Mystery: The Witch of Desire

Hugh looked somewhat surprised:

"So, as soon as you found out we were going to investigate Zilingus, you rushed back to Backlund from the sea..."

Well, it's fine if that's what you think... If you knew I could travel back in time to save you, who knows what kind of trouble you'd cause...

Livre thought to herself, then nodded, deciding to go with the flow:

"Yes, it was quite a hassle to rush back. A round trip by sea takes a long time."

Fors couldn't help but sniffle, her eyes welling up with tears.

"Miss Marilyn Monroe, you are truly an angel!"

Angels…please don’t say that. Just thinking about that angel who stole the ‘wriggling hunger’ still sends chills down my spine…

Hugh asked with even greater curiosity:

"So, did you kill Zillingus? Although the newspapers are reporting that Duke Negan's bodyguard killed Zillingus, we heard from a big shot that the person who killed Zillingus is unknown."

Fors followed up with the question:

“Miss Monroe, I remember you were the first one to rush out. Did you really do it? That was a pirate general.”

A smile spread across Livre's face, and she unconsciously puffed out her chest:

"Ahem, just a pirate general, nothing special."

Upon hearing this, Fors and Hugh both instinctively opened their lips, then froze in place, motionless.

Although they had suspected something similar before, they were still shocked when they heard Marilyn Monroe admit it herself.

That was a pirate general! A notorious pirate with a bounty of tens of thousands of pounds, famous throughout the five seas!

Was she really killed by Marilyn Monroe?

Fors and Hugh had always known that Miss Monroe was very strong, but only now did they have a concrete understanding of just how strong Miss Monroe really was.

“Miss Monroe, have you been promoted again? I feel like you smell even better…” Fors sniffed lightly, a hint of infatuation flashing in her eyes.

"And your skin seems to have become smoother too."

Hugh added somewhat embarrassedly that she never expected she would one day be able to say such a thing.

Livr smiled charmingly:

"You have to experience it yourself to know the answer to this kind of thing."

……

Klein was eating steak at the coffee shop across from Blackthorn Security Company.

Feeling a bit down because he wasn't getting any feedback, he ordered a deluxe steak set meal that he usually wouldn't dare to eat. He stuffed large pieces of steak, cut into strips about the thickness of two fingers, into his mouth one by one, using the satisfaction of the food to wash away his unhappiness.

Suddenly, a phantom prayer echoed in his mind:

"A fool who doesn't belong to this era;"

"You are the mysterious ruler above the gray fog;"

"You are the king of yellow and black who holds the key to good fortune."

"You are Klein, a lifelong single..."

It's Miss Lover... Someone from the Tarot Club has finally contacted me!

Klein was very excited. He quickly put down his knife and fork and rushed into the bathroom.

The cafe manager, who was clearing another table, paused for a moment upon seeing this, and quietly instructed another waiter:

"Go ask the kitchen staff if the steak they served to that customer in the black shirt was spoiled."

Entering the bathroom and locking the door, Klein drew a spiritual wall around himself, eagerly awaiting his lover's report:

"...I killed Zilingus. But then a high-sequence powerhouse suddenly appeared and stole the writhing hunger."

Klein listened with satisfaction to Miss Lover's extremely detailed report, finally understanding the entire process of this shocking event in Backlund. There was only one thing he didn't understand: how had Miss Lover managed to return to Backlund so quickly from the sea?

Miss Lover didn't say it explicitly, but Klein guessed that she must have returned from the sea ahead of time, after all, she was very concerned about Qilingus's matter.

Also, Miss Lover sounds a bit out of breath. Did she just finish some strenuous exercise? She's so dedicated! She just finished her work and came to 'report' to me.

Klein, the leader of the clandestine organization, felt his emotional needs were met. Not wanting to linger above the gray fog for too long, he simply replied, "Understood," and then cut off the contact.

He had originally intended to add, 'The fourth use of honorifics is unnecessary; please don't repeat it next time.'

However, because his lover did such a good job, he let it go. After all, he had never been in a relationship, so let her say what she wanted to say. Oh well…

……

In the evening, Klein took a horse-drawn carriage from Blackthorn Security Company back to his residence on Narcissus Street.

After sitting down inside, he felt a sense of relief. He had been somewhat uneasy these past two days because of the Qilinges incident, and now, a weight had finally been lifted from his heart.

However, Miss Lover is really strong. She was able to kill a pirate general and then escape unscathed... This shows that her strength is far superior to that of the writhing, hungry Qilingus. If the two were evenly matched, she would not have been able to do this.

Unfortunately, the Wriggling Hunger was stolen by a high-ranking powerhouse. Otherwise, the Tarot Society's combat strength would definitely have increased significantly. Perhaps I could even borrow the Wriggling Hunger to deal with some tricky situations, such as the Aurora Society's recent stirrings...

Klein thought with some regret that just then, the light around him suddenly dimmed, and the air became cold and damp, as if shrouded in a layer of sticky oil.

In this sticky atmosphere, a tall male figure slowly appeared in front of him. He had a bronze complexion, soft features, black hair and brown eyes, and his eyes revealed an indescribable sense of vicissitude. There was a small black mole below his right ear.

Klein almost instinctively wanted to activate the Joker's fire leap ability, but when he saw the man's face clearly, he let out a soft breath:

“Mr. Azik, it’s you.”

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you beforehand that I'm coming to visit."

Mr. Azik gently brushed the dust off his clothes and spoke in a gentle tone.

"No, you're welcome anytime."

It would be better if you told me in advance next time, otherwise you'll definitely scare me...

Klein silently grumbled to himself, but didn't say it aloud; it was a matter of courtesy to his teacher.

