An Agreement

After locking the door, Luther walked down the steps.

A house away, the door of 2 Daffodil Street opened, and a brown-eyed, black-haired young man with a distinctly scholarly air stepped out. Upon seeing Luther, he gave him a friendly smile.

"Good morning, Luther."

"Morning, Klein."

This young man was Klein Moretti, a colleague who had joined a few weeks before him.

When this friendly colleague learned that Luther was in a rush to rent a place, he had offered him advice and recommended Daffodil Street so they could become neighbors. Klein's brother Benson, in particular, had helped him with many of the procedures and had even haggled with the person in charge until the rent was forced down to 12 soli a week. Luther was deeply grateful for that.

"Have you taken care of everything at home?"

"Yeah, I'm heading to report to the captain now." Luther smiled. "And I still have to thank you for helping me rent a place. Otherwise, I couldn't have settled everything so quickly."

"Then thank Benson instead. He handled all of it."

Klein said.

"The houses around Daffodil Street really are quite nice. My sister loves it. It's the first time she's had a room of her own, and she was so happy she couldn't sleep."

"So was my sister. The moment she first saw the house, she didn't want to leave."

The two men with younger sisters traded boasts for a while, both wearing knowing smiles. They chatted as they walked and boarded a public carriage. Along the way, women occasionally cast their eyes toward Luther. Luther pretended not to notice, while Klein seemed a little uncomfortable. Fortunately, Zorante Street soon arrived. They got off together and walked to the entrance of Blackthorn Security Company.

Come to think of it, the last time I came here was last time... Ahem, it was at night.

Luther looked at the sign and thought with mixed emotions before following Klein through the door. The hall, which had previously been ruined beyond recognition, had been completely renovated. New furniture, new partitions, even brand-new flooring—it was a pleasing sight.

Rozanne, the brown-haired girl he had met before, was making coffee at the reception desk. Hearing someone enter, she looked up. She recognized Klein and was about to greet him when she saw Luther behind him, and her eyes immediately lit up.

"Good morning, Rozanne."

"Morning, Klein. This is...?"

She stared at Luther with great interest.

"Luther Rondal. We've met before."

Luther gave a slight nod in greeting. The graceful gesture left Rozanne looking somewhat dazed.

"Hello, Luther. I'm Rozanne... Huh? Luther Rondal!"

She answered instinctively, then seemed to suddenly recall something and cried out, "You're the one from that day..."

"That's me."

Luther said.

"Uh..."

Rozanne shrank back slightly. The smile vanished from her face, replaced by fear and unease, as though she had remembered what she had once witnessed.

"The captain, he's in his office. The first room on the right behind the partitions. He told me that when you arrived, you could go straight to him."

She spoke cautiously.

"I understand. Thank you, Miss Rozanne."

Luther paid no attention to Rozanne's change in attitude. He casually thanked her and headed behind the partitions.

The moment Rozanne saw Luther disappear behind the partitions, she immediately leaned close to Klein and lowered her voice.

"Klein, Klein, is he really joining the Nighthawks?"

"Yeah. What's wrong? Are you afraid of him?"

Klein could not help wanting to laugh.

"To be honest, a little."

Rozanne pulled a miserable face. "Hanass alone was terrifying enough that night, and he even killed Hanass... Good heavens, when I saw that pool of blood and flesh on the floor with my own eyes, I nearly fainted. I had nightmares for several nights afterward..."

"It's fine. Luther's actually a pretty nice person."

Klein could only reassure her. "Besides, think about it. If he were really that dangerous, would the captain have kept him?"

With his explanation, Rozanne somewhat lowered her guard.

"Knock, knock."

Luther stopped outside the office and rapped on the door with his knuckles.

"Come in."

Dunn's deep, gentle voice came from inside.

When Luther pushed the door open, Dunn was seated behind the desk, his gray eyes deep and calm. The black coat and top hat he usually wore hung on the coat rack. He wore only a shirt and vest. Compared to their encounter two nights ago, the nightmare-like, profound terror around him had faded considerably, leaving him with more warmth.

"Captain."

Luther greeted Dunn. Since he had already joined the team, it was only natural that he changed how he addressed him.

"The telegram from the Church has arrived. It's good news." He set down the document in his hand. "The higher-ups cautiously approved your application to join the team, but they require me to keep a close eye on you."

"That is indeed good news. I'll cooperate."

Luther smiled.

Dunn gave an "Mm" and examined Luther. "You used to suffer from hallucinations constantly. Since that night, have you fallen into one again?"

"I haven't gone mad again."

Luther's heart stirred, but he feigned ignorance. "Captain, why is that?"

He naturally knew why, but at a time like this, playing dumb would make him seem less suspicious.

"I gave it some thought. This may be the reason."

Dunn analyzed slowly. "By a coincidence of fate, some people may be born with certain Beyonder Characteristics already within them, equivalent to having half of a starting Sequence solidified—there is an orphan in Tingen City named Ademisaul who is like this. He is naturally suited for the Monster Pathway."

"As for you, I suspect that you may be a natural member of the Secrets Suppliant Pathway. That is why your spirituality was innately high and you were easily harmed by evil gods, causing you to frequently experience hallucinations. The Aurora Order may have captured and sacrificed you for this very reason. Now that you have consumed the Secrets Suppliant potion and successfully solidified your Sequence, your previously unstable spirituality has been brought under control. Naturally, you will no longer suffer hallucinations."

Dunn concluded.

Luther was momentarily surprised.

That actually... sounded rather convincing?

If I didn't know the Phantom Tide was taking effect, I might have truly believed him.

No, wouldn't it be better if I pretended to believe him here?

"So that's how it is, Captain. What you said makes so much sense."

Luther immediately said, revealing a delighted smile. "So I'll never have to worry about falling into hallucinations again. That's wonderful!"

"This is only my speculation. Take it as a reference."

Dunn nodded slightly.

With a swish, he pulled open the desk drawer and took out two copies of a document. "This is the team-entry contract. Read it over. If there are no problems, sign it."

Luther accepted it and carefully read through the clauses. The various confidentiality provisions and obligations were packed densely together. Even though he had been mentally prepared, his head still started to ache.

Forget it, I've already taken an advance on my salary. It's too late to back out now.

He smiled resignedly, then used the fountain pen on Dunn's desk to sign his full name on both documents and press his fingerprint onto them.

Dunn took the contracts from him, stamped them, put one copy away, and returned the other to Luther. "Very good, Mr. Luther Rondal. From this moment onward, you are officially a member of the Nighthawks."

"It's an honor."

Luther smiled.

But Dunn did not smile. Instead, his expression became even more serious.

"However, before that, there are several important matters I must tell you in advance."

"Uh, go ahead?"

"First, and most importantly, under no circumstances may you seek advancement!"