By the time Aleric returned home, it was already dawn.
As he wipes Killing Spree, he listened to Margaret's report.
After bringing her back to his home, Aleric had immediately used the winding key to erase her personality—after thoroughly inspecting her with the absolute control granted by the key, he confirmed that this individual's character was thoroughly vile. Glimpses of her repulsive, stomach-churning crimes could be seen in her memories.
She frequently altered others' memories, indulging in pleasure by leveraging the beyonder traits of the Instigator and Hypnotist. Occasionally, she even forged talismans imbued with supernatural power to sell, causing numerous malicious incidents in ordinary society.
Such a rotten person shouldn't have existed in the first place, and Aleric was no saint overflowing with compassion—when she had tried to kill him, he had never intended to let her go.
Guarding against all threats—that was the creed of a Veteran.
At this moment, Margaret had lost most of her humanity. Dressed in ill-fitting clothes, her serene face, flawless figure, and restrained posture accentuated a peculiar fragility, making her appear pitiable and delicate.
Yet Aleric paid no heed, silently loading bullet after bullet into the chamber. In a few days, that fellow would appear in Klein's bedroom.
He had to prepare thoroughly for his debut before The Fool and the Nighthawks.
"What beyonder traits do you possess?" Aleric asked absentmindedly.
"Reporting to my master: one Sequence 8: Pugilist, one Sequence 6: Hypnotist, one Sequence 8: Instigator, and one Sequence 6: Artisan."
"That many?" Aleric was surprised. He studied her exquisite eyes. Based on his deductions, crafting this puppet must have also borrowed power from the Assassin pathway and the Planter—aside from her extreme beauty, the vivid life and flesh (though only superficially so) bore traces of human alchemy.
"...Fine, consider it an unexpected windfall. But normally, don't leave this house without permission."
"Next, I have some matters to attend to. You may move freely now."
Aleric stood, straightened his coat, and headed back to his bedroom. As for the puppet, she wasn't part of his plans.
Margaret bowed slightly, resembling a true maid.
As long as the winding key remained in his possession, her personality wouldn't spiral out of control.
However, Aleric suddenly recalled—according to Williams' account, this puppet girl required her master to shape her personality. In simpler terms, she needed her "settings" written.
But... Aleric had no interest in designing a puppet's personality... Perhaps this task was better suited for Mr. Moon.
...
Watching the sky gradually lighten, Aleric steadied his breath, drew the ritual silver dagger, and began setting up a spiritual barrier in the room.
Three candles were lit in the room, with spiritual materials like moonlight grass and corpse-tail leaves placed on either side, forming a peculiar array—a defensive spiritual ritual that could effectively prevent passersby from sensing any anomalies should something go wrong.
Then, clasping his hands together, he slowly began to pray:
"The Wanderer Lost in Distant Time and Space".
"The Hidden Eye Lurking in the Gaps of Existence".
"The Bard Who Composes and Sings of the End".
He modeled this divine title after the way Klein had designed the Fool's honorific name in the original story, crafting one for himself.
"The Wanderer Lost in Distant Time and Space"—this was because, in this world, the old civilization had long since perished, and he had indeed traversed multiple eras to arrive here.
"The Hidden Eye Lurking in the Gaps of Existence"—this referred to an application of the [Nonexistent] Sefirah, where even in its absence, Aleric couldn't directly interfere with reality but could still observe the outside world.
Finally, "The Bard Who Composes and Sings of the End"—this was a tribute to the Pathway of the End, Sequence 0: The End, anciently known as the Spiral of Termination.
With this, the Honorific Name was complete.
This was to better harness the power of the Sefirah—though it was merely an experiment. He didn't expect it to be as convenient as the Sefirah Castle.
As he finished reciting, faint whispers gradually reached Aleric's ears.
Placing his hand on the shadow, Aleric entered the black coffin of the [Nonexistent].
"It actually works... though the coffin is a bit cramped, not as grand as the Sefirah Castle."
After grumbling slightly, Aleric tried to locate the sound of the prayer... only to find no response whatsoever.
"What's going on?"
He widened his eyes, unable to find his praying self—there were no crimson stars like in the Sefirah Castle, nor any directional hints from the whispers...
Suddenly, it dawned on him—how could his earthly self, who was "no longer exist," possibly pray to a deity?
Damn it, does this mean I can't grant myself power?
Aleric narrowed his eyes, his brows furrowing into a tangled mess.
This situation was somewhat beyond his expectations. If he couldn't respond to his own prayers to grant himself angel-level power, his combat effectiveness would undoubtedly take a massive hit.
...Unless he considered empowering others, but at the moment, there was no one available.
As for that puppet, Aleric didn't fully trust it yet. Just as a Seer couldn't completely rely on divination, Aleric didn't dare to assume he had full control over this thing—after all, it might still carry powers from the Planter Pathway. If, under extreme circumstances, it were influenced by a high-sequence beyonder of the Mother Pathway, the consequences would be unthinkable.
Still, having been soaked in the Sefirah, it should be safe for now.
"Sigh."
However, Aleric wasn't too disheartened. Every situation had two sides. While he couldn't grant himself power like the Sefirah Castle, this also reduced the risk of being discovered by others.
Checking the time, most of the preparations were complete, and the plan was progressing smoothly.
Now, it was time to scout Klein's home.
...
Many days passed, and just as in the original story, on June 28th, Zhou Mingrui arrived in this world.