Elise left Seidoukan Academy, but trailing quietly behind her was a black cat.
However, at a certain corner, when the black cat tried to continue following her, it found that its target had already vanished.
"Ah! What an adorable little kitty!" A familiar female voice sounded from behind. The black cat turned to see a face it knew well.
"Why are you here? Did you get lost?" Elise picked up the cat, gently stroking it in her arms.
"Or… did you come to find me for something? Am I right, agent of Grimalkin?"
Grimalkin, an intelligence agency under Rewolf Black Institute, operated directly under the Student Council and reported only to its president—Dirk Eberwein.
"Yes. The master has some business with you."
A shadow emerged from a nearby alley, a figure dressed in black with a veiled face appearing beside Elise.
"Then please, lead the way."
Setting the cat down, Elise turned to the figure.
Following Grimalkin operative, Elise arrived at a secluded alley. Though it looked like a dead end, her senses told her otherwise—like the wall ahead, which concealed a passage leading deep underground.
Sure enough, with a few deft moves, the man revealed a dark corridor.
Without hesitation, he gestured for her to enter and walked ahead to lead the way. Elise followed without objection, the two walking through the pitch-black passage for several minutes.
Finally, an open space appeared ahead.
"So, you've come." A cold male voice echoed in the chamber. Elise instantly recognized it.
Dirk.
He had indeed sought her out.
As they met, all unrelated personnel withdrew—even the one who had guided her here had vanished.
"What do you want with me?"
Dirk had intended to speak harshly, but a memory of yesterday's divination made him hold back.
Before seeking Elise, he had asked his secretary, Rewolf Black Institute's Vice President—Kashimaru Korona—to prepare. Though a Genestella, she lacked combat ability, living peacefully in a school filled mostly with delinquents.
Gifted with fortune-telling, she treated it only as a hobby, unaware she was a Strega and unregistered on the national Strega registry.
Her ability? "Absolutely inaccurate predictions." In other words, no matter the question, the divination's outcome could never come true.
Useless? Not in Dirk's hands—it was his trump card in information warfare, usable once a day and only at dusk.
Before meeting Elise, Dirk had her perform two readings.
First: "What will happen if I negotiate with Elise?" Result: "Disastrously bad—Dirk will even be killed by Elise."
Second: "What will happen if I oppose Elise?" Result: "Dirk will achieve instant success, rise in rank, and be praised for ten thousand years."
Completely unexpected.
Dirk: Tch!
With those results in mind, Dirk decided he would negotiate with Elise—and this time, he'd have to keep his attitude in check.
For someone who'd been the "Tyrant" for so many years, Dirk couldn't help but feel this was downright bizarre.
"This time, I want to ask you—what exactly did you mean by what you told Orphelia before?" Dirk tried to make his tone sound less menacing, though it didn't seem to help much.
Fortunately, Elise didn't care about such things.
"I have some understanding of your plan, so I've decided to join you." Elise smiled. "What I told Orphelia before was exactly what it sounded like—"
"I'll take her place in your plan."
Moments ago, Claudia's all-knowing aura had annoyed Elise—but now she gave Dirk the same feeling.
Dirk fell silent for a moment. "How much do you know about our plan?"
"Bits and pieces. Anyway, I'm volunteering myself. Doesn't that count for something?" Elise had no intention of hiding anything. I am a saintess, after all—how could I possibly keep secrets?(smirk)
"What do you want?"
Dirk understood better than anyone that there was no such thing as something for nothing. If Elise was offering to help them, what she wanted in return was bound to be significant.
He needed to know if it was within their ability to give.
"I'll support you unconditionally," Elise said. "But I do hope you'll do me two small favors."
She held up one finger.
"First—give me Orphelia."
"Her transfer paperwork can be done anytime you want. If you want her, she's yours." Dirk looked utterly unconcerned. After Elise's purification, Orphelia had lost her original usefulness, making her dispensable to the plan.
As long as Orphelia didn't go tattling to the Integrated Enterprise Foundation, Dirk didn't care what happened to her. And since Elise was joining them, she obviously wouldn't let something like that happen—otherwise they'd all go down together.
Swapping Orphelia for Elise? Not a bad trade.
"And second—give me her."
Elise raised her middle finger and pointed behind herself.
At some point, a white-haired, blue-eyed woman had entered the room, standing directly behind Elise. Hanging from her neck was an Orga Lux shaped like an eye, glowing with purple light.
"You can't be serious."
Dirk, who had intended to keep things civil, couldn't help but frown. That Orga Lux was one of the most critical parts of their plan. Without her, the Golden Bough Alliance's plan would fall apart!
"It seems you've misunderstood." Elise's smile didn't waver, giving away nothing.
"I'm not talking about the Orga Lux—I'm talking about the body it's using."
"She and I share a certain connection, so…"
Elise released her aura. The space in the underground chamber began to tremble as if it might shatter at any moment.
"Will you give her to me?"