Seth's eyes narrowed slightly as he fell into deep thought.

'This... she can isolate sound and perception selectively… with the targets not being able to resist. She must be far above ordinary witches.'

'The level of a handler? Or a Priestess…'

He thought, recalling the power level differences between witches.

Then, another realization struck him!

Just now, Lady Light had clearly used her ability right in front of him.

He had witnessed it directly and first hand, at close range. And yet—

His [Authority of the Meaningless] did not react!

There was no information given to him at all despite the condition of its trigger being fulfilled!

Nothing at all...

That alone was quite an alarming warning to the power this Lady Light has...

Seth quickly connected the dots as he tried to find the reason why...

'Is it because her power involves the word "secrets"?'

'Does it hide not just sound and perception, but even information about itself?'

If that was true, then it made sense.

His authority was strong, but it was not absolute or omnipotent.

Just as [Null Presence] could not hide him from everyone, [Authority of the Meaningless] could not reveal everything either...

This realization made him more cautious.

He already knew Lady Light was not simple.

But seeing her ability first hand, and realizing even his authority could not read her, made him understand why Danica trusted her, and why the Black Lantern could exist safely despite gathering so many witches.

If Lady Light wanted to control information, conversations, or even people, she could likely do so with ease.

Seth steadied his thoughts.

For now, he still had business to handle.

'Lady Light… definitely not someone to underestimate.'

He thought, as a curiosity lit up in his head.

'Between her and Priestess Putrescence, I wonder who would win in a fight...'

He turned his attention back to the naive girl.

"Alright," Seth said calmly.

"I know quite a lot and I'll be genuine with my information. How many sins do you want to know about?"

"All of them," the girl replied without hesitation.

Seth paused for half a second, then smiled behind his mask.

"I'll give you options first as you don't seem very familiar with the supernatural world."

"I know several sins. The Sin of Coldness, Sin of Self-Harm, Sin of Filth, Sin of Arrogance, Sin of the Meaningless, Sin of Hoarding, Sin of Cruelty, Sin of Sorcery, and the Sin of Revenge."

"Which one do you want to hear about first?"

The room went quiet.

The naive girl stared at him in disbelief.

Miss Brown stiffened slightly.

Even the fox-masked man turned his head toward Seth.

Knowing three or four sins was already impressive for a stray witch.

Knowing this many—and being able to name them clearly—was something else entirely...

It either meant that this man in front of them was a Coven witch in disguise, or an experienced stray witch with deep knowledge!

Only such two could be accepted as a reasonable explanation...

Many witches only recognized abilities, not the sins behind them.

They saw fire, ice, madness, or blood, but rarely knew the true classification.

Lady Light, contrary to everyone's reaciton, remained silent as she simply watched.

The girl hesitated for a moment.

"Mister Black… would it be possible to know all of them?"

Seth answered honestly.

"It is. But it will cost you. How much are you willing to pay?"

The girl lowered her head slightly.

"Then… how about this. Please recommend three sins first, in detail. My funds aren't enough to afford all of them right now."

Seth nodded. "That's reasonable."

He thought for a moment.

He did not choose randomly.

Each sin had strengths and weaknesses, and more importantly, each carried long-term consequences.

If this girl truly wanted to step into the supernatural world, she needed options that were flexible and survivable.

Well... that was just the partial reason.

There were sins he did not have much information on, so he could not recommend those.

"The first one I recommend is the Sin of Hoarding."

Seth spoke clearly and slowly.

"Witches of Hoarding can create extradimensional storage spaces. The size depends on their strength and growth."

"They can store items inside and retrieve them at will. More importantly, they can mark items as 'theirs.' Once marked, they can summon those items from within their line of sight using telekinesis."

Miss Brown raised an eyebrow slightly.

Seth continued.

"They can also redirect damage meant for themselves into the items they own. Armor, tools, or even disposable objects can take the hit instead of their body."

The girl's eyes lit up.

"That sounds… incredibly useful," she said honestly.

"It is."

Seth agreed.

"It's a sin that favors preparation, planning, and survival. Hoarding witches are rarely flashy, but they're hard to kill."

He thought, recalling the annoyingly cockroach-like Reymond...

He paused, then added.

"However, the danger lies in obsession. Many hoarding witches become overly attached to their possessions. If you lose your items, you lose your sense of safety."

