Mystery: Good Witch

Chapter 912 Strange Digestion Method
Zarathu?
When Angel heard the name, the first thing that came to his mind was the Angel Family of the Solomon Empire in the Fourth Epoch. Then he noticed the limitation in Klein's description:
The leader of the secret society and the fortune-teller angel trapped in the foggy town.

If the history they understood was correct, the Sequence 1 had perished in the subsequent God War, and the leader of the Secret Order in the Fifth Epoch was probably just his descendant, “Little Zaratul” who inherited Beyonder characteristics.

But even so, the arrival of an archangel who had most likely been promoted to Sequence 1 and successfully escaped from the foggy town in Backlund would also put enormous pressure on their subsequent actions.

After all, under the premise of having a true God, the pope and archbishop of the three major churches are only Sequence 2 at most, and now that war is about to break out, they must defend important locations of the church and are unlikely to stay in Backlund. A Sequence 1 is the strongest when there is no true God descending.

"How do you know for sure that 'He' has arrived in Backlund? Even Amon's true form wouldn't dare to easily step into this city..."

Angel asked curiously.

"There are many reasons, such as Arrodes discovering that "His" body is no longer in the original place, such as my attraction to the fortune tellers and thieves, and the abnormal situation that occurred recently when I cooperated with the blood clan and the temperance faction to deal with the Rose School... But the Red Angel Evil Spirit coming to Backlund was the fuse..."

Klein answered, and couldn't help but glance at the chaotic streets outside the window.

"There are not many people who know that I am Dwayne Dantès and also Gehrman Sparrow and who are likely to come into contact with Zarathu. Medici, who worked with Zarathu in the Fourth Epoch, is one of them. The 'gatekeeper' that He possessed should be the messenger sent by the Spiritual Cult to Backlund. At that time, I thought He was just taking this opportunity to return to the North Continent from the South Continent and would leave soon. I didn't get a response after praying to the goddess, but I didn't expect Him to stay here... So there is a possibility that He communicated this matter with Zarathu and led Him to Backlund."

Members of the Spirit Cult... No wonder the "Red Angel" evil spirit appeared without fear. It turns out that "He" thought that with the help of Sequence 1 Zaratul, he didn't need to worry about being attacked by me. Moreover, he also got the information that the goddess was not in good condition because she didn't respond in time... No, if Zaratul was hiding nearby at that time, he could have directly made me into a secret doll and then attacked Klein. This would be easy for a Sequence 1 who dared to enter Backlund...

Angel thought about it and told Klein his doubts, and the latter fell into long thinking.

"So, for some reason, the Red Angel has not yet reached a cooperation with Zaratul, or has concealed relevant information about me... Why did He do this?"

He muttered, then shook his head and said with determination:
"No matter what, Dwayne Dantès's identity could be exposed at any time. As long as Zaratul knows about this, the next time I return to 160 Böklund Street, all the servants may give me the same smile... I, or Dwayne, need to leave."

Angel nodded in understanding, realizing what the other party meant.

Since Zaratul, who had seen Gehrman Sparrow, had already escaped from the foggy town, and had come to Backlund because of the gathering effect of the mysterious power in Klein, he would definitely take the initiative to attack once he knew that Gehrman was equal to Dawn.

But when Klein hid in the dark, Zaratul would hesitate and continue to observe. Even if he knew that there was something wrong with Dawn, he would still suspect that this was a trap and was unlikely to cause harm to ordinary people.

"What about me? Should I also give up my current identity? After all, half of Backlund's upper social circles know about our relationship."

She then asked.

"Yes, this is the best way. You can give your property to the church to take care of temporarily, and let Miss Audrey help take care of it. Otherwise, if Zaratul can't find me, he will probably target you."

Klein said with a serious expression.

