Mystery: Good Witch

Chapter 1378 The Depths of the Gods' Hearts

Sure enough, this was the street in Tingen where "Klein Moretti" and "Angel Granger" lived, and it was the very house where the Moretti siblings lived before they went to Backlund...

Audrey's buried memories resurfaced.

When Miss Queen and Mr. World, disguised as Christine and Dawn, returned to Backlund and integrated into high society, Audrey, influenced by the psychological suggestion of Herwin Lambis, the former "Arrogant" of the Psychological Alchemy Society, tried to find out the true identities of the two. She had already investigated the identities of "Klein" and "Angel" and learned that they had living relatives and had lived in Tingen City.

At that time, Audrey memorized the addresses 2 and 6 Narcissus Street, and during her adventure in the Hall of Honesty, she confirmed the true names of "The World" and "The Queen," connecting these clues together. Although she didn't investigate further, they left a deep impression, and she immediately recalled them upon entering the depths of her subconscious.

It turns out that the spirit's past as an ordinary person in Tingen City was also an unforgettable experience... She sighed, first looking around to make sure the environment was safe, and the passersby in her subconscious ignored her as a visitor, before slowly walking to the door of the two-story house with a gray-blue exterior and a chimney. She did not knock, but instead peeked into the living room through the bay window.

The gaslight in the room cast a warm yellow glow. Audrey's gaze passed over the armchair, high-backed chair, and coffee table, and fell upon the dining room, which, together with the living room and kitchen, formed the first-floor space. There, a rectangular wooden table was surrounded by people, and several steaming dishes were already on the table. The relaxed conversation and the crisp clinking of cutlery created a warm and inviting dining scene.

Audrey's pupils dilated slightly as she immediately realized that she recognized almost everyone at the table.

The man with a high hairline, wearing a black vest, is Benson Moretti, who worked for the Rune Charitable Education Foundation for a period of time. The blonde woman sitting next to him, dressed in an elegant white dress, is Lily Granger, who married Benson two years ago. Audrey had secretly attended their wedding using psychology and thus recognized them immediately.

Sitting opposite Benson was Klein Moretti, who also had black hair and brown eyes, looked much younger, and had a very safe hairline. When the brothers sat together, Audrey realized that they did look somewhat alike, except that the older brother looked older due to his thinning hair and years of hard work.

To his left stood Melissa Moretti, her long black hair cascading down her back like silk, a constant smile on her face. Audrey had seen this girl several times during her work with the scholarship fund. Because of the World and the Queen, she paid close attention to this college student who loved mechanical devices, and at their behest, she secretly told this newly minted Extraordinary, who had already taken the "Generalist" potion, some basic information about role-playing and the Extraordinary World.

Watching the group of people sitting relaxed in the somewhat old-fashioned and not-so-large restaurant, preparing to have their meal, Audrey felt that this scene was even more dazzling than the charity gala hosted by the King, attended by dukes, generals, and ambassadors.

Is this what the "Goddess of Calamity" desires most in her subconscious...? But as the master of the dream, why isn't she here...? Audrey's gaze left the dining table and looked towards the kitchen further inside. As expected, she saw a figure wearing heavy gloves carrying a huge soup pot approaching the table, standing next to Klein, who had a scholarly air rather than the coldness of Gehrman and the maturity of Dawn.

She was Angel Granger, a "queen" with long, light blonde hair and purple eyes, just like her cousin. She had a bright and dignified appearance but lacked the allure that one would expect.

Angel placed the soup pot in the center of the table, removed his gloves, and said to everyone with a smile:
"This is the long-awaited lamb stew with peas."

As she spoke, she lifted the lid of the pot, and visible steam rose and leaped up, as if light was emanating from the pot, making the entire restaurant a little brighter.

"Wow……"

The others sat up straight, adopting an expression of rapture.

This scene is a bit exaggerated. Could it be that Miss "Queen's" ultimate dream is to cook a dish that will amaze everyone in front of others...? Audrey instinctively began to analyze the dream, and then was horrified to find that the potion in her body had been digested to a considerable extent.

This... this involves the deepest secrets of the gods' hearts... She wanted to sneak away, but she simply couldn't take her eyes off the Queen, who was enjoying the praise of others and whose lips were curled up as her witchy charm gradually unfolded.

