“So, two agendas for the day, then.” Risti made herself comfortable at the head of the table, a sight that made Dia twitch and Count Nightfall frown. “First, the pesky familiar spirit who is presumably on his way here. Second, the issue of quotas and why Nero is in a bad state.”

Dia decided not to ask why Risti was leading the discussion after hearing those words.

“Okay, the familiar spirit.” Risti drummed her fingers on the table. “Familiar spirits are nasty business. The one on the way will crush us with supreme ease. Even my aunt would have to flee, and so would yours, Dia.”

“Aunts?” Count Nightfall asked.

“Aye. My aunt is a tetra-folder, the Verdant Interrogator,” Risti replied. “As for Dia, her aunt is the penta-folder that apparently shocked Ruler Istrel into backing down, the Lamenter of Sorrowful Partings.”

“You and Princess Dia are very close, huh,” Nightfall quipped.

Dia glanced at the count. “Yeah, very close.”

So close that we’re the same person, okay? I really want to see your face if I get to reveal my identity one day. Smirking, Dia leaned back on her chair, and the count’s face flickered. Within seconds, his expression had turned dark, and Dia had the feeling that he was trying to figure out if he had wronged her at any point in time.

“So, count, I presume you didn’t actually have a countermeasure ready to deal with the Red God’s familiar spirit, right?” Risti asked.

Nightfall paused. “Yeah.”

“You’ll have to get into contact with the Moons. Gotta let them take the fall for this one,” Risti replied. “Besides, they were more than happy to smite that fellow with lightning. It’ll be good if they just bar the familiar spirit at the door or something.”

“I’m already working on that, but I suspect that the familiar spirit is just bait that was thrown out,” Nightfall replied. “The Moons certainly won’t let an outsider kill a collaborator. That’ll just send the wrong signals out. However, with all that focus on the familiar spirit, it’s easy for human agents to enter.”

“People can still enter the sovereignty?”

Nightfall paused. “I’ll tell you guys something. On the day the Moon Emissary was killed, the palace’s artefacts detected an enormous surge of power. Something we had never seen before. What we didn’t tell anyone was that shortly after that enormous burst of power was detected, it vanished unnaturally. At the same time, however, the barrier that surrounds the sovereignty was breached, but we have no idea what caused the breach.”

“The killer escaped through the barrier?” Dia asked.

“Yeah. It was weakened permanently too,” Count Nightfall replied. “Which is why there’s a kill on sight order coming down from the Moons. Anyone approaching the barrier is instantly apprehended or killed.”

“Huh. So the person who killed the Moon Emissary — probably the Thief of Time — isn’t here anymore.” Dia bobbed her head.

“Correct. But that’s beside the point,” Count Nightfall replied. “Right now, a burst of power that is concentrated enough can create a nice hole in the barrier. It’ll definitely alarm whatever guards that are stationed there, but there aren’t enough guards. The Thief of Time obliterated one of the Moonlit armies on his or her own, after all.”

“I see. It’s not that bad if we don’t have to deal with a familiar spirit. That said, we don’t know the extent of what the Red God knows. Does he know that we were behind his Bearer’s death? Or just the approximate location that requires an investigation?” Risti asked.

“…Moons if I knew.” Count Nightfall shook his head. “While everyone’s going to be paying attention to the high-profile personage requesting for entry, there’s probably going to be an operative sneaking into the place and trying to figure out whodunit, if he hadn’t already.”

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The three of them sighed.

“Can’t we have a break?” Risti complained. “First the Bearer, and now this. Does Caroline have any suggestions?”

“Nothing for us, unfortunately.” Nightfall drummed the table. “Anyway, the only thing we can do is to beef up security and be more vigilant. We can’t go around scrutinising foreigners anyway.”

“Well, we definitely can scrutinise anyone who comes from the Saran Supremacy, though,” Risti pointed out. “Their clothes are quite distinct. We see one, we toss them into jail and grill them a bit.”

“That’s too heavy-handed…”

“Just say we’re looking for a criminal who fits that description, duh,” Risti replied. “Aren’t you a count? You’re supposed to be familiar with the act of oppressing people.”

