Eldritch Horror Theatre

"What do you mean?"

Fu Qian's aggressive bluntness clearly caught Madam Nightingale off guard. For a moment, even her polite facade faltered as she stared straight at him.

"You were a bit disappointed just now... that your client isn't troubled by a Nightmare."

Fu Qian made no effort to hide his own disappointment.

"Considering your taste in wine, I thought I wouldn't need to waste my time like this."

"Why would I be disappointed?"

It was as if her deepest secret had been dragged into the light. Nightingale gave a violent start, her voice turning shrill.

"I was hired to confirm a medical condition. Nothing else concerns me."

"Seizing assets, romantic entanglements, blood feuds... I don't care what your reasons are. But if you want to get what you need from me, you should at least stick to the principles of honesty and fairness."

"Mister Winslow did not follow them very well."

...

"Nathalie."

Although it had been only a few words, the therapeutic effect was remarkably good.

Madam Nightingale's faltering expression smoothed out in the blink of an eye. Even her emotions stabilized as she offered the name with a hint of coldness.

He had to admit that while she was a bit dull, she possessed some decisiveness. Volunteering her real name under these circumstances clearly demonstrated a modicum of sincerity.

"No wonder you dared to pull a stunt like this at the risk of angering The Order. Winslow really underestimated you."

"And you're right. Winslow is a liar through and through... I want him to experience the pain of losing a child too."

By the end of her sentence, a cold light flashed in Nathalie's eyes. The governess was brimming with a relentless thirst for revenge.

Although she was primarily venting, the sheer volume of information she had just dropped was staggering, practically begging him to ask for the gossip.

Unfortunately, Fu Qian had no intention of entertaining it.

The moment Nathalie finished speaking, the room fell silent.

After holding out for a few seconds, she couldn't help but look over, only to see that the Cold-Blooded Plague Doctor was entirely expressionless. He had no intention of chiming in.

Her breath hitched. In the blink of an eye, Nathalie reflected on her outburst, recalling the earlier parts of their conversation.

It was glaringly obvious that sympathy simply did not exist in this man.

The only things that mattered were the fairness and honesty he had mentioned earlier.

"I apologize. I don't know too much about the heavy fog outside the city, either."

Taking a deep breath, she finally cut straight to the point.

"The fog appeared over a month ago, even earlier than the subsequent mass Nightmares."

She wasn't sure what he already knew, but considering her earlier slip in manners, she didn't presume to ask. Instead, she chose to pour everything out with utmost sincerity.

"Even now, the public's understanding is limited to the fact that it refuses to disperse and has cut off Laerdin's contact with the outside world."

"But according to a friend in The Order, they attempted to investigate it immediately. They gradually discovered some very bad signs... which is why entry was restricted later on."

"But it was too late. Many people had already come into contact with the dense fog. Even more unfortunately, during The Order's subsequent surveillance, more than one person exhibited symptoms of contamination, so..."

"So that is why the number of missing persons has been so high recently?"

Seeing Nathalie's hesitation, Fu Qian finished the thought for her.

"Yes... but they controlled the information on that as well. How did you know?"

Shocked once again, Nathalie couldn't help but ask.

"I have a friend who is a police officer."

Fu Qian magnanimously provided an answer this time. He was, of course, referring to Lafadi, who had generously lent him money and happened to have a pocketful of crime scene photos at the time.

The heavy fog that had appeared slightly earlier than the Nightmares had completely severed the city's connection with the outside world.

As a Dream Dominator, Fu Qian noted that these characteristics were lining up perfectly.

The edges of the dreams he had controlled in the past were similarly bordered by a mist that trapped people inside.

"So, what did the people of The Order find in the dense fog?"

He pressed on.

"That is their absolute secret. I really don't know."

Nathalie drew a breath and shook her head decisively.

"I'm sorry, but this is the maximum price I can pay regarding this issue."

"As for my goal, I won't deny it. I want to confirm that Winslow's precious daughter has been contaminated. Then The Order will find out about it... and he will lose her."

A trace of pleasure crept onto the governess's face, as if she were already savoring the outcome.

"I need your help to confirm this. If you think the price still isn't enough..."

A faint blush rippled across her face as she scooted closer, but her outstretched hand grasped at empty air.

"The price is indeed insufficient. You need to keep using your social attributes rather than your biological ones."

Fu Qian retracted his hand and snapped his fingers, activating Lucid Dream.

"Think again."

Hatred was always one of the strongest driving forces, but even so, she had clearly reached the limit of what could be squeezed out of her. It was time to apply a heavier weight.

...

"I had to swear an oath that I would never reveal this to anyone, so please, you must keep this a secret for me."

It proved to take no time at all. In the space of a single breath, Nathalie's expression turned grave as she promptly earned the title of Oathbreaker.

"Discarded pieces. They encountered something incredibly difficult to deal with in the fog. They called them the Outcasts of the Stars."

"Oh? How are they difficult?"

Fu Qian gave a slight nod.

"The discarded pieces move within the dense fog and are practically impossible to observe by any means. At the same time, they are highly aggressive and can easily break through the protections of the Star Law."

Nathalie's answers were becoming increasingly fluent.

"Invisible humans?"

"From what we can tell right now, they are absolutely not human."

Nathalie shook her head, her tone firm.

"In short, The Order is very worried about this, so they have become much stricter regarding anomalies within the city."

With those words finished, a strange change occurred. Nathalie's eyes glazed over for a split second as she silently reflected on her recent behavior.

"So, can you tell me now? Is Jane alright or not?"

She quickly steeled her resolve, however, and adjusted her emotions.

"Don't be in a rush. We still have five minutes until the half-hour mark."

You...

Amidst Nathalie's anger at being deceived, she saw the man suddenly look thoughtful.

"But you're quite lucky. The test results seem to be in."

...

What did he mean?

Nathalie wanted to ask more, but Fu Qian pointed toward the door she had come through.

"You'd better head back over there first."

She stared blankly for two seconds before abruptly realizing something. Nathalie hurriedly stood up, gathered her things, and quickly walked away.

"Doctor—"

Almost the instant she closed her door, the opposite door was violently pushed open.

Usually mature and composed, Mister Winslow was breathing rapidly and uncontrollably. Before he even stepped inside, he called out in a low voice.

"It looks like it really worked!"

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