Free Web NovelLiselotte stared blankly at the young girl in front of her.
Mental Space?
These two words struck her mind like a heavy hammer.
Impossible.
Absolutely impossible.
She was a Wayfarer of Sequence V on the Path of the Empress.
She had seen many Mental Spaces.
Her own, others', and even those remaining in ancient relics.
She knew all too well what a Mental Space meant.
The capacity of a Mental Space depended on the intensity of the Wayfarer's will.
The stronger the will, the larger the space, and the more it could contain.
But even for the most powerful Wayfarer she had ever seen, their Mental Space could only hold a few souls.
And those souls had to be specially processed, compressed, and weakened.
Otherwise, the conflict between souls would tear the entire space apart.
But how many were here?
There were hundreds in that arena alone.
Every single one was a powerful Wayfarer of Sequence III or higher.
And then there were the Paranov Guard Knights.
An entire order of knights composed of Wayfarers of the Path of the Tower.
What kind of willpower could contain all of this?
What kind of monster could achieve such a feat?
No.
It was impossible.
She must have misunderstood.
The girl said this was "her" Mental Space.
But that didn't mean she truly owned the space.
A more likely explanation was that she was actually responsible for managing this space.
Like a jailer managing a prison.
Like a librarian managing a library.
And...
Liselotte carefully sized up the girl before her.
Her form was too complete.
Too vivid.
She didn't look at all like a living person's conscious projection in a Mental Space; she looked more like...
A soul.
A somewhat worn soul that had been trapped here for a very long time.
Souls trapped for too long would develop delusions.
They would start to believe they were the master of the space.
They would forget their original identity.
This was quite normal.
And the name she mentioned...
schwartz.
Pavela von Schwartz.
The Schwartz Family.
She knew of this family.
One of the prominent noble families of the Victorian Empire.
They occupied a fairly important position on the empire's political map.
But, as far as she knew, among the current members of this family, there was no one named Pavela.
Last year, while executing another mission, she had investigated this family's information in great detail.
The current head of the family was the Marchioness.
She had two daughters, one named Eleanor and one named Irene.
Eleanor was an Imperial Royal Mecha Knight, supposedly quite formidable.
Irene had only just gone to study at the Royal Knights Academy.
She looked around again.
That group of terrifyingly muscular men was standing behind the girl, watching her like hawks.
And they were itching for action.
If this girl weren't here, she was certain she would already be in pieces by now.
They were all guards of the Novitz Royal Family.
And now, they were here.
Calling this girl "Highness"?
A possibility surfaced in Liselotte's mind.
The Schwartz Family...
If one traced back a few generations...
It seemed they indeed had connections to the Novitz Empire.
They were all nobles, after all.
It wasn't strange for them to have some blood relations with the royal family.
So, this "Pavela"...
Could she be an ancestor of the Schwartz Family?
An ancestor related to the Novitz Royal Family?
A soul sealed here after death, responsible for watching over these other souls?
Over time, she had developed some cognitive bias.
And started to believe she was the master of this space.
That would explain it.
It explained why she was called "Highness."
It explained why the Paranov Guard Knights obeyed her orders.
It explained why she said this was her Mental Space.
At that moment, one of the knights stepped forward, seemingly intending to say something to the girl.
The girl raised her hand.
That slender, fair, and seemingly harmless hand gave a light wave.
The knight immediately stopped in his tracks.
"Stand down."
The girl's voice was very soft.
But it carried an unquestionable authority.
The knight immediately lowered his head and replied:
"Yes, Your Highness."
Then, he retreated a few steps without hesitation.
The girl turned back and looked at Liselotte.
There was no hostility in those crimson eyes.
Only a faint curiosity.
Then, she knelt down.
The hem of her court dress spread out on the ground like a blooming white flower.
Her face was almost level with Liselotte's.
"You don't look very well."
The girl said.
There was a hint of concern in her voice.
"Were you just in a fight?"
Liselotte didn't answer.
She was weighing her options.
Tell the truth, or lie?
She glanced at the row of knights behind the girl.
If she were caught lying, she would probably die a miserable death.
But if she told the truth...
Maybe she could negotiate terms?
She actually felt like there was a glimmer of hope.
The other party hadn't attacked immediately.
The other party was talking to her.
There was no hostility in the other party's eyes.
What did this mean? frёeωebɳovel.com
It meant the other party might be interested in her.
It meant the other party might want something from her.
It meant... she might still have a chance to survive.
"Respected Highness, my name is Liselotte."
She finally spoke.
"A Wayfarer of Sequence V on the Path of ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) the Empress."
"As for why I am here... I only remember being killed while on a mission, and then I woke up in an arena."
"Killed?"
The girl blinked.
"By whom? How?"
"A mecha."
Liselotte said.
"A white, flying mecha."
"It pierced through me with a long spear."
She gave a bitter smile.
"I didn't even see what the pilot looked like."
The girl nodded.
"Sounds tragic."
She said.
"So what mission were you on?"
Liselotte hesitated.
This question touched upon the core.
If she said it...
But she no longer had a choice.
Her soul was dissipating.
If she couldn't get the help of the girl before her, she would soon die completely.
"I..."
She took a deep breath. frёeωebɳovel.com
"I come from the Illuminati Party."
The girl tilted her head.
A confused expression appeared on her face.
"Illuminati Party? What is that?"
Liselotte was stunned for a moment.
The Illuminati Party was one of the top large-scale Wayfarer associations in the Victorian Empire. The person opposite her was clearly no ordinary individual; how could she not know of the Illuminati Party?
Ah, she remembered.
The girl before her was an ancestor of the Schwartz Family.
Someone from decades ago, or even earlier.
Back then, the Illuminati Party might not have had the influence it did now.
Or perhaps it hadn't even been established yet.
"It is a secret association composed of Wayfarers; we call it a Secret Party."
Liselotte explained.
"The Secret Party focuses on researching souls and the secret arts of sequence advancement."
"We have considerable influence in the empire's underworld."
"We also have a deep cooperative relationship with the Royal Research Institute."
"One could say that many of the empire's research results regarding souls have our shadow behind them."
She carefully observed the girl's expression.
The girl's face showed only faint curiosity, without much expression.
She just wasn't sure if it was her imagination, but did the girl's pupils seem to be turning a bit pink?
"Sounds very impressive. So what was your mission?"
The girl continued.
"Assassination."
Liselotte said.
"My mission was to assassinate a person."
"Who?"
"Victoria von Hohenheim."
The girl's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Hohenheim?"
She asked.
"I seem to have heard of that surname... who is she?"
"One of the empire's prominent nobles."
Liselotte said.
"Victoria is the daughter of Marquis Hohenheim."
"Why kill her?"
"I don't know the specific reason. The higher-ups just issued The Order."
The girl fell silent for a few seconds.
Her eyes were fixed on Liselotte.
"So."
The girl spoke.
"You are an assassin from a secret organization, sent to assassinate a noble miss, and you ended up being killed instead?"
"That's about right."
Liselotte smiled bitterly.
"Then what do you want now?"
Liselotte's eyes lit up.
The opportunity had come.
