Since they were no longer on the Xianzhou and there weren't any strange Vidyadhara following them around, Sylvia taught Bailu several Cloudhymn spells for attack and defense. They were practicing inside the Dreamscape, so it wouldn't matter much if a spell slipped out of control or caused a little too much noise.
Sylvia didn't stay with Yukong and the others for long. Before long, she left with Mei.
"Aren't we going back?" Mei asked.
Sylvia showed no intention of leaving the Dreamscape, and Mei couldn't tell where she planned to go.
"Not yet. Gallagher just replied to my message. We're going to meet him and ask whether he's found any leads."
"When did you message him?"
"On the way to the Xianzhou outpost. Didn't you see me?"
"..."
Mei fell silent. She really hadn't noticed.
It wasn't as though she had a habit of spying on other people. She'd simply assumed Sylvia was playing with her phone.
"Gallagher's the head of security for the Charmony Festival, after all. There was an explosion at the Reverie Hotel in the real world, so he's bound to have firsthand information."
"Will he tell us?"
"Probably..."
Sylvia recalled the time she'd met Gallagher in Dreamflux Reef. The place was an oasis the Watchmaker had built for those who sought freedom, and Gallagher's presence there had already been suspicious.
Between his tone and what Micah had said about him, Sylvia doubted his connection to the Watchmaker was anything simple.
Even so, she trusted Gallagher well enough.
Compared to him, the mysterious Misha was far harder to approach. Sylvia hadn't found anything suspicious during their few encounters, so she'd mostly stopped investigating him lately.
--+--
Sylvia found Gallagher at Dream's Edge.
As expected, he'd brought important information.
"My men detained every member of the Ever-Flame Mansion, but... there's one person who doesn't exist, and no one can find them."
"Someone who doesn't exist?"
Sylvia and Mei exchanged a glance.
That settled it. Erasing someone's presence like that had to be the work of someone tied to Remembrance or Enigmata.
Gallagher seemed to consider something before nodding.
"There's an extra entry in the hotel registry. The name's been erased. No one remembers what the person looked like, and they were even overlooked when we counted the prisoners."
"Then how did you discover them?"
If even the Bloodhounds had failed to count the person, whatever effect they'd used must still have been influencing everyone.
"I found it, of course. Live long enough and you pick up a few special tricks for checking whether someone's fooled you."
Gallagher crossed his arms and took a deep drag from his cigarette, smiling all the while.
He'd only noticed the gap after his subordinates delivered their reports and records. Once he investigated the matter separately, he soon caught the culprit's trail.
He'd been wondering how he was supposed to act alone when Sylvia contacted him. Since an extra pair of hands would be useful, he'd called her over.
"Well, look at you. You've been hiding quite a lot, haven't you? You can raise Memes, and now you can detect this sort of thing too."
Sylvia looked at Gallagher with newfound respect.
Wasn't that skill set a little too broad for an ordinary Bloodhound?
"Heh. You're exaggerating. Without a few tricks, I'd have been torn apart years ago."
Gallagher laughed. People really shouldn't underestimate the Bloodhounds.
They served as the Family's armed force. Of course they had capable people among them. The Family simply had so many members that most ordinary Bloodhounds had limited talents, but true experts weren't hard to find when needed.
"Enough about me. I called you here because I found the room where our mysterious guest was staying."
Gallagher smiled and gave Sylvia and Mei a room number.
The culprit could manipulate memories all they liked, but machines didn't lie. A room number assigned to no known guest was still recorded in the hotel system.
It wouldn't have mattered if no one had noticed the discrepancy. Gallagher had, however, and a little filtering left the culprit with nowhere to hide.
"They're probably tied to Remembrance. I don't know whether they're from the Garden of Recollection, though. Either way, capturing them will be troublesome."
Sylvia was curious about how confidently Gallagher had ruled out Enigmata.
"Why couldn't they be tied to Enigmata? The History Fictionologists are good at distorting people's perceptions too, aren't they?"
"Uh..."
Gallagher froze, which was rare for him.
He sighed, then scratched his head as though the question were more trouble than he'd expected.
"That's a good point. Still, I've dealt with History Fictionologists before. Let's just call this my personal judgment. In my opinion, our culprit belongs to Remembrance."
"..."
Mei didn't join the conversation.
