Mystery: Good Witch

Chapter 886 Oops, you are surrounded by witches!

"Are you waiting for Katerina?"

The figure walked slowly towards him in the dim light, and it was not until he approached Stratford that he could see the person clearly.

What caught his eyes first was the long light golden hair, and then the beautiful face and the breathtaking figure hidden under the dress. Stratford stared at the other person's face, and his dull expression suddenly changed, and he exclaimed:

"You are... the 'Golden Queen'!"

His hand holding the cross made of golden light trembled, and this magical item, which could still maintain a certain light even though it was suppressed by the ban of the "Law Mage", fell to the ground.

As soon as the spikes on its surface were separated from the blood supply, it immediately returned to its original patinaed appearance, hiding the pure light inside, like a cheap decoration thrown into a trash can.

"Yes, it's me. Are you disappointed that it's not the 'White Saint' Katarina who came?"

Angel chuckled, walked past Stratford, who was trembling and had no intention of resisting, and unceremoniously occupied the only single sofa in the living room.

Looking at the three witches, each with their own characteristics and expressions more indifferent than the other, the surrounded Stratford not only did not feel happy, but swallowed his saliva quietly.

If he still had the courage to fight Sherman and Triss with the help of the cross just now, then now that the "Golden Queen" has come here, even if he is tied with crosses all over his body, he has no chance of winning, unless...

"…Unless Katarina comes to rescue you, right?"

Angel, who was sitting in front of him, asked with a chuckle, her calves faintly visible under the hem of her skirt, making Stratford imagine how beautiful the scenery under the skirt was. Hearing this, he just raised his head in silence, the last glimmer of hope in his heart completely shattered.

A saint, a collaborator of the "Witch Cult" and the royal family, disappeared quietly or even died?

So, today, shall I also...

Suddenly, his head buzzed, as if a switch was turned on. He got up from the ground with a calm expression and stood respectfully in front of Angel, as if he was facing his immediate superior.

This scene made Sherman beside her confused. Triss seemed to have thought of something. Her expression relaxed and she sat on another sofa, pretending to watch a show.

"Next, I want to ask you a few questions."

Angel leaned back on the couch, completely relaxed, and spoke.

She mentioned Katarina in order to change Stratford's mood so that she could use the "manipulator" trait that originally belonged to Hvin Rambis and secretly hold it in her hands to try to hypnotize this Sequence 5 "Punishment Knight".

Although she had no experience in hypnotizing other people through the "audience" channel ability, she still had some experience in resisting hypnosis, so she quickly figured out how to use the original Beyonder characteristics to infiltrate the other party's consciousness island and modify the subconscious.

In fact, I didn’t want to get involved in this. If everything went well, Sherman could use the necklace I made that could allow her to enter the “mirror world” for a short period of time to kidnap Stratford here, and then use the “sleep” and “dream” spells with Triss to interrogate him in the dream... Unfortunately, the cross seemed to have the power of a demigod, almost equivalent to a powerful “level 1” seal. If I didn’t show up, even if the two of them could defeat each other, they would be discovered and would have to flee...

Angel muttered to himself, glanced at the two not-so-competent witches, and looked back at Viscount Stratford, who had treated him as his superior and was waiting to report on his work, but did not ask questions immediately.

It was not until the rays of sunlight that came through the window covered by the curtains became dim and the entire living room seemed to be shrouded in a deep, quiet darkness that she spoke carefully:

"Who are you truly loyal to?"

Angel had actually guessed the answer long ago based on Hvin Rambis and Katarina's responses, but this known question could serve as a good start for the interrogation, allowing her to determine whether her hypnosis was effective.

Sure enough, Stratford maintained a respectful demeanor and answered without hesitation:

"I will always be loyal to His Majesty the King."

Triss's expression changed, and she leaned forward, closer to Stratford and Angel.

You usually pretend that you don't care about anything, but now you are so concerned about these clues... Angel glanced at her again and asked:
"Why are the royal family and MI9 so wary of Triss? Why are they willing to give you this magical item to fight against her?"

As she spoke, she kicked the bronze cross on the ground.

Stratford pondered for a moment and said:
"Because of Prince Edsak's incident... After the Great Smog, the 'Witch Cult' found us again and said that Triss, who worked with Edsak to create the Great Smog, had betrayed the cult. They are still willing to cooperate with the Loen Royal Family, but require us to find her..."

At this point, he turned his head to look at Triss, who had a serious expression. There was a hint of fear in his eyes, and he was not as obsessed as he had been before. This made Angel even more impressed by the powerful effect of "hypnosis", which could allow a Sequence 5 Beyonder to tell everything while maintaining his sanity. "... Therefore, after the bizarre death of William Sykes, who was related to the Edsac incident, MI increased its vigilance and asked me to be careful of Triss's appearance, because they believed that I was also one of the people involved, and she seemed to be looking for revenge for Edsac's death..."

