Evening.

After leaving the police station, Lynch didn't take a carriage. He chose to walk home and used the four pence he'd saved to buy two cups of iced lemon water from a roadside vendor.

Of course, he'd only meant to buy one, but the shopkeeper had been offering two for the price of one, so Lynch had accepted the extra cup.

After waiting for the man to leave, he'd had the driver turn the carriage around and take him to the police station.

It would be more convenient to have Mountbatten send someone to keep an eye on Upton. And if the plan really succeeded, Mountbatten would surely earn a second-class merit.

Lynch still had no idea when he could become the chief, but at least this gave him far more of a chance than before.

Lynch gave Mountbatten a rough account of what had happened. He told him he'd learned that Upton was about to gather members of a cult and lead them in a mass suicide by fire, but he didn't know exactly when. That was why Mountbatten had to handle it.

Once they succeeded, Lynch would tell everyone that Mountbatten had discovered Upton's problem and had informed him about it.

It worked to both their advantage.

Neither he nor Mountbatten saw any problem with it.

The next day, Lynch had originally planned to take the Antigonus Notebook to Dunn, but after thinking it over, he put it away instead.

He thought the Antigonus Notebook might still be useful. He just didn't know exactly what he could do with it, so he'd keep it for now.

Of course, Lynch also spoke with Dunn about it.

"Someone from the Big Meat Church took the Antigonus Notebook. He said he had to ask his superiors to confirm whether it was real."

Dunn nodded to show that was fine.

Even though he'd taken one look at the Antigonus Notebook and thought it was fake, he'd still brought it back so the experts could examine it.

"You seem a little off."

Dunn looked at Lynch sharply.

Lynch didn't seem as relaxed as he usually did.

Lynch sighed. Of course he wasn't doing well. He was about to pull off a major deception on Dunn in the next few days, and he didn't even know if it would work!

Besides, he'd joined a cult and become a follower of the True Creator. No one would believe him if he told them, would they?

In any case, the man in black's words had kept him from sleeping well last night. He didn't look too good today, either.

Thinking of Dunn's question, Lynch shook his head.

He couldn't tell Dunn what was really worrying him, so his thoughts raced, and he immediately came up with an explanation.

"It's the Antigonus Notebook. I'm worried that if it turns out to be real, they won't give it back to us. Or they might decide it's fake and destroy it. I'm really worried they'll ruin the evidence."

Lynch spoke softly, a hint of worry in his voice.

Dunn smiled.

He stood and walked over to the window, then took out his pipe and looked at Lynch. "Mind if I have a few puffs?"

Lynch wanted to refuse, but then he remembered that his predecessor had been a heavy smoker. He wouldn't have refused, so Lynch nodded.

"I've noticed you haven't been smoking lately."

Dunn lit his pipe and took several satisfied puffs before turning to ask Lynch.

Lynch thought it over, then explained, "I quit. I used to smoke so much because I was under a lot of pressure. I didn't know what else I could do besides work as a clerk. It felt like my whole life was stuck there.

"Then, after what happened to Klein, when I was beaten, it was like I stopped caring about everything. When I woke up, I didn't touch cigarettes again. I want to live well."

Dunn nodded and gave him a thumbs-up.

"That's impressive. I really admire you. I can't even quit myself, even though I know it's bad for me. All right, I'll put it out. It's not right to smoke in front of someone who's quit. Sorry."

Dunn took one last deep puff, then quickly put out his pipe.

"All right, back to what we were talking about. I understand what you mean. You're worried those people will take the Antigonus Notebook and not give it back. That's only natural. But why did you give it to them?"

Lynch froze.

Was Dunn blaming him?

How should he explain it? Maybe he could say he'd snatched it back from those people later?

Lynch's mind raced, and he came up with a solution in an instant. But before he could say anything, Dunn smiled.

"You gave it to them because you wanted to infiltrate their organization. If it helps you earn their trust, then the sacrifice is worth it. Besides, it was only a fake Antigonus Notebook."

Lynch looked enlightened.

"I understand. For the sake of a greater—"

Before Lynch could finish, Dunn supplied the rest of his words.

"For the sake of a greater good!"

Right, then!

Had Roselle said that, too?

He sure had said a lot!

"All right, don't worry about this sort of thing."

Dunn reassured Lynch again. Lynch nodded, then prepared to leave and find Rozanne so he could give her breakfast.

It included a loaf of bread and a cup of iced lemon water that had been delivered last night.

He hadn't found Rozanne when he came in earlier and guessed she might have gone downstairs for something, so he planned to look for her again.

"You don't need to follow Rozanne today."

Dunn stated this with a helpless air.

"Then who should I follow? Brazier?"

"No. You'll follow Old Neil and study mysticism with Klein. You've earned the merit to become a Beyonder, so it's time to start learning this. From now on, you'll attend Old Neil's lessons every day, study your coursework in the afternoon, and practice shooting at the club. I heard you haven't gone."

Dunn looked up at Lynch. He wasn't reproaching him, but Lynch already felt a little embarrassed.

He hurriedly offered an excuse. "I'll go right away. I've been thinking about studying these past few days. It's so hard that I feel like my brain's going to explode."

Dunn laughed with schadenfreude.

"This is your job, so you can't give up. But practicing with a gun is important, too. You're about to become a Beyonder, and you're not far from becoming a full member.

"When you're out in the field, your enemies won't care that you're still studying. They'll only care whether you can shoot straight and whether they can kill you instead."

Lynch nodded solemnly.

That was true. Lately, he'd just assumed that having a gun meant he'd be fine, and completely forgotten that he needed to practice.

"Captain, I'll practice by firing a hundred shots today!"

Lynch clenched his fist.

Dunn shook his head, amused. That fellow would probably end up with a sore shoulder from the recoil.

"You can only practice with thirty rounds a day. The ammunition you haven't used before is forfeited."

He didn't want Lynch to grow to hate shooting practice. That would be fatal for a Nighthawk.

"Go on. By the way, was what Rozanne said yesterday true?"

Dunn asked curiously just before Lynch left.

Lynch immediately remembered what had happened yesterday, and felt like he wanted to fight Rozanne again.

"It's false! Captain, I swear to the Goddess, there's nothing improper between Klein and me!"

Lynch swore through gritted teeth.

Dunn pondered for a moment, then said helplessly, "Not that. I never believed you and Klein were together. I know you're both interested in women. I meant what Rozanne said yesterday about you proposing to her."

Lynch: ??

Seriously, would that girl die if she went one day without spreading rumors?!