New Member of the Organization 143

Olivia had a face full of confusion, as if she really hadn't seen Fiona and had absolutely no idea why the other woman hadn't shown up.

Upon hearing this, Thales couldn't help but fall into deep thought, a bad feeling rising in his heart.

Why had Fiona disappeared into thin air like this? Had something happened?

It couldn't be that she had run away because she couldn't fulfill his request, could it?

As soon as this thought occurred to Thales, he immediately shook his head, feeling it was too ridiculous.

After all, Fiona hadn't even approached Olivia for money yet; she didn't even know she would be rejected, so how could she know she couldn't fulfill his request?

Even if Fiona were unable to complete her task, at most, she just wouldn't get the advancement ritual materials from her. There wouldn't be any punishment, so there was no need for her to flee.

Looking at it this way, the matter had truly become shrouded in mystery.

"Olivia, Fiona might be in trouble. Do you know what's going on?" Thales asked with a heavy expression.

"What? Lady Fiona is in trouble? How can that be?" Olivia looked astonished, acting as if she were completely in the dark.

Seeing Olivia's ignorant state, Thales felt he had asked a stupid question.

Since she hadn't seen Fiona, she naturally wouldn't know what had happened to her.

However, aside from Olivia, he didn't know where else to go to inquire about Fiona's situation.

So he could only ask, "Have you noticed any unusual behavior from Fiona?"

"Unusual behavior?" Olivia was startled at first, then quickly nodded. "Yes, the lady did have some."

"Oh? What kind of unusual behavior?" Thales immediately grew alert.

Olivia said, "Lady Fiona suddenly wanted money very badly—a lot of money. That's something that never happened before. I was wondering if it's related to this."

Thales's expression stiffened.

If it was about that, then he felt it had nothing to do with Fiona's disappearance.

Because it wasn't Fiona who needed money, but the organization, the Rose Legion.

Seeing Olivia's still puzzled look, Thales sighed and briefly explained that the organization currently needed money.

"The organization needs a large amount of money? Why is that?" Olivia expressed her surprise at the appropriate time.

Thales shook his head and said, "I can't tell you the reason for now. But if you can obtain money from the church, you should put in some effort to get a sum for the organization."

Olivia said helplessly, "That's truly difficult to do. How could the church just let someone apply for a large amount of money for no reason?"

"According to Fiona, you're doing quite well for yourself in the church and are highly regarded?"

"It's precisely because of that that it's inconvenient for me to do anything suspicious. Too many people are watching me."

"...That's true."

Thales thought about it and could understand the trouble Olivia was facing.

Seeing that he couldn't get any useful information from Olivia, Thales could only say, "Since there's no news of Fiona, I'll be leaving now. If you see her later, let me know."

Olivia nodded. "I understand. I'll also use the church's resources tomorrow to see if Lady Fiona has been arrested by them."

"Good idea."

Thales said nothing more, stood up, and left the room.

After watching him leave, Olivia asked the magic mirror in her mind, only to learn that Thales, who had supposedly left, hadn't actually gone. Instead, he was secretly observing her from the shadows.

What did this mean?

Was this guy still suspicious of her?

'Magic mirror, what should I do to minimize his doubts about me?'

【Master can do this...】

The magic mirror immediately proposed a plan.

Olivia looked at the information surfacing in her mind, thoughtful.

She went to the study, lit a lamp, took out a notebook, and twirled a bulbous fountain pen between her fingers. She seemed to be thinking for a moment before she started to write.

"How should I inquire with the church to learn about Fiona's information without raising suspicion?

"Perhaps I can start from the angle of heretical organizations, asking about all recent activities of such groups, and then..."

Olivia wrote unhurriedly, as if formulating a plan for her future actions.

This plan was very purposeful, but there were many routes to the goal, representing different options.

Olivia was pretending to make a plan, acting as though she were working hard to find Fiona.

And all these actions were seen by Thales.

Thales, hidden in the shadows, showed a look of admiration in his eyes.

'No wonder she can thrive in the church as a spy. It's clear that no matter what it is, she puts in a lot of effort. How could I have doubted her?'

Thales shook his head.

Actually, it wasn't quite doubt; he was just naturally cautious. Observing Olivia secretly was a habitual behavior.

For a member of a heretical organization, such habitual behavior was indispensable.

In the past, he had discovered problems many times because of this cautious habit, nipping potential troubles in the bud.

However, this time, Olivia really had no issues.

Now that he was certain Olivia was clean, Thales naturally saw no need to keep watching secretly. He immediately withdrew his attention and left the area.

When she learned through the magic mirror that Thales had finally left, Olivia unhesitatingly crumpled the papers in front of her.

"He's finally gone. That guy's vigilance is truly strong."

Looking at the crumpled ball of paper, she was about to find another way to shred it when she felt a sudden sensation. A warm temperature emanated from between her fingers.

She seemed to realize something and suddenly snapped her fingers. Subsequently, a small flame appeared at her fingertip.

The flame stayed there, dancing gently with the breeze, yet she didn't feel the slightest bit burned. The entire experience was quite wondrous.

This wasn't a change brought about by the Elemental Praise, but a flame she had generated using her own magic power.

This was an ability an Ascetic could only master at the Sensate class rank—Spark of Fire!

Olivia hadn't expected that she would suddenly comprehend the method to cast Spark of Fire today, at this moment.

At this point, she had mastered all the abilities of an Ascetic at the Sensate class rank!