At times like this, she left the talking to Sylvia. Mei usually watched from the side, considered the problem, and offered her thoughts later when they reviewed everything together.
Now, however, she studied Gallagher's reaction, and her gaze shifted in a subtle way.
His response just now, along with all those strange abilities...
Something about him felt wrong.
Mei couldn't tell what the problem was yet. The Family did possess the means to create Memes such as the Dreamjolt Troupe, and Gallagher's explanation made sense for a security officer.
The Bloodhounds weren't incompetent.
Even so, Mei's instincts told her Gallagher was hiding a secret, and it wasn't a small one.
"Uh, Sylvia? Could you ask Miss Acheron to stop staring at me like that? She's making me feel like a criminal."
Gallagher extinguished his spent cigarette and tossed it into a nearby trash can. He gave them a helpless look.
This woman called Acheron was frightening enough with her eyes alone. Gallagher had no idea how Sylvia managed to deal with her every day.
"Sorry."
Mei exchanged a glance with Sylvia. Neither needed to say anything more, and Mei stopped staring at Gallagher.
"No harm done. Anyway, let's go catch our suspect together. My pups can't handle an enemy like this. Consider it a favor I'll owe you. You'll also be paid in Credits afterward, based on the bounty."
Gallagher finally stated what he wanted.
Most Bloodhounds had no way to resist techniques that altered the mind, while the capable ones were already occupied. Penacony was badly understaffed.
It might've looked as though only one major incident had occurred, but in truth, the Bloodhounds had crushed most threats before they could develop. They'd been extremely busy lately.
Gallagher had to remain here and oversee operations, so he couldn't summon reinforcements from the Bloodhound Family anytime soon.
Sylvia had already planned to deal with the culprit. The promise of payment only made the offer better, so she nodded.
"Fine. Are we leaving now? Where should we meet?"
"Near your rooms. I'll meet you there, then we'll head upstairs and make the arrest together."
Gallagher didn't let Sylvia go straight to the target.
He knew she was powerful, but she clearly lacked experience in making arrests. If the suspect noticed something was wrong too soon, they'd be in trouble.
"All right. We'll log out first. Get there quickly."
"Of course."
--+--
Reality—
The Reverie Hotel.
Sylvia had only been awake for a few minutes when Gallagher arrived outside her door. Mei had naturally been teleported straight from her room to Sylvia's side.
Sylvia opened the door. Gallagher was still wearing the same uniform.
"Let's go. Follow me."
Without wasting words, Sylvia and Mei followed Gallagher toward the target floor.
"Let me confirm something first. Do you have a way to deal with a Memokeeper?"
Gallagher said "you," but his eyes were fixed on Sylvia.
It was almost as though he'd noticed something unusual about Mei.
"A little. I recently learned a few tricks from a Memokeeper."
Sylvia wasn't very confident.
She'd only just begun to understand Memoria, though she could already fish certain Memes out of the Memory Zone. Even so, she still couldn't track Black Swan's movements, and she had no idea how skilled this opponent might be.
If they were anywhere near Black Swan's level, Sylvia would still be helpless.
Seeing Sylvia's troubled expression, Mei handed her a short blade.
The moment Sylvia took it, she sensed a familiar power.
"It'll be fine. Just use this."
"..."
Gallagher gave Mei a long, searching look before smiling.
"Then there shouldn't be a problem. I'll take the lead. Miss Sylvia, wait for the right chance to strike. Miss Acheron, stay behind us and make sure the target doesn't escape. Does that work?"
"It does."
Mei answered for Sylvia.
Gallagher wasn't a fool. One glance at Acheron was enough to tell she wasn't ordinary. Of the three people here, she was probably the strongest.
However, Acheron had deliberately handed Sylvia a dagger filled with an ominous power. She clearly intended for Sylvia to fight personally.
That was why Gallagher asked Acheron to guard the rear. On one hand, she could stop the target from fleeing. On the other, Gallagher had no desire to see that ominous power unleashed in a hotel crowded with guests.
The consequences would be terrifying.
Compared to that, the dagger in Sylvia's hand seemed almost harmless.
The target room wasn't far away. After crossing a little over a hundred floors, they reached the guest room in question.
Following behind Gallagher, Sylvia wondered how they'd get inside.
Would they use a master key, or simply break down the door?
Instead, Gallagher raised his hand and knocked.
