Uh... so after all this talk, what she meant was that she went out during the day just to wander around, and played the piano when she felt like it?
This is not like a witch at all... From the perspective she chose, she even looks a bit like a female bodhisattva.
Klein was dumbfounded and quite surprised.
But Alice's emotions when she told the story were truly revealed, and the scenes she described in her few words were presented as if they were real scenes, which sometimes made him, the listener, feel inexplicably heavy, as if a heavy stone was pressing on his heart.
Klein may not have personally witnessed those miserable, seemingly hopeless lives, but Melissa had always mentioned to him and Benson how difficult life was for her former classmates after their families moved to the slums after their fathers lost their jobs.
Presumably, if one has not actually seen such a scene, even the most skilled in creating illusions and knowing how to deceive others would not be able to express such emotions that touch the hearts of others.
Klein had actually considered before how to block out the influence Alice had on him, so as to avoid being enchanted, having his cognition tampered with, or being deceived by hallucinations.
The first idea that came to mind was to pull her above the gray fog that could isolate her from outside interference so that they could talk face to face.
But he quickly gave up the idea.
First of all, this would expose one of his biggest secrets. If things go wrong, Mr. Fool's identity might even be exposed at a future Tarot meeting… The scene is so beautiful that I dare not think about it too much.
Secondly, he couldn't guarantee that by pulling Alice into the gray fog, he would be able to isolate her from all the influence she brought. If we establish a connection between her star and the gray fog, and her strange ability infiltrates it, and eventually the only gray fog world that can shield her from influence is conquered, then the loss will outweigh the gain.
Taking all the other factors into consideration, Klein had no choice but to give up and make other plans.
However, what he didn't expect was that he was actually moved by Alice's plain narration, and it was difficult for him to be cruel and treat her as if she were a liar.
...Forget it. If her deception and acting skills are really so advanced that she can even fake her "true feelings", then he can only admit that he didn't know her well.
Klein nodded slightly and made a decision.
He didn't notice at all when he sat next to the girl, he just looked into her eyes seriously.
"I believe what you said...but I need an explanation."
"?" She tilted her head slightly, expressing her confusion with her eyes.
While silently thinking that beauty can mislead people, Klein gritted his teeth and stood firm for himself. He asked shamelessly:
"Tell me the truth, have you ever seduced me before? Have you ever changed my perception of you? Have you ever used abilities like illusions or hallucinations?"
- After all, the reason why he suspected that she was the "Witch of Pleasure" was because she seduced others for no reason, made them feel good about her, and then needed to get "pleasure"!
If it weren't for these problems, he would be happy to believe that she was a magician from another world, and she might be able to help him find his hometown.
Alice blinked and gave a "how did you find out" expression.
"Can I not answer this question?"
"Then I'll take that as your consent." Klein tried to remain calm.
"But I didn't answer because of your consideration... I was afraid that if I said too much, you would be shy and embarrassed."
Klein took a deep breath.
"No, you don't have to worry about that. I only care about the truth... and the reason why you did this."
His straightforwardness obviously made Alice a little troubled.
She changed from a sitting position to a lying position, her long hair spreading a light golden color on the bed sheet, and Klein's figure was reflected in her inverted eyes.
"Actually," Alice spoke in the silence of the room,
"I have to say, your face... well, it's not the type I like at all." "...Oh." Klein said woodenly.
"But most of the time, your reactions are so adorable that I can't help but want to do something to watch your next reaction."
...Don't take bad taste and bad intentions for granted! Klein refuted her silently.
"Of course, what I mean by these words is not that I have exerted any mental influence on you for some purpose...it has no direct connection with the illusion I have always maintained."
"...Then why do you want to mention it specifically?" Klein couldn't help but retort to her.
Alice wasn't angry. She just paused for a few seconds before speaking again:
"Then let me ask you another way... Do you think I'm beautiful?"
...What kind of question is this that will get you killed?
Klein frowned deeply, but he didn't dare to admit it in front of her, so he could only nod very slightly.
Unexpectedly, just as he was about to complete this action, Alice showed that familiar vicious smile:
"Okay, I know what you will answer... It looks good, right? What a coincidence, I thought so too."
Narcissism! Klein rolled his eyes in annoyance in his heart.
