Inside "Alvin’s Palace," Ebner looked at the "Saintess of Purple" Ushaha, who had been delivered before him by the six Demonesses, and could not help but feel a touch of sentiment:

"I suppose this counts as a gathering of the upper echelons of the ’Demoness Sect,’ doesn’t it?"

Upon hearing this, the "Saintess of Black" Medea shot him a look and said: "What ’Demoness Sect’ is there left anymore? Wasn’t it renamed the ’Pleiades Maid Corps’ long ago?

"Heh — now that Ushaha has joined as well, the name is finally living up to itself..."

The Pleiades was a well-known star cluster in the night sky, visible to the naked eye even in cities with heavy light pollution, and also known as the "Seven Sisters" — a perfect match for the "Demoness Sect’s" "Seven-Colored Saintesses." It had been casually tossed out by Ebner as a joke before, and he had never expected the "Saintess of Black" to have remembered it all this time.

Such a sharp tone? Could it be that she’s dissatisfied with the compensation I gave her after asking for her help at Amon’s adult masquerade ball last time?

Ebner muttered to himself inwardly and did not respond, instead turning to examine the three Sealed Artifacts retrieved from the "Saintess of Purple," studying them one by one.

First was the purple ceremonial robe known as the "Discerner’s Robe" — after Ushaha had removed it under "Tolzna’s" control, she had naturally been changed into another set of clothing.

Since this ceremonial robe bore the name "Discerner," it did indeed contain a Sequence 2 characteristic of the "Spectator" pathway, making it a genuine Grade 0 Sealed Artifact. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

Through Ebner’s "retrospection," he learned that it had originally come from an "Ancient Dragon" slain by Cheek, and had afterward been crafted into a remarkable item by Stiasno’s hands. Before Cheek ascended to godhood, it had always been a garment She kept close to Herself.

Only after Cheek advanced to become the "Primordial Demoness" did She leave the "Discerner’s Robe" with the "Demoness Sect," to be held by Her child Ushaha.

The outward appearance of this "ceremonial robe" could change its style according to the wearer’s will, but its true nature was actually "fantasy" — similar in concept to "the emperor’s new clothes" — in that it had no actual physical "fabric."

It could make use of the majority of the "Discerner’s" Beyonder abilities. The "personality avatar" Josenna that the "Saintess of Purple" had created was made possible precisely through the ability of this Sealed Artifact.

One could say that wearing this robe was the equivalent of being half a "Discerner."

However, although its functions were powerful, its side effects were also considerable...

The most obvious was that it would bestow upon its wearer an extreme personality trait!

If the wearer already possessed such a personality, it would be continuously amplified... And this effect was permanent, and would not disappear simply by sealing the item away.

The personality it bestowed could be positively uplifting or negatively destructive... Generally speaking, if a "negative" personality was bestowed, the wearer would change its "owner" in order to "refresh" it.

Ushaha had "changed" ownership over a dozen times before finally rolling "cautious" — a personality that was at least somewhat positive — yet even so, she had been preparing to "change" it again in the near future.

For as long as the "Discerner’s Robe" was being used, the "personality" it brought would continue to grow stronger, and once "caution" exceeded a certain threshold, she would likely end up doing absolutely nothing at all in the future.

Under the "pure white eye’s" "discernment," the history and abilities of this Grade 0 Sealed Artifact were laid completely bare, and Ebner even discovered a hidden negative effect that even the "Saintess of Purple" herself had never noticed.

"The more frequently one ’changes’ ownership, the more inevitably the wearer’s ’destiny river’ flows toward ’Despair’ and ’Affliction,’ ultimately arriving at a tragic end?

"I must say, this negative effect really is quite ’fitting’ for a Demoness!

"Furthermore, the reason Ushaha behaved in such a ’lying low’ manner turns out to have been the influence of this Sealed Artifact... Tsk, this is truly a case of being both saved and ruined by the same thing. It was likely also precisely because of this hidden negative effect that she so easily stepped into my trap.

"Of course, that also has to do with my well-laid plans, along with gathering nearly all of the high-ranking Demonesses in this world apart from Cheek, which is what ’attracted’ her here in the first place..."

At this thought, Ebner suddenly had another strange notion cross his mind:

"When Cheek was wearing this robe back then, what ’personality’ would She have been bestowed with?

"Surely it couldn’t be that Her idea of ’turning men into Demonesses to make them feel Her suffering’ was being ’amplified’... What kind of personality is that even? ’If I can’t have it good, nobody gets to have it good’?"

After a few more moments of private mockery, Ebner set down the "Discerner’s Robe" and picked up the laurel crown that looked as though it had been woven from crystal.

This item was known as the "Warlock’s Laurel Crown," a Grade 1 Sealed Artifact crafted from the Beyonder characteristic of a "Clairvoyant." In addition to allowing its user to employ considerable "prophetic" abilities, it also contained twenty-four "Mystery Reenactment" spells, each of which was highly practical and powerful in effect.

It had likewise been one of Cheek’s personal possessions in the past... a spoil of war seized from Aglaia Constantine after She killed her.

"A ’Discerner,’ a ’Clairvoyant,’ plus a personality of excessive ’caution’ — no wonder I couldn’t find any trace of Ushaha’s whereabouts no matter what I tried before...

"But to think the ’Warlock’s Laurel Crown’ was something Cheek took from Aglaia... I knew there was something about this item that had my naming style written all over it.

"Its negative effect is not particularly severe — it merely lowers the wearer’s luck somewhat, and makes them prone to seeing things they shouldn’t.

"Well, ’not particularly severe’ — that’s only by my standards.

"Heh — both of the Sealed Artifacts on Ushaha were working against her fortunes. No wonder she ended up in the state she’s in now."

Ebner offered a few insincere words of pity on Ushaha’s behalf, and finally took hold of the pitch-black, ink-dark, liquid-like yet not quite liquid scepter — the "Calamity Scepter."

It was also the most valuable of the spoils of war from this occasion.

As its name suggested, the "Calamity Scepter" had been born during the era of the "Great Calamity," crafted by Cheek from one of Her own bones. It was the equivalent of Her "second self," capable of helping Her true body withstand one attack at the True God level, and also allowing resurrection upon the "Scepter" after the true body’s death.

Its function was somewhat similar to the "phylactery" of a lich in certain stories. It was intimately connected to the "Primordial Demoness," which was why the "Saintess of Purple" Ushaha had first "merged" it into the ritual when the "sacrifice" began.

Beyond its connection to Cheek, the "Calamity Scepter" was itself also a Grade 0 Sealed Artifact, containing the Angel-level Beyonder characteristic of the "Demoness of Catastrophe."

"Back when it was still possible to communicate with the ’Primordial Demoness’ through prayer, the ’Saintess of Purple,’ by means of this ’Scepter,’ could borrow her mother’s power just as the ’Saintess of Grey’ did, temporarily possessing combat strength capable of rivaling an Archangel.

"What a pity that Vera has since ’hijacked’ the ’signal,’ and everything she prays for has been completely ’distorted.’"

(End of Chapter)