Your Majesty... upon hearing the Viscount of Stafford's reply, Hugh found himself momentarily茫然, filled with doubt. She found it hard to grasp that Sherman had deliberately approached the Court's Sergeant-Major solely to ascertain whether he remained loyal to one party—an inquiry that seemed neither particularly significant nor of great value. The Viscount's response itself was exceptionally conventional, impeccable in every way. Yet, had Sherman sacrificed his life merely to obtain such a straightforward answer? Hugh had intended to follow up with a question about Sherman's specific motivation for pursuing this minor matter, but then reconsidered—fearing that pressing it too soon might touch upon more sensitive, core intelligence, potentially causing resistance from the Viscount, who had not yet fully settled into his role. She paused thoughtfully, then asked, "Do you know Mason Dyer?" "I do," the Viscount replied, his expression somewhat blank. Hugh Dyer then posed a series of simpler, less critical questions: "Who is he?" "He was the previous Sergeant-Major," the Viscount answered. The Viscount of Stafford merely answered questions, making no further elaborations. At this moment, Fothering did not attend to the still superficial "clairvoyance," but instead removed the pure crystal sphere and placed it into Hugh's coat pocket. After transferring the item, she bent down once again, carefully attempting to pick up the olive-green cross. This time, though her fingers trembled slightly, the soul-burning sensation did not reach her through contact, allowing her to easily grasp the object, which had several sharp spines. Indeed, this cross repelled all other magical items, refusing their presence... ah, I still carry the "Moon Figure" and the residual spirit of the ancient spirit-being, yet it shows no reaction... thus, it does not repel or incorporate things possessing extraordinary qualities—does it not tolerate or harbor spiritual essence and power? If that were truly the case, would it still exclude the extraordinary qualities within me, albeit less noticeably? Would this be another of its negative effects, manifesting only after some time? Vorth assessed the ancient, copper-green cross roughly and cautiously placed it into the dark satchel holding various ritual materials. Having completed this, Vorth looked down at her silver bracelet on the wrist, confirming that it now hung empty, with no decorations remaining. Her five stones, capable of enabling "transmission," had now been fully used up. Yet, Vhale wasn't as apprehensive as she had been in the past. Though she was certain that with each passing stone, the "Lunatic Whispers" would grow clearer, more terrifying, she also knew that, thanks to Mr. The Fool's assistance, none of this would be a problem. Over the past year or so, she had almost forgotten the burden of the "Lunatic Whispers" altogether—except for the occasional need to spend a short time at the Hazy Summit during a full or blood moon. She sighed, as she lifted her gaze from the gradually fading silver bracelet. She sincerely and wholeheartedly thanked the "Fool" in her mind at once: "…Regardless of His true intentions, He has saved me time and again—not only during the 'Full Moon Whispers'… This cross seems quite lofty. I wonder if the 'Fool' would be interested, and whether He would accept my offering… Previously, I had neither suitable items nor valuable information to repay such kindness. Now, at last, I see a possibility… Hmm… This is a shared prize; I only hold half of it. I’m not sure whether the 'Fool' would accept a sacrifice with only half ownership. After all, even Ho has been saved by the 'Fool'… Heh—he might just please the 'Fool' with this. Should He be satisfied, perhaps He would bestow a few extraordinary abilities upon me, which I could then record in my 'Leymano's Travel Notes.' No—those notes simply cannot capture divine powers, nor can they bear the strength of the 'Fool.' The abilities of the angels under His care would be suitable, though… no, no, no—I mustn’t be too greedy. Even if I could ask the 'World' to transcribe This is an instinct of a best-selling novelist. As to why she doesn't expect anything ordinary, only exceptional abilities, it's because today she has profoundly realized the importance and terror of exceptional abilities at the half-divine level. If the "Travel Notes of Leiman" hadn't recorded that "tornado," she and Hugh simply wouldn't have been able to capture Viscount Stafford tonight—let alone escape successfully. ——Even without counting the bronze-green cross, Viscount Stafford himself is a notably strong exceptional being. Had he not been initially struck by the "tornado," knocked senseless by the impact, their surprise attack likely wouldn't have achieved the desired effect, and they would have been easily countered. Of course, separating the terrifying "Radiant Cross" from Viscount Stafford was the decisive factor in tonight's brief battle, and that too was due entirely to the "tornado." "Think about it carefully. In a less urgent setting—assuming we eliminate both the copper-green cross and the travel journal's semi-divine abilities—there's absolutely a chance, even a strong one, that I and Thorne could defeat Viscount Stedford together. The variety and