Lanevus

After weighing the pros and cons, Luther ultimately decided to spend the night at the asylum.

After all, the captain had a point. If he still carried the label of a mental patient before the welcome banquet, introducing himself in public would be rather awkward.

"Dr. Wilder is truly terrible! He clearly didn't help you at all during your treatment, yet when you needed him, he only caused you even more trouble!"

Cecilia was deeply dissatisfied with this. She had originally wanted to stay the night with Luther, but he firmly refused. For one thing, it would not sound good if word got out that a young girl had spent the night in a place like this; for another, she still had classes tomorrow. So, though extremely unwilling, she was led out of the asylum gates by Luther and sent home in a carriage.

After seeing his sister off, Luther returned to the asylum's inpatient department. He stayed with Dr. Wilder in the consulting room until the end of the workday and was treated to a patient meal that could only be called Catastrophe. After that, Dr. Wilder arranged a room and roommate for him.

"I'm very sorry, Mr. Rondal. The single rooms are all full, so you'll have to make do here for the night. This is your roommate, Hood Eugen... Rest assured, his condition is very stable. He enjoys chatting with patients, but he doesn't like speaking with us doctors."

In a double room on the third floor, Wilder pointed at the patient in the bed by the window as he spoke to Luther.

Luther followed his gesture and saw a man who looked perfectly normal. His face was long and thin, and his light blond hair was neatly groomed. Hearing himself mentioned, he turned around and gave the two of them a detached glance with gray-blue eyes, then turned back without saying a word.

"See? He's completely non-aggressive."

Wilder said, "Your bedding is all brand-new, so feel free to use it. I'll be making rounds on the third floor tonight and will come check on you from time to time. Please rest easy and spend the night here. As long as you don't have an episode all night, I'll sign your certificate of mental recovery first thing tomorrow morning."

"All right. Sorry for the trouble, Dr. Wilder."

Things having come to this, Luther did not stand on ceremony. After thanking Dr. Wilder and seeing him out, he lay down on the asylum bed without the slightest hesitation.

Ah, this mattress, this familiar feeling...

He was about to take off his coat when he suddenly remembered that his holster was hanging over the shirt beneath it. It would be rather inappropriate if it were exposed, so he simply lay down fully clothed, flat on his back, with his hands behind his head, staring blankly at the ward ceiling.

Hood Eugen ignored him and continued gazing at the night sky outside the window.

The sky gradually darkened, and the crimson Moon slowly rose. It shone through the barred windows of the psychiatric ward, casting lines of crimson grating across the floor.

The room was exceptionally quiet. Neither Luther nor his roommate spoke. Only Dr. Wilder's footsteps occasionally sounded from the corridor outside as he made his rounds, along with the indistinct cries of patients from some distant ward.

Luther's eyelids gradually grew heavy as drowsiness washed over him.

What should I do? Take off my clothes before sleeping?

But I've got a holster on me. Then again, it shouldn't matter if a madman sees it...

As he was thinking this, footsteps sounded in the corridor once more.

Hm, Dr. Wilder is back again. He really is working hard... Huh? That doesn't sound like him.

Luther detected that something was wrong from the footsteps.

Dr. Wilder was getting on in years and walked rather slowly, but these footsteps were light and brisk, swift and sharp. They clearly belonged to a young person.

Someone going to the bathroom? Another doctor...

Just as Luther was thinking this, the footsteps stopped outside his ward door. Then, with a clatter, the door was pushed open. Orange-yellow light flooded the room as a young man stepped inside, holding a gas lamp in one hand and carrying a bag in the other.

"Hi, good evening!"

The corners of his lips curled upward. Paying no attention to Luther's surprise, he waved in greeting as though Luther were an old acquaintance.

"You..."

Luther could not help sitting up. He stared at the young man in astonishment. For some reason, he felt that the man looked vaguely familiar.

Who was he? Why was he entering a psychiatric ward in the middle of the night?

Just as Luther was about to ask, Hood Eugen, lying in the bed by the window at the far end of the room, suddenly sighed. He pulled a silver bell from beneath his pillow, raised it, and gave it a gentle shake.

"Jingle..."

The clear sound echoed through the ward. It was extraordinarily strange, seeming to pass through the body and ring directly inside one's mind.

Luther jolted violently, his body slipping beyond his control. The world suddenly became hazy, and every other sound seemed to come from far away. Only the bell continued echoing in his mind, until—

"Whoosh..."

An illusory sound of Tide rose, overwhelming the bell and clearing his mind. He heard the two men talking.

"Lanevus, why aren't you busy with your fraud? What are you doing here in the middle of the night?"

Hood Eugen looked at the young man with displeasure. "I saw it all in the newspapers. Your scheme was quite comprehensive—there were even ads for the iron mine company's share offering."

Lanevus?

An iron mine company share offering?

Right, that man from the newspaper!

Luther finally remembered, understanding why the face had seemed familiar: the broad forehead, ordinary features, round glasses, and that seemingly mocking smile... It was exactly what the person in charge of the iron mine had looked like in the newspaper Rozanne had shown him last time.

Wait, then what did Hood Eugen mean? The iron mine was a scam?

He looked so normal. Could it be that he wasn't insane at all?

And that item of his could actually hypnotize me... It seemed related to mysticism, perhaps a sealed artifact.

And his relationship with Lanevus...

Countless pieces of information flooded Luther's mind in a short time. He analyzed them rapidly without making any rash move, continuing to pretend that he was under control as he listened to their conversation.

"Heh heh... That scheme has already been wrapped up."

Lanevus patted the bulging bag in his hand, smiling viciously. "My thanks to all those greedy, stupid fools... To be honest, I've had enough fun. I'm preparing to leave Tingen."

"So you came to say goodbye? Heh, I have nothing to say to someone like you."

"Don't be so cold-hearted. Weren't you also full of gratitude toward me when you used me to frame your companion and seize his Beyonder artifact?"

Lanevus smiled and pointed at the bell in Hood Eugen's hand, directly exposing his dirty secret.

Hood Eugen's expression changed, and then he let out a cold laugh.

Looks like neither of these two is any good...

Luther thought to himself.

But at the same time, he could not help feeling curious. What exactly was Lanevus's purpose in coming here in the middle of the night?