Suddenly, she noticed a small head popping up on the edge of the table, which seemed to be a child jumping up and down trying to get onto the table.

She was a girl with long blonde hair and brown eyes. After jumping around, Angel, who had freed his hands, picked her up and placed her on the only empty chair next to him.

Audrey then realized that the girl's appearance bore a resemblance to Angel, especially the curve of her face and those expressive eyes.

Could it be... that she had a reasonable guess?

Are they Mr. World and Miss Queen's child?

Audrey felt her heart race, but she quickly dismissed the thought. The timing didn't add up, and she'd never heard of these two Tarot Club members having a child. On the contrary, their brother and cousin had gotten married two years ago and had already...

Thinking of this, Audrey suddenly realized, her gaze lingering for a moment on Benson's brown eyes and Lily's blonde hair.

It turned out to be her niece… As for the age issue, it was probably a change that occurred in her subconscious dream. This might be a family dinner in the “future”… For some reason, she breathed a long sigh of relief, curled up, and watched the Moretti and Granger families having dinner by the bay window, watching them share the fragrant stewed lamb, talk about Benson’s work difficulties, Lily’s daily life, Melissa’s marital troubles, and Angel and Klein’s relationship problems.

……

After dinner, Benson and Lily took the little girl and left home, walking along Narcissus Street into the distance, seemingly heading to the nearby circus. This confirmed Audrey's suspicion that the girl was indeed hers.

She didn't follow the Benson family, but instead slipped into the living room when the door was ajar. She watched as Melissa carried a strange machine into the study, and then noticed Angel and Klein going upstairs one after the other.

What are they up to...? Audrey instinctively wanted to follow them, but stopped herself at the prompting of her spiritual sense.

She had a feeling that following along like this would lead to trouble, such as seeing something that would make her lose control... She frowned, torn between quickly digesting the potion, completing the ritual, and cautiously exploring, and finally decided to go and see other parts of the room.

Although she had gained a lot from the heartwarming moment, she still felt that the purpose of her trip had not been truly achieved, and that she was missing some key things that would allow her to gain insight into the hidden depths of the gods' hearts.

Soon, she noticed a locked wooden door next to the stairs leading to the second floor, which, based on the house's layout, likely led to the basement.

Although she didn't have a key, this didn't stop a "dream weaver." Audrey adjusted her connection with her subconscious, quickly making her body transparent. She passed directly through the door and down the dim wooden stairs to a narrow, cramped, and damp underground area. Here, only a slow-burning, dimly lit candle burned, and a girl with her head buried in her arms crouched among stacked wooden shelves and boxes.

Audrey noticed that she also had blonde hair, wore a black dress, and had a strange, light-absorbing color on her bare arms and calves. If it weren't for the candlelight, she would have blended into the darkness.

Blonde hair... Could this be the child of the Queen and Mr. World...? But why is she locked in the basement?
Audrey stopped in surprise, hesitant to move forward lest she disturb the girl locked in the underground area, who seemed to be sobbing silently.

Based on her experience of exploring countless dreams, things buried deep underground or locked in secret rooms, whether people or objects, foreshadow the dreamer's unwillingness to show themselves, such as ill-gotten gains, illegitimate children unknown to others, or evidence of crimes.

But Audrey could hardly imagine that the girl buried deep in a locked room, deep within the dream of a deity, would be such a symbol.

It couldn't possibly be that the offspring born of two gods was some kind of taboo, and was therefore subconsciously imprisoned here... She carefully conducted her psychological analysis.

Oh, there's another possibility. This isn't the child of the "Goddess of Calamity" and the "Fool," but rather another personality of the former. This has appeared in the dreams of people with disguised identities or multiple personalities, and the evidence is that they look exactly the same... Audrey had a guess and took two steps forward, the sound of her footsteps startling the girl who was burying her head and crying.

The girl suddenly raised her head, looking at her with teary eyes. Her purple eyes under her bangs were almost identical to Angel's, but her face, which had not yet fully matured, confirmed Audrey's guess.

Indeed, this symbolizes a side of the Queen's personality that she is unwilling to show to others, but why is she in the form of an underage little girl? Does this represent a part of her past life, or is it her "naive" self?

In that instant, Audrey thought of the "Mirror Image," who was closely related to the Witch Path, and of the "Chariot" angel, who was just confirmed to be the Queen's incarnation.

