Leonard: What the hell?

The scene returned to Lorne.

"That tone sounds like someone from the authorities!"

I can't let him see my face directly. I need something to cover it... Lorne considered what he could use to conceal his appearance.

Right, the Monocle! It's small, but it'll hide at least part of my face without looking too out of place.

Lorne hurriedly put the crystal Monocle over his right eye.

"Run for it? No, leaving now would be as good as admitting guilt." He listened to the footsteps drawing closer behind him.

No, I have to stay calm. I can't give anything away.

He shouldn't be able to tell I'm a transmigrator.

Besides, even if I am a transmigrator, I haven't done anything wrong. I've got nothing to feel guilty about.

"That's right. Just smile."

"Smile, say hello, and explain. That's all."

Having made up his mind, Lorne forced the corners of his mouth upward and turned around with a strained smile.

Perhaps because he had forced it, Lorne's smile looked distinctly exaggerated.

Approaching from behind, Leonard was just about to tap the man's shoulder when the man turned around on his own.

He also saw a smile appear on the man's face, which sported a Monocle.

A smile that looked positively delighted.

!!!

By the faint light of the gas lamp, Lorne made out the newcomer's features.

Black hair, green eyes, and fairly good-looking. Most importantly, Lorne recognized him as one of the policemen he had encountered while eating at a restaurant on Zorant Street.

The man had recited a particularly awful poem at the time, which had left a deep impression on Lorne.

Lorne stepped toward him, intending to explain why he was still wandering this street so late at night.

In truth, he simply wanted to brush the policeman off. Seeing that the man hadn't even buttoned his uniform and had such a rakish air about him, Lorne figured he probably wasn't very reliable.

With that thought, Lorne's smile grew even brighter as he approached step by step.

To Lorne's surprise, however, the young policeman stared at him in utter shock, looking as though he had seen a ghost.

"Don't... don't move!" His left hand abruptly pulled a pistol from his Gun Holster, his index finger clamped tightly around the trigger. His Adam's apple bobbed violently as he swallowed.

"What... is going on?" Startled by his actions, Lorne couldn't imagine why the man was reacting so strongly.

Lorne edged half a step forward to explain, only to see the young policeman's throat shift as he muttered, "Monster."

Then the policeman turned and sprinted in the opposite direction without looking back. His footsteps and breathing mingled, sounding especially jarring in the dead of night. In the blink of an eye, he vanished around the corner, leaving Lorne standing alone in the wind, utterly bewildered.

The flame in the streetlamp hissed twice, and the shadow at his feet twisted into a strange shape.

"What did he run off for?"

"Do I have shit stuck to my face?"

"I just came out of an underground tunnel and haven't had time to clean up, so sure, I must look a bit disheveled. But there's no reason to be that scared."

"The police in this world really aren't up to much!"

"No wonder the Transmigration Guide said the authorities couldn't be trusted. Maybe this was part of the reason."

Lorne sighed as he recalled the policeman's reaction.

"Huh? Why do I feel that same familiar sense of relief again?"

"And it feels like something is just one final step away from disappearing..."

Lorne stood frozen, unsure what to make of the strange response in his body.

Meanwhile, Leonard ran through the darkness for an entire block before gradually slowing down.

"Huff... huff... huff..."

"Old Man, are you serious? Was that really the one you said has been hunting you all this time..."

"You're saying you can't see through him!"

"Why would chasing down a member of the Aurora Order lead to this?"

"An avatar? You mean that man was actually some being's avatar?"

"What! You're saying that might have been the real body!"

"Because you couldn't see through him?"

"Calm down... I am calm!" Leonard stubbornly insisted. He couldn't help it. As someone who had experienced a fortuitous encounter and believed himself to be the protagonist of his era, this was the first time he had ever found himself in such a sorry state.

"I know. I'll act like nothing happened."

"You're telling me to watch out for monocles? Why?"

When Old Man said nothing more, Leonard fell silent as well.

"That policeman was really bizarre. He was the one who called out to me, yet he ran away first."

Following his intuition, Lorne eventually found his way back to the Azure Hotel and returned to his room in the small hours.

After bathing himself and giving Lucky a bath as well, the man and cat lay together on the bed.

"Meow~" Lucky gave a lazy cry, then went quiet, seemingly already asleep.

Lorne held her in his arms, stroking her as he reviewed the day's events.

"If that policeman wasn't afraid of me, then..."

"There was the Monocle I was wearing."

"But what's so special about it?" Lorne picked up the Monocle, which was stored in a wooden box on his bedside table, and examined it carefully in the dim light.

"It seems fine. Could wearing it make me look that ugly and frightening?" Lorne asked uncertainly.

"Or is there really something wrong with this thing? But how do I check? Divination?" Lorne muttered to himself.

"What happened!"

Suddenly, Lorne felt considerably more tired. Some of his spirituality had been consumed.

"What?" The wooden box in his hand suddenly began to tremble eerily.

A few seconds later, the lid opened on its own, and a note appeared inside out of thin air.

"What's this?"

Out of caution, Lorne didn't take the note out immediately. Instead, he leaned closer to read it.

The note read:

"Simply cover it with spirituality."

"Cover it with spirituality? Does that mean covering this Monocle with spirituality?"

Lorne got out of bed first, then carefully set the wooden box on his desk.

"This wooden box looks like it isn't

"an ordinary antique either. It's probably a Beyonder item too."

"Should I give it a try?" Recalling the note inside the box, Lorne began considering it.

"Forget it. I'd better divine it first."

As he spoke, Lorne took off his Pendulum, deciding to err on the side of caution, and began another divination.

"This Monocle will pose a danger to me."

After ten seconds or so, the blue crystal Pendulum turned slightly counterclockwise, indicating a negative answer.

"The divination says it's fine."

"My spiritual intuition isn't reacting either. Should I give it a try?"

As he slowly poured spirituality into it, Lorne felt his fatigue deepen.

"The fact that it accepts spirituality means it really is something unusual."

"But I can't seem to tell anything just by looking at it."

Picking up the Monocle, Lorne hesitated briefly before placing it over his right eye.