"...Captain, that's a viscount's residence. Is it legal for us to just go in and search it?"
On the police carriage heading toward Viscount Oakley's residence, Klein voiced his concern.
He had only just become a full member of the Nighthawks and had been on only one mission, so he still knew little about many of the finer points of their work.
"Viscount Oakley is a member of the national parliament, so the Awwa County Police Department is responsible for part of his residence's security."
Dunn Smith swayed with the jolting carriage.
"Besides, he's a registered believer of the Goddess, so when supernatural incidents are involved, our Seventh Team has the authority to conduct a search, entirely within the law.
"Of course, given the special circumstances of this incident, we won't enter his residence under the pretext of a search, but rather a 'routine security inspection.'"
Only after hearing Dunn's explanation did Klein understand.
Soon, the carriage arrived outside a hillside villa near the outskirts of Tingen City, and the Nighthawks disembarked along with Julian Albrecht.
"Captain, there really is a supernatural force in this villa, and it leans toward the dangerous kind."
Klein looked at the Yellow Crystal Pendulum in his hand as he spoke.
Dunn nodded and led everyone toward Viscount Oakley's luxurious, three-story residence.
"Awwa County Police Department. We're conducting a routine security inspection."
Dunn Smith showed his police identification to an old butler behind the door who appeared to be in his fifties.
The old butler bore a strong resemblance to Miller, the attendant of Viscount Oakley whom Julian had met earlier. Julian could not help wondering whether they were brothers or father and son.
"A routine inspection this late?"
The old butler looked somewhat suspicious, then added:
"Viscount Oakley isn't home."
"Old Miller, let them in.
"My father hasn't been well lately. Although the doctor has ruled out poisoning, I think we should still let these officers have a look."
Just then, another voice rang out. The old butler turned and saw a young man standing there in gold-rimmed glasses, a white shirt, and black striped trousers.
"Of course, Young Master Jennings."
At the young man's instruction, the old butler could only open the door and let Dunn's party inside.
Jennings... Viscount Oakley's eldest son, and the person he suspected earlier.
Julian glanced discreetly up at the young man and discovered that he, too, was tainted with a trace of the same grayish-brown light that clung to Viscount Oakley.
Compared with his father, however, the grayish-brown light on Jennings was much less apparent and less firmly attached-so much so that even Spirit Vision would struggle to detect it. Only Julian, whose vision far exceeded that of ordinary Beyonders, could perceive its presence.
Jennings was affected by the curse too?
This came as something of a surprise to Julian. If Jennings really was behind everything, he should have made sure he himself was safe.
On the other hand, he saw no panic in Julian's aura either. On the contrary, the young man displayed only a reasonable degree of worry and concern, with nothing else out of the ordinary.
Julian patted Klein's shoulder, then raised his eyebrows toward Jennings.
Klein immediately understood Julian's meaning. Pretending to conduct a routine inspection, he and Frye moved past the entryway and began performing a divination on Jennings under the cover of a marble column.
"Mr. Jennings, you mentioned that your father was unwell. What exactly is wrong?"
Dunn turned to Jennings and, pretending to know nothing, began asking him about the situation.
Meanwhile, cane in hand, Julian used the Scholar's Legacy to find a strand of Jennings's hair on his bedroom pillow. Then, following the faint, elusive traces of color revealed by his four-color seer vision, he headed toward the second floor.
Soon, he stopped outside a study.
The grayish-brown glimmer was at its strongest here. Julian knew the source of the curse should lie beyond this door.
He tried pushing the door and found it unlocked, so he lit the gas lamp and looked deeper into the study.
Sure enough, there stood a clock in an early Fifth Epoch Feynapotter style, ticking steadily away.
The clock looked quite luxurious, and its surface had clearly been refurbished and painted to give it a more expensive appearance.
But it was also completely enveloped in that grayish-brown light, confirming beyond doubt that it was the source of the curse.
Julian took out Chris Jacob's Ring, put it on, and began "deciphering" the clock based on its various surface features and details.
This really does seem to be a gift from Jennings, but the mystical connection between him and this curse is still too weak...
Also, this curse clearly has a mystical targeting mechanism based on bloodline analysis. That's why, when Viscount Oakley isn't home, it prioritizes Jennings, who shares his bloodline.
Julian frowned and began piecing together the chain of events in his mind.
So the problem wasn't the person who gave the gift, but the person who helped Jennings choose it?
All they had to do was give Jennings a series of choices, then subtly guide him, and the whole thing would look as though he had been behind it...
That would make Jennings the scapegoat...
With that thought, Julian began searching the study for information about the staff at Viscount Oakley's residence, hoping to discover whether Jennings had an assistant or someone similar.
Strangely, however, even with the help of Chris Jacob's Ring, Julian still floundered around without finding a single lead.
Nothing. Still nothing...
As the Sealed Artifact's fifteen-minute time limit drew near, Julian suddenly heard the faint buzzing of the colour out of space beside his ear.
The instant he heard it, Julian froze briefly. In that same moment, his hearing and other senses became a little clearer.
It felt like frosted glass suddenly turning transparent after being splashed with water. Only then did he realize that something seemed to have been wrong with his state just now.
And just at this
moment, Julian noticed that some additional colors had appeared in the room.
There were reds and yellows representing temperature, along with an exceptionally pure blue-green, like the color of a clear lake reflecting a blue sky.
This blue-green was connected to Julian, as though some indescribable interaction was taking place between them.
He stopped what he was doing and looked toward the source of those colors.
The colors converged near the entrance, forming a blurred human outline.
Julian had no idea when this humanoid outline had appeared. He could see the reds and yellows lingering on its surface, while the blue-green occupied the positions of its heart and brain, calm and undisturbed.
What was this thing? Had it been watching me all along?
At that moment, every hair on Julian's back stood on end!