much you play, your Lord won't wake up any faster. Your music only draws his attention! Instead of wasting your breath, why can't you just let me spend my last moments in peace?"
Lanevus's eyes were bloodshot, his entire being seemingly caught in a manic state. Snow merely gave a cold smile, then walked unhurriedly to a corner of the room. He opened a small safe and retrieved a test tube containing a dark red liquid.
The liquid inside was so eerie that even looking at it for a second felt like receiving a barrage of whispers, forcing one to look away or cover their ears.
"You!" Lanevus saw the liquid, and his rage vanished instantly, replaced by dejection, shock, and a fleeting moment of despair.
" 'You' what? Did you really think I hadn't thought about you bleeding into the sewers? Honestly, every drop of power in your body was bestowed by my Lord. Is it really wise to waste it like this?"
Snow's calm demeanor made him look like a terrifying demon in Lanevus's eyes. Snow hadn't warned him when he first started bleeding himself. Instead, he had waited until Lanevus had persisted for over ten days, filled with the hope that official Beyonders would show up, before completely crushing his delusions.
In that moment, a powerful sense of despair and distortion flooded Lanevus's mind. He even felt a fleeting desire to just give up.
Though his [Swindler]'s psychological redirection quickly corrected his thoughts, he couldn't stop himself from slipping a few inches closer to being replaced by the True Creator.
"Is this your goal? To give me hope just to break it and create despair?" Lanevus spoke with a mix of grief and indignation, but the fiery anger from before was gone.
"To be precise, you were the one creating unrealistic hope." Snow used spirituality to isolate the "Degraded Divine Blood" collected by ritual magic, then squinted at Lanevus.
"Just as you said, rather than wasting your breath, why not spend your final moments in peace? My piano skills might not be at a master level, but they are passable. If you let go of your prejudice and listen closely, you might even find a shared chord with my Lord. It would be a supreme honor!"
"I'll [Loen Cussword] you!"
Lanevus couldn't help but curse, but Snow remained unbothered. He simply flipped through his calendar with elegance, his lips curving slightly as if anticipating something.
Unable to fight and unable to flee, Lanevus stared at the man. He forcefully used psychological redirection to block the rising despair, took a deep breath, and left the music room. Snow returned to the piano, unfazed, and began to organize the notes he had just perceived from the True Creator.
Lately, the True Creator seemed to be plotting something else; the ravings regarding music were scarce. Snow wasn't sure if this was a test, but he didn't intend to rush. He transcribed the fragmented melodies, building them up bit by bit. With "Katyusha" already established as his base, it didn't really matter how long it took to complete the next piece.
Currently, Snow had the leisure of someone who had already farmed the "limited-edition event reward" and didn't mind taking his sweet time with the standard content.
...
"Thank you very much, Miss Xio and Miss Fors. Every worker in Backlund will remember your aid."
After half a month, Lavis,who had finally signed a new labor contract with the factory owner,shook Xio's hand excitedly while looking at Fors with immense gratitude.
Xio was slightly taken aback by the sudden outburst of passion from the young worker, who had always seemed exceptionally mature. Nevertheless, she replied politely:
"There's no need for thanks. I was simply completing a commission."
"But I must thank you regardless. You saved me several times." Lavis's emotions remained high. Xio nodded and said:
"I believe you should go share the fruits of victory with your companions rather than thanking an outsider like me. Also, though my mission is over, you should still be cautious. Even if your results are set in stone, there's no guarantee some people won't try to vent their anger on you." Xio nodded and said, "I understand that."
Lavis nodded, then pulled out a sheet of paper with only a single seal on it and handed it to Xio.
"This is the proof of completion for the task. I hope we can cooperate again. I'll take my leave now!"
Watching Lavis shed his revolutionary mask and run toward his striking comrades like any other young man, Xio carefully folded the paper and tucked it into her breast pocket.
"Finally, it's over!" Fors sighed in relief as Lavis walked away. It wasn't that she didn't want to speak, but she had almost blurted out, "What a beautiful scene, maybe I should write it into my book." Remembering the deadline she had barely met due to previous slips of the tongue, she swallowed her words.
"Yes, it's over. Speaking of which, we still have to collect our reward from Miss Audrey today. I hope it's enough to buy the [Sheriff] potion formula." Xio also relaxed, her entire posture softening.
"Time for work. We can talk more when I get back."
"Mmm, let's go together today." Fors immediately spoke the plan she had decided on yesterday. Hearing this, Xio frowned, "What are you going for?"
Although she had confirmed there were no traps in the mission over the last ten days, the fact that the commission had come via messenger still made her feel something was off.
"The reward... well, it was news about my father," Xio said, avoiding the specifics. Fors gave a look of understanding, though a hint of suspicion lingered in the depths of her eyes.
...
"Audrey, why are you here again? Let me say this first: I didn't send an invitation to that guy today. You only saw him yesterday, I didn't expect you to..." Viscount Glaint stood at his door, barely suppressing a breakdown as he watched Audrey arrive.
Remaining in her [Spectator] state, Audrey easily read Glaint's intent. She intentionally puffed out her cheeks and said with a hint of dissatisfaction:
"Glaint! What are you talking about? Didn't we agree to meet Xio and Fors today?"
"What... Oh! I remember now!" Glaint slapped his head dramatically. Having been tortured by thoughts of Audrey and Snow all night, he had nearly forgotten his appointment with the two Beyonders.
Audrey didn't expose his exaggeration, but she looked at him suspiciously.
"You haven't forgotten to send the invitation to Miss Fors, have you?"
"Of course not!"
[Translated and Rewritten by Shika_Kagura]
T/N: "Degraded Divine Blood" (劣化神血) - Blood containing traces of divinity but lacking full potency, collected from Lanevus.
T/N: "Sheriff" (治安官) - Sequence 8 of the Arbiter/Justiciar pathway.