Chapter 464

Three Hundred Sixty Hymns of Praise

South Tivyán, Bishop Square.

As winter deepened, the cold wind in the night could not extinguish the enthusiasm of the audience in the square. On the stage, which was surrounded by the masses, Adele and her dancers were dancing together with the spectators below.

This close interaction with the audience caused everyone present to cheer loudly. Those in the front row who were invited onto the stage received envious glances from others, and those few girls who danced personally with Adele were admired even more.

Although the silver-haired girl was slightly shorter than Adele, their dance was surprisingly harmonious and smooth. Compared to other awkward spectators called up on stage, the coordination between the girl and Adele was excellent. Their dance moves were very graceful, both appearing to be skilled, providing a delightful new experience for the audience.

On the stage, Dorothy and Adele continued their dance, much like when Dorothy first used the zombie puppet Maria to dance with Adele. Dorothy still utilized the Scholar’s rapid learning ability to follow Adele’s lead, learning her dance skills. As Adele increased the speed and difficulty of the dance moves, Dorothy found herself struggling.

“Huff… Huff… Wait… Slow down, Adele. This time I’m not a flesh puppet… Don’t jump so fast…”

After several intense dance moves, feeling exhausted, Dorothy gasped slightly during the dance and said, while Adele, seeing the girl struggling to keep up, smiled even more.

“Oh, I didn’t expect that you, Detective, have the stamina of a normal girl. Sorry, sorry…” Adele laughed at Dorothy, her eyes gleaming with interest.

Originally, Adele thought that Dorothy, with such strong control over her flesh puppet, might be an “Extraordinary Being” of the “Cup,” possibly a “Cup” main and “Enlightenment” auxiliary, having ascended through some other ritual. So she asked for information about “Enlightenment.” But now, it seemed that Dorothy was just a normal girl in terms of physical capability, and couldn’t be an “Extraordinary Being” of the “Cup.” This made Dorothy’s path of development quite intriguing.

“Dorothy, I’ve said everything I needed to say, and the plan is already set. There’s no need to use dancing as a cover anymore. Let me go back…”

Facing Adele, Dorothy, panting heavily, said as she struggled to keep up with Adele’s rhythm. Adele, however, had no intention of letting her go.

“No, no, no, dear Detective. The music hasn’t ended yet, and as long as the music continues, the dance must continue. I’ll handle the crisis downstairs shortly. Until then, let’s finish this dance.”

Adele continued to speak to Dorothy. Hearing this, Dorothy fell silent, though she felt a bit resentful. In this setting, Adele was the absolute leader, and she couldn’t resist her. So, she had no choice but to follow Adele’s lead and finish the dance.

For a while, Dorothy was pulled along by Adele, continuing the dance. After witnessing Dorothy’s incredible on-the-spot learning and coordination abilities, Adele momentarily felt a playful mood. She often deliberately guided Dorothy into performing difficult or large-scale movements, making Dorothy struggle to keep up.

Dorothy was breathless due to this, but since she couldn’t resist Adele physically, she could only submit. To Adele, dancing with Dorothy was like a little girl playing with her doll, although here Dorothy was the doll.

Finally, under Dorothy’s eager anticipation, the music on stage came to an end. The dancers and those pulled up on stage stopped, bowing to the audience before leaving the stage. Dorothy, holding Adele’s hand, bowed to the audience and quickly left the stage, returning to her previous position.

‘Huff… Huff… That woman actually played around with me… Huff… Huff… Indeed, meeting her in person was a dangerous choice… Huff…’

In the audience below, Dorothy bent over, clutching her chest, breathing heavily. For Dorothy, being guided by Adele, an “Extraordinary Being” of the “Cup,” to dance passively wasn’t a particularly pleasant experience. To her, it felt like she was a doll being manipulated by Adele, with movements that weren’t gentle enough. For someone accustomed to manipulating others, this was indeed unpleasant.

“Hey… Dorothy, I never expected Adele would invite you to dance with her! She’s a big star in Tivyán! You actually danced with her… Maybe she noticed your unique hair color inherited from your mother.”

With an unusual expression, Gregor said to Dorothy, who was very excited when Adele extended her hand, but disappointed when she saw that her sister was invited instead of her. At this moment, he told himself that Adele invited Dorothy because of her distinctive silver hair, not because he lacked charm.

“Ahh… Yes… A big star…”

Listening to Gregor’s words, Dorothy touched her hair, feeling listless. At this moment, Gregor continued to ask:

“By the way, Dorothy, you danced really well up there. When did you learn to dance? At school?”

“I haven’t learned it… Actually, I was always being led by the big star. She kept leading me through the rhythm, and I don’t know how well I did.”

Twirling her hair, Dorothy said to Gregor, knowing he wouldn’t understand dancing. Here, she casually misled him. Meanwhile, Gregor looked at Adele, who had temporarily left the stage, and sighed.

“So that’s how it is… No wonder she’s such a famous dancer in Tivyán, able to lead someone to dance so beautifully… Listen, Dorothy, the experience of dancing with Adele is rare. With such good fortune, you can brag to your classmates when you return.”

Gregor patted Dorothy’s shoulder, and she responded with a slight twitch at the corner of her mouth.

“Ahh… What great luck…”

Looking at the host who reappeared on stage, Dorothy said, and at that moment, she heard Neve’s prayer.

In this prayer, Neve requested Akka to convey a message, saying they had arrived outside the Bishop Square and accurately locked onto the target, Sado, on the rooftop of a building. Kapak was preparing to confront Sado, but Neve stopped him, planning to inform Dorothy first.

‘Neve and the others have arrived. That’s perfect. When we act, there will be more people involved. Now, Neve has also reached the Black Tier; she’s a considerable force for me… ‘ Dorothy thought, and after that, she began to pray in response.

“Great Akka, please inform Senior Nephnis, thank her and Kapak for arriving in time. However, it’s not the right time to take action, so please wait until Star Dancer Adele returns to the stage. Then, I will send a signal to start the operation.”

Using the information channel, she conveyed the content of her prayer to the distant Nephnis, then looked back at the stage where a new performance was starting, silently waiting.

“So, now we just wait for the big star to appear again.”

…

Time passed, and the performances in Bishop Square continued. The wonderful shows on stage changed continuously, and the cheers and applause from the audience rose and fell. The atmosphere in the audience seats was lively and joyful. However, among the laughter and joy, there were a few silent figures.