Bang, bang, bang—
A voice answered from inside.
"Who is it? Do you need something?"
"I'm a member of the Family. I'm sorry the recent disturbance affected your stay. I've come to discuss compensation with you."
A soft laugh came from beyond the door. Then, with a click, the lock opened.
Gallagher immediately threw his weight forward and slammed the door open.
Sylvia and Mei followed close behind, remembering to shut the door behind them.
Constance sat gracefully on the sofa, resting her cheek on one hand. When she saw Sylvia, her lips curled into an unsettling smile.
A slender tail swayed behind her. Ghostly blue flames danced without wind, shifting with their owner's emotions.
"I didn't expect the Family to be so efficient. You've actually delivered the thing I wanted most."
"That's enough, Miss Constance. Former member of the Ever-Flame Mansion. Whatever you want, you can discuss it after we've taken you to prison."
Gallagher ignored her words. He loosened his tie, and his expression turned dangerous.
Constance's gaze remained fixed on Sylvia.
The naked desire in her eyes made Sylvia's scalp prickle. She couldn't understand why Constance had become so fixated on her.
It made no sense.
Constance didn't look worried by Gallagher's warning. Instead, she smiled.
"What a cruel accusation. I kindly helped you capture the remnants of the Ever-Flame Mansion, yet I haven't heard so much as a thank-you."
"Ma'am, the Family never hired you to attack the Ever-Flame Mansion. What we do know is that you carried out a terrorist attack in Penacony. I suggest you cooperate."
"Tch. What a troublesome old dog."
Constance's figure flickered.
At the same moment, a razor-sharp blade erupted from the floor and shot toward Gallagher's chest.
Gallagher reacted at once.
He twisted around and kicked the blade aside. Using the force of the impact, he lunged at Constance, his right fist blazing with red light as he swung.
Boom—
Constance's body burst apart like a soap bubble.
"Heh..."
Her quiet laughter drifted through the room amid the rushing wind.
Shadows struck from every direction.
A blade wreathed in ghostly blue fire came straight for Sylvia.
Clang—
Sylvia drew the short blade and sliced through Constance's attack with ease.
At that instant, a crimson flash crossed the room.
Something was cut within the darkness that obscured their vision.
"You're awfully confident. You still have time to worry about someone else?"
"Cough—?! You... You're—"
"You've still got breath to waste on questions? Start thinking about how you'll surrender!"
Constance seemed startled by Gallagher and cried out. Her body was forced back into view with her voice.
Gallagher had no intention of wasting time talking. The moment he found her position, he closed in.
Sylvia swung her blade and cleaved through the shadows before her.
Constance's laughter rang out once again.
This time, it came from beside Sylvia.
Rip—
"Oh, my. You don't have to be so rough."
The blade flashed through the air and sliced open Constance's collar.
Constance stared at the weapon in Sylvia's hand, her eyes burning with interest. She pouted.
"Honestly, do you really have to treat me like this? I'd been hoping we could spend an unforgettable evening together at this ball."
Gallagher appeared beside Sylvia at some point.
"What a slippery woman. Still, your attacks seem effective, Sylvia."
Gallagher had located Constance earlier and landed a solid blow, but Sylvia and Acheron were present. There were certain methods he couldn't use in front of them, and Constance was every bit as troublesome as he'd expected.
Sylvia frowned at Constance.
"I thought you weren't coming to Penacony. I'm also surprised you're actually still alive."
"For that, I have this Galaxy Ranger to thank for showing mercy. I really hadn't planned to come, but then I heard an interesting rumor."
Constance glanced at the mysterious clawed servant pretending to be a Bloodhound.
Then she looked toward the Emanator of Nihility standing by the door, masquerading as a Galaxy Ranger.
Penacony was far more complicated than she'd imagined.
This situation was also far more dangerous than she liked.
The Paths of Enigmata and Remembrance had always shared certain connections. Constance's ability to appear and disappear without warning offered little protection against someone who followed Enigmata.
Gallagher couldn't use his full power while outsiders were present.
Constance couldn't expose his identity either.
Meanwhile, Sylvia and Acheron were watching her from the side, ready to strike.
Danger.
Constance quickly understood just how bad her situation had become.
--+--
T/N: If you want advance chapters, you can find it at [email protected]/AspenTL