In the dimly lit space, a massive courtyard-style bonsai continued to emit a faint glow, illuminating the faces of the scattered Dolls around, creating an atmosphere steeped in horror.
Friagne floated in the air, holding Doll Marianne in his hands, his gaze fixed on the courtyard-style bonsai below.
“Hmph…”
Under Friagne’s scrutiny, within the bonsai, a dummy with a will-o’-the-wisp-like flame within its body suddenly ignited, burning away and disappearing.
Watching this scene, Friagne’s expression turned somewhat unpleasant.
“So, it has been continuously consuming the Torches I’ve set up?”
The courtyard-style bonsai in front of Friagne was, in fact, a Treasure Tool named Crystal Altar. It could lock onto a specific area, reproduce all the activities of the Power of Existence within it, and observe them.
Therefore, everything happening within the Crystal Altar was a real occurrence in Misaki City.
The dummy with the will-o’-the-wisp burning within its body was undoubtedly a Torch. Since it suddenly disappeared, it indicated that the Torch, serving as its manifestation in Misaki City, had also been eliminated.
This wasn’t the first time this had happened.
Since morning, at regular intervals, a dummy within the Crystal Altar would burn away.
If it weren’t intentionally eliminated by someone, such a thing wouldn’t happen.
“Master,” Marianne spoke with a sweet voice, revealing an uneasy truth. “Could it be that our plan has been exposed?”
It could only be thought of in this way. If the plan hadn’t been exposed, the other party wouldn’t unequivocally eliminate a bunch of Torches like this.
This not only could reduce the likelihood of City Devourer being activated but could even lure Friagne out.
Thinking this way, Friagne, with a gentle tone, said to Marianne in his arms, “Don’t worry, Marianne. Even if the Torches are gone, we can continue to set them up. Compared to the importance of the Reiji Maigo (Midnight Lost Child), this delay is nothing.”
“But, Master,” Marianne said, “That human seems to possess very powerful abilities, and with the contractor of the ‘Flame of Heaven’ here, can we obtain the Reiji Maigo (Midnight Lost Child)?”
Hearing this, Friagne smiled faintly, behaving like a nobleman, and elegantly said, “Marianne, could it be that you forgot what I am called?”
“… ‘Hunter,'” Marianne replied in a low voice. “The Crimson World Crimson Lord renowned for collecting Treasure Tools and hunting Flame Haze.”
“That’s right.” Friagne stroked Marianne in his arms and whispered softly, “I am the ‘Hunter.’ As long as a Treasure Tool appears before me, there is no reason it won’t fall into my hands, and as for Flame Haze, that is even more insignificant.”
This wasn’t Friagne boasting.
In fact, among the numerous Treasure Tools Friagne had collected, there was one specifically designed to deal with Flame Haze.
Hence, Friagne was an assassin of Flame Haze.
As for Treasure Tools, he had never failed so far.
Marianne naturally understood this truth.
After all, Marianne was the first Rinne created by Friagne, and she is always accompanying him and she has even developed a romantic relationship with him.
But precisely because of this, Marianne had always been concerned about Friagne.
“Master…” Marianne said, “What should we do about that human?”
Friagne’s smile paused slightly upon hearing this.
Exactly.
Flame Haze was nothing to be feared.
The real challenge was the human.
“Having formidable power, being the possessor of the Reiji Maigo (Midnight Lost Child), and just a mere human.” Marianne expressed concern. “In this case, Master’s ace wouldn’t work against them, would it?”
“…The appearance of that human indeed caught me off guard,” Friagne sighed, then smiled again. “However, you don’t need to worry about that, Marianne. After all, the opponent is just a human, no matter how much power they possess; they are not my match.”
While saying this, Friagne recalled the previous battle. He recalled those ice-blue eyes.
For some reason, thinking about that pair of eyes made Friagne feel a shiver in his very ‘Existence’.
So, even though Friagne said this verbally, he wasn’t relaxed in his heart.
For this reason, Friagne made a decision.
“Although the plan has changed somewhat, since the spoils are the Reiji Maigo (Midnight Lost Child), the risk is worth taking.” Friagne’s lips curled as he spoke these words. “So, I have commissioned a Crimson Lord to assist us.”
These words made Marianne first stare in confusion, then quickly comprehend.
“Commission?” Marianne exclaimed in surprise. “Could it be him?”
“Among the ‘Denizens’ who came to the present world, who else, besides him, would take joy in accepting others’ commissions?” Friagne said somewhat ambiguously. “However, his power is indeed worth anticipating. Just to be on the safe side, let him accept my commission.”
“That should be fine,” Marianne said with some happiness. “As long as Master and that Crimson Lord join forces, even if the opponent is that peculiar human and the ‘Flame-Haired Burning-Eyed assassin,’ there shouldn’t be a problem.”
“Nevertheless, we still need to be cautious of the opponent. Since the spoils are the Reiji Maigo (Midnight Lost Child), a treasure among treasures, no ‘Denizen’ would willingly give in,” Friagne cautioned. “So, Marianne, make sure not to reveal anything about the Reiji Maigo (Midnight Lost Child) to him, understood?”
“Understood, Master,” Marianne answered without any hesitation.
“You’re such a good girl,” Friagne pamperedly stroked Marianne’s body, indulgingly nuzzling the Doll in his arms with his face. “Once everything is over, relying on the power of City Devourer and the Reiji Maigo (Midnight Lost Child), we’ll be able to obtain a vast amount of Power of Existence.”
“By then, Marianne, you can truly become an ‘Existence,’ not just an item like a Rinne.”
Yes.
This was Friagne’s reason for wanting to obtain a large amount of Power of Existence.
A Rinne, such as Marianne, was ultimately a servant created by Crimson World Denizens. They could have a will but couldn’t gain freedom. Although they could devour the Power of Existence, they couldn’t absorb it, relying solely on their Master to provide it.
Therefore, Friagne desired a substantial amount of Power of Existence to transform Marianne into a genuine being.
“Just a bit more…”
Desire burned in Friagne’s eyes.
“Just a bit more…”
…
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