"What's wrong?" Noticing something off about Klein's expression, Dunn asked with concern.
The people from the Holy Cathedral had arrived sooner than he had expected. Still, that wasn't entirely a bad thing. He was leaving for Backlund with Daly that afternoon.
He had been a little worried about leaving Klein here to face the Holy Cathedral's assessment alone.
Deep down, though, he didn't believe Klein would do anything to betray the Goddess.
But a newcomer was bound to be nervous when faced with something like this. Having him around would at least offer some reassurance.
"It's nothing. I'm just a little nervous. He's an important figure, after all." Klein forced a smile.
"Don't worry. I've already met him, and he's very amiable," Dunn reassured him.
Rather than putting him at ease, the captain's words only made Klein more anxious.
"Nighthawk Klein Moretti, in the name of the Goddess, I solemnly inform you that you have passed the Holy Cathedral's assessment."
Crestet Cecimir, the Sword of the Goddess, announced the result.
Nothing happened!
Seeing that he had passed, Klein let out a long sigh of relief. It even felt a little unreal.
For some reason, he actually felt like crying.
What excited him even more was that his advancement had been settled as well. The Holy Cathedral had approved his request, and he could now become a Sequence 8.
Goddess above, digesting the Potion over the past two days had been full of setbacks. After his earlier experience, he had thought it over and still couldn't bring himself to show his face at the Divination Club. He had spent a few days working as a street fortune-teller instead, only to be chased away by the police.
Fortunately, his previous mission had already helped him grasp the acting principles of a Seer, so his Potion digestion hadn't been particularly slow.
"I knew your faith in the Goddess was devout enough." Dunn smiled when he saw that Klein had passed the assessment.
"I'm leaving Tingen for Backlund this afternoon. I was a little worried about you, afraid you wouldn't be mentally prepared."
"But it's all right now. Everything is over."
Captain... Klein felt touched by the concern in his captain's words.
After calming himself down, Klein noticed something suspicious.
If even the Church didn't discover anything wrong with me, why did that man yesterday notice?
Was it just the unusual happenings at the Divination Club...
Could he have noticed nothing, and it was simply a misunderstanding?
Then why was he spying on my home with binoculars?
Could it be... A possibility suddenly occurred to Klein.
Melissa!!!
He remembered how happily Melissa had chatted with that man.
Don't tell me he was spying on Melissa!
Some scumbag has set his sights on my little sister... Klein didn't even dare to follow that thought any further.
And so, the misunderstanding between the two young men, each harboring secrets of his own, deepened once again.
Seven that evening...
Lorne was wandering the streets with Lucky. Rather than staying at the Azure Hotel, he had chosen to go out.
He figured he would be safer if he kept moving.
Damn it, the money I paid for my room is going to waste again... Thinking of his hotel bill made Lorne's heart ache.
"Meow..." Unlike the anxious Lorne, Lucky was quite relaxed as she lay in his shoulder bag, occasionally poking her head out to meow a couple of times.
Lorne was rather anxious about his current situation. Not one piece of information he had gathered over the past two days had been good news.
Over those two days, he had secretly made inquiries around Narcissus and learned that the man he suspected of serving a hidden entity was named Klein Moretti. He was the second child in his family, with an older brother besides Melissa.
Apparently, he worked at a security company.
The mention of a security company surprised Lorne. Given Klein's identity as a Beyonder, this so-called security company sounded far too much like a front for a secret organization.
Could that security company be some illegal armed group of Beyonders?
If that's really the case, and I've offended them, there's nothing I can do except report them.
Lorne realized that if Klein had an illegal team of Beyonders backing him, he seemed to have no options other than reporting him.
Come to think of it, am I approaching this the wrong way?
I don't necessarily need to find evidence before reporting him.
As long as I can convince the authorities there's something wrong with him, they'll definitely be able to uncover it.
But how do I convince the authorities... Lorne walked on, lost in thought.
"Sallyster, we'll be reunited soon."
Just then, an elderly man with graying hair walked past Lorne, muttering something strange.
With Lorne's attention entirely occupied by his thoughts, Lucky took advantage of his brief lapse to undo the clasp and slip out of his shoulder bag.
"What's wrong..." Lucky ran extremely fast, her four paws pattering against the stone pavement, her tail held high.
After only a couple of steps, she suddenly slowed down and crept along the base of the wall, ears flattened and body crouched low, secretly following the old man.
Watching the orange cat's behavior, Lorne realized that something seemed wrong with that man.
He lightened his footsteps too and used the cover of darkness to follow the man secretly.
The man was in a good mood and seemed completely unaware. He continued walking at an unhurried pace until he stopped in front of an old detached house. He pulled a set of keys from his pocket, their metallic clinking unusually clear on the quiet street.
About ten minutes later, Lorne saw the man emerge from the house wearing a hat and carrying a bag.
After waiting a little longer to make sure the man had gone far enough away, the man and cat approached the house.
"I don't know how to pick locks, either..."
"The window's too small, too..."
Looking at the front door, Lorne considered how he could get inside.
Forcing it open would not only make a great deal of noise, but also leave obvious traces.
The ventilation window beside it was too small. Never mind Lorne-even a child couldn't squeeze through.
Suddenly, something furry brushed against Lorne's lower back, and Lucky darted out from beside his feet. The orange cat leaped nimbly onto the dusty windowsill, making almost no sound, perhaps thanks to her padded paws.
"Come back!" Lorne reached to grab her, but Lucky had already squeezed into the gap in the window.
The scraping of the glass set his teeth on edge, and the atmosphere
grew tense as well.
A few seconds later, a metallic clink suddenly came from the door lock. Amid the stiff creaking of the hinges, two dots of ghostly green light gleamed through the crack in the door.
The lock had already been opened, but the security chain was still in place. The orange cat was pawing at the chain's sliding track.
"Lucky, you're really the smartest cat I've ever seen... no, the smartest cat in the whole world." Lorne was stunned by the sight before him.
But he quickly recovered. The instant the chain dropped with a clank, he braced his shoulder against the door, afraid it would make a noise.
Looking at the now-unlocked door, Lorne carefully pushed it open, then slipped half his body inside.
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