“Is that what you think of us nobles as?” Nightfall retorted. Dia had to force herself to not nod along, in case she gave a few things away, and thankfully, Risti didn’t notice her.

Risti grinned. “Anyway, inconvenient truths aside, we should deal with the second matter. Nero is currently struggling with himself because he’s used both quotas at once. He’ll be out of commission for some time.”

“Right, you said something about that,” Dia muttered. “So, what does quotas have to do with him reverting to his younger self?”

“It’s a bit hard to explain, but it’s more of an uninhibition. His usual self, shackled by etiquette and a whole host of other things that he has unconsciously absorbed, is currently unconscious. What remains is a more primordial version of Nero. Expect him to be a bit bratty or something,” Risti replied. “

“Bratty…” Dia ruminated over that word and hid a smile. “Okay, so why is his usual self unconscious?”

“The quotas aren’t something we’re expected to use. For us who contend against Limbo, using them means that we have failed in our duty to keep a secret,” Risti replied. “It’s a punishment. Normally, it’s just a piercing headache, but Nero was forced to bring you two into the fold at one shot.”

Dia felt a touch of alarm at her explanation. In other words, Risti and Nero were actually not just people with a duty and obligation that came from their station.

“You guys are part of an organisation?” Dia asked.

“…Was it not obvious?” Risti tilted her head. “Of course, it’s just in name. I don’t think we’ve convened for over a decade, and when we convene, it’s done with an artefact very similar to the ritual magic of the Black God, Theatro Amimi.”

“You people can’t say the name either, then,” Dia noted.

“Right, the name. I can tell you guys, but telling you guys will bind you to secrecy and…never mind. You were already bound to secrecy the moment Nero used his quota anyway.”

“Eh?”

“Yeah. It’s…very complicated. Like I said, the powers that protect the world against Limbo are vast and varied. You already know that all the key actors in the Fourth Godsfall are united in this regard,” Risti explained. “It shouldn’t surprise you that knowledge in and of itself is a binding force. After all, what we’re fighting is knowledge itself. We intend to shut out Limbo entirely; the only way to do that is to expunge knowledge of Limbo from the minds of everyone.”

“Expunge knowledge…” Dia gulped.

“The Church of the Black God is precisely the main driver behind this shadowy war. Make no mistake; there are immense forces eyeing us. The five grand skies protect us from the outside, but they cannot protect us from ourselves.” Risti shook her head. “Regardless, now that you two have been inducted, you’re already considered members.”

“…At least let us know the name.”

“Recently,” Risti continued, ignoring Dia, “there’s been an upsurge of Limbo cases. In the past year alone, inclusive of the case we just occurred, three recorded attempts at breaching Limbo have been detected. All were destroyed, but we’re talking about a war that has transcended the three Godsfalls. Three occurrences in a year are alarming, especially when one of them includes a subversion of a Holy Child.”

“Wait, stop.” Count Nightfall raised a hand. “Three in a year is a lot? What time scale are you guys using?”

“Don’t scold me. I’m just parroting the introduction,” Risti replied. “Anyway, as a result, there will be a meeting of the minds soon. It’ll be around midnight for us, so don’t do anything with a lover — I’m looking at you, Nightfall — and have your wits around you.”

“Bah.”

“Sorry to spoil your romantic night,” Risti replied. “Anyway, it’s also a way to keep the flame alive. By showing up, the powers that be will know who you are. They’re more likely to spare you and keep you alive in the chaos to come.”

“Okay, I’m in. Do I get quotas too? Because I really want to bring Caroline into the fold.”

“…Oi.” Risti paused. “But that’s not impossible. In fact, it’s encouraged…but we’ll have to deal with it later tonight. Remember, make sure not to do it with Caroline. It’ll be very awkward if the meeting starts and you’re halfway in the process.”

“Sounds like that’s happened before.”

“Yeah, historic meeting, but people get horny.” Risti shrugged. “The last guy who did that showed off everything in front of the Coloured Gods and the bigshots of Saran, Nihal and Grandis.”

She paused. “I’m told it was a very…liberating experience.

The feelings that went inside her last two words were a bit disturbing, though.