Not long after Clair's departure, Ma Dame Fan, the usually composed and commanding figure, found herself melting into her chair. Wailing like a spoiled child, she almost cried out, "T-T-That's so scary!"

One of her guards, the seemingly stoic werewolf, dismissed his platoon and approached the "High Court's strongest witch." With a sigh, he said, "C’mon now, that's not the face you want to show the public, Fanny."

Pouting, Fan replied, "Easy for you to say, Gram. You don’t have to face that monster. She is the true Black Death, the one who singlehandedly crushed armies of humanity and demons, thus ending the endless war!" Fan's face then turned pale, and she added, "Oh my God, do you think I somehow offended her? Oh no, how am I going to sleep soundly tonight, terrorized by the possibility that monster might attack me in my sleep?"

Gram gently patted the witch's head, saying, "You're overthinking things again, Fanny. Don’t worry. As long as I, Gram Nightstrider, am still alive, I won't let anyone hurt you."

"But if she took you out first, then I'm doomed!" Fan exclaimed.

Gram face-palmed himself. Dealing with Ma Dame Fan was proving to be quite a challenge. Despite showing herself as high and mighty, Ma Dame Fan that people loved and feared, was actually a cry-baby coward. She was always think the most negative outcome of something, running and hiding in fear off the future. Yet in front of her people, Fanny showed a facade of bravado and elegance, which ultimately to deceive people of her cowardness. In truth, Fanny was even afraid to argue with humans that she allowed them to stay in this city.

Gram glanced at Fanny's ring fingers and sighed. If only they hadn't been childhood friends, Gram wouldn't have agreed to assist her with this commission, especially when the reward seemed hardly worth the trouble. As a rank S adventurer, the highest in the town, Gram could have chosen more lucrative commissions.

“Don’t worry. That girl couldn’t defeat me,” Gram assured Fanny, “I couldn’t sense any magic on her even though she is a vampire. Her body composition… well, a lean girl like her couldn’t hurt me with that skin-to-bone hands. Perhaps, The Quartz Megistus mistook her as The Black Death?”

Fanny shook her head. "The Prophecy of Quartz Megistus is absolute. Thanks to Megistus's guidance, Pei Jin survived the endless war while other towns crumbled to dust."

Gram crossed his arms, “Hmm, what was The Prophecy again?”

Fanny pointed her right hand to the sky, summoning a dark flame on her pointed finger, illustrating an eye-shaped rune. The fabric of reality cracked like glass, revealing a deep abyss. From the darkness emerged visions of Clair's smile as she gazed upon the devastation of Pei Jin. In the center of the city sprouted the giant tree of light, Kalabendu, piercing the sky.

Fanny's eyes shone with a purple light as she muttered, her voice resonating with an otherworldly echo. "From the depth of the abyss, the fingers of Death enveloped life to her bosom. Yet, one true demon shall prevail, piercing her spear through the false sky. She destroyed everything in her wake, leaving no one in the city of magic alive... not even the gods."

Gram furrowed his brow, studying the images in the abyss. "That weak little girl brought destruction to this city. Surely, Quartz is not mistaken, right?”

Fanny closed her eyes, thus the reality recovered itself. With iris tainted with red blood, the girl answered, “Through time, The Quartz always guided us with its cryptic message. However, just this time, it gave us a clear picture. It shows how important this vision is. We must prevent The Black Death from destroying our city.”

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Gram scratched his head, still trying to make sense of the cryptic events. “Well, if it's the will of Megistus, then so be it. But how exactly you would stop yhe Prophecy, Fanny?”

The witch hugged her knees, visibly frightened. "U-Um… Perhaps, through trials in the court? If we could somehow prove that she is guilty, we could imprison her in The Tartarus. There, not even the gods could escape."

"Wait, you mean you sent her to falsely accuse Arthur and then showed the court that Clair is the true Black Death?" Gram asked.

Fanny smiled weakly. "Or better, if we could catch her killing Arthur, Quartz Megistus will deliver a death penalty to her. W-Well, that’s the plan, hehe."

Gram's eyes narrowed as he processed Fanny's desperate plan, “Talk about a roundabout way to end this. Hey, why don’t we just kill her right now? Simple and clean.”

Fanny shouted, “D-Don’t be reckless! W-We don’t know how powerful she is or what her weaknesses. Only before the Magic Court could a powerful witch rendered powerless. That’s the only chance we have to defeat her.”

Seeing Fanny's desperation, Gram became suspicious. Could she be hiding key information about the prophecy from him?

Gram sighed, "Alright then. Since you’re the commissioner, I will follow your plan. In that case, I’d better shadow Clair now. Perhaps I can gather more information about her."

Before Gram left, Fanny took his arm, worried, “Please be very careful. You are facing someone stronger than the gods.”

Gram patted Fanny head again, “Don’t worry too much. I’ll be fine.”

* * *

Gram discreetly followed Clair through the bustling streets of Pei Jin, careful not to draw attention to himself. The vampire's sharp senses might have detected the presence of a powerful being, but Gram's mastery of stealth allowed him to blend seamlessly with the crowd.

Clair, seemingly carefree, immersed herself in the lively atmosphere of the festival. She moved from one street vendor to another, sampling various snacks and treats. It was weird. There was no sign that she contacted anyone or even tailling Arthur. Was she truly the same being foretold by the Prophecy of Quartz Megistus, The Black Death?

But Gram couldn’t shake the feeling that something was amiss. It was his instinct as an adventurer that lead him to follow Clair. Then, Gram found himself in an unfamiliar part of the city, surrounded by abandoned buildings and eerie silence. However, around the building he could see butterflies fly with flickering light. How otherwordly, it was almost like he was greeted by the ghost of the abandoned district.

Suddenly…

“E-Eekh! Someone, help!”

It was Clair's voice! Dammit, how careless of him. He lost the witch’s track! The wolf sprinted through the labyrinthine alleys of the abandoned district. The flickering light of the butterflies accompanied him like spectral guides in the dimly lit surroundings.

As Gram turned a corner, he stumbled upon a perplexing scene. Clair, supposedly the harbinger of destruction, was cornered by two mysterious assailants wielding deadly weapons. Could they be bandits? There was no way The Black Death could be defeated by lowly bandits, right?

"P-please, let me go, Mister. I-I don’t have anything with me," Clair pleaded, tears welling in her eyes. "O-Oh, I-I know. H-how about I give you a special discount when visiting my store? I-I promise to give you guys 10% off, no 20%!"

But the bandits chuckled and began to encircling the witch. They raised their weapon, and ready to hack the witch.

Dammit, Gram knew it! Unwilling to stand idly by, Gram readied his iron knuckles, ready to intervene. However, before he could act, a blinding light flashed.

An angelic figure with fiery red wings descended upon Clair, wielding a flaming sword. It was Arthur, seemingly defying the prophecy by protecting the one he was destined to be betrayed by. A girl with short black hair, then swiftly incapacitated the bandits with her bare fists.

Seeing as all the bandits had been taken care of, the girl let out a sigh, “Mom, are you okay?”

Clair, seemingly relieved, fell on her knees. "Ah, thank you. If you're not here, what would happened to me, Luciel."

Gram eyes widened. He began questioning the validity of The Prophecy. How could a weak lady be The Black Death?