Witch Kingdom Mifalla?

Upon hearing the blue-haired old man's words, Leon's expression involuntarily froze for a moment, reminding him of the text he'd seen on the Aquarius Director's [Sign of the Past].

Witch Kingdom Mifalla, Great Witch Rites, the old king's life exhausted, the black cat's belly is cut open, no successor for the Witch Court.

Recalling the image of the black cat with its belly cut open, body hanging atop the high tower, wailing amidst the ruins, Leon couldn't help but frown discomfortingly.

"The Great Witch King of the Mifalla Kingdom, she's a sole heiress, isn't she? And her only daughter hasn't been found yet, has she?"

"Yes."

The Aquarius Director nodded, then faced Leon's gaze, explaining:

"Catherine has indeed been missing for a long time, but the Great Witch King is still alive, so you can seek her help."

The Great Witch King, who's over a hundred and thirty years old?

Upon hearing the Aquarius Director's suggestion, Leon's brow furrowed even deeper.

"Isn't she almost... sorry, this might not sound pleasant, but isn't her lifespan nearly exhausted? But my child hasn't even been born yet, the timing might not match up, right?"

"For others, differences in time are insurmountable, but for Bekinsel's line, it's actually not a significant problem, because she has the ability to transcend time and reach your future children in advance."

In response to Leon's doubts, the Aquarius Director smiled indifferently, then calmly revealed the hidden secret.

"The Great Witch King of the Witch Kingdom is actually one of the Great Court Ten Clans and is one of the most important, the branch holding the [Heart] of the Great Court. In the past, the witches at the center of the Great Court are the ones now living in the Witch Kingdom.

For the female members of that line, time is not something untouchable. Their time-transcending interactions are as easy as us going downstairs to chat with our neighbors, and thus, for a long period, they were regarded as leaders and protectors by the other nine clans.

Even the creation of the Watcher's Palace, to protect humanity, might have been inspired by that generation's Taurus and Aquarius directors after interacting with the Witch King. The miraculous ability of the Watcher's Palace to glimpse the future might have been an imitation of their innate gifts."

"..."

Such incredible things, indeed... Even though your actions are quite underwhelming, and you get backstabbed by everyone just like Edward from the Scorpio Branch, you sure know a lot!

Listening to the stream of secrets spilling from the blue-haired old man's mouth, Leon, while silently clicking his tongue, couldn't help but curiously inquire:

"Director Baltro, how do you know so much? I feel that perhaps even Mr. Taurus and the others might not know as much as you!"

"Haha, because I've lived a long time!"

Noticing the admiration on Leon's face, the blue-haired old man chuckled happily, stroking his beard, he said:

"When people get older, they lack energy, and their brain doesn't work as fast as you young ones. But in these over a hundred and thirty years of living, I've accumulated quite a few unique experiences.

Hmm... Besides, when I was younger, I participated in joint missions with the Pisces Branch and was even seconded to the Witch Kingdom for a few years, getting quite close to Bekinsel, and while we didn't get together in the end, we became very close friends."

"..."

Wow... No wonder you just call the Great Witch King by name, and know so much about the Witch Kingdom's situation. Turns out you used to have a thing with her!

Seeing the somewhat shy expression on the blue-haired old man's face, Leon spoke with some difficulty:

"So what you just said..."

"It's naturally all told to me by Bekinsel."

The blue-haired old man chuckled and said:

"Their line is naturally close to time. As long as they can find the correct 'coordinates', finding out what happened in the past isn't that difficult.

Although they're restricted by some rules and can't casually talk about the future, they have no major restrictions on discussing past events."

"I see... that bloodline is really convenient."

After sincerely expressing admiration, and seeing the slight stir in the blue-haired director's soul, Leon hesitated briefly before openly asking:

"Director Baltro, besides helping me solve my problem, is there anything else you want me to do? Like... helping your good friend find her daughter?"

"Yes."

After frankly admitting his plan, the blue-haired old man sighed, recalling with a soft voice:

"Though we eventually parted ways, Bekinsel is the only... sixth... ahem... although not the only woman I loved, she's the only one still alive.

So if possible, I'd still hope that at the end of her life, she can see Catherine once more, and leave this world without regrets."

Pausing briefly at this point, a flicker of hesitation crossed his eyes, and with a slightly dejected demeanor, he continued:

"Sir Leon, as you know the state in the bureau, handled by others they might intentionally avoid a meeting between her and Catherine to prevent the Slaughter King Association from getting a chance.

Although I hope Bekinsel can leave without regrets, I'm also worried about endangering Catherine, so... sigh... I don't know if I should do this either, you should decide according to the situation whether to help or not!"

"..."

So you're just passing the burden to me? I knew it... there's no such thing as a free lunch...

Though the matter sounded extraordinarily troublesome, considering he might really need his help, Leon thought it over, didn't refuse, and nodded slightly.

"I'll find an opportunity to go and see if I can help with this... oh, by the way."

Recalling the situations of various royal families he had encountered or heard of, Leon curiously asked:

"Director Baltro, you know a lot, could you tell me about the power fragments within the twelve royal families' bloodlines?"

"That can be arranged."

The blue-haired old man blinked at this, thought for a moment, then spoke:

"According to what Bekinsel told me, apart from the known requirements, the Watcher's Palace in our Clean-up Bureau has an unwritten rule when choosing its guardian.

In the past, those chosen by the Watcher's Palace were usually humans who had crossed the difference between man and god, or were just one step away, and the power they comprehended was always among the few closest to 'human nature'."

"Human nature?"

"The so-called Seven Deadly Sins and Six Virtues."

The blue-haired old man slowed down his pace as he explained:

"The Seven Deadly Sins are pride, sloth, wrath, gluttony, greed, envy, and lust; while the Six Virtues are justice, bravery, temperance, humility, diligence, and compassion."

"Compared to other powers, these thirteen are rather special, not in their strength, but in what they represent, which is inextricably linked to our human race.

After all, even the most upright and brave saint may have a few base thoughts in their lifetime, and even the most fierce and brutal villain is sure to have once felt mercy towards the weak.

Thus, the Seven Deadly Sins and Six Virtues are the latent commonality of our human race, representing the essence we can never fully discard."