Lord of Mysteries:The Good Witch

"Knock knock--

A gentle knock sounded at the lounge door.

"Come in," said Angel, rising from the sofa by the window in the second-floor lounge of Black Thorn Security Company. Her right hand instinctively moved to smooth her skirt before she remembered she had entrusted all her weapons to the young Nightwatcher named Leonard Mitchell.

The doorknob turned, and a white-haired figure in a black coat entered, carrying a wooden meal box.

At first glance, Angel thought it was an elderly person. But as the newcomer fully entered the lounge, she realized it was a woman in her thirties with long white hair. Her features were unremarkable, but she exuded a calm, peaceful aura. Her dark eyes seemed to see through everything.

"Siga Theon, Nightwatcher," the white-haired lady introduced herself briefly. "The captain asked me to bring you lunch."

The captain must be that cold-faced Dunn Smith... So this must be the female Nightwatcher he said he'd arrange to "monitor" me, Angel thought. She hurried over to take the meal box from Siga Theon.

The box wasn't large. Inside was an oat bread, a small bowl of stew, and a few thin slices of bacon. The portion wasn't big, but it had meat and vegetables, a reasonably balanced meal.

This "Black Thorn Security Company" didn't seem to have its own kitchen. Angel guessed the lunch was delivered from a nearby restaurant.

Having not eaten breakfast, it had been nearly a day since Angel's last meal. Apart from drinking two cups of hot water in the lounge, her stomach was completely empty. Disregarding the presence of others, she placed the meal box on the table and began to wolf down the food.

Siga Theon sat quietly on a nearby sofa, casually picking up a copy of the Ahova Evening News from a few days ago, hiding her gaze behind the newspaper.

But Angel still felt her attention was on her.

A woman's appetite was far less than Angel's originally well-trained stomach capacity. Although she felt starving, after finishing most of the oat bread with the stew, she already felt about 80% full.

Slowing down, she gradually finished the last bit of food. She took the napkin that had been under the bread to wipe her mouth and hands, letting out a satisfied sigh.

Siga Theon lowered the newspaper, glancing at the empty meal box. Her eyebrows raised in surprise, making Angel feel her cheeks grow warm.

I haven't eaten for almost a day, isn't it reasonable to finish a meal? Besides, this lunch wasn't exactly lavish. In the past, I could have easily polished off three portions...

"Where should I put the meal box?" Angel asked, trying to dispel the awkwardness.

"Just leave it here. Someone from the restaurant will come to collect it in the afternoon," the white-haired Nightwatcher answered with a hint of a smile. "I just thought it was... impressive that you still have an appetite in this environment."

As long as I'm not embarrassed, the other person will be... Angel's eyes darted around, trying to change the subject.

"How many people are in your 'security company'? I mean, the 'Nighthawks'?" As soon as the words left her mouth, Angel regretted it. Her topic change was too abrupt.

Siga Theon didn't seem to mind. She put down the newspaper, crossing her long legs under her coat into a comfortable position. Leaning back against the soft cushion of the sofa, she thought for a moment before answering:

"There are six combat personnel including myself. I think you've already met some of them. Including the administrative staff, there are more than ten people in total."

The answer was vague. Was she afraid of revealing some secrets?

Angel silently recalled the "Nighthawks" she had met: Dunn Smith, called the captain; Daley Simone, dressed like a "medium"; the young Leonard Mitchell; and Siga Theon in front of her. That was already four. She remembered when she first arrived at Black Thorn Security Company, Dunn had asked Leonard to find two other personnel who were on leave. It seemed these were all the combat strength of the "Nighthawks" in Tingen.

Although few in number, if they were all Beyonders, they would undoubtedly be a formidable team. Even if they were all Sequence 9, they would each have their own unique abilities. Once multiple Beyonders teamed up for battle, their various unpredictable powers would cause great trouble for the enemy.

"With only six combat personnel, won't you be overwhelmed?" Angel asked curiously. She found this point very intriguing. Last night, just to investigate Cole Granger's case, three Nighthawks had come to her house, mobilizing half of the combat personnel. Excluding those resting at home and on duty, it was almost a full deployment.

Siga Theon chuckled lightly, her narrowed eyes making her look younger.

