Go On!

Monday morning.

Lynch dressed in his finest and made a point of checking himself out in the mirror in his own washroom. Handsome!

Come to think of it, he and the original owner did look a little alike. The original owner's face was more Western, while his had the distinctive softness of an Eastern face.

But handsome men were all alike in one way: they were handsome.

Once he was done admiring himself, he opened the door and looked at Klein, who was already ready to go.

As expected, clothes made the man. Klein finally looked a little more scholarly, and at the very least, people could now say he had a certain air about him.

"Shall we?"

Lynch greeted him.

Klein nodded, then glanced over his face with a touch of envy.

How to put it?

The difference between people really was something!

Click!

Klein closed his pocket watch, and he and Lynch took a public carriage to the Blackthorn Security Company.

Lynch had wanted to keep walking, but he was dressed too nicely today and didn't want to get his clothes dirty.

Besides, the walk would take a long time and might make him late.

A little over twenty minutes later, they arrived at Zolant Street. Lynch brushed the dust off himself, made sure everything was in order, then strode into the reception room.

Rozanne was already there. As soon as she saw Lynch, she waved him over.

"Lynch, the captain said you'll be working with me this week and following my orders!"

Rozanne clasped her hands behind her back and raised her chin proudly.

Lynch hurried over and brought his new supervisor a cup of coffee, assuring her she could give him any task she liked. He could do anything.

Rozanne burst out laughing. After a good while, she finally turned to Klein.

"The captain said to go to his office as soon as you got here."

Klein: ...

Why hadn't she said that sooner?

Was chatting with Lynch more important than passing on the message?

Klein rubbed his forehead, gaining a new understanding of Lynch's good looks.

"The captain said you're planning to become Beyonders. I don't think that's a good idea. Wouldn't it be better to stay ordinary people?"

Rozanne pressed her lips together. Her expression gradually turned cold, and her voice grew sharp.

"I'm sorry, but we can't. We've already gotten mixed up in Beyonder matters. If we don't become Beyonders, one of them might kill us, just like—"

Lynch began to explain.

Before he could finish, Rozanne cut him off.

"Oh, don't bring up such terrible things. I'm just a little sad. Dad got caught up in all this and died, and so did plenty of other team members. I just don't want anything to happen to you."

Rozanne's eyes were a little red.

Lynch understood her.

If he didn't know the story, then he... ahem, sorry, he'd still want to become a Beyonder.

Having power in his own hands was what mattered to him.

Without becoming a Beyonder, his life would be worth no more than a blade of grass. Anyone could come along and turn him into a corpse.

But everyone had their own way of thinking. He wasn't about to criticize Rozanne; he understood her instead.

"All right, I promise. Even if I become a Beyonder, I won't do anything dangerous. I'll stay by your side and help out. I can serve tea, pour water, even wash your feet!"

Lynch smiled as he made his promise.

Rozanne gave him an exasperated glare.

"Serving tea and pouring water is fine. W-washing my feet isn't necessary!"

She said it with a huff.

Lynch laughed and decided to pour the lovely young woman another cup of tea.

And the lady didn't disappoint him. She started teaching him how to slack off.

Klein, meanwhile, had already gone downstairs to take the Seer Potion. Rozanne had told Lynch about that, along with another bit of bad news: Klein might get half a day off after taking the Potion.

"I've seen that most of the team members get really tired after taking a Potion. Leonard's the exception. He's a Sleepless, so he doesn't feel drowsy after taking one."

Lynch didn't care whether Leonard got that half-day off. All he wanted to know was how he could keep up with Klein.

If the Fool opened Sefirah Castle and he wasn't nearby, where would he get energy?

Was he supposed to wait until the Stone of Myriad Phenomena couldn't hold back any longer, set its sights on the Nighthawks' Beyonder artifacts, and start absorbing them?

Without energy, the Stone of Myriad Phenomena was practically unreasonable. Like a hungry tiger pouncing on its prey, it absorbed energy the moment it saw it.

It could only stay calm if it still had some energy left.

When Klein had first opened Sefirah Castle, Lynch had felt that he could control the Stone of Myriad Phenomena and make it refuse to absorb energy.

But when they'd encountered the Antigonus Notebook, the Stone of Myriad Phenomena hadn't cared about his objections or resistance at all. It had drawn in energy like a mad thing.

So if he didn't use the Stone of Myriad Phenomena's remaining energy to absorb more now, he'd have to face the possibility that it would pounce like a hungry tiger and drain the Nighthawks' Beyonder artifacts dry.

Then he'd become a traitor to the Church of the Goddess, and the captain might even hunt him down himself. Just thinking about it sent a chill down his spine.

No. This time, he had to get his hands on the energy from Sefirah Castle.

"Rozanne, if I wanted to ask for time off on my very first day, what do you think I should do?"

Rozanne stared at him, dumbfounded.

"Lynch, I did teach you how to slack off, but you can't use those tricks this soon! The captain will kill me!"

Lynch gave an awkward laugh, then clasped his hands together and pleaded.

"Come on, be a dear and help me out. I'm keeping an eye on Klein. I heard he's recently started dating someone—a man, apparently. His family's worried and wants to know who the other person is.

"I'm close with his family, so I'm going to help them out. I want to follow him now; this is the perfect time for a date. And don't tell anyone."

Rozanne covered her mouth, her eyes shining as she looked at Lynch.

"Don't worry. I'll keep it to myself!"

She even eagerly suggested a plan.

"Didn't the captain tell you to take the Tingen University entrance exam? Go tell him you're heading to Tingen University to get some materials from a professor. That's a perfectly legitimate reason. I'm not busy here anyway, so he'll definitely agree. Oh, and remember to ask him for a letter of introduction!"

Lynch nodded and immediately went to Dunn's office.

Dunn looked a little surprised to see him, but still turned to him curiously.

"What is it?"

"Captain, I'm planning to go to Tingen University to get some materials. You were right that I should take the university entrance exam. I tried to study just now, but quickly realized that I didn't even know what books to read or what would be on the exam.

"So I'd like you to write me a letter of introduction. I want to take some time off and go to Tingen University to ask for materials. After all, they'll be closed by the time our shift ends."

Lynch spoke with a guilty conscience, but Dunn listened with satisfaction.

The kid really was decent. Even though he didn't like studying, he'd still come to ask for help. That initiative alone was precious.

"You don't need to take time off. This counts as official business. Go get the materials, then come back tomorrow. You're showing a very diligent attitude. Go on!"