Inside No. 23 Green Shade Town, the corpse marionette Brandon led Nephthys into the room. Upon reaching the living room, he gestured toward a seat beside the coffee table.
"Please, have a seat."
Hearing Brandon’s words, Nephthys nodded and then sat down. Brandon poured her a cup of tea from the tea set on the coffee table and handed it to her.
"Thank you... I—I’m just here to collect something, so I’ll pass on the tea for now."
Nephthys smiled as she thanked Brandon, who also nodded and sat down in front of her.
At that moment, Dorothy’s small corpse marionette detected two men who had originally been watching from across the street. They had now secretly moved closer to No. 23 and were trying to eavesdrop from below the window.
“So, they saw someone come in and decided to listen in on the conversation?”
Observing the situation outside, Dorothy thought to herself. The fact that these two were sneaking around proved that Nephthys was not on the same side as them.
While monitoring the two men outside, Dorothy simultaneously controlled Brandon inside the house and spoke to Nephthys.
"Well then, let’s begin. Miss, in order to confirm that you are indeed the owner of this artifact, I need to ask you a few questions.""Go ahead, I’ll answer as best I can."
Nephthys nodded firmly, appearing calm. Brandon pondered for a moment before asking his first question.
"First of all, can you tell me when you lost this item?"
"Hmm… let me think… It was in the afternoon on the 10th. I was passing by the clock tower, so I went up a few floors to take a look and admire the school statues on display. I think that’s when I lost it."
Recalling the details published in the newspaper, Nephthys gave her answer. Brandon nodded at her response before continuing.
"I see. I did find the item in the afternoon on the 10th. However, I already mentioned this in the newspaper, so I need a more specific time. Miss, can you tell me exactly what time you went to the clock tower?"
"What time…?"
Hearing Brandon’s question, Nephthys was momentarily stunned. After thinking for a while, she answered.
"I think… around 5 o’clock."
"Wrong. It was 4 o’clock."
"Ah… I’m very sorry, Mr. Brandon. My memory isn’t the best, and I can’t recall the exact time. I just know it was in the afternoon on the 10th."
Nephthys laughed awkwardly upon realizing her mistake, while Brandon continued.
"I see… Well, it was a few days ago, so it’s understandable if you didn’t remember exactly. Let me ask a different question."
As he spoke, Brandon took a sip of his tea before looking at Nephthys, who was beginning to show signs of nervousness.
He then asked, "The item I found is a four-sided triangular prism—or rather, a triangular pyramid. It has four corners, but one of them is damaged. Can you tell me how many corners are broken?"
"How many corners…?"
Nephthys furrowed her brows in contemplation before eventually smiling helplessly.
"Sorry, as I mentioned before, my memory isn’t great. Mr. Brandon, could you ask another question instead?"
Hearing her response, Brandon’s expression became serious. He looked at Nephthys and spoke in a stern tone.
"I’m sorry, Miss, but this is not how lost-and-found works. You’ve failed to answer two questions in a row, so I can already assume that you are not the rightful owner of this lost item. Claiming someone else’s lost property is not an honorable act.”
"So, you should leave now. I won’t report your misconduct to the school."
Dorothy controlled Brandon as he spoke. He couldn’t just hand over the item so easily because he was certain that Nephthys was lying. If she had managed to guess correctly with just two questions, it would have aroused even more suspicion. He needed to make Brandon appear as a genuine good Samaritan who had simply found and wanted to return a lost object.
Besides, Dorothy could always track these "fish" back to their nest later. Whether or not she gave them the bait was irrelevant.
"Uh, this…"
Hearing Brandon’s words, Nephthys’ expression showed slight panic. She glanced around and then, as if making up her mind, she looked at Brandon with a serious expression.
"Mr. Brandon, to be honest, I am not the owner of the artifact you found. But what I want to tell you is—what you picked up is not something that just anyone can possess!"
Hearing Nephthys’ words, Brandon frowned and asked seriously,
"The item I found… is not something an ordinary person can possess? What do you mean by that?"
"Well… what I mean is that it’s far more complicated than it appears. If someone like you—an ordinary person—keeps it, you’ll likely attract danger! Because of that item, you… might already be under surveillance."
“I’m already being watched.”
Hearing Nephthys’ words, Dorothy thought to herself a hundred meters away. From this conversation, she could tell that Nephthys was clearly aware of some hidden truths. But how much did she know? Was she a Beyonder? And what connection did she have with the two men lurking outside? These were things Dorothy still needed to verify.
Thus, she had Brandon continue speaking.
"I might be under surveillance because of that item? Haha… Miss Boyle, aren’t you exaggerating a little? It’s just a small artifact—why would anyone pay so much attention to it? Are you trying to trick me into handing it over? Besides, if someone really is watching me, I can always go to the police."
"No, I’m telling the truth! If you keep that item, extremely dangerous people will come after you. I admit that I want it, but I didn’t come here just to deceive you. And the police? They won’t be able to help against these people.”
"So, the best thing for you to do is either give it to me or get rid of it entirely. But whatever you do, you must not let it fall into their hands!"
Nephthys spoke seriously, her voice tinged with urgency. Looking at her, Dorothy was a little surprised.
“Oh? This senior seems to have a story of her own. It looks like she’s opposed to those guys outside. She also seems relatively new to the hidden world, lacking experience and cunning. Maybe I can use this chance to extract some information.”
With this thought, Dorothy had Brandon remain silent for a moment before speaking again.
"Hmm… Miss Boyle, from your words and expression, I can see sincerity. You don’t seem to be lying. I might consider giving it to you, but only if you explain everything clearly. Who exactly are these dangerous people? What is so special about this item? Why would keeping it bring me harm? Explain everything to me, and then I’ll consider handing it over."
Brandon spoke seriously. Hearing this, Nephthys hesitated before finally making up her mind.
"Alright… I—I can reveal a little, Mr. Brandon. But after hearing this, you must never tell anyone—not even the police!"
"I promise."
Brandon assured her, and Nephthys let out a breath.
After thinking about how to begin, she continued, "First, about those people… To be honest, I don’t know their full background. I just know they’re extremely dangerous. They’re a syndi—well, you can think of them as a gang operating in the lower districts of the city. And they’re the most dangerous kind of gang.”
"The item you found is something they desperately need. To get it, they’ll use any means necessary—even the most extreme and brutal methods.”
"And the name of this gang is—‘The Eight-Spired Nest.’"
The moment Nephthys spoke that name, the sound of shattering glass suddenly echoed through the room. A dagger spun through the broken window, flying straight toward her.