Retracting his gaze, Stratford added.

Triss jumped up from the sofa, grabbed the captain of the palace guards by the collar, and shouted in a sharp, angry tone:

"What on earth was George III thinking? Just to get rid of suspicion, he framed his own son for what he did? That should be his bloodline, and his end would be like that... beggar on the street."

Stratford took a step back, broke free from the furious witch's hand, straightened his wrinkled collar, and looked at Angel.

"Answer her question."

Angel ordered.

"There is not so much family affection in the royal family. His Majesty the King has five princes and four princesses. Edessak's succession line is not high, and the smog incident is so serious that someone has to take responsibility. In order to quell the church's doubts, isn't it normal to push him out?" Stratford nodded and replied.

The cold words gradually calmed Triss down. Her dark eyes were hidden in the shadow of her bangs. She slowly sat back on the sofa and stopped moving.

"Let's continue," Angel looked at Triss, who seemed to have lost all her strength, and continued, "It seems that you have your own guesses about Edessak's death... So do you know the king and the royal family's plans? For example, the cooperation with the 'Witch Cult', their arrangements in the ruins outside the city, and the traps they asked you to set."

"Ruins? Are they the East Suburbs ruins where the members of the Witch Cult were stationed?" Stratford asked doubtfully at first, and then said in enlightenment, "It has been abandoned. I'm not sure about the subsequent disposal. The cooperation with the Witch Cult will be handled by Ms. Katarina and Major General Korg. I am only responsible for the peripheral part, such as the operation to capture Triss."

"Tell me about this action in detail," Angel asked immediately.

"We originally planned to take advantage of Sherman's trick after she contacted me and gain her trust. When she and Triss behind her took action, we would set a trap. At that time, Ms. Katarina would personally take action to capture Triss. We would interrogate her first and then hand her over to the 'Witch Cult'... In fact, I think Katarina's main target is Triss. She mentioned the 'God's Container', which may be related to the 'Origin' believed by the witches."

Stratford glanced at Triss, who was keeping her head down and saying nothing, and with lingering fear, he straightened his collar and continued:
“Sherman asked me out today, so I was on guard and brought out this sealed item that can purify most of the witch’s power. Ms. Katarina should hide in the dark and provide support at any time.

"After Sherman brought me into that world full of mirrors and passages, I was worried that I would get lost if I resisted casually, so I waited for Triss to appear and bring me here before launching a counterattack. I didn't expect..."

"I didn't expect that it was me instead of Catalina who showed up?"

Angel chuckled, sorting out the whole thing in his head.

I didn't expect that while we were planning to kidnap Stratford, Stratford was also planning to lure out Triss behind Sherman. If I hadn't tricked Katarina out in advance and kept her out of this operation, they might have succeeded... But if that were the case, would Sherman...

Thinking of this, Angel glanced at Sherman who was standing beside him and found that she was unexpectedly calm, so he felt relieved.

After asking this question, Angel didn't plan to continue. It was obvious that the captain of the palace guards was not aware of the deep conspiracy of the royal family and still believed that Edessak was abandoned by the royal family because of his cooperation with the witch sect... Of course, he himself had certain doubts, but as the captain of the palace guards, he was loyal to the king and it was impossible for him to turn this doubt into action.

As for Major General Qonas Kilger he mentioned, Klein should have carried out a synchronized "action" on his side by now. If nothing unexpected happens, Klein, who is also under the effect of "secret", has also completed his task.

"Do you have any other questions? I'm afraid he won't survive after 'Hidden' ends."

Angel turned to Triss and asked.

She knew that the questions she asked were bound to be within the scope of "secret keeping". Once Ms. Arianna, who was secretly providing assistance, removed the "secret", the ensuing feedback would immediately kill or severely injure this Sequence 5 Beyonder.

Triss raised her head, looked at Stratford with an inexplicable look, and said:

"I don't have anything to ask. You can hand him over to me later and I will destroy all traces of him."

She is really hating everyone in the house... But for the sake of secrecy, this viscount cannot be kept, so she can kill him... Angel was thinking about it and was about to agree, when Sherman beside him suddenly said:

"Can I ask a few more questions?"

Including Stratford, the other three people in the room turned their eyes to the "joy" witch, especially Triss, who had a hint of surprise in her eyes.

Ignoring this gaze, Sherman took two steps forward after getting Angel's consent, stood in front of Stratford, took a deep breath, and asked:
"Do you know the former captain of the palace guard, Lord Mason Dill?"

(End of this chapter)