Frost was listening to the report with a content smile.
Her chin rested on a bed of intertwined fingers as firsthand accounts of the Black Wings’s success was announced by a Lunar Haruspex.
“Overwhelming victory. Zero causalities. Several denizens of D7 were unfortunately killed in the operation. Compensation is pending.”
The long-haired man who wore a kind smile found only on those who were as sly as a fox. His highly lavish fur coat with the image of a minute hand, and the blue suit defined precisely who he was.
“All Lunar Inquisitors have reported the same. Syndicate activity in the Alara Trade Hold – D7: City – has ceased entirely. No one was able to leave the ‘Exclusion Zone’. All information regarding their disappearance has been contained.”
“It’ll be enough time to continue making strides until they begin hiding.”
They needed to continue striking while the iron was hot. D7 was only the beginning of the Head’s intervention. If news came out too quickly then Syndicates would make immense efforts to keep themselves off their radar.
So it was only logical to act while their heads were still out of the ground.
“May I say something?” The Lunar Inquisitor asked.
It was clear that did not understand the logic behind Frost’s words.
“Go ahead.”
“As you are aware, our forces were more than enough to prevent any soul from leaving the perimeter the Succubae marked. Forgive my insolence, but I cannot understand why an Isolation Sphere was required.”
“It bought us time. Isolation Spheres are not just a way to exert control over time or to be used as a tool for imprisonment.”
Frost was more than happy to relay this in full, causing the man’s eyes to widen as it finally clicked with him.
“The Isolation Spheres control the flow of information. What happens within cannot easily come out. News will inevitably come out. There is no way to avoid it. This is why I trust you and all hands of the Head to act while the Nex Megalopolis is unaware.”
“I see… I never thought of it like that! My mistake, Amalgam.”
“No. It was our mistake for not having made it clear in the first place. I should have emphasized the importance of it. There will always be factors outside of our control. The Isolation Spheres will control many of these variables, but it will always be a matter of time before something happens.”
Of course, this was already known by most, but some Moons found it difficult to read further into the application of their tools. In fact, most Moons were like him and was largely the reason why it was so difficult for them to fight a Corrupted with a Condition. Even without a Condition being explicitly stated, one – if they were able to piece the clues together – could figure it out.
Luck was also a factor that Frost did not forget. The fragrance of freshly brewed black tea filled the wooden interior. They were within one of the offices of the Head located at the upper layers of Time Reverberation’s Headquarters.
“Any word on the Black Wing’s themselves?”
“Disciplined. None hesitated to kill when they had the opportunity. Frankly speaking, the training they had in the City of Diamonds Combat Academy provided more difficulty. Specialized bullets were used dynamically when required. It was though they had been waiting for this day since they were born.”
Frost could already imagine the sinister faces they wore as they massacred the Syndicate members. It was a vile image of chaos that could bring a sane mind to the brink of madness. To Frost? She subtly smiled like a mother having heard that their daughter had passed a difficult exam with flying colors.
She poured tea into two cups.
Her reflection in the hot, dark brew was nearly unrecognizable from the same face she first saw in the pond near the Village of Virt.
“Is that all?” Frost slid a teacup across the desk towards the Lunar Inquisitor, to which he politely accepted.
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“That is all. End of report.”
He gulped it in an instant before pardoning himself through the double doors, leaving Frost alone in total silence as she enjoyed her tea. Whether it was coffee or tea mattered little to her, unlike a certain Beholder. If it tasted good, then was there really a problem?
She entertained these thoughts before bringing a hand into the light above with a fond smile. The glimmers of the ring Jury had given her reminded her of the fireworks.
With a small giggle, she slumped onto the table, unable to hide her giddy expression.
“You seem very happy.”
Can you really blame me? I found the love of my life~
“Please refrain from unloading unesseccary happiness onto this channel. I’m lucky that I don’t seem to be RAM limited because I would have been bogged down by Jury… But congratulations. It’s late, but I’m happy for you.”
Thank you, Nav.
“Ehehe…”
An unlikely voice slipped her lips as she lightly rubbed her cheek on the desk. She squirmed in place, unable to refrain herself from expressing how happy she was. The privacy of her meeting room gave her the luxury to goof between each report.
“Frost. This is the fifteenth time I’ve told you congratulations. Are you stuck in a time loop?”
Are you congratulating me? Thank you, Nav. And every time feels like the first~ Did you know what she said to me last night? Nav? Can I tell you?
