"Yes."
Under the gaze of so many people, Audrey didn't affectionately nestle against her mother and call her "Mom."
Instead, she maintained a respectful demeanor and said, "This lady is extremely powerful. I believe she has sufficient strength to become my bodyguard."
"Is that so? Then I'm quite looking forward to this."
The Countess looked at the masked, black-haired woman with great interest. Judging by her appearance, she seemed to be a fairly young girl.
Compared to the Beyonders who had visited before, she was somewhat too young.
"Why is she covering her face?"
The Countess asked.
"Because her appearance is rather distinctive, and she doesn't wish others to see it."
Audrey replied.
Silas had actually considered directly changing his sister's facial features, but using flesh magic on his own sister's face made him somewhat uncomfortable.
In the end, he decided that just wearing a mask and providing some concealment would be sufficient.
"Very well. She is applying to be your bodyguard after all. If you have no objections, then neither do I."
The Countess didn't press the matter further.
She smiled and shifted her gaze to her side. "Olivia, what do you think of this person's abilities?"
Across the round table, outside the parasol's shade, stood an adult woman with brown hair. She appeared calm and indifferent, her black eyes observing the masked girl across from her.
Faced with the Countess's question, she didn't respond immediately, seemingly deep in thought.
Everyone watched her, waiting for her answer.
After a moment.
"Olivia?"
The Countess asked again.
"Hmm? Ah! My apologies, madam. I was lost in thought."
The calm woman's body gave a slight start, as if she had just awakened from a dream. She looked around. "What were you just asking me?"
Hmm?
Hidden in the shadows, Silas felt a sense of familiarity with this rather spacey behavior.
Could she be a Nightmare?
The Earl Hall family were all devout believers of the Evernight Goddess, and it was said they had donated substantial funds to the Church of Evernight.
Such quality believers naturally warranted special protection, which would make sense.
"It's alright. I was just asking what you thought of the abilities of this person Audrey has brought."
The Countess smiled amiably, appearing not at all offended.
"Hard to say. I can't tell just by looking."
Olivia answered honestly. "I'd need to cross hands with her to find out."
"Then what are we waiting for?"
The Countess clapped her hands happily. "Let's not waste time. Let's begin right away."
There were other bodyguards in the villa, though most were Sequence 7, with only one appearing to be Sequence 6.
According to the Countess's instructions, defeating any one of them would be sufficient to pass the test and become Audrey's bodyguard.
And the Beyonder arranged for this test happened to be from a pathway Silas was very familiar with.
"My name is Olivia. If you can't hold on during the fight, you can stop at any time."
The brown-haired woman said this as she walked to the center of the riding arena and stretched her body.
"Cecilia."
She heard the masked woman across from her say flatly.
"Such a young voice. Did you become a Beyonder at such a young age?"
Olivia asked.
No answer came.
"Alright, if you don't want to answer, then let's have the Countess signal the start..."
"You're trying to pull me into a dream."
She heard the other person say briefly.
Olivia froze.
Then, a crisp shattering sound reached her ears, like a dream sealed in glass being forcibly broken, crashing down into scattered fragments that fell to the ground.
The dream shattered. In her true state, she was bent over, pressing her brow.
How did she discover it?
Olivia straightened her body, filled with confusion. This particular extraordinary ability of hers was usually very effective and often played a powerful role in combat.
She hadn't expected that today, the moment she used it, it would be discovered.
"Swoosh!"
Before her surprise had even subsided, a flash of bright blade light expanded infinitely before her eyes.
So fast, without a moment's hesitation!
Olivia turned her head, dodged the dagger's thrust, and quickly reacted.
She pulled a black baton from under her clothes and, facing the masked girl's attack, skillfully began to parry and counter.
The Darkness Pathway, starting from the initial Sequence 9 Sleepless, began enhancing physical abilities. By Sequence 7, they would only be stronger.
"Clang! Clang!"
The metal baton struck the dagger, producing loud collision sounds as sparks flew.
This girl seems to be a combat-oriented Beyonder too, but her sequence should be lower than mine.
After close combat, she quickly made this assessment.
"I hear the whisper of the wind, a hymn from the night..."
While engaged in combat, Olivia hummed softly.
The magical verses echoed, as tranquil as the night sky, making one unable to help but feel drowsy, wanting to set aside what they were doing and enjoy sleep.
Since directly pulling the other person into a dream had been discovered, she would simply use this method to interfere and slow down her opponent's movements.
Soon, she noticed that the masked girl's movements were becoming sluggish, as if troubled by drowsiness, unable to control herself.
Perfect opportunity!
She seized the chance to close in.
The baton in her hand struck out nimbly yet fiercely, like a cunning serpent striking at the other's wrist.
With a "snap," the dagger in her opponent's hand was knocked to the ground.
The masked girl, struck on the wrist, seemed to become slightly more alert. Seeing the dagger fall, she didn't bend down to pick it up but instead tried to retreat, maintaining distance from Olivia.
A smart choice, but sorry!
"Swoosh!"
Olivia planted both feet and charged forward.
She wanted to take this opportunity to press her baton directly against the other's throat and force her to admit defeat.
But just then, she suddenly felt a powerful resistance from beneath her feet, as if a hand had tightly gripped her ankle!
"Thud!"
Her forward momentum was abruptly halted. She quickly adjusted her posture, managing to control her body and avoid falling directly.
What happened?
Olivia was half-kneeling on the ground, both hands in intimate contact with the arena floor, as a scent of grass mixed with horse manure entered her nostrils.
However, at this moment, she couldn't care less about the smell. Instead, she instinctively looked toward where the resistance came from.
"What is this?!"
She was shocked to discover that something black was gripping her ankle, restricting her movement.
That thing... was her own shadow!
The afternoon sunlight in Backlund wasn't particularly bright, but at this moment, her shadow appeared so dark, so deep.
It clung to the ground, not fully reflecting Olivia's actual state. Instead, as if possessing its own intelligence, it extended a hand and tightly gripped her ankle!
Her own shadow had betrayed her!
In that instant, an indescribable fear surged into Olivia's heart.
It was like in daily life when something familiar suddenly reveals a strange abnormality, bringing an intense sense of unease.
"Rustle, rustle..."
In that moment of distraction, the shadow began moving again. Its other hand started to elongate, as if trying to climb up Olivia's body and grip her throat.
"Damn it!"
But she was a Sequence 7 Beyonder after all. She quickly overcame this unease and attempted to save herself.
However, as she struggled, a gleaming dagger was already extended before her, pressed against her.
"Do you want to continue?"
She heard the girl across from her ask.
"...I've lost."
Olivia froze for a moment, then smiled bitterly.