"Klein, you know, my illusions are never used to deceive or tease anyone. To achieve such goals, I don't even need to use these magic tricks... In addition, you also got the order of a certain question wrong."
Klein frowned slightly when he heard this.
"The order is wrong?"
"Well, because the 'charm' ability you think of is not actually my original intention. It is like... some kind of negative effect that is difficult to control. Do you understand what I mean?"
After thinking for a moment, Klein nodded with some difficulty:
"I can probably understand part of it... but you said it is a negative effect?"
In his opinion, this is clearly a powerful and terrifying ability that can invisibly eliminate the vigilance of others and regard her as a friend. It can be called a console cheat.
Alice glanced at him.
"This kind of 'charm' is not only effective on humans and intelligent creatures, but also on other creatures with reproductive instincts, regardless of gender... Next time if there is a chance, we can find a place to fish together. I am sure I can catch more fish than you without using bait... Do you want to make a bet?"
... and you said you didn't cheat! Are you really not a sealed object that has turned into a spirit?!
Klein was stunned and waved his hands repeatedly to decline her "kindness" - from her tone, it seemed that she had really tried this before... He would have to be as stupid as a curly-haired baboon to agree to her proposal!
However, Alice immediately said that under her intentional control, the influence range of this charm ability would not exceed five meters around her body, and the emotional guidance was not strong, at most it would just be a slight degree of favor.
Once away from this range, the affected people will gradually return to normal.
"Why didn't you say so earlier!"
As soon as these words came out, Klein's heart was immediately alarmed, and he was about to run to the corner of the room to distance himself from her.
"...I haven't finished yet." Alice shook her head in amusement, but at the same time she added a stab at him, "And after so many days, those who should be affected have already been affected. Even if you are standing more than five meters away from me now, it's too late."
...So this is the experience of the Nighthawks? Were they completely bewitched by the "negative effects" on her? Klein nodded as if he understood something.
"As for the cognitive modification you mentioned... it should be another spell."
Alice used brief words to summarize a spell that she had improved. The specific effect of the spell was to correct the subjective cognition of creatures around her - especially non-intelligent creatures - towards her and amplify the negative impression.
In general, the effect of this spell is to offset the "charm ability" mentioned earlier.
For intelligent creatures, this "anti-charm" spell also has an effect, but it is not obvious enough in comparison, and they are still likely to develop a certain liking for Alice under the influence of the charm effect.
Finally, she said:
"I have tried my best to reduce the impact on you. If you continue to like me, it is not my problem, but your own problem... Well, actually, it's okay even if you like me. It is human nature to love beauty, and beautiful people can always gain more kindness from others. And I will not deceive anyone's feelings because of this."
...Okay, let's not judge her twisted logic for now.
Klein couldn't find any way to refute her theory, so he could only ask,
"Then...how do you explain hallucinations and illusions?"
He couldn't forget the questions he had divined in the gray fog.
"What's there to explain? I've been maintaining the illusion on my body. Otherwise, I'd have to recast the spell every time I go out. That's too much trouble."
Alice waved her hand and quickly skipped over the topic. She stood up and walked to the desk. This also made Klein, who was still thinking about asking about the topic of "pleasure", give up the idea of speaking again.
"So, I really don't think that I will be targeted by anyone..."
She pointed to the black letter lying quietly on the table, then turned back to confirm with him whether there was really anything bad hidden in it.
Klein also wanted to prove his guess, so he took a few steps closer and took out the yellow crystal pendulum wrapped around his left sleeve. He hung it above the black letter and said to himself,
"This letter contains something harmful to me."
It was the first time Alice saw him use his supernatural powers in front of her. She didn't say anything to interrupt him, but just stared at his movements curiously.
After a moment, the yellow crystal pendulum began to rotate clockwise at a very fast speed under the guidance of spiritual power.
Klein put away his pendulum with a solemn expression, turned to her and said:
"There are bad things in here! And the nature should be quite bad!"
"Is this your 'Fortune Teller' ability?" Alice nodded slightly, then asked, "Then do you have any good suggestions, Mr. Fortune Teller? You see, I'm just a weak poet who knows little about the extraordinary world, and has never experienced similar events..."
...You are still weak and helpless? Then what is the poor original owner who was "started" at the beginning? An infant with no ability to resist?
Klein thought that when encountering similar extraordinary events, the correct first reaction should be to inform the Night Watchmen...