No, this is not the best way... Angel pursed his lips, held down Klein's hand that he had placed on his shoulder at some point, and said:

"You should know that my best option is to continue to appear as Christine and link her with 'Erin Watson' in the world of mysticism, so as to establish my identity as the goddess's favored one. In this way, unless there is a direct conflict of interest, Zaratul will not take action against me... and we are one in the light and one in the dark, which is also beneficial for the various actions that follow. Otherwise, even if I hide in the dark, Elaine and even Annie may be targeted by Zaratul, and sooner or later they will be caught by Him. It would be better to be safer in Backlund."

Klein's expression was a little tense. He looked at Angel for a long time before speaking:
"But there is still a risk. If Zaratul is desperate and thinks that catching you will give him clues about me, and is willing to take the risk of the goddess or other gods descending from the sky..."

"Would a Sequence 1 Archangel be so reckless? Even the Red Angel was willing to communicate calmly after knowing that he was no match for me. Zaratul would only hide in the dark, collect all information, and attack cautiously after judging that there was no risk... just like you usually do. Moreover, I don't think the Red Angel would tell Zaratul your information... They have no reason to cooperate."

Angel tried to make his tone lighter, analyzing the mindset of their imaginary enemy.

Looking at Angel who was trying to find a reason to stay in Backlund so as to do something for the upcoming war, Klein sighed half distressed and half worriedly, and said:

"They actually have reasons to cooperate. They are neighbors or opponents of the same path. The Red Angel wants to deal with you, and Zaratul wants to find me... But you are right. It is a safer choice for you to stay in the sight of the gods. After all, before you obtain new Beyonder characteristics, the three-in-one evil spirit can't do anything to you, and Zaratul's main target is me, not you..."

If He catches me, the Fool, the battle will be over. But if He catches Angel, there will be a risk that the benefits will be less than the risks. A "Fortune Teller" who is good at calculation will not do such a high-risk, low-return thing... Klein added silently in his heart.

After deciding that one person would hide in the dark while the other continued in the light, the two discussed the next targets to visit and contact, such as Bernadette, Triss, and even Will Auceptin, who was less than half a year old, in order to obtain their help and support. Then Klein took the secret doll and quietly left Angel's bedroom.

Looking at the empty and somewhat deserted room, Angel let out a long sigh, pushed open the door, went to the first floor, and found the butler, Rebark, who was directing the servants to load valuables onto the carriage.

After returning home from the battle today, Angel, in a depressed mood, still forced himself to give the butler a lot of orders, asking him to organize the servants to buy enough food as soon as possible before Backlund fell into panic, and transport it to the Iris Winery in the suburbs as soon as possible, and then take all the servants out of the city and go to the winery to avoid the next possible attack. In order to appease the servants' emotions and protect as many people as possible, Angel asked the butler to announce that they could bring their families with them. After all, the manor was very large, and more manpower would be needed in the coming war period to prevent chaos in public security.

As a retired soldier, Ribak has enough experience in this regard, so Angel doesn't need to worry about it.

As for the reason for buying too much food, Angel thought it would be helpful to donate and help others when famine occurred. After all, most people at the bottom of society did not have enough money to store enough food. Even if she did not buy, other nobles and wealthy businessmen would buy, and they would not donate after buying...

Seeing that the wine in the cellar and the stored food had been loaded onto the carriage, Angel stopped the servants who were loading murals, vases and other items that were useless in the war, and asked them to go directly to the Iris Winery before it got dark. Then he took a light two-wheeled carriage and rushed to St. Samuel Church in the north district.

On the way, she found that except for the North District which was directly affected by the air strike, the streets in other areas still maintained basic order. Although everyone had an uneasy expression on their faces, walked hurriedly, and looked up at the sky from time to time, overall, they had not yet fallen into real chaos.

But this peaceful scene may not last long...

According to the information in the newspaper, the airstrike launched in Backlund this morning caused the death of hundreds of people in the North District and the injury of up to a thousand people. The airship unit that was deployed from the North District to the West District focused on bombing facilities such as the City Hall, the House of Commons, and the Kingdom Theater. Before being intercepted and destroyed by the Loen army and the official Beyonders hiding in the dark, it also caused the death of more than 200 people and almost paralyzed the political center of Backlund. Several large factories in the East District were destroyed. The casualties are still being counted, but the attack took place in the morning on a weekday and the factories were operating at full capacity. The situation is not optimistic.

