Transmigrated as the Devil of the Meaningless-Chapter 94: A Stranger’s Trust

Seth studied Fiona’s reaction carefully.

The confusion on her face seemed genuine.

He glanced past her toward the open doorway.

The street beyond looked normal at first glance... buildings, lamps, the morning light.

But something was wrong.

The people were gone.

The usual morning crowd of merchants, students, and workers had vanished.

Even Jerald, who had been standing right behind Fiona moments ago, was nowhere to be seen.

Fiona followed his gaze and saw it too.

Her hand instinctively went to the sapphire bracelet on her wrist, gripping it tight.

For a moment, fear flickered across her face.... then it faded.

She took a slow breath, and her posture relaxed.

Whatever the bracelet was, it gave her confidence.

Seth observed her reaction closely.

’She didn’t know about this,’ he concluded.

’The trap isn’t her doing...’

That meant a third party was involved.

Someone else had set the spell on this building.

The woman from the School of Deceit had been telling the truth about that, at least.

"Ms. Amoret," Seth said quietly, keeping his voice even.

"We’ve walked into a trap."

Fiona nodded slowly, her eyes still scanning the empty street.

"So it seems..."

"The spell activates when someone enters," Seth explained.

"It prevents anyone from leaving until permission is granted. Or perhaps until the caster decides otherwise."

Fiona’s grip tightened on her bracelet again.

"Do you know who set it?"

Seth considered his answer carefully.

He could tell her about the woman—the School of Deceit, the warnings about Fiona being corrupted by the book.

But trust had to be earned both ways...

Revealing too much too soon could be dangerous.

"I have a suspect," he said finally.

"But I need more information before I act on it."

Fiona studied him for a long moment.

Then she gave a small nod.

"Then we investigate together. The purpose of this meeting was to earn each other’s trust and work together anyway, wasn’t it?"

Seth allowed himself a faint chuckle behind his mask.

"Indeed it was."

Fiona lowered her gaze for a moment before speaking, her tone light but honest.

"I wanted to be part of the supernatural world... but I didn’t expect to run into trouble this early."

Seth paused.

A quiet thought passed through his mind.

’I’ve only been in this world for less than two months... and I’ve already died once.’

He almost let out a dry laugh at that.

’If anything, you’re probably running into trouble because you got close to me...’

But he kept those words to himself.

There was no need to say them out loud.

As the thought faded, Seth found himself drifting into deeper reflection.

Something about his fate felt... wrong.

Things had been moving too fast and strangely.

Either this was all part of Jake Williams’ doing, or the problem lay within himself— something he still didn’t understand.

He pushed the thought aside for now.

"You seem awfully calm,"

Seth said, seemingly out of concern to probe her.

Fiona simply smiled at him.

She understood what he meant.

He wasn’t commenting on her attitude but was pointing out that she must have some way to protect herself.

Some hidden card she hadn’t revealed yet.

But she didn’t answer.

The silence that followed wasn’t uncomfortable as Seth didn’t mind it.

After all, he was someone who carried secrets too.

It would be hypocritical of him to demand answers from her.

For a few seconds, neither of them spoke.

The air between them remained still, almost heavy, as if both were waiting for the other to make the next move.

Then Seth finally broke the silence.

"There’s another person in this building," he said.

Fiona’s eyes sharpened slightly, though her expression didn’t change.

"However..." Seth continued.

"I don’t know how dangerous they are."

He didn’t say anything more.

But the meaning behind his words was clear.

This was not something he could handle alone.

And if Fiona truly had some hidden means—some secret helper or ability—now would be the time to reveal it.

Seth turned his gaze toward her, falling silent once more as he waited.

Fiona met his eyes, her expression calm but serious.

After a brief pause, she spoke.

"As much as we don’t trust each other, Mr. Black... if we both want to leave this place safely without exposing too much about ourselves, then it might be best if we share what we know about the current situation."

Her voice was steady, neither demanding nor hesitant.

It was more like a quiet agreement she was offering.

Seth watched her for a moment, then gave a small smile behind his mask.

"You’re right."

There was no point in holding back everything.

Not when they were both stuck in the same place...

"I came here early to survey the area. I wanted to see if you had set a trap by choosing this place for our meeting."

He paused, letting the admission settle.

"When I arrived, a woman was already behind the counter. She told me the building is sealed by a spell. Anyone who enters cannot leave unless given permission."

Fiona listened carefully, her expression unreadable.

Seth hesitated for a moment before adding.

"She said she is a student from the School of Deceit."

At that, Fiona’s composure cracked.

Her eyes widened, and her hand instinctively went to her bracelet.

"You know of them?"

Seth asked.

Fiona’s voice came out quieter than before.

"Only by reputation... My father mentioned them once. He said they are... dangerous."

"People who deal in hidden knowledge and manipulation. He told me to avoid any connection with them."

She looked around the teahouse again, her earlier calm replaced by visible tension.

"If they are involved, then this is worse than I thought."

Seth studied her reaction carefully.

Her fear seemed genuine.

That meant she likely wasn’t working with them...

Of course, he did not fully trust her as of yet, hence why he kept the existence of the crumpled paper a secret.

"She had warned me about you."

Fiona’s brow furrowed.

"Warned you about me?"

"She said the book you took—the Guide of Malum—has already affected you. That you will carry out its goals without realizing it."

For a long moment, Fiona said nothing.

Then she looked down at her hands, a shadow passing over her face.

"I haven’t opened it," she said quietly.

"I kept it wrapped like you told me to."

Seth shook his head.

"Whether opened or not, you touched it. That may be enough."

He paused, choosing his words carefully.

"If you would allow me, I have a way to see if your fate has been tampered with."

He let the offer hang in the air.

"Of course, it is your choice whether to trust me or not."