Alice curved her lips slightly, took the brooch from Evelyn, then turned to Audrey and asked:
"Do you have a suitable container here?"
Audrey didn't disappoint her. She took the test tube, and Alice gently held Evelyn's hand, feeling her cold fingertips and sweaty palm.
Alice couldn't help but smile. She looked at the motionless Evelyn and suddenly asked:
"You're not a Night Watcher, are you?"
"No," Evelyn was stunned for a moment before answering. "The Night Watchers rejected my application. They also refused to let me become an Beyonder."
Ah, that makes sense… Alice glanced at her with a hard-to-read expression, then sharply pierced Evelyn's fingertip.
After collecting the blood, Alice naturally pocketed the brooch as if signing a document and taking the pen with her. Pretending not to notice Evelyn's expression, she smiled at her and said:
"You should know this, right? If you've ever chanted the honorific name of a great being and your blood ends up in their hands, then the connection between you two is utterly unbreakable.
"Unless a true god is willing to help you personally—but even then, it's extremely difficult."
Evelyn didn't respond. Her eyes hesitated and landed on Alice's pocket. Then she asked, "My brooch…?"
After a two-second pause, Alice leaned back into her seat and smiled:
"Don't rush. Answer a few questions first.
"If you're not from the Church, then how did you become an Beyonder?"
—Even if the Hidden Sage took notice of her, there must be a reason.
In the few seconds after hearing this question, Evelyn's expression shifted repeatedly until it completely collapsed.
Alice watched as Evelyn fell to her knees, teary-eyed and pleading:
"Please… please help me… I really don't know what to do anymore…"
After a moment of silence, Alice looked at Audrey.
Audrey finally understood why a psychologist was needed here. She silently walked over to support Evelyn, her voice soft and comforting:
"You at least have to tell us what happened, right?"
At the same time, Audrey subtly cast a calming power on Evelyn.
Beyonder abilities were indeed more effective than mere words. Evelyn's emotions stabilized a bit, and she murmured:
"A fraud… she lied to me…"
"How did she lie to you?" Audrey asked gently.
"She told me about a ritual. She said… she said…" Evelyn bit her lip, her voice getting quieter, "She said if I performed the ritual, I could become an Beyonder…"
Seeing her emotions begin to unravel again, Audrey calmly cast another calming spell and softly asked:
"Did it work?"
"It did…" Evelyn clenched her fists. "But… but… my mother walked into the room out of worry…"
Audrey looked at Alice. Alice rubbed her fingertips together and asked in a flat voice:
"And what about the person who tricked you?
"How did you realize she lied to you?"
"The proper way should be drinking a potion to ascend, right?" Evelyn asked, biting her lip.
Alice chuckled lightly, her gaze falling into the shadows of Evelyn's eyes, and sighed:
"Oh, Hidden Sage…
"I don't know whether to say you're lucky or unlucky… If I'm right, the ritual must've pointed to Him.
"But given the current situation, at least you truly became an Beyonder rather than dying from losing control. That's good news, I suppose?"
But Evelyn's face turned deathly pale at Alice's affirmation. Her lips trembled, and after a long time, she uttered:
"My mother… I killed my mother… didn't I…?"
Audrey quickly cast another calming spell and gently said:
"I don't think this is your fault. The one who truly did wrong is the person who tricked you. We should catch that fraud and avenge your mother."
"Fraud… revenge…" Evelyn's emotions calmed again, though her voice still trembled. "Yes, I should avenge my mother. I should find that fraud!"
"Hmm… I have a question," Alice blinked. "Did you feel that the fraud seemed very kind and incredibly trustworthy?"
Evelyn paused, her eyes growing confused. She muttered, "Yes… I think so."
Clap clap clap—Alice clapped her hands and smiled. But her eyes turned cold as she said:
"Her name, and her face."
"Sylvia Marueni," Evelyn immediately replied. "But I don't know if that's her real name or not."
Alice chuckled:
"That's fine.
"I'll teach you a ritual—draw me her portrait.
"Do you have any personal items of hers?"
Evelyn shook her head.
As expected, Alice wasn't disappointed. She had even suspected whether this "Sylvia Marueni" might be a man in disguise, but a "Swindler" likely didn't possess the ability to change gender.
Yes, Alice suspected she was a Sequence 8 "Swindler"—a fraud involved with the Beyonder.
After glancing at Evelyn, Alice rubbed her forehead and first confirmed:
"You didn't set up a spiritual barrier before performing that ritual, did you?"
Evelyn mumbled, "She… she didn't tell me to…"
There was no need for her to continue. Alice sighed, pulled her up from the floor, and began teaching her how to draw the person in her mind through praying to a deity.
Performing an on-site response ritual seemed a bit strange, but Alice pulled out a complete set of herbs and hydrosol for the Night Domain, making Audrey, a genuine follower of the Night, fall into deep thought.
She clearly hadn't forgotten Alice's nonsense about the Night being her own follower.
As for how believable that was, it was hard to say. But knowing Alice, Audrey could tell even without any supernatural power that at least in the past, the goddess had been the one under divine protection.
And that was enough. Audrey said nothing more. Alice took the freshly drawn portrait from Evelyn's hand.
The woman in the drawing looked around twenty years old, with sharp features and a clear scar over her right eye, looking quite dangerous—as if she had almost lost an eye.
Her black hair was neatly tied back, both eyes were brown. Based on her features and aura, she was nothing like the kind and gentle type Alice remembered from Lanevus.
That, in fact, made her more likely to be a "Swindler"—without supernatural powers, she looked more like a mugger than a fraudster.
Though… her right eye didn't seem suited for wearing a monocle, huh…