Just as Lady Carly was sizing up the members of the maid squad and worrying about her daughter, Xio walked straight forward and asked the leading Demoness, "Nightingale, where is Ebner right now?"

The maid called "Nightingale" was actually the former "Despair Nightingale" Panatiya. After part of her soul had been fished out of the "River of Eternal Darkness" by Ebner through a ritual, she had existed in the form of a "Sealed Artifact." Even her current appearance was manifested, and she could not leave the bounds of the Viscount’s estate, so Ebner arranged for her to manage the Demoness maid group. 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

Speaking of which, the new names Ebner gave these former Demonesses of the "Demoness Sect" were all rather strange—things like "Nightingale," "Scroll," "Lightning"... in short, they sounded more like code names than actual names.

"Miss Xio, Master has gone out to receive the first batch of guests visiting Beldan. He likely won’t return until the afternoon," "Nightingale" replied respectfully.

"I see... then where’s Fors?" Xio asked again.

"Miss Wall’s breakfast has not been touched," "Nightingale" answered tactfully.

So she still hasn’t gotten out of bed? Xio slapped her forehead helplessly, then instructed Nightingale, "Send someone to wake Fors up. Also, take these pieces of luggage to the rooms we prepared earlier."

"Yes, Miss Xio." Nightingale responded, naturally taking the suitcase that Rio Derecha had been dragging all along, and even smiled at the young boy.

Faced with the Demoness’s smile, Rio’s cheeks instantly turned red. Then, while repeatedly saying "I’ll do it," he tried to take the suitcase back.

But how could his reaction compare to that of a former "Despair Demoness"? Nightingale easily lifted the suitcase—which Rio could only drag with both hands—with one hand. She even had the leisure to use her other hand to brush back her hair, revealing her delicate, exquisite ear.

Seeing her younger brother’s face grow even redder—whether from embarrassment or shame—Xio had no choice but to dismiss the maid squad that had come to greet them. She then personally led her mother and brother toward the dining room.

Watching her daughter manage those clearly extraordinary maids so effortlessly, almost like a mistress of the house, Lady Carly finally snapped out of her surprise. While marveling at Xio’s growth, she also let go of some of her worries, but still couldn’t help asking in a low voice, "Are those all Viscount Bryan’s maids? Isn’t that a bit too many...?"

If they were normal maids, then for a residence of this size, it wouldn’t actually be too many... but those just now were all excessively beautiful—clearly "abnormal."

That’s not even that many... you should know Ebner basically swept up all the Demonesses under the "Yellow Saintess," "Red Saintess," "Blue Saintess," "Gray Saintess," and even those under the "Black Saintess" and "White Saintess" of the Demoness Sect. Although a large portion of them were directly killed and had their characteristics taken due to the evil they had committed, and a few slipped through the net, there were still dozens left—and they’re all here now... well, as Ebner puts it, undergoing "brainwashing" and "labor reform."

And the ones you just saw were only the dozen or so staying behind in the estate. Because Beldan Film City has just opened for the first time and the territory lacks manpower, most of the maid group has been sent out today to greet guests. After all, Demonesses are generally well-trained in etiquette and quite capable—perfect as emergency personnel.

It can be said that if a war really breaks out in the future, just this nearly hundred-person maid group in the Viscount’s estate would be enough to give the Feysac military a headache.

After inwardly complaining for a bit, Xio thought for a moment and answered, "They’re all just ordinary maids."

Lady Carly didn’t quite believe it, but didn’t press further. After all, she had no standing to interfere in Viscount Bryan’s household affairs, so she instead asked, "The Fors you mentioned earlier—is she the good friend you often talk about in your letters, the famous author Miss Fors Wall?"

"Yes." Xio nodded as she pushed open the dining room doors.

"She... she also lives in Viscount Bryan’s estate?" Lady Carly asked hesitantly.

"Of course. She’s not only my friend, but also Ebner’s good friend," Xio replied matter-of-factly.