"Actually, we're quite idle. There aren't many supernatural events that need handling in Tingen City. Including your case, there have been only four incidents in June. And it's not just us 'Nighthawks' doing the work. We're only responsible for the North District, West District, and Golden Indus District. The rest of the areas are handled by non-Beyonders from the 'Punishers' and 'Machinery Hearts'."

"If you hadn't reported to the Church of Saint Selena this time, it wouldn't have been our responsibility to begin with."

The "Punishers" of the Church of the Lord of Storms, the "Machinery Hearts" of the Church of Steam and Machinery - these were the church's non-Beyonder armed forces, like the "Nighthawks" for the Church of the Goddess. It seemed the division of power among the three major orthodox churches in the Kingdom of Loen was quite clear. At least this way, there wouldn't be conflicts or even fights when handling related cases.

Seeing that Siga Theon answered every question, Angel went on to ask many more about these non-Beyonder teams in Tingen City. It appeared that Siega's concern about "leaking secrets" was limited to her own Nightwatcher team. When discussing the other two non-Beyonder teams in Tingen City, she was basically forthcoming, answering everything she knew, which broadened Angel's horizons.

"...Because those people were believers of the Lord of Storms, the 'Punishers' also arrived at the scene. They hadn't had a case for a month, and when they saw that the captain and I had already resolved the situation, their eyes nearly popped out of their heads. They almost got into a fight with us..."

Sharing others' embarrassing stories is indeed one of the best ways to foster friendship. Angel and Siga Theon quickly hit it off. When Leonard Mitchell, who had changed out of his black police uniform and was casually wearing a black vest, pushed open the lounge door and walked in, Siega was very ungracefully holding her stomach, almost rolling on the sofa with laughter.

"Ahem... ahem." Seeing someone enter, Siga Theon instantly resumed her proper sitting posture, as if her previous breakdown had been just an illusion. "Leonard, what's the matter?"

She looked at the meal box on the table and suddenly realized, "Are you here to collect the meal box?"

Leonard Mitchell almost couldn't maintain his deliberately cool expression. After a moment's pause, he replied, "Of course not. The waiter has already collected all the dishes outside, probably forgot about yours here. I came because the captain asked me to notify you to go to his office for a meeting about tonight's operation."

Hearing it was related to the night operation, Siga Theon also became serious. She stood up from the sofa, adjusting her coat.

"Then I'll go to the captain's office first. You'll take over for me?" Siega gestured with her eyes towards Angel sitting on the inner sofa.

Leonard nodded, "No problem. I'm not participating in the battle tonight anyway."

He naturally sat down on the sofa where Siega had just been rolling, picking up the Ahova Evening News from earlier.

Seeing Siga Theon preparing to leave, Angel also stood up to say goodbye: "Ms. Thawne, thank you for your company during this time."

Remembering that the "Nighthawks" were all believers of the Goddess of Night, she added, "May the Goddess bless you."

"May the Goddess bless you." Siga Theon drew a crimson moon on her chest before leaving the lounge.

The room fell back into silence. Leonard Mitchell's purpose in coming seemed to be just to read the newspaper. He sat with his legs crossed, holding the Ahova Evening News with both hands, staring intently at the pages as if some secret to wealth was hidden in the news.

Angel found this person too serious and liked to dig deep, so she didn't strike up a conversation with him. Instead, she also pulled out a newspaper from a nearby bookshelf, sat back on the sofa by the window, and began to pass the time.

It was a copy of the Intis Post from a week ago. It seemed the newspapers in the lounge weren't updated very diligently, and the "Nighthawks" who used them to pass time didn't seem to mind this point much.

She focused her attention on the front-page headline:

"Shocking! Multiple Tingen University Students Mysteriously Disappear, Reason Surprisingly Related to Female Literature Professor?"

What is this?

Angel frowned and put the newspaper aside. She wasn't interested in such sensationalist headlines. The fact that such a headline could make the front page suggested this newspaper wasn't very authoritative.

But after a few seconds, she picked up the Intis Post again, wanting to see if the article mentioned Cole Granger. After all, this guy had used the ability of "Instigator" to trick quite a few students into skipping classes and heading to the Amanda Mountains north of Ahova County. They reportedly hadn't been heard from for a month. Saying they had disappeared wasn't quite accurate; Angel thought they must have met with misfortune, their bodies possibly even carried off by wolves by now.

