Above the Gray Fog, inside the palace, Klein, holding the " Sea God Scepter," gazed solemnly at the " Black Emperor " and " Tyrant " cards placed on the table before him.
Although Viscount Stratford's answer only proved that King George III harbored a great secret and Acting a key role in the Great Smog of Backlund Incident, most likely being the biggest culprit, it did not prove that he was in control or the true Manipulator, as he could also be a puppet. But for Klein, this was enough. The objective was extremely clear, and there were clues to investigate what they were plotting.
Seeing that " The Magician " and " Judgement " had moved far away from the place where the incident had occurred and their safety was basically guaranteed, Klein withdrew his gaze and continued to observe the actions of Qonas Kilgor, the deputy director of Military Intelligence Section 9, through the prayer lights.
After a while, having "marked" his territory and confirmed whether anyone was following him Qonas Kilgor walked to a mountain wall and took out an object.
His entire body was then bathed in a faint blue light, gradually becoming hazy and indistinct.
Then, he vanished into thin air, disappearing without a trace.
"A rather special kind of ' Travel,' achieved through fixed rituals and items, enabling point-to-point ' Teleportation ' within a very short range... I also came out of the underground ruins where Ince Zangwill was through a similar 'door'... Hmm, this place isn't too far from the mountain where Mr. A chased me..."
"This setup is perfect for areas that need to be kept secret. Without internal permission, even if someone is holding the activation item, it won't have any effect. And if anything goes wrong, destroying the corresponding ritual can prevent the enemy from entering and make it impossible for them to find the specific location..." Klein nodded in realization.
Based on Viscount Stratford's 'confession', he initially believed that the king's secret and the three families' schemes were hidden deep within the underground ruins. If he could enter there and investigate carefully, he would likely be able to uncover the truth.
However, the more he thought about it, the more he felt that the investigation would be very difficult, because first of all, he would need the right items to use the " Faceless's " transformation to sneak past the guards and " Teleportation " in, which was not an easy task.
According to the " Magic Mirror " Arrodes, Qonas Kilgor is not only Demigod of the " Black Emperor " pathway, but also possesses a rather powerful Sealed Artifact.
Even if Klein were well-prepared, without seeking help from Angel- level angels, his chances of defeating this Major General Deputy Director of Military Intelligence Section 9 wouldn't be very high, let alone eliminating him discreetly and without being discovered. The Angel he could summon each had their own difficulties and problems, and might not necessarily agree.
"Even if we capture Qonas Kilgor without alerting anyone, we still have to consider the dangers inside... Given the experience last time, they won't be unprepared for the ' Faceless '... The King's cooperation with the Psychology Alchemists and the Demoness Sect means they're plotting something big, and there's a very high chance that there are Angel in those underground ruins..." Klein frowned slightly, unable to find a reliable way to complete the investigation.
He tapped the edge of the weathered table with his fingers, deciding to abandon his previous idea and consider a different approach.
A few seconds later, Klein skillfully had Spirit Intuition:
Why should I try to do all the steps myself?
"The King's secrets and schemes are most likely detrimental to the three major churches: Storm, Evernight, and Steam. Otherwise, former Chief of the Palace Guard Mason Diel. As Blessed of the ' Evernight Goddess,' at least for now, isn't it obvious what I should do?"
"This will also accumulate merit points, preparing you to exchange for the ' Scholar of Yore ' Potion recipe in the future!"
In an instant, Klein's thoughts became extremely clear, and without hesitation, he left the Gray Fog and returned to the real world.
Wearing blue and white checkered pajamas Gehrman Sparrow once again raised his hands in a prayer position and recited in Ancient Hermes:
" Evernight Goddess, more sublime than the Starry Sky, more enduring than eternity, you are the Lady of Crimson, the Mother of Concealment, the Empress of Misfortune and Horror, the Mistress of Repose and Silence..."
This time, Klein didn't hold any ceremony, because he wasn't asking for anything or expecting a response. He was simply recounting Viscount Stratford's instructions and his observations of Qonas Kilgor, so a prayer sufficeed.
After finishing his prayers, Klein breathed a sigh of relief and stood in a secluded spot in the forest, patiently awaiting any possible developments.
In just a few dozen seconds, a figure suddenly appeared before his eyes, like a portrait being drawn at lightning speed.
The newcomer wore a simple robe, a bark rope around his waist, had long hair, was barefoot, and had a pair of dark, serene eyes. Arianna, the leader of the Ascetic among the thirteen archbishops of the Church of Evernight, known as the " Servant of Concealment."