As she spoke, she naturally led her mother and brother to their seats and instructed the butler to begin serving the dishes.

Hearing this, Lady Carly sighed and began to worry again.

...

On the other side, after the first batch of guests personally witnessed the scenes from their "dreams" brought into reality, Ebner also sensed the accumulation progress of completed "wishes." He estimated that tomorrow—Sunday, when the number of tourists would peak—the "miracle" needed to transport the "Floating City" should be achievable.

When he returned to the estate in a good mood, lunch had already ended, and Xio’s mother and brother had gone back to their rooms for a nap.

"How is it? Have Lady Carly and Rio gotten used to the place?" Ebner asked with a smile.

"What’s there to get used to? My family used to be viscounts too," Xio replied, then added, "But we can’t let Rio just stay here doing nothing. It’s best to find something for him to do."

She was worried her younger brother might be dazzled by the Demonesses. After all, he wasn’t Ebner—he didn’t have that kind of willpower—and might easily be charmed, even if those Demonesses weren’t using any Beyonder abilities.

"Rio’s dream is to become a lawyer, right? Then he can first intern at the Judicial Bureau. Once things settle down, he can enroll in a preparatory school for the bar exam," Ebner said with a smile. "I’ll have Longzel look after him."

"Alright." Xio nodded.

At that moment, Ebner suddenly narrowed his eyes, as if receiving some kind of message. Then he looked at Xio again and said with a smile:

"I’ve secured you an opportunity to ’legitimately’ take care of Viscount Stratford...

"Do you want to personally execute him? Tonight!"

...

In the Docklands, inside a warehouse filled with goods—

Sherman sat on a filthy wooden crate, her hands bound behind her back, her body wrapped in layer after layer of thin yet tough spider silk.

Her entire body was like it had been sealed inside a transparent cocoon—she couldn’t even make a sound.

"This isn’t necessarily a bad thing for you," Trissy stood in front of Sherman, holding a mass of pitch-black flames in her hand. "At least this way, you’ll be able to determine whether he truly loves you or is just deceiving you."

Sherman was both furious and terrified, desperately making muffled sounds to beg for mercy. But Trissy remained completely unmoved. She flipped her hand holding the black flames and pressed it onto Sherman’s abdomen.

The flames seemed to possess intelligence. First, they spread out like flowing water, then, as if formless, passed through skin and flesh, attempting to burrow inside.

Trissy’s smooth black hair floated against the laws of nature, as if pulled by invisible hands, stretching outward in all directions, until even the surrounding air carried a strange scent.

Her hair seemed to thicken subtly, separating strand by strand.

At their roots, streaks of deep, eerie light emerged, carrying curses and murmurs, flowing rapidly forward, merging into the black flames, entering Sherman’s abdomen, and quickly vanishing.

Sherman’s face began to twitch uncontrollably, yet she felt no pain—it seemed to be nothing more than a pure instinctive neural reaction.

She soon calmed down and saw Trissy—dressed in a dark gown—gradually fade, becoming transparent until she disappeared completely.

Sherman’s pupils dilated as she struggled again, but no matter what she did, she couldn’t break free of her restraints.

She exhausted herself again and again, only to start over each time—like floodwaters in a silent warehouse rising inch by inch.

Meanwhile, on the warehouse rooftop, beneath crimson moonlight and a sky full of stars, a young girl holding a parasol, wearing a monocle over her right eye, and with beautiful golden hair stood steadily on the eaves, as if observing everything inside through the tiles.

"An opportunity? Or a trap?"

The girl curled her lips, then turned her gaze toward a figure rapidly approaching the warehouse from outside the factory district.

"An internal conflict among Demonesses? No... beside that Viscount Stratford, there’s not only a hidden Demoness, but also a ’Manipulator’ residing within his mind...

"Oh? That Manipulator isn’t alive—it’s just a ’marionette’... what a subtle method. Even an ordinary Archangel might not notice!

"Let me guess—who’s controlling this ’marionette’?"

(End of Chapter)