The girl nodded quickly, clearly absorbing every word Seth said.

Seth continued, his voice calm and steady.

"Next is the Sin of Filth. As unpleasant as it sounds, it is not a sin that actively seeks to harm others by nature. Instead, it focuses on decay, pollution, and illness."

He spoke plainly, making sure his explanation was easy to follow.

"Witches of Filth can conjure mud and foul substances. They can distort a person's sense of smell, pollute objects, and contaminate environments. With direct contact, they can rapidly decompose living things, which makes them extremely dangerous in close combat."

The girl's expression stiffened slightly.

"At higher levels, they gain stranger abilities. One of them is the power to 'worsen' events. A small problem can become a serious one. Minor injuries can turn fatal. Situations that should have resolved themselves spiral out of control."

Seth added as he paused briefly.

"It's not a sin for clean outcomes. Once something is tainted, it spreads."

The girl swallowed and nodded again.

Seth then shifted topics.

"As for the last sin I'll explain...." he said.

"You can choose between the Sin of Revenge and the Sin of the Meaningless."

The girl hesitated only briefly.

"…I'll choose the Sin of the Meaningless."

Seth took note of her answer.

'Based on this choice she's likely driven by curiosity rather than hatred. Someone seeking revenge or harm against another would have chosen the other without hesitation.'

He surmised, nodding slightly.

"This one is… difficult to explain," Seth said.

"I don't know much about it myself."

That part was not entirely a lie...

"From what I understand, it grants power over the word 'silence.' Not just the absence of sound, but the absence of meaning, presence, and action."

He deliberately stopped there.

Seth did not go into detail about his own authority.

He had no intention of revealing how deep that power went, especially in a place like this.

Still, since he was a progenitor, and not a witch, he needed to find out more about himself and what his role in this supernatural world was.

Since the Book of the Meaningless was now open, he needed a test subject...

And so, he purposely hooked the girl with a mysterious and enticing description of the Sin of the Meaningless.

As for the worry over whether or not Lady Light would suspect he was a progenitor...

Seth could only take the risk. And besides, aside from him, Phoebe had told him that all progenitors were extremely powerful beings existing from ancient times...

Seth, however... Lady Light could probably squish him into pieces with just one blow.

Hearing his words, the girl—and even Miss Brown and the fox-masked man—could not help but think of Lady Light's earlier spell.

"Secrets."

The similarities were impossible to ignore.

After thinking for a moment, the girl asked carefully.

"Mister Black… do you know a way for someone to become a witch within these sins?"

Seth answered honestly.

"I do know a few methods."

Her eyes brightened, but his next words dimmed them.

"However, that kind of knowledge comes at an extreme cost. I'm afraid it's not something you can afford right now."

"Perhaps if you have something you can offer next time, I will tell you."

Seth did not want to immediately hook her as a witch under the Sin of the Meaningless, intending to do investigation over the girl's background first before doing anything else.

The girl lowered her head slightly.

"I understand."

She did not press further, which Seth appreciated.

After asking a few smaller questions—mostly about risks and long-term effects—the session finally came to an end.

The strange "shadow" that had hidden the rest of the gathering slowly faded away.

The other members reappeared in their seats, as if nothing unusual had happened.

The girl smiled behind her mask.

"Thank you, Mister Black."

Miss Brown and the fox-masked man said nothing, but both were clearly paying more attention to Seth now.

The depth of his knowledge had left an impression...

The free discussion that followed was brief.

Most members were hesitant to share information without compensation.

Instead, questions focused on the movements of covens, recent city incidents, and rumors spreading through Matamisan.

Seth listened quietly, storing away anything useful.

Soon, Lady Light raised her hand.

"The free discussion has ended," she said calmly.

"I will now request payment from everyone."

The room grew quiet.

Seth felt a flicker of tension as he did not really know what kind payment she'd ask for...

He doubted Lady Light would ask for money. Someone at her level would have no need for it.

Lady Light spoke again.

"For the payment this time, I want two things."

She raised one finger.

"First, I want information on a man named Fredero Tangen. His movements, connections, and recent activities."

'Fredero Tangen again...'

Seth frowned.

Was he truly destined to be entangled in Phoebe's affairs?

She raised a second finger.

"Second, I want traces of powerful demons. Any signs, encounters, or evidence you may have come across."

Her gaze swept across the room.

"These two requests will serve as payment."

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