Reading through the main text line by line, she concluded it was a worthless piece of news, full of tabloid-style speculation from her previous life. It was written to attract attention by any means necessary, using various fictitious anonymous "sources" and cleverly employing words like "possibly" and "perhaps" to avoid legal issues.

Turning to the later pages, one eye-catching headline after another covered topics from all walks of life across all countries of the Northern Continent. The only common thread was that they were all baseless rumors and sensationalism.

Just as she was about to throw this newspaper far away, Leonard Mitchell, who had been buried in his newspaper looking for the "secret to wealth," suddenly spoke.

"You seem to get along well with Siega. What's your first impression of her, of us 'Nighthawks'?"

His words carried a casual tone, and his eyes didn't leave the newspaper, as if he was just asking offhandedly. But having experienced the conversation in the carriage, Angel believed he must have some purpose.

"Ms. Siga Theon seemed a bit cold at first glance, but after chatting with her for a while, you can discover she's a very warm-hearted person," Angel answered, choosing her words carefully.

"As for the Nighthawks, to be honest, my first impression wasn't good. After all, you barged into my home in the middle of the night and directly invaded my dream. If I weren't a Beyonder myself, I'm afraid your captain Dunn Smith wouldn't have even given me a chance to talk, but would have directly prepared to obtain all information in the dream, right?"

She first expressed her feelings as an "ordinary citizen," then changed her tone:

"However, since it's for combating Beyonder crimes, I can't say much. Putting aside subjective feelings, I'm quite optimistic about your professionalism and efficiency."

"Usually, we would come with the neighborhood police for our procedures. This time it was in the middle of the night, and the matter was urgent. Ms. Daley is also leaving Tingen tomorrow, so the captain was in a hurry to finish the case as soon as possible," Leonard Mitchell explained, not expecting Angel's evaluation to be so blunt, his face showing a hint of embarrassment.

"Compared to 'moderates' like us, the 'Punishers' are brutes who tend to break down doors and arrest first, question later. The 'Machinery Hearts' are even more prone to fighting crime on the streets with guns in hand. I believe you wouldn't like their methods."

As if recalling some past experience, Leonard's mouth twitched, seeming to want to laugh but holding it back.

He simply put down the Ahova Evening News he hadn't been flipping through, switched the direction of his crossed legs, and fixed his emerald eyes on Angel.

"Based on your current impression, if you had the opportunity to join the 'Nighthawks,' would you be willing?"

Join the Nighthawks? Me?

Angel looked at Leonard, trying to find a hint of joking in his face, but Leonard's expression was calm, his gaze unwavering.

He seems to be serious...

Angel frowned slightly. As a former Templar Knight, her first impression of the Nighthawks, the Beyonder armed force of the Goddess of Night, wasn't actually bad. The negative evaluation from earlier was largely to create the persona of an "ordinary person full of complaints about violent institutions." Once viewed from the perspective of fighting crime, this swift and unrestrained way of doing things became their advantage.

But what does this have to do with me? My current identity is just a witness who submitted a report. Maybe tomorrow I'll wake up and go to prison to keep Mrs. Sharon company under her testimony. Now you're asking if I'm interested in joining the "Nighthawks"... You don't look like a "Suicide Squad" to me, do you?

She speculated about Leonard's intentions, not answering immediately.

"Haha, I was just asking casually. Don't take it to heart," Leonard said, seeing Angel's changing expression and lack of response. He didn't pursue the question further.

"It's just that for 'victims' of supernatural events like you, the department handling the case usually needs to make arrangements to prevent subsequent harm or leakage of secrets. Since you're already a Beyonder, your options will be broader. Once Mrs. Sharon is captured and brought to justice, the captain will probably have a detailed talk with you."

Victim? Once Mrs. Sharon is captured, as long as I deny the existence of "Angel Granger" and reveal the effects of the Sequence 7 potion "Witch," it's still a question of who between us will be on the gallows first. At that time, if I say "I'm also a victim, Cole Granger died long ago in the advancement ritual, I'm a wandering soul from another world possessing this body," would anyone believe me?

Although she had already prepared for the worst in order to resolve the issue of Mrs. Sharon once and for all, thinking of this depressing possibility, the bit of good mood Angel had gained from chatting with Siga Theon evaporated like dew under the scorching sun. She picked up the Intis Post again, full of gossip and tabloid news, and immersed herself in the fictional news to pass the time.