Klein's Commission

The case at the Capim Villa caused a huge stir throughout Backlund, with people discussing it heatedly and spreading various versions of the story. Newspapers published lengthy and vulgar reports on the abused girls, describing in detail the various forms of torture they suffered. In contrast, the high-ranking officials and wealthy merchants who participated in the banquet and subsequently disappeared were only briefly mentioned in the newspapers.

Nearly a week later, the hype surrounding the incident gradually died down, and people began chasing after new hot topics in the newspapers.

Luther has been living a relatively stable life these past few days, either half-mad at home or continuing his work as a clandestine healer and volunteer doctor. Because MI9 and the Mandated Punishers have been secretly investigating, Backlund's underworld has been forced into a state of dormancy, and all Beyonder Gathering have been suspended.

And it was at this moment that he received a commission from Klein.

"This is Dr. Kafka Anderson from the East Borough."

Wearing gold-rimmed glasses and sporting a full beard, Klein introduced him to the person opposite him, "Anderson, this is Mr. Mike Joseph, a reporter for the Daily Observer."

Good morning, Mr. Reporter.

Having altered his appearance with Flesh and Blood Magic to become less conspicuous, Luther spoke briefly to the person opposite him.

Good morning, Mr. Anderson. The temperature is quite nice today; it would be even better if there were some sunshine. I was lucky enough to see the Sun for a few minutes when I went out, but unfortunately, it didn't seem inclined to stay for long.

Mike Joseph responded by talking about the weather.

He had good features and a stylish short beard. Perhaps because he spent a lot of time traveling around looking for materials, his skin wasn't in particularly good condition.

Luther stared at him indifferently, without responding.

Mike's smile suddenly turned a little awkward. In Loen, it's a common way for strangers to start a conversation about the weather, but the other person didn't respond.

He could only look to Klein for help.

"Reporter Mike wanted to learn about the living conditions of the poor in the East Borough, so I told him that Dr. Anderson, the quack doctor here, has lived in the East Borough for a long time and knows the area very well."

Klein explained.

Because of the reports from [Justice] Audrey and [Magician] Fors, he already knew that Luther was very likely responsible for that major crime.

He thought he'd come over for a chat. Coincidentally, Mike, a reporter he'd met at the Quelaag Club, wanted to learn about the East Borough, so Klein brought Mike along as well.

"Can."

Luther thought for a moment and said, "I already went crazy in the early hours of the morning, so I should be able to stay sober for a longer period of time this morning. How do you plan to investigate?"

Sherlock's advice to me was to travel around the various areas of the East Borough and see how they were faring.

Mike quickly smiled.

To be honest, he didn't think the man in front of him was a proper doctor. The man seemed crazy and indifferent, more like a patient.

"He's in charge of the interviews and investigations, and we're responsible for ensuring his safety throughout the process," Klein explained with a smile. "For this, he'll pay each of us £15."

"OK."

Luther, possessing Beyonder Characteristic equivalent to over £15,700, nodded and said, "Klein already mentioned this in his letter."

The main purpose was for the two of them to meet, and incidentally, to help the reporter out.

Hawes Street, where they were, was located on the edge of the East Borough. If you walked along this street, you could cross the entire East Borough.

The three of them slowly set off, strolling along the streets.

"The area ahead is under the Lyman Gang, and that's the Zimang Party's territory. Their leader recently died, and their territory has been significantly Corrosion," Luther said, pointing around at the crossroads. "Further down is the Hilston Gang's territory. They mainly make money from bars and streetwalkers. As long as you don't cause trouble, they won't bother you."

"You really know this neighborhood well."

Mike couldn't help but say.

"Oh, I was working as a quack doctor for the Lyman Gang, and I overheard them chatting, so I roughly found out."

Luther said casually.

A gangster's secret healer?!

Mike was startled and turned to look at his friend Sherlock, only to find that the other looked calm, as if he had known all along.

To have a secret doctor from the mafia accompany me is incredibly exciting.

Mike muttered to himself.

But soon, as the investigation deepened, he was shocked by the miserable living conditions of the poor in the East Borough, and he completely forgot about the people around him.

What do you want?

Luther and Klein distanced themselves slightly from Mike, and while Mike was looking at the bleak factory with a worried expression and not paying attention to them, Luzer Klein whispered a question to each other.

"You were the one who did what happened with Capim, weren't you?"

Klein also lowered his voice.

Because letters might be intercepted, some things can only be said face-to-face.

"Um."

Luther spoke calmly, his composed demeanor sending a shiver down Klein's spine.

What exactly is the process?

He couldn't help but ask, "This matter is widely known in Backlund, yet I have the opportunity to hear the story firsthand—it's quite a rare experience."

Luther then began to recount his experiences that day, how he tracked his landlord to the Capim Villa after his disappearance, and how he fought the enemy in a frenzy.

However, he didn't talk about the parts related to the Queen, since it involved important figures and the organizations behind them, and it was better not to talk about it for security reasons.

"That's really amazing."

After hearing Luther's story, Klein couldn't help but sigh in admiration. As expected of Sequence 5 Shepherd, he single-handedly fought against four Extraordinary Ones and actually killed them all.

Only..

"More than a hundred lives were lost in the villa. Were they all really killed?"

He asked somewhat uneasily.

"That's right, I was going crazy at the time and couldn't control myself," Luther said, frowning slightly, as if recalling the frenzied scene.

"So that's why he killed so many people—because he went mad."

Klein said, for some reason, he felt a slight sense of relief. Then, he saw Luther looking at him with a strange expression.

"What's wrong?"

"Even if I weren't insane, I was prepared to start killing."

Luther's words startled him.

"Why?"

Klein asked almost Consciousness.

"I just think they deserve to die."

Luther said calmly.

Klein was speechless. He noticed that his colleague had changed quite a bit during this time, perhaps due to different experiences.

If it were me, I would only kill Capim and those Extraordinary individuals who were secretly protecting him. As for the others, I would capture them and hand them over to the Church.

"Oh, right."

After a moment of surprise, Klein suddenly remembered something else, "Luther, you haven't sold those Characteristic yet, have you?"