However, Alice in front of him was wanted by the church, and he couldn't convince her to go out with him to report the case, and there was no way to take the letter away from this neighborhood.
We can't just ask the captain to leave, because that would be hard to explain later...
Klein pinched his brows with a headache. He rejected several proposals in a row but couldn't come up with any good ideas.
At this moment, he heard the girl next to him let out a soft cry.
"Do you have a solution?"
Alice nodded and shook her head when she heard that.
"I can't say I have a solution. I just suddenly thought of a possibility. Maybe... maybe I can guess who sent this letter."
Klein's spirits suddenly perked up: "Who sent it?"
Alice didn't answer him immediately. Instead, she closed her eyes as if she was recalling something. After a few seconds, she opened her eyes and said with a little uncertainty:
"I always thought that I came to this world because of an accident caused by a spell going out of control... But no teleportation spell going out of control would allow people to go to the astral gate leading to another world. So, perhaps there is a possibility - I came to this world not by accident or chance, but as the result of someone's deliberate calling and guidance...
If this is the case, then the person who called me might have a motive for sending this letter."Calling... thus summoning the existence of another world?
It was as if a flash of inspiration passed through Klein's mind. Before Klein could catch it, he saw the girl nodded slightly.
"Well, that does explain the origin of the letter."
He felt a little uneasy as he watched her pick up the unsigned letter with one hand.
"...Then, do you want to open it and take a look?"
To be honest, apart from his vigilance and fear of unknown dangers, he was actually a little curious about what was inside.
Alice shook her head.
"Open it? No, I want it to go back to where it came from."
Without seeing her make any movement, Klein saw that the surface of the silver Ouroboros ring on her little finger seemed to glow faintly. As the girl's voice read out three short bars, the letter in her hand seemed to be sucked into an invisible vortex and disappeared completely in the blink of an eye. Only a gust of unknown wind blew in the room, blowing the curtains.
"--I don't intend to follow other people's ideas before I can be sure whether the other party has good or bad intentions."
As if she noticed his gaze, Alice turned her eyes and a light of evil taste flashed in her eyes.
"That's perfect. I'll take some time in the next few days to investigate this mysterious sender. If you're free, you can come and help me with some odd jobs."
"...I'll think about it." Klein replied hesitantly.
"20 pounds."
"You can start tomorrow afternoon!... Wait, where did you get so much money?" Klein agreed subconsciously before realizing something was wrong.
"Well, didn't I tell you?" Alice smiled and raised her hand to touch her lips, "I composed an impromptu tune for my employer, Ms. Danielle. Is this a bonus she gave me?"
...Ah, this.
Klein's expression suddenly became interesting.
...
That night, Klein was worried that the strange letter would come back, so he took out his notes and stayed in Alice's room to review his knowledge of occult science, observing the desk from time to time to see if there was anything unusual.
What made him breathe a sigh of relief was that there were no more mysterious letters delivered to Alice's room or the mailbox at the door of his house.
Looks like I can sleep well tonight.
...Everything was perfect except for the extremely embarrassing look on his sister Melissa's face when she saw him walk into Alice's room.
Before they knew it, the crimson moon outside the window gradually rose to the highest point, the night was deepening, and the noisy sounds from nearby residents were no longer heard on the street. Ordinary citizens living in Tingen ended their tiring or leisurely day and lay down on their beds to fall asleep.
When Klein came out of his concentration, he finally remembered to take out his pocket watch to check the time. The hands on the dial had already pointed to eleven o'clock.
...Oh no, I accidentally stayed in her room so late!
Klein reacted and quickly closed his notes. He stood up from the chair by the door and subconsciously looked towards the place where Alice was lying on the bed flipping through a book.
…seems like he had already fallen asleep hugging the pillow.
Peeping at a girl's sleeping face was not a gentlemanly act. Klein was about to withdraw his gaze, help her turn off the lights in the room, and prepare to leave.
But before leaving, he couldn't help but take another look and found that although she was sleeping quietly and her sleeping posture was fairly proper, her shoulders and thighs were revealing large areas of her fair and delicate skin, and the quilt was far away at the other end of the single bed.
The temperature in Tingen is not very high after nightfall, but it is easier for people to catch a cold near midnight.