But she knew that what she was seeing now might not be the truth. After all, deep in the subconscious of this deity, things that might have a fatal impact on her, who was not yet an angel, had already been covered up or changed in form.

Out of caution, Audrey did not continue forward to approach the blonde girl, nor did she dare to use her "Dream Weaver" ability to delve into the other's subconscious sea and step onto the other's mental island. Instead, she slowly retreated under the other's silent gaze and returned to the wooden ladder.

After nearly falling into the "mirror person's" trap in that mirror passage, Audrey didn't believe that the Queen's promise to open the subconscious meant it was absolutely safe here. Some things may seem commonplace to the gods, but they can be deadly to a Sequence 3 saint.

But just as she stepped onto the stairs back to the ground, a continuous, drum-like booming sound suddenly reached her ears, and everything before her was enveloped in a glow that seemed to come from nowhere.

In that instant, Audrey noticed several figures in the brightly lit basement, the same figures that had been hidden in the shadows outside the candlelight.

One man was dressed in black armor, his hair was as red as blood, his face was sharply defined, and his blue eyes were filled with madness; the other man was dressed in white armor, the opposite color of his, and his appearance and hairstyle were quite similar, but his expression was somewhat blank.

Between the two, a strange creature with a black and white body entangled together, seemingly having three heads, appeared flat as if imprinted on a damp wall. However, upon closer inspection, it was discovered that its black, monstrous head and white head, resembling that of a beautiful woman, displayed different expressions, while the face of the middle head was indistinct.

The three figures illuminated by the glow vanished in an instant. Audrey's eyes blurred, and she found that they had disappeared together in the corner of the basement, leaving only a bright spot that looked like a mirror reflection.

The girl squatting on the ground also turned her head to look in that direction, her expression showing some disgust.

Is this... another manifestation of the "Goddess of Calamity's" subconscious? But how could there be two men and a strange creature... wait, I can't remember what they look like... Audrey's gaze searched, only to find that the basement, where the glow had faded and only candlelight remained, had become unusually dark, as if preventing her from exploring further.

Stop... A jolt went through her, and without hesitation, she turned around, strode away from the underground area, made her body transparent again, and passed through the locked door back into the living room.

Audrey breathed a sigh of relief only after confirming that Melissa was still in the study fiddling with the mechanical devices that interested her, and that Angel and Klein had not come down from the second floor. She then reflected on her brief exploration.

Without a doubt, the three figures swallowed by the mirror, which prevented her from truly seeing and remembering them, were the real danger in this dream. They were terrifying things hidden deep in her subconscious by a deity. Once she truly saw them and imprinted them in her mind, they would drive her out of control and insane.

No matter how warm and cozy it may seem, the dreams of the gods are always fraught with great danger... But where did that flash of light come from? If it were just candlelight, I might not have noticed that there were other beings in the corner of the basement... Audrey was puzzled. She went to the bay window and looked outside. She found nothing unusual on the street before turning her gaze to the sky.

Suddenly, another bolt of lightning appeared, accompanied by continuous thunder, illuminating the entire sky.

A hazy shadow loomed over the direction where the lightning struck, and at the edge of the shadow, half of an illusory tower emerged, as if it were made of thick stacks of books, each layer with a row of brass eyes, extending into the lightning.

Lightning, shadows, and towers… Audrey’s pupils contracted as the three corresponding deities immediately came to mind.

She didn't believe that the strange phenomena in her dream were just meaningless weather changes. The divine realms of the gods were all in the astral plane, and they were connected to each other and could influence one another. Moreover, the lightning that had just illuminated the basement was clearly not the will of the "Goddess of Calamity," but rather some kind of accident, some kind of interference from other gods.

Two years ago, the "True Creator" merged with the "Dreamer," and then the "Eternal Sun" fell. Now, the Storm and Wisdom, which are adjacent pathways, are also mixed with the "Shadow"... Looking at the strange celestial phenomena, Audrey suddenly had an insight.

Are those two deities also going to become part of the "true creator"...?

In that instant, she felt that her "Dream Weaver" potion had been completely digested, and that she had completed the ritual for advancing to Sequence 2 "Insightful One" ahead of schedule, ready to become an angel.

P.S.: Today's update is a bit late and there's not much content. I was only planning to work half a day, but I ended up working the whole day...

(End of this chapter)