In addition, the port of Pritz south of Backlund was also attacked at almost the same time. Taking advantage of the cover of the thick fog, the Feyssac Sonia Fleet approached and bombarded the Royal Navy base and the surrounding shipyards, destroying several warships on the slipway. Fortunately, the three ironclad fleets were fighting pirates or doing daily training outside and did not stop at the port, so they did not suffer any losses.

Under such an attack, it was inevitable that Loen would declare a full-scale war on Feysac. Even if Backlund strengthened its defenses and was no longer attacked by Feysac, problems such as rising prices and falling incomes would still plague this city of five million people, and this would make it even more difficult for the lower-class people, who were already struggling to make ends meet.

I hope I can do something, even if it means returning to the battlefield... Angel withdrew his gaze from the window and closed his eyes.

……

When we arrived at St. Samuel's Church, it was already dark, but the square in front of the church was still full of people who believed in the Goddess. Some of them came here to seek comfort driven by their inner confusion, while others were simply afraid of subsequent air raids and came to hide near the safe church.

Angel noticed that a bishop kept walking among the crowd, comforting the believers. He exuded a peaceful power, which seemed to come from a special seal. Under his persuasion, most of the people calmed down and left the place, and a new group of panicked and confused people came to replace him.

This means that the church believes that there will be no subsequent air raids... Angel felt relieved and told the carriage that brought him here not to wait for him, but to go directly to the suburban manor and then enter the church.

On the way, she had received a message from Triss through the magic mirror, and learned that the witch, who had obtained the method of contacting Mr. "Door" from the "Original Witch", had made corresponding preparations.

According to the agreement, Triss has to communicate with this unknown being of good or evil under Angel's supervision, so the most critical "blood of Abraham's family members" is kept by Angel himself, and she plans to find Triss after confirming the goddess' attitude, otherwise it is possible to bring bad luck to this unfortunate witch.

After passing through the tall but narrow porch and arriving at the large prayer hall, Angel discovered that the hall, which was usually only filled during high mass, was already crowded. She found a corner and whispered the name of the goddess, briefly conveying everything that had happened today to the deity through prayer, including her and Klein's belief that Zaratul had come to Backlund and her willingness to stay in the open.

Finally, she thought of her previous guess, took a deep breath, and continued to recite in a low voice:

"… Dear Goddess, I would like to know if I can continue to serve you and gain your favor as the deceased Irene Watson and Angel Granger…"

After praying, Angel leaned against the wall, quietly looking at the prayer hall filled with people from the North District, his thoughts gradually drifting away.

Suddenly, her spirit was touched, and there was a momentary change of light and shadow at the edge of her vision. Archbishop Anthony, wearing a black robe with a red moon logo, appeared in the hall without making any sound.

Follow me - he gestured, and then walked towards the side door of the church.

At least the goddess made him respond instead of doing nothing, otherwise I would really have to consider hiding in the dark and avoiding Zaratul and the "Red Angel"... Angel muttered and followed him to a remote corridor.

Under the stained glass depicting the Holy Emblem of Night, Anthony stopped and turned back, showing a kind smile, and said loudly:

"Your Excellency, 'Shadow of the Goddess', Christine Theresa protected the people in the war, Irene Watson calmed the great smog, and Angel Granger saved Tingen from the evil god. Now that the war is about to break out, as a follower of the goddess, are you willing to continue to contribute your strength?"

Hearing this series of names, Angel's expression gradually changed from a formulaic smile to one of surprise and horror.

Because the potion in her body was being digested at an alarming rate, and it was far more than the amount required to successfully perform in front of a saint!
Her guess was correct, the goddess really provided some help!

(End of this chapter)