So Klein silently repeated several times that this was a normal action with good intentions. He walked over to help her cover the quilt, and then turned around and left the room, leaving the faint fragrance in the room on the other side of the door.
...
a few hours ago.
East Side, Delia Street, a house with no lights or candles on.
The hoarse voice caused by long-term uninterrupted chanting collided with a faint echo in the empty, damp, dark basement, making the whispers and almost murmurs in the room full of madness and chaos.
In the center of the basement stands a statue of an evil, blurry-faced alien.
It was an image of a foreign god that could not possibly be described in any orthodox scriptures, with long, twisted horns, a dangerous and hideous tail like a bone spur, a pair of broken wings on the sides of its waist, and its entire body was covered in strange symbols painted in blood-red, which was full of ominous colors.
The entire basement was deliberately arranged as a scene for ritual magic, and the cauldron placed under the statue was filled with bloody sacrifices believed to be favored by the alien god. The only ritual executor knelt among the lit candles, wearing a loose black robe, and continued to chant in a painful and weak tone.
If there were any survivors of the Clover massacre here, and they walked up to this man and lifted up his black robe, they would definitely recognize this round, kind face.
He called himself Tris, and was as shy as a girl, but he became a hero in the hearts of the survivors of the Clover, leading them to overcome despair and madness - but this was not actually the case.
In order to complete the mission assigned to him by the senior officials, the "instigator" Tris took the initiative to board the Alfalfa and caused this tragic case of mutual slaughter among the passengers.
Having successfully completed the task, he should have received praise from the mysterious figure from the upper echelons when he returned to the shore, and obtained the next stage of the potion formula and materials from her. However, he did not expect that there would be personnel changes at the top, which seemed to have affected him.
He was taken by a woman in a mysterious black robe to meet another woman in the same black robe. Judging from the former's respectful attitude towards the latter, Tris concluded that he was being "handed over" to a more powerful figure with a more influential background.
The woman who took him away, Tris heard others call her "Mourning Lady".
But he soon stopped speculating on the identity of the Lady of Mourning and her Sequence Level.
The woman, whose graceful figure was still revealed in a black robe, gave him a task and a note, saying that as long as he could successfully complete the task, he would be appreciated by the higher-ups of the cult... and a certain saint.
Tris believed that there was no such thing as a free lunch in the world, but he believed in himself even more. No matter the mission was to assassinate some noble lord or to recreate the tragedy on the Clover, he was confident that he could complete it.
Unfortunately, his confidence only lasted for a few seconds until he saw the second line of text written in Hermetic on the note.
"Then please complete it well, Tris." The Lady of Mourning laughed lowly, "You will not be allowed to interrupt the ceremony until you successfully obtain a response from our great master, otherwise... otherwise, I don't need to warn you about the consequences."
...Of course.
Tris knew that such an evil and filthy name could not possibly be a god recorded in any canonical book.
He tried to decline politely, but the sight of the mourning lady just standing there made him gradually weak. His exhausted body no longer had the energy to complete the "assassin's" nimble movements, and the cough that escaped from his throat made him smell the scent of death that he had tasted in his childhood.
Tris gave in.
He came to the basement which had been arranged by the Lady of Mourning, knelt in front of the statue, and numbly and hollowly recited in the Hermetic language the three-part description of the honorific name which was full of unknown fear -
"The Ruler of the End and Nothingness..."
"Your humble servant prays for your mercy."
"Your tiny believer begs you to bestow your grace."
"Please give guidance and bring the messenger of the Lady of Mourning Angela to your sacred residence. Your loyal servant will offer you the first blessing of the end..."
...The unknown evil god never responded.
Tris never stopped chanting, even though his spirituality was almost dry. The pain spread from his head downwards, his throat was dry, and his voice was hoarse.
He could feel the eyes behind him.
The mourning lady was in the reflection of the mirror behind him, watching his every move quietly.
However, what made him tremble even more was another vague image beside the mourning lady.
For no reason, the incomplete image brought great fear to Trismo. It seemed like a deformed monster lurking in the shadows, with countless pairs of eyes either open or closed, looking down at his soul indifferently and mercilessly like a cold-blooded animal.
If it stopped, he would die.
If you stop, you will be torn to pieces.
If you stop, you will be turned into meat paste.
As long as he stops...
his fate will also come to a halt.