well-coordinated nature of the extraordinary abilities in the travel journal are truly powerful, especially when combined with Thorne's 'spirit piercing' ability, the 'cold blade' effect, and the direct combat engagement it demands. If Viscount Stedford doesn't have some special magical artifact, a defeat would be entirely reasonable. When they dealt with Viscount Eneas Bojal, they hadn't participated directly in the combat, so there was no need to assess their own strength. This time, however, their opponent, Viscount Stedford, was the head of the royal guard at the Royal Court of Run, himself at least a Sequence 6, likely a Sequence 5, and wielding a semi-divine artifact—his strength level was clearly defined, allowing Fols to immediately gauge her own standing within the transcendent world. Though their victory stemmed largely from a surprise attack, the very success of that attack itself was a testament to their strength. I've already been designated as the "Record Keeper," with my abilities well-documented, and combined with "Leyman's Travel Notes," I now stand roughly equivalent to a strong Sequence 5. The only issue remains—my experience still falls short. Fols reflected on this, then turned her gaze toward both Thore and Viscount Stedford, continuing to listen to their exchange. At this point, Hugh's question had reached a more central and deeply resistant area: "What exactly caused Mason Dyer's death?" After posing this question, Hugh's emotions suddenly became profoundly complex—filled with anticipation, anxiety, excitement, and fear. This had been a question she had wanted to ask for eight years. Over these nearly three thousand days and nights, she had constantly sought an answer, yet she feared that the answer might not be the one she hoped for—fearing that her father had indeed participated in the rebellion and had been executed without any honor. The Viscount of Stafford did not immediately respond, as though hesitating, before finally saying: "He uncovered the King's secret and attempted to inform the three great churches, but his efforts were unsuccessful—he was executed on the spot." Hugh stood motionless for several seconds, then finally confirmed that she had received the answer. Though this answer startled her, it settled her mind, bringing her a sense of calm and stability. "Secret... the King's secret..." she murmured softly, speaking with urgent urgency. "What secret is it?" Volsky, standing beside her, was nearly stunned, never expecting the situation to unfold so dramatically. At that moment, the muscles on Viscount Stafford's face visibly contracted, and it took him considerable effort to manage a few words: "That secret is..." Suddenly, his body shook violently, and the dazed expression in his eyes instantly brightened with clarity. Then, his form began to unravel from the most subtle structures, collapsing in an instant into a swirling mass of crimson vapor that surged upward, exploding into the night sky and casting a brilliant light over the eyes of Volsky and Hugh. Having witnessed this before, Volsky's gaze lingered only briefly, said nothing further, and immediately knelt down, grasping the legs of both Sherman's body and Hugh's. Their forms rapidly became translucent and vanished, transported swiftly to the southern section of the bridge. ...Above the gray mist,克莱恩, holding the "God of the Sea's Staff," also saw the "smoke" staining the sky red. When Folsom had asked for his aid, he had just been observing the actions of Qunus Colg within this magnificent palace, and had promptly summoned the "Red Priest" card, captured his folded paper figures, and activated the powers of the mysterious space to respond. During this process, he noticed that the figure lying beside the "Magician" and the "Judge" lady was actually the Viscount of Stedford—someone he had specifically kept under close watch, even though he had not personally investigated. He knew the Viscount was problematic, that the witch Tristram was targeting him, and thus, at a ball, he had memorized the figure's appearance and distinguishing features. While克莱恩 was not certain about what the two Tarot members intended to do, given that Stedford Viscount was involved, he could not overlook the significance and immediately began observing the subsequent developments of the "Magician" and the "Judge" lady through the corresponding deep red star. — Upon ascending to semi-divinity and gaining greater authority here, Caine no longer needs the members of the Tarot Circle to petition him; he can directly investigate conditions within a certain radius around any individual through the appropriate deep red stars, much like a specially marked devotee. Yet Caine has remained highly restrained, never having attempted this before. This enabled him to hear the conversation between Hoo and the Viscount of St. Fother. With his full understanding of the situation, he was well aware of the true significance and weight of the question of "loyalty." Combined with the revelation by the former royal guard, Mason Dill, that the king had uncovered a secret and failed to inform the three major churches, Caine now had a strong suspicion: he believed that King George III of the Kingdom of Roon was the primary culprit behind the great smog crisis in Beckett.