Mystery: When the Fool Meets the Masked Fool

Chapter 515 Night Attack
In the Kingdom of Rune, Backlund, Queens District, Hall Street, inside the luxurious villa that Audrey gifted to Estelle.

It was early Tuesday morning, and Estella lay on her side on a thick mattress that seemed out of place in this era, fast asleep.

Although Estella wasn't some pampered young lady, she still wouldn't skimp on herself when it came to food, clothing, shelter, and transportation.

Without a doubt, even the world's best mattress is "cheating" for Estella.

After all, even temporary staff on the space station wouldn't sleep on a mattress that can't completely change shape according to the user's body shape and movements.

Even Peipei's bed is better than the beds here.

So Estelle used the mattress she brought and gave one to Audrey. Now it has been "requisitioned" by Earl Hall, who said, "After experiencing this high-tech product once, my old bones would fall apart if I were to use my original mattress again."

Under Earl Hall's gaze, which seemed to be shouting "Don't you know what filial piety is?!" even though he didn't say anything, Audrey, who didn't have much ambition in this regard but was also quite filial, chose to give the mattress to her father.

Estella has been here for three months.

Although she already knew that what had come was just a projection, she still began to miss her own space station.

She even went so far as to seek out Serres and traded a collectible for his promise to "end the Holy Grail War within three weeks".

Today, being Tuesday morning, is the day Audrey enters the simulated universe.

So Estelle returned to the villa early the day before, went to bed early, and entered her dreams.

At three in the morning, a crow flew past the window.

With the crimson moon high in the sky, Estella, still fast asleep, suddenly felt a pang of anxiety. She jolted awake from her dream, but kept her eyes closed, motionless, without even a change in her soft breathing.

She had similar experiences; she had been kidnapped and assassinated quite a few times, often by her "dear" relatives.

This also instilled in her the habit of carrying warning items with her and the instinct to wake up immediately whenever she wakes up from a dream.

She instinctively reached under her pillow, took out the alarm device linked to her dream world, and pressed it gently.

drop.

A very faint sound rang out.

Then, Estella opened her eyes and looked out the window.

Because the curtains blocked the windows, Estelle couldn't tell what time it was from the dim light, but the alarm clock on the bedside table automatically lit up faintly after sensing her "gaze," revealing the current time:
3:27.

Who would come to her neighborhood in the early hours of the morning?
Estelle got out of bed, walked to the window, and quickly pulled open the two layers of curtains, one cloth and one sheer.

Sunlight pierced through the thin mist and shone into the room, dispelling the accumulated darkness. Estella stood at the window, gazing at the sky, her face showing obvious confusion.

Outside the window, a raven perched on a branch, its scarlet eyes fixed on Estella's room.

Estelle watched the crow quietly. The crow's eyes flickered, met Estelle's gaze, spread its wings, and let out a "caw".

Estella then vaguely noticed that her surroundings had become unclear, as if a thick layer of glass had appeared in front of her, and her ears seemed to be plugged with an imperceptible layer of cotton.

The surrounding airflow seemed to be getting faster, and the clock on the wall not far away was getting faster and faster, with the second hand jumping five or six times per second, and it was getting faster and faster.

No...that's not right...

It's because I... have... slowed down...

Estella felt like her brain was a rusty machine, gradually becoming sluggish.

The surrounding speed was increasing, and she noticed that the second hand of the wall clock next to her could complete a full rotation every one or two seconds.

Click.

Her thoughts stopped there...

drop.

A very faint sound rang out.

Then, Estella opened her eyes and looked out the window.

Because the curtains blocked the windows, Estelle couldn't tell what time it was from the dim light, but the alarm clock on the bedside table automatically lit up faintly after sensing her "gaze," revealing the current time:
At 3:26, Estella got out of bed, walked to the window, and quickly pulled open the two layers of curtains, one cloth and one sheer.

A crow happened to land on a branch.

Without hesitation, Estelle raised her right hand and pointed her finger at the crows outside the window.

boom!
The crows landed as soon as they heard the call.

Estelle's eyes darted around, her gaze sweeping over the raven.

The crow suddenly swelled up and turned into a cluster of translucent worms with repeatedly wrapped patterns.

not good.

Estella tried to look away, but it was too late.

Estella's mind suddenly became chaotic, filled with all sorts of incomprehensible, complex, and confused thoughts, and slippery tentacles sprouted from her body...

drop.

A very faint sound rang out.

Then, Estella opened her eyes and looked out the window.

Because the curtains blocked the windows, Estelle couldn't tell what time it was from the dim light, but the alarm clock on the bedside table automatically lit up faintly after sensing her "gaze," revealing the current time:
3:25.

Estella quickly rolled out of bed and darted under it. On the mattress, a sleeping Estella slowly emerged.

She waited patiently.

But soon, a crow flew in and landed on a branch, completely ignoring the fake Estella that was so convincingly realistic, and its gaze fell on the real Estella.

drop.

…………

3:24...

3:23...

3:22...

3:21...

3:20...

3:19...

The time on the alarm clock gradually moved forward.

This rare item was practically Estella's most prized possession; it was something that wasn't even in the space station's archives.

It came from Ominous Vanguard and cost a lot of money to buy.

Named the "Ominous Lens," it is an item related to the "end times."

The effect is: it begins by predicting a future catastrophe that will occur some time in the future, gradually moving closer to the actual timeline. It makes the prediction itself move against time.

3:07.

An inspector patrolling the streets around Queens rubbed his hands together, turned toward the street where the inspectorate was located, and prepared to hand over his duties to his colleague.

Suddenly, his body froze at the entrance of the alley.

One after another, thin, dark "spiritual threads" floated out from his body and rose upwards.

An exquisitely cut paper figure fell down and connected with the "spiritual threads," quickly transforming into another version of him.

They are exactly the same; there is absolutely no difference.

(End of this chapter)