Empty promises

Klein sat in the conference room at the end of the corridor, listening to Hanass Vincent carefully explain how to perform astrological divination. Every so often, he leisurely sipped his Southville coffee, whiling away the afternoon.

He planned to spend some time observing how other "diviners" learned and performed divination, preparing himself to act as a Seer later.

Not only could I act as a Seer, but I could also earn divination fees... how could anything be this good! Klein's thoughts were racing, but outwardly, he remained quietly contemplative, maintaining his composed persona.

Suddenly, the creak of a door opening reached Klein's ears.

Just then, the conference room door slowly swung open, instantly drawing the attention of Klein, whose mind had already been wandering.

He saw a young man in a well-tailored suit push the door open and walk in-but what truly caught Klein's attention was the young man's appearance:

Black curls, black eyes... I haven't seen such pure black hair and eyes since coming to this world...

Reminded of home by Nimrod's appearance, Klein silently remarked to himself. He met the eyes of Nimrod as he entered the room, gave him a polite smile, and nodded slightly.

Just then, however, Klein heard a diviner beside him suddenly mutter:

"Another new member today..."

A new member... he joined the Divination Club today too? Klein frowned slightly but did not dwell on it, merely thinking it might be a coincidence.

Nimrod likewise smiled and nodded at Klein, dispelling the faint wariness that had surfaced in Klein's mind. Klein continued listening to Hanass's explanation, basking in the brilliant sunlight.

[He has none of the vigilance my successor ought to possess!]

The Celestial Worthy's voice rang in Nimrod's ears, exasperated at his successor's failings:

[My compatriot, why not take him out? He currently controls Sefirah Castle. As long as you get rid of Klein Moretti, I can help you take control of Sefirah Castle...]

Hearing the completely undisguised malice toward Klein in the Celestial Worthy's tone, Nimrod lightly tapped the table with his knuckles, ignoring those words.

-The Celestial Worthy definitely wants to seize this chance to take control of Sefirah Castle.

Within the conference room, however, the sound of Nimrod's knuckles tapping the table clearly reached Hanass Vincent and the diviners listening to his lesson.

Hanass frowned slightly and could not help looking up toward the source of the sound, apparently wanting to see who had made that noise.

Then he saw the face of the "Oracle," deeply imprinted in his memory.

...The Oracle?

For a moment, Hanass was puzzled, thinking he might be hallucinating.

-The Oracle!

Hanass's face suddenly went pale, and his body swayed violently. He wanted to stand up at once and pay his respects to Mr. L, but a moment later, he abruptly realized that he was in the Divination Club where he usually worked. He needed to conceal his identity!

What... what should I do now...

Panic overwhelmed him for a moment. But when he saw that Nimrod made no further move, he quickly took a deep breath, lowered his voice, and addressed the diviners before him:

"Sorry, I'm feeling a little unwell. I need to rest for now."

His pale face lent his words considerable credibility, convincing the diviners around him of what the renowned diviner had said. Some members were reluctant to leave, but they still politely said goodbye to Hanass Vincent.

After leaving the conference room, Hanass hurried toward the White Crystal Room, looking genuinely unwell.

Klein sat in his seat, watching the conference room suddenly descend into confusion. He quietly finished the coffee before him, sweetened with three spoonfuls of sugar, and said in an extremely low voice:

"Feeling unwell... but why do I keep feeling that Mr. Hanass is 'afraid'... what could frighten him so badly?"

Klein's gaze lingered on the conference room before him. After a while, a smile appeared on his lips, and he prepared to stand up and do what a Seer ought to do.

Naturally, a Seer's way of solving problems was "divination"!

"Huff, huff, huff..."

After politely declining the concern of several of his students, Hanass Vincent hurried into the White Crystal Room. As he took in the mysterious luster refracted by the white crystals around him under the light, his emotions slowly settled.

"Lock the door."

Just then, Hanass suddenly heard a voice ring out beside his ear. He instinctively looked over and saw a figure sitting in the shadows of the room.

"Mr. L..." Hanass swallowed and obediently locked the door. With some difficulty, he said, "It's an honor to see you."

Hanass was a clever man. Although he had joined the Aurora Order, this ordinary man, who had yet to enter the Beyonder world, still had more in his head than faith in the "True Creator" alone.

Hearing Hanass's words, Nimrod addressed him in a cold tone:

"You should know that you made a mistake."

A bead of sweat immediately rolled down Hanass's forehead. His gaze flickered, but in the end, he lowered his head and admitted his mistake:

"You're right. I... I made a mistake. Sirius and I shouldn't have sold that notebook. We shouldn't have let the Evernight heretics discover our existence..."

"...I have no intention of defending myself, nor could I."

"If you can recognize that, then you aren't beyond saving yet." Nimrod nodded, rose from his chair, and walked toward Hanass.

"The Lord loves the world, so I will also leave you a chance to atone for your failure-I will give you a mission. If you can complete it, you will be able to make up for your previous mistake."

Nimrod paused, then said to Hanass:

"I will give you an item. You must carry it with you and draw out those... 'enemies' whom the notebook affair brought upon us."

He intended to use his connection to Sefirah Castle to "fish out" Ince Zangwill.

Looking at Hanass's terrified expression, a faint smile appeared on Nimrod's lips.

"Other compatriots will ensure your safety-and if you perform your mission exceptionally well..."

He began dangling promises with practiced ease:

"Then I will grant you what you have always yearned for: the power of the Beyonder world."