"Good evening, Ms. Arianna," Klein said, bowing without any surprise.
Arianna glanced at him and returned the greeting:
"Good evening."
Without exchanging pleasantries, He went straight to the question:
"Is Qonas Kilgor around here?"
"Yes, less than 10 kilometers away." Klein pointed in a direction. "He's already used an item to disappear from the spot. What's next?"
Arianna nodded slightly and said:
"Wait until he comes out, then find a chance to catch him."
Isn't this a bit too direct? You seem quiet and unassuming, a reserved and cultured person—no, Angel, why is your style so radical? If Qonas Kilgor hadn't gone to the underground ruins this time, but instead went to another secret base, or if he wasn't so deeply involved in the king's schemes, then the fact that the archbishop of the church took action against the high-ranking officials of Military Intelligence Section 9 without authorization would be big news! The internal divisions within the kingdom would be exacerbated! Klein was momentarily at a loss for words when it came to responding to Arianna.
Although he would certainly take action against Qonas Kilgor himself for his involvement in the slave trade and murder, the problem is that an attack by Demigod from a Concealment organization on high-ranking military officials is a completely different matter from an attack by an archbishop from a legitimate church on high-ranking military officials.
Seemingly sensing Klein's inner thoughts, Arianna calmly explained:
"It was you who made the move, not me."
"..." Klein was a little uncomfortable with the other person's style.
Arianna continued:
"I will create a Concealment world for you and provide the necessary assistance."
Fighting in Concealment? Fighting with the help of Angel? Klein nodded thoughtfully.
"So, where should we ambush them?"
Arianna replied succinctly:
"Within your Megro Manor."
... Just as I thought... but I don't want to say it out loud... Klein sighed deeply in his heart.
His choice of ambush location was based on a very simple logic: when Qonas Kilgor was most relaxed and least prepared.
Without a doubt, when the other party completes their secret mission and returns to the Megro Manor, believing that all the adventures of the night are over, they will be at their most relaxed and least guarded!
Similarly, if the king's secrets and plans are very important, then during Qonas Kilgor's journey to and from the underground ruins, there are likely Angel watching him from afar, concerned for his safety. If he were attacked, they could immediately take action. Once he returns to his normal life, the gaze directed at him will most likely be withdrawn, since there are only so many Angel, and they won't be so idle.
Fortunately, I used the most covert tracking method beforehand, and the distance was large enough... So it seems that Lady Arianna entrusted the battle to me not mainly to avoid risks and reduce negative impacts, but to maintain Concealment and prevent the battle from being discovered by the beings in the underground ruins, which would consume a large part of their energy... As his thoughts raced, Klein gained a better understanding of the whole matter.
At this point, Arianna added:
"Battles in the Concealment world will not disrupt reality."
"That's good..." Klein muttered to himself silently, then said thoughtfully:
"Then I need to hurry up and make some preparations."
"Okay," Arianna replied calmly.
They didn't even ask me what I needed to prepare. I was prepared to say, "At least I need to change my clothes..." Klein muttered to himself as he glanced down at his blue and white checkered pajamas.
His left glove went transparent in a flash, and he vanished from the spot in an instant.
Inside the Megro Manor, Klein Blink, maintaining the appearance of Gehrman Sparrow, quickly changing his clothes and putting on a top hat.
Immediately afterwards, he pulled out a piece of white paper and began writing directly with his finger.
A tiny, crimson flame shot from his fingertips, leaving charred streaks on the paper without actually igniting it.
The charred marks, resembling patterns, quickly formed a complex symbol, blending the elements of "voyeurism" and " Concealment."
As the symbol was completed, the surface of the full-length mirror in the room suddenly became deep and dark, and ripples of water appeared.
A series of silver lines then emerged, forming one word after another:
"Great and supreme master, your loyal and steadfast servant Arrodes has come to answer your call!"
Is there something you'd like to ask me?
"Yes." Klein nodded, glancing out the window, and asked, "What Demigod -level abilities does Qonas Kilgor possess, and what powerful Sealed Artifact does he have?"
This was the general intelligence he had already gathered Qonas Kilgor was the target, he had done the corresponding research, and now he wanted to understand it further and make more thorough and targeted preparations.
On the surface of the full-length mirror, silver words Distortion and wriggled, quickly forming new characters:
"Great Master, Qonas Kilgor, is a ' Earl of the Fallen.' To conceal his power, the Sealed Artifact he wields also belongs to the ' Lawyer ' path, but it has some characteristics of the ' Arbiter ' path, called ' Concerto of Light and Shadow.'"