Mystery: The Witch of Desire

……

Raphael Cemetery at night.

Dressed in a black dress, Livre stood before Klein's grave, holding a bouquet of white flowers. She remained silent for a long time, finally sighing and muttering to herself:

"Klein, you're going to die like this."

"Now, I don't even have a single close friend in this world with whom I can truly confide."

"I still don't know what your real name is..."

"If you can hear me, please tell me in a dream. That way, if we go back to the previous world, I can find your family and help you take care of your parents..."

"Don't worry, I will take care of your brother and sister."

"I will help you find that one-eyed man and help you get your revenge..."

As Liviel spoke, her eyes gradually turned cold, flashing with a chilling light.

She bent down and put down the bouquet of flowers, staring at Klein's black and white photograph in silence for a long time.

Just as she was about to turn and leave, she suddenly heard rustling footsteps behind her.

Livre turned around abruptly and saw Emily's astonished face.

"It's you!"

Emily blurted out the words, then froze on the spot.

Livre's mind went blank for a moment, and then a feeling of pain welled up inside her.

She didn't know what to do. She couldn't attack Emily, she didn't know how to explain things to Emily, and she was unwilling to leave like this...

However, Emily, like her, stood there with a complicated expression, remaining motionless for a long time.

After a while, Livre, having somewhat suppressed her inner pain, said with a self-deprecating tone:

"I thought you would pull out a gun the moment you saw me."

Emily's body trembled slightly, then she slowly said:

"Someone told me that you weren't the murderer."

"I don't know if I should believe you, I don't know if you are the murderer..."

Liviel was stunned, and as if grasping at a straw, she quickly said:

"Believe me, I'm not the murderer. The real killer is someone else, a middle-aged man with only one eye and pale skin..."

"Ince Zangwell..."

Emily interrupted Livre and said calmly.

"The archbishop of the Church of the Night, a traitor, a gatekeeper of Sequence 5, carries a Level 0 sealed artifact..."

A level 0 sealed artifact... Could it be the level 0 sealed artifact that Arodes mentioned that controlled Tingen City?

Under Livre's surprised gaze, Emily continued:

"If you are not the murderer, then he is."

As she spoke, a look of pain appeared on her face:

"But I don't know whether to believe my eyes or the person who told me this, because that person can't give a reason for their discovery, nor can they make it public..."

After a few seconds of silence, Livre said in a deep voice:

“I will catch that Ince Zangwell and make him confess his crimes.”

Emily's pain eased slightly, and she nodded gently.

"Actually, when I saw you standing here with the bouquet of flowers, I already sensed that you weren't the murderer, but..."

She changed the subject, asking with some doubt:

"Who exactly are you? Why are you involved with the Night Watch team? Why are you following me in the middle of the night?"

"Also, you give me a somewhat familiar feeling..."

As Emily spoke, she squinted, her beautiful eyes filled with confusion as she tried to recall everything that had happened.

Livre was taken aback and didn't know how to answer for a moment.

After a long pause, she answered somewhat vaguely:

“Klein and I are friends, so I will offer him some help.”

"As for following you... it was just because I was afraid you would be in danger. I'm sorry for causing you trouble."

Emily didn't say much, which was a temporary acceptance of Livre's somewhat weak explanation.

Livre breathed a sigh of relief and asked with some concern:

"What are your plans next?"

Emily tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, revealing a resolute face, and said in a deep voice:

"I will become a Sequence 7 as soon as possible and join the Night Watchers' 'Red Gloves' squad."

The Red Gloves... an elite squad within the Night Watch, always at the forefront of crises, with a casualty rate exceeding 50%!?

Livre had heard of the Red Gloves' reputation, and she was determined not to see Emily join the team.

In desperation, she stepped forward, even considering using her persuasive abilities to make Emily give up.

However, Emily cautiously took a step back, creating some distance between them:

"I know you are strong, and I am no match for you, but don't even think about using your witch powers to control me."

Emily's tone was very calm, yet contained a hint of sorrow:

"I didn't join the Red Gloves on a whim."

“My two relatives have already died at the hands of those cult members. And now, my only friend has also been killed by those villains.”

"I have no family or friends left. All I can do is risk my insignificant life to make those cultists pay the price and avenge them..."

Hearing her increasingly sorrowful tone, Livre felt as if her heart was being squeezed tightly by a large hand, making it hard to breathe.

She longed to tell Emily that she still had a loved one alive, even though she was unrecognizable, her beating heart still loved her.

However, she couldn't. That powerful seal might still be affecting Tingen, and if she revealed that she was Levi, it could bring Emily unbearable trouble.

After a few seconds of silence, she took a small mirror out of her pocket, clutched it tightly in her hand, and it became damp with her sweat.

Finally, she made up her mind and handed the mirror to Emily in front of her:

“Take this mirror with you. I gave one to Klein before, so I can be there for him to help.”

Emily paused slightly, then mechanically reached out and took the mirror.