The almost whispering chanting continued, and even though Tris was already in a state of blurred consciousness, he recited the prayer almost by heart by instinct.
He could not feel hunger, nor could he tell whether his body was cold or warm. He even began to find it difficult to distinguish between the crazy mumbling in his mind and the tone of his own chanting in reality.
Perhaps, his soul had already been contaminated by that unknown evil existence...
Such a thought only flashed through Tris's mind for a moment, before it was crushed into the remnants of his thoughts by other almost out-of-control crazy thoughts.
As he was chanting the verse dozens or hundreds of times, a violent gust of wind suddenly blew up in the dark, damp and cold basement.
Tris raised his head with a numb expression and a dull face, and then the letter blown by the wind happened to hit his round face.
His consciousness was interrupted.
...
When he woke up, the sunlight coming from the window was just right, light footsteps were heard outside the corridor, and the wind coming from the street gradually smelled of human habitation.
The only thing missing is something that I seem to have gotten used to.
Klein slowly sat up from the bed he was nostalgic for, looked toward the window, and once again realized that Miss Alice had moved out of his room.
This was the second morning after he lost the piano music and good morning. Klein felt that he was fine and there was nothing wrong with him.
Come to think of it, Alice now has her own private space. Even if she wants to do something... play the piano or sing at midnight, there is obviously no need to intrude into his territory. The current changes are naturally reasonable.
Besides, her good morning just came at a different time...
After washing up, Klein went to the living room downstairs. After saying hello to Melissa and Benson who also needed to get up early to go out, he sat down and ate breakfast peacefully.
After he finished half a loaf of bread, he saw Alice, who had changed into new clothes for the day, coming down from the second floor. The light straw-colored skirt revealed the delicate lace on the inside from time to time as she walked, showing off her light, graceful figure and slender beauty.
Every time I see her, she wears different clothes. Ha, women... Klein muttered in his heart, but his face showed no abnormality.
"Good morning, Klein." She said good morning to him with a smile, then exchanged a few words with the other two siblings of the Moretti family in a gentle and seemingly soft voice, and then joined in the casual discussion about the prices of fruit and meat.
Judging from her behavior, she didn't seem to be at all uncomfortable with this.
The atmosphere at the dinner table was harmonious and joyful, just like in many traditional Loon families. The topic jumped back and forth between the weather, interesting things happening in the neighbors' homes and curly-haired baboons, which tested the participants' associative abilities.
If Klein felt awkward and embarrassed to join such a family-oriented environment a few days ago, he has now obviously developed a thick skin. Even if Benson or Melissa occasionally show an attitude that completely regards him and Alice as a couple, he can ignore it without changing his expression and pretend that he didn't hear it.
It's only been a week. People's adaptability is truly terrifying… Klein swallowed the bread in his mouth with emotion.
But if you think about it carefully, the changes that have taken place in him this week can be said to be earth-shaking.
He became a Beyonder, learned a lot of mystical knowledge that he had never heard of before, began to digest some of the power of the potion through role-playing, and mastered more Beyonder abilities that belonged to the "Fortune Teller"...
More importantly, through yesterday's conversation with Alice, Klein not only initially let go of his alienation from her, but he even got some inspiration from last night's dream.
The result of his divination and Alice's answer pointed to two completely different results.
But the spiritual feedback he got from last night's dream suddenly made him realize that how to interpret the divination results is also a part that a fortune teller should consider carefully.
Different interpretations point to different results, but the truth may not necessarily be the same as the one guessed by the person asking the question. The person asking the question still needs to be cautious and make a choice based on his or her own judgment.
You can't rely on divination for everything!
After waking up and summarizing the spiritual enlightenment given by the dream, Klein could clearly feel that the potion in his body showed signs of digestion, which surprised and delighted him.
But now I am not playing the role of a fortune teller... Could it be that the acting in the method of acting is not obsessed with form? As long as the behavior is in line with the core focus of the path, it will help people control the power contained in the potion?
He shook his head, threw away these overly profound and temporarily unproven speculations, stood up and walked to the coat rack, put on his formal coat, turned around to say goodbye to his family and Miss Alice who was looking at him, then walked out of the house and embraced a new day of life.
——Before leaving completely, he took a special look into the mailbox: Good, there are no strange letters.
If he really saw something that shouldn't be there, Klein felt that he might really suffer from PTSD related to the mailbox.