"I remembered something, so I rushed over here. There's something I'd like to ask you."

As Azik spoke, his thick eyebrows furrowed slightly, clearly indicating that the things he was thinking of were not too optimistic.

Klein had originally intended to ask Mr. Azik if he had been involved in the Zilingus affair, but seeing his solemn expression, he remained silent, waiting for this high-sequence powerhouse to speak and recount his memories hidden in the dust.

Under Klein's gaze, Azik slowly said:

"Maybe, maybe I am someone who has lived for a very, very long time."

"I recalled many, many different dreams, and those dreams may all be my real life."

Sometimes, I dream of the dark interior of a mausoleum, of ancient coffins containing corpses lying prone, their backs sprouting white feathers; sometimes, I dream of myself as a knight in full armor, wielding a three-meter-long lance, charging towards the enemy.

"Sometimes I dream that I am a lord with a bountiful manor, a beautiful wife and three children. Sometimes I dream that I am a vagabond, walking in the rain on a muddy road, cold and hungry."

"Sometimes, I dream that I have a daughter, a daughter different from my previous children. She has soft black hair, likes to sit on the swing I made myself, and always asks me for candy. Sometimes, I dream that I am standing next to the gallows, coldly looking up at the corpses floating above..."

Mr. Azik, if all of this is true, you should really consider whether you are still considered a "human being"... Klein thought to himself, but didn't dare to say it aloud.

“I must have paid a price to gain such a long life, living from the end of the Fourth Epoch until now, like a ghost wandering the continent…” Azik’s voice was low, as if he was suppressing his emotions. “I don’t remember the past. I have forgotten the people and things I swore to remember… They can only echo in my mind in the form of dreams.”

Klein said thoughtfully:

“Mr. Azik, I have a guess about your situation.”

"What conjecture?"

Azik glanced at Klein.

“I think your forgetting is cyclical. Perhaps you die every few decades, wiping away your previous memories, and then after a certain period of time, you wake up from a dark slumber to start a new life. Only in this way can your different dreams be explained, as they are things you have encountered in different lives.”

Klein described his speculation.

Azik stared intently ahead for a long while before speaking:

"This matches some of my memories that were triggered and brought back to life."

Mr. Azik has awakened some memories due to the shock? Is it because of the Zilingus incident? Klein's heart skipped a beat, and he blurted out:

"Mr. Azik, were you involved in Zilingus's affairs?"

Mr. Azik nodded:

"I met Zilingus in Backlund, but by then he was already dead, killed by a witch."

Klein was taken aback when he heard this, as it matched the description given by his lover.

But according to Miss Lover, after she killed Qilingus, a high-sequence powerhouse appeared and took away the Wriggling Hunger. Could this high-sequence powerhouse be...?

Before Klein could guess for long, Azik spoke quietly:

“I took this trophy from that witch. It was made from the Sequence 5 ‘Shepherd’ Extraordinary trait of the Mystic Path, and it has a familiar aura about it.”

As he spoke, Azik produced a transparent glove that looked like it was made of human skin.

The throbbing hunger!

Klein was immediately filled with horror.

The high-sequence powerhouse that Miss Lover mentioned was actually Mr. Azik!

Wait a minute, Mr. Azik is actually a high-sequence powerhouse, a demigod-like being?!

Although Klein had long realized that Mr. Azik was no ordinary man, he had not expected him to be this powerful.

Klein couldn't help but swallow, feeling a genuine sense of fear and respect for Mr. Azik.

Azik shook the 'Wriggling Hunger' in his hand. The magical item, which was said to devour the souls of the living every day, was very obedient in Azik's hands and did not dare to move at all.

"It was because of the familiar scent on this glove that I remembered many things and saw through the true nature of this glove. Now, it is of no use to me."

As he spoke, Azik handed the writhing hunger pangs to Klein:

"Here you go, it might be of some use to you."

What? For me?

Klein was stunned.

Mr. Azik just gave me a magical item at Sequence 5, whose value may not be less than that of Zilingus himself?

For a moment, Klein didn't know whether to be happy or shocked. In any case, he was in a dreamlike state and said with some disbelief and difficulty:

"Are you really giving this to me? This must be quite a valuable item."

Azik said nonchalantly:

"Consider this an advance payment. I hope that you can help me find clues to my past memories in the future."

Klein breathed a sigh of relief; this reason put him at ease.

He shakily accepted the writhing hunger, feeling as if he had already ascended halfway to the throne of a pirate general.

The mastermind behind the secretive Tarot Society is actually a pirate general? That sounds like a good development... No, no, compared to the unfathomable 'Fool,' the pirate general is a bit lacking. He should at least be a demigod or an angel...

As Klein pondered his words, he carefully considered what to say to Azik:

“Mr. Azik, perhaps you don’t need to deliberately search for your lost past; you will gradually remember it!”

"why?"

Azik turned his head in surprise.

Klein smiled slightly and said:

"Your memory hasn't been completely lost; the fact that you've partially regained it after this shock is proof of that."

"Also, do you remember what you said before, that you woke up in Backlund and found that you had forgotten your past?"

Azik nodded solemnly:

"This is a nightmare that has been bothering me."

Klein pointed to the black cane inlaid with silver and explained in detail:

“Before today, I didn’t think there was anything wrong with this, but combined with your description and my own guess, it seems a bit strange. When you wake up from a dream in a daze, you have new identity documents and enough money, and a way of making your entrance without startling others... It’s all like it was arranged, allowing you to quickly integrate into society.”

"And who arranged this?"

There's only one answer: your past self!

"You, who were in the past, have regained your memories and know that a new chapter in your life is about to begin. So you have made arrangements for everything that follows, trying your best to avoid being suspected by others."