She recalled that a small dressing mirror had indeed been found on Klein's body.

Feeling the lingering warmth of her body on the mirror, Emily asked with some confusion:

Why are you giving me this?

Livre stood still for a moment before fabricating a reasonably plausible excuse and slowly spoke:

“If you want revenge against Ince Zangwell, then we are allies, so ensuring your safety is in my interest.”

Emily nodded slightly, almost imperceptibly:

"How should I notify you if I encounter Ince Zangwell?"

Upon hearing this, Livre couldn't help but feel a pang of emotion. She then clearly realized how convenient Klein's cheat code was. Unfortunately, after Klein's death, the Tarot Club would also have to disband.

After a moment's thought, she decided to teach Emily how to summon a messenger. Although Emily's current spirituality might not be sufficient to summon a messenger, she should be able to use one once she advances to Sequence 7.

"You can summon my messenger..."

She patiently explained the knowledge about summoning messengers to Emily and told her her messenger summoning incantation:

A spirit wandering in illusion, a friendly creature at your disposal, a messenger serving the Lord of the Little White.

Emily silently memorized everything, and for a moment, she felt a little unreal.

She actually established such a direct connection with a witch...

Perhaps due to a slight sense of resentment, or perhaps influenced by the hunter's potion, she spoke with a hint of provocation:

"I am an official extraordinary being. Do you dare to come after receiving my letter? Aren't you afraid I'll set a trap and arrest you?"

Liviel smiled slightly; Emily, now a hunter, was indeed somewhat different from before.

She said softly:

"This is your freedom. What can I do? To ensure your safety, I have no choice but to risk being arrested by you."

Emily was taken aback by his words, and a strange, indescribable flutter stirred within her.

The two women stood silently facing each other in front of Klein's tombstone, creating a strange atmosphere.

The crimson moonlight shines here, creating an indescribable sense of quiet and desolation.

After a moment, Emily let out a long sigh:

That's all for now, goodbye.

After saying that, she turned and left the grave, walking into the night.

Livre watched her departing figure with lingering affection until she disappeared into the end of the night.

Then, she looked back at Klein's tombstone and sighed sadly.

Immediately, Livre activated her mirror-travel ability and left the cemetery.

……

An unknown amount of time passed.

In the dead of night, Raphael's Cemetery is so silent that not even the chirping of an insect can be heard.

Suddenly, a loud thud echoed from beneath the tombstone.

Klein rubbed his reddened forehead and looked around blankly.

Just now, he sat up from his dazed state, only to bump into the stone slab in front of him. At that moment, he realized that he seemed to be lying in a rectangular box, with limited room to move.

"Where is this...? Could this be a coffin?"

His memory was still fixed on those shiny leather boots and the hand that held Saint Selena's urn, then he drifted into a dreamless sleep.

Klein moved awkwardly in the cramped space, unbuttoning his clothes and straining to look down at his left chest. He saw the gruesome wound and the missing piece of his heart wriggling and healing, just like when he saw the gunshot wound on his temple rapidly healing in the mirror. The only difference was that this time it was slower and more difficult.

Klein shivered from the biting early winter wind, snapped back to his senses, and muttered to himself with a wry smile:

"This time travel really does hold some secrets..."

"But it looks like I can only 'revive' twice more at most... I wonder if this normally non-existent regenerative ability will still be useful if I'm chopped into mincemeat..."

After calming down for a few seconds, Klein buttoned up the coffin lid and pushed it upwards forcefully.

Not moving.

"Are you afraid I'll come back to life? That's why you've nailed them so tightly..."

Klein made a couple of sarcastic remarks, then carefully examined his surroundings and discovered that his 'clown' abilities had not disappeared, and his body still possessed the robust physique of an extraordinary individual.

He took a deep breath, used all his strength, and pushed the coffin lid upwards with all his might.

It remained completely still.

Klein managed to hold on for a dozen seconds before his tense body relaxed, and he lay in the coffin, panting heavily.

Before he could even grumble a few more words about the damn coffin lid, Klein suddenly felt like he couldn't breathe.

He had been lying in the coffin for who knows how long, and the small, enclosed space was already lacking in oxygen. The strenuous exercise had just consumed a large amount of oxygen in an instant, and Klein was horrified to find that he was about to be unable to breathe.

"Oh no, am I going to be reborn and suffocate in a coffin again...?"

"The problem is, even if I could be resurrected again, I would still end up in this coffin. At that time, there would be no oxygen in the coffin, and I would still suffocate, and then the cycle would repeat itself again and again..."

"Holy crap! This is terrifying! It feels like there was a novel with a plot like this in my past life! But wait, at a time like this, why am I still thinking about novels... I need to think of a way to get saved!"

Klein tried to shout for help, but he was struggling to breathe and couldn't make a sound. Besides, where would there be any living people in this cemetery at night?

As his consciousness grew increasingly blurred, Klein gradually succumbed to despair.