"Good."
"Oh? You seem... displeased that I might develop feelings for you?"
"That — well — it's just that — it's..."
What exactly am I supposed to say to that? Either answer sounds wrong.
He made a couple of vague sounds and went quiet.
Vincent sat in silence for a few minutes, waiting for the Witch Ring's side effects to clear. Then he stepped outside.
Dunn came out of a nearby alley immediately, his expression serious. "Ma'am — the evil god..."
"It's been dealt with."
His grey eyes settled slightly, then: "Old Neil and Melissa are still unconscious." He hesitated. "Are they... are they truly alright?"
Vincent read the real question beneath the words. Dunn was asking whether either of them — having been directly involved in the evil god's ritual — still posed any ongoing risk.
"Take me to see them."
The two of them cut through the narrow streets to a secluded little garden, where Klein was standing vigil over his sister and Old Neil, anxiously scanning every direction.
When he saw Vincent approaching, he rushed over: "Ma'am — my sister and Old Neil still haven't woken up. They'll be alright, won't they?"
Vincent went over to each of them in turn, and asked in his mind: Can you see anything?
"Activate Eyes of Mystery Prying."
He did so at once. Through his gaze, both figures became visible as though under an X-ray — the state of their internal bodies, their Ether Bodies, their Spirit Bodies, all of it laid bare.
"The old man had his Beyonder characteristic forcibly extracted during the ritual. He's an ordinary person now. No immediate danger to his life, but his body has been severely depleted..."
"As for the girl — she's been contaminated by the Hidden Sage's power."
Vincent stiffened. "Contaminated by the Hidden Sage? Is there any coming back from that?"
"That's what puzzles me too."
Bernadette said: "During the ritual just now, the Hidden Sage appeared to have deliberately protected her in some way — which is why the contamination is so light."
"To ensure a better descent?"
"Quite the opposite. For the Hidden Sage, the more deeply contaminated a vessel is, the better — because what is, from our perspective, catastrophically dangerous 'contamination' is, from His perspective, simply the expression and mark of His power."
Vincent was more confused than ever. "Then what do we do with this girl?"
"She'll be fine. The contamination has effectively made her halfway to a Mystery Pryer — so just give her the Mystery Pryer potion. Once she fully digests it, the contamination will have largely resolved itself."
"Are you sure? Didn't you say that every Beyonder of the Mystery Pryer pathway has knowledge poured into them by the Hidden Sage? In her situation, becoming a Mystery Pryer wouldn't be like walking straight up to Him?"
"Ha — do you think the Hidden Sage can't find her if she doesn't become a Mystery Pryer? At least as a Mystery Pryer, under the Church's protection, she has some chance. Left alone, the contamination will continue — and she'll lose control and turn into a monster at any moment."
"...Understood."
What a mess. I remember Melissa originally walked the Savant Pathway in the story. So much for that — now she's a Mystery Pryer. And so early.
He turned to face Klein and Dunn. "One piece of good news, one piece of bad news."
"The good news is that this gentleman" — he gestured toward Old Neil — "has had something of an unintended benefit. His Beyonder characteristic was extracted from him during the ritual. He's now an ordinary person — but for the moment, at least, his life is safe."
Klein's expression shifted. If Old Neil was the good news, then Melissa...
"The bad news is that your sister has been contaminated by the Hidden Sage."
Klein's body gave a sharp jolt. Vincent continued before he could speak: "But the contamination is minimal. There is currently no risk of loss of control or death."
"What about after?"
"I wouldn't know." Vincent shrugged. "You could take her to one of the Churches for help."
Klein glanced at Dunn, then said quietly: "I've heard that when the Churches deal with something like this, they generally choose to... purify it outright. Leave no further risk."
"That is a real possibility."
"Respected ma'am... is there anything you can do to save my sister?"
Vincent smiled. "Of course."
Before Klein's expression could light up, he went on smoothly: "But why should I? I came here today to honour the promise I made to you last time. As of now, we should be even."
He held Klein's gaze. "You know how it works, don't you — in the world of Beyonders, nothing is free."
Dunn stepped in front of Klein. "Klein has only just become a Beyonder recently. He almost certainly has nothing you'd find valuable."
"That's true."
Vincent pinched his chin and thought for a moment. He produced a sheet of parchment and held it out. "In that case — since you have nothing to offer now, why not stake your future? All I need is for you to sign this contract. When you eventually possess sufficient standing, help me with one thing — within the limits of your ability."
"The future?"
"Exactly."
Vincent smiled pleasantly. "Think of it as... an investment in you. What do you say?"
His true purpose was clear enough: he'd been reluctant to go to Tingen or involve himself with Klein, because Klein had the eyes of too many parties on him at once. But since he'd been dragged in from the very beginning, certain people had probably already taken notice. No point in tiptoeing around it now.
And this was the perfect opportunity to use Klein — the Fool — to help digest the Shadow Merchant potion.
Klein read the contract carefully. Twice. Then a third time. No traps that he could identify. His thoughts moved quickly: The future is uncertain. Even with the grey fog above me, there's no guarantee I'll get far on this path. But trading an uncertain future commitment for Melissa's safety right now — that's a good deal. A straightforwardly good deal.
"Oh, and — your captain has probably told you. Contracts in the Beyonder world have special enforcing properties. If you sign and then break or betray it, the consequences may well be fatal."
Klein forced a thin smile. "Then I just have to keep my word."
His mind was made up. "I'll sign."
Dunn wanted to interject — but his eyes dropped to Melissa on the ground. He shook his head and said nothing.
Klein signed his name on the contract. Vincent gave a small smile. "Actually, saving your sister is quite simple. As I said — the contamination on her is light. It's not quite at the level of a fortunate accident, but it has at least opened a door for her."
"A door to the world of Beyonders."
Klein and Dunn stiffened, both arriving at the same thought.
"Exactly. The solution is simple — give her the Mystery Pryer potion and let her become a Beyonder." He glanced at Old Neil. "Convenient timing, actually — you're short a Mystery Pryer. She fills the gap. Problem solved for everyone."
"???"
Klein and Dunn had no words.
Klein regretted it immediately — regretted signing a contract with unknown implications in the panic of the moment.
"Of course there are risks. But it's the best option available right now."
Vincent continued: "Oh — if you happen to be short on the relevant materials for the Mystery Pryer potion... I'm willing to sell them to you. Twenty percent off. How does that sound?"
"..."
Klein drew a deep breath. "Thank you, ma'am."
"Well — if you don't need that, I'll be on my way. Goodbye."
He paused. "Actually — please don't 'see me again' any time soon."
He waved a hand, stepped into the Spirit World, and was gone.
The two of them were left in silence. Klein spoke first: "Captain... about this woman..."
"Let's get Old Neil and your sister back to the office first."
"Right!"
After leaving Tingen, Vincent returned to 22 Skye Street in the Jorwood District.
"A Teleportation ability really is extraordinarily useful. I'm almost reluctant to return the ring to Stephen."
He stared at it admiringly. "And the negative side effect is only a chance of attracting Spirit World entities."
Bernadette scoffed: "The Spirit World is full of extremely dangerous existences that even I try to avoid. That negative side effect is a gamble. If you want safe Spirit World traversal, the faster we complete the experiment, the better."
"Alright."
Vincent rolled his shoulders and looked down at the contract in his hand. He hadn't actually altered it all that drastically — only replaced the phrase "when you possess sufficient power" with "when you possess sufficient standing."
In LOTM terminology, standing — Beyonder standing — referred specifically to the rank of a Beyonder or divine existence.
To be continued…
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