Eldritch Horror Theatre

"You know me?"

His tone was calm and gentle, completely different from how he had just reprimanded the giant. Yet to Xia, who was still staring blankly at the pile of remains, Fu Qian's words delivered a profound shock. The mystery surrounding the two figures before her soared once again.

The mere fact that he asked if she "knew" him rather than "recognized" him carried a subtle psychological weight.

Unlike the usual pride of the Fallen Star Clan, she had already subconsciously placed herself in the position of being scrutinized.

"Why are you here?"

Unfortunately, it was a universal truth: when you lowered your own status, you only invited others to push it even lower.

The seemingly amiable Knight showed no intention of answering, simply pressing his question in that same even tone.

"Um... I don't know."

And indeed, Xia hesitated for only two seconds before decisively choosing to answer.

Mid-sentence, she seemed to remember something and hurriedly scrambled to untangle the chains from her body.

"And then I was just like this—wrapped in these chains and carrying a stone tablet. Oh, right—thank you for the help."

After explaining her incomprehensible predicament, Xia quickly remembered her manners and tacked on her gratitude.

Although the brief skirmish had ended almost instantly, she clearly recognized how formidable the giant had been. Without their help, she would have been in deep trouble.

"So what were you doing originally?"

This time, Fu Qian offered a faint nod, but his brief acknowledgment flowed immediately into another question.

"...I was trying to use Descent on someone else, because I found a very strange door."

Xia hesitated for a fraction of a second before telling the truth.

...

Good.

As one of the masterminds operating behind the scenes, Fu Qian was naturally well aware of how Xia had ended up here.

The only reason he bothered to ask was to verify her credibility.

Fortunately, Madam Xia did not suffer from the foolish habit of trying to outsmart others. Faced with two unfathomable figures, she chose honesty as the best policy.

"Are there any other doors?"

Although he understood that Xia's emphasis on the door's strangeness was a subtle plea for guidance, Fu Qian ignored it completely to check on Inner Laerdin's current situation.

"They don't have the actual shape of doors... but some changes have definitely occurred. The boundary between the Nightmare and reality has grown blurred. Things have even started coming out from inside, and we've been trying our best to handle them."

Xia cooperatively shared the intelligence of the Fallen Stars.

"So how are you managing?"

However, Fu Qian didn't let her off the hook easily, clearly intent on getting to the bottom of things.

"It isn't easy. A lot of the time, we don't even know what has come out. There have also been some internal disagreements... but I believe we will stand our ground and do everything we can to resist the Nightmare's erosion."

With a slightly bitter smile, Xia shook her head.

"Are Your Excellencies here to resolve this problem?"

Mustering her courage the next moment, she asked the question with a face full of hopeful expectation.

Unfortunately, Fu Qian didn't even acknowledge her, instead turning to look at the Witch beside him.

From start to finish, the Witch had maintained an air of absolute leisure. She wasn't deliberately keeping a straight face, yet her presence exuded an indescribable nobility.

Subconsciously following his gaze, Xia looked at her. Earlier, she hadn't dared to even dream that this figure might acknowledge her, but now she felt a desperate urge for the woman to speak—even just a single word.

Unfortunately, not a single word came.

Seeing the Knight solemnly assuming the posture of a protector, the Witch had clearly decided to play along, executing her role with flawless perfection.

Even now, she merely offered a faint nod toward the Knight, as though granting approval to his unspoken request.

"I'll send you back first."

Having received his authorization, Fu Qian turned back around and delivered the verdict.

...

It was a notification rather than a suggestion, clearly leaving no room for negotiation.

Even the most dull-witted person could have recognized that, and Xia certainly did.

From the moment they appeared, these two had undoubtedly carried themselves with an overwhelmingly lofty posture.

Even though executing the giant and now sending her back were essentially acts of assistance, they couldn't care less about her gratitude—and naturally, they would not tolerate her refusal.

"Thank you."

Taking one last look at her surroundings, Xia knew that despite the mystery of this place, it was clearly beyond her current capabilities. She didn't press the issue any further, simply offering a soft word of thanks.

Unsurprisingly, she received no response. Before she could even finish her next breath, the view before her eyes began to blur and warp.

He truly lived up to the power of someone who had effortlessly obliterated the giant. This space—which she considered an absolute death trap—was casually torn open by the mysterious Knight with a mere snap of his fingers.

In fact, to be perfectly honest, he had stood completely still the entire time, without so much as twitching a finger.

Even so, rather than focusing on that, Xia found herself desperately wishing that the face beneath the pointed hat would say a word.

What a pity. Even as the scenery completely shattered around her, she still didn't hear a thing.

"Give my regards to Dean Glenn."

Instead, someone in the other direction unexpectedly tossed out an extra parting sentence.

...

"She isn't carrying anything particularly special right now. Just like that dreamscape she was in."

There was naturally a reason why Fu Qian hadn't lifted a finger. The Witch was the one moving her fingers; he had merely blocked the gesture from Xia's line of sight.

After casually sending Xia away, the Witch's transcendent posture immediately softened slightly. Looking at Fu Qian, she offered her assessment.

"And she also believes they can still hold out... In short, Inner Laerdin's stability is holding up well. We'll probably need to wait and see how things develop moving forward."

Fu Qian nodded and added his thoughts, acknowledging the conclusion that they currently still hadn't gained anything substantial.

Furthermore, it was quite clear from this that the late Brother Proxy had truly been an utterly dispensable character.

His death at Fu Qian's hands hadn't even made much of an impact on that Nightmare.

"Inner Laerdin...? Were you also one of that Dean's patients before?"

The Witch repeated the name, seemingly finding the moniker Fu Qian had come up with quite fitting.

"I was. Under the names of Herbert and the Dark Moon Apostle."

It wasn't surprising that the Witch had figured this out. The core of his parting sentence hadn't been an actual greeting—he merely wanted to emphasize his acquaintance with Dean Glenn.

Why emphasize that connection?

Simply because this point was highly representative. It would help deduce his "identity" and spare Madam Xia from racking her brain to death upon her return.

Given her decent level of comprehension, he trusted it wouldn't be hard for her to realize that the Great Dark Moon was disregarding past grievances and continuing to bless the world.

"Very well. Let us continue onward, Knight, and go see that place they so desperately desire."

The Witch clearly didn't feel offended by Fu Qian's habit of casually preaching his own doctrine whenever the mood struck.

In truth, her willingness to play along and assume that posture earlier had already made her stance perfectly clear.

Not only that, but as she gazed in the direction the giant had been heading, the Witch casually issued a command, genuinely treating Fu Qian as her vanguard to clear the way.

"Time is running short. Something is accumulating."

As she spoke, she stretched out a hand, as though catching a drift of invisible, falling dust.

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