“… How do I sever links with you and Jury? Please tell me there is a search engine feature I can use.”
“Ahaha…”
Her laughs were muffled. Visions of last night filled her mind. It was a good thing that the operation today succeeded without issue, otherwise she wouldn’t be able to savour those feelings Jury shared with her last night, both before and after their engagement –
“… It got Frost too.”
– A voice spoke from above her.
Unbeknownst to Frost, someone – no, multiple people had entered the room and had seen her unsightly face. A tail brushed the side of her face as she looked up to see Res and Ber staring down at her with a mourning expression.
“What got her?” Cer entered through the doors. She thrust both hands out, shoving the double doors wide open, only for them to bounce off the walls and come straight back at her face. “Who the f –!? What’s with these doors!?”
“Frost got infected too!? Wake up Frost! It’s not too late!” Ber grasped onto her shoulders, shaking her as if her life was on the line.
… huh? Infected with what?
Her tail swiped at her face as well like a broom. Curiosity got the better over Frost since the pair didn’t realize she was awake, believing her to be heavily daydreaming.
“Can you two morons move and let me see what’s going on!?” Cer was barely able to catch a glimpse of Frost, her angry face appearing every so often between the gaps of her adult sisters. “MOVE! MOVE OUT OF THE WAY! RIGHT NOW!”
“… can you two tell me what you’re doing to me?” Frost croaked, confused by their solemn and desperate expressions.
In the background Cer jumped up and down, her tail barely reaching over their heads as she yelled: “Let me see what’s going on!”, and “Stop blocking me just cause I’m still smaller than you two good for nothing melons!”
“Cleansing you and offering our condolences.” Res said so seriously that Frost legitimately believed that she had some sort of ailment. “Frost… I didn’t think you of all people would catch it.”
“Yeah, Frost. I think you’re a gonner. And don’t try to hide the fact that you were rubbing your cheeks on the desk. What the hell were you imagining? As matter of fact, the only cure to Cer Syndrome is to tell us right now!” Ber was excited all of a sudden, steam leaving her nostrils like a raging bull. “We’ve been through thick and thin, so tell us what happened! A ring doesn’t just appear on the hands on two lovebirds over night!”
“It did as a matter of fact.” Frost admitted.
“Woooow~ So who proposed first!?” Ber was unexpectedly into this kind of talk, her eyes sparkling like jewels. “Aren’t you curious too, Res? And you too, Cer?”
Cer, in the background: “Is this a prank or something? It’s not my fault you left your casserole unattended! A wolf’s gotta eat!”
“Jury must’ve given you that!” Res adored the onyx ring. “It looks colorless, but you can tell there’s so many colorful fractals inside. Jury has an amazing eye. I’m surprised you’re able to work at all today, Frost! That’s why we came here after…”
Silence.
All wolves, including Cer, fell silent in an instant. Their tails and ears drooped as Ber’s mouth hung open, and Res began poking her fingers together. Frost put the pieces together and realized they had visited Jury prior.
No, the reason why they were here was precisely because of their meeting with Jury.
“After what? Hey, someone say something. Don’t leave me hanging like that.” Frost tried to pry an answer out of them, but they were too scared to even answer.
“L-Let’s just say that something came up and Jury won’t be able to see you today. There was an issue with the Candidate Moons that she needed to address in full. So uh…” Cer beat around the bush, remembering something terrifying enough to cause the hairs of her tail to stand on all ends.
Suddenly, Res went in for the kill.
“She’s fucking furious. And I don’t mean that lightly. There has been issues with the conduct of few of the Candidate Moons that went undetected, so her hold over her Atelier is tightening further.”
“Tch. They’re unblessed to begin with. Who would have thought that the common filth would have brought problems here. Not me.” Cer sarcastically spoke, making her disdain over the non-Blessed well known.
“Quite, Sis. Frost. She didn’t tell us the reason why, but it’s just something we needed to make you aware of.” Ber said.
“Why didn’t Nav say anything?”
Frost was curious about this. If something severe had appeared, then why wasn’t she informed immediately?
Res placed her hands on her hips after lightly slapping Cer for her comments.
“Direct communication is better, don’t you think?” She smiled. “It’s not serious. She’s just annoyed. But Frost…”
“Yeah, Frost…”
“Frost…”
“Hmm?”
All three of them placed their tails on her shoulders simultaneously.
“Don’t you dare get on her bad side.” They warned, unable to speak of the demon incarnate – that was a furious Jury.