"Why?" Hearing Dunn's words, Klein felt a storm surge through his heart, and the question instinctively slipped out.
Beyonders had serious hidden dangers? So much so that even the Beyonders in the churches' internal tribunals, who dealt with supernatural incidents, were prone to problems?
Dunn Smith stepped into the carriage and sat in his previous seat, his expression and tone as normal as ever.
"That isn't something you need to know, nor something you're allowed to know, unless you become one of us."
Klein was momentarily speechless. He sat down after him and asked, half amused and half puzzled,
"How could I possibly decide to join without getting that straight?"
But without joining, I couldn't find out. That made it an endless loop...
Dunn Smith took out his pipe again and held it beneath his nose, taking a sniff.
"You seem to have misunderstood. Our members include civilian staff."
"In other words, as long as I join your civilian staff, I can learn the relevant secrets and find out about the hidden dangers of Beyonders and the risks they might encounter, then consider whether to become a Beyonder?" Klein sorted out his thoughts as he restated the other man's meaning in his own words.
Dunn smiled and said,
"That's right, apart from one thing. Just because you decide you want to become a Beyonder doesn't mean you necessarily can. All the major churches are equally strict in that regard."
It would be strange if they weren't... Klein grumbled inwardly, gesturing for emphasis.
"What about civilian staff? Surely that's very strict too?"
"In your case, there shouldn't be much of a problem." With his eyes half closed and his expression slightly relaxed, Dunn sniffed his pipe without lighting the tobacco.
"Why?" Klein was once again puzzled.
At the same time, he began poking fun at himself inwardly.
Could my uniqueness, my transmigrator halo, be as striking and outstanding as a firefly in the night?
Dunn opened his half-closed eyes, his gray gaze as deep as before.
"First, surviving an incident like this without our help shows that you have something others don't. Luck, for example. And lucky people are always welcome."
Seeing Klein's somewhat blank expression, he smiled faintly.
"All right, just take that as a bit of humor. Second, you're a graduate of Hoy University's history department. That's something we very much need. Although Leodero, that believer in the Lord of Storms, has a loathsome attitude toward women, his views on society, the humanities, economics, and politics remain incisive. He once said that talent is the key factor in maintaining a competitive advantage and healthy development. I quite agree."
Noticing Klein's slight frown, he explained casually,
"As you can probably imagine, we frequently come into contact with documents and objects from the Fourth Epoch or even earlier. Many evil cults and heretical groups try to obtain power from these things. Sometimes, the things themselves can cause strange and terrifying events."
"Apart from Beyonders in specialized fields, most of us aren't good at studying. Or rather, we're past that age." At this point, Dunn Smith pointed to his head, the corners of his mouth lifting as though in self-mockery. "All that dry, tedious knowledge always makes you want to sleep. Even a Sleepless can't resist it. In the past, we worked with historians and archaeologists, but that risked leaking secrets and could bring misfortune upon those professors and associate professors. So having a professional join our ranks is an opportunity that's hard to turn down."
Klein nodded lightly, accepting Dunn's explanation, then let his thoughts wander and asked,
"Then why didn't you just, um, recruit one before?"
Dunn continued at his own pace.
"That brings us to the third and final point, which is also the most important. You've already been exposed to an incident of this kind, so inviting you doesn't violate our confidentiality provisions. If I recruited someone else and failed, I would be held responsible for leaking secrets. The vast majority of our team members and civilian staff come from within the church."
After listening quietly, Klein asked curiously,
"Why do you maintain such strict secrecy? If you made these things public and spread the word so more people knew about them, wouldn't that prevent the same mistakes from happening again? The greatest fear comes from the unknown. We can turn the unknown into the known."
"No. Human stupidity exceeds your imagination. That would instead lead to more imitation, greater chaos, and more serious incidents," Dunn Smith answered, shaking his head.
Klein murmured in acknowledgment and said with some understanding,
"The only lesson humanity learns from history is that humanity learns no lessons from history, always repeating the same tragedies."
"That famous saying of Emperor Roselle's is indeed full of wisdom," Dunn agreed.
...Emperor Roselle said that? My transmigrator predecessor really covered every angle, leaving his successors no chance to show off... For a moment, Klein had no idea how to respond.
Dunn turned to look outside the carriage, where the dim yellow streetlights intertwined into the radiance of civilization.
"...Within the tribunals of all the major churches, there's a similar saying. Perhaps that's the main reason for the strict secrecy and the prohibition against ordinary people knowing."
"What is it?" Klein perked up, feeling the thrill of prying into secrets.
Dunn turned back, his facial muscles twitching almost imperceptibly.
"Belief and fear bring trouble. More belief and fear bring greater trouble, until everything is destroyed."
After saying this, he sighed.
"And apart from praying for the gods' protection and help, humanity has no way to resolve truly great troubles."
Belief and fear bring trouble. More belief and fear bring greater trouble... Klein silently repeated the words, unable to understand them very well. Then he felt afraid of the unknown he could not quite understand, as though pairs of malicious eyes and gaping mouths lurked in the shadows of the streetlights outside, in the darkness beyond their light.
Hooves moved nimbly and wheels rolled. With Iron Cross Street visible in the distance, Dunn broke the sudden silence and formally extended his invitation.
"Would you like to join us as a civilian staff member?"
Thoughts flooded Klein's mind, leaving him unable to decide for the moment. After thinking it over, he said,
"May I take some time to consider it?"
This was an important matter. I couldn't make a hasty, reckless choice.
"No problem. Just give me your answer before Sunday." Dunn nodded. "Of course, remember to keep this confidential. You mustn't tell anyone about the incident involving Welch, including your brother and sister. If you violate that, not only will you bring trouble upon them, but you may also face a special court."
"All right," Klein answered solemnly.
Silence returned to the carriage.
Seeing Iron Cross Street drawing near, with home almost in reach, Klein suddenly thought of a question. He hesitated for a few seconds before asking,
"Mr. Smith, what are the pay and benefits like for your civilian staff?"
This was a serious question...
Dunn paused, then smiled.
"You needn't worry about that. Our funding is jointly guaranteed by the church and the police department. Newly hired civilian staff receive a weekly salary of two pounds and ten soli, plus another ten soli as a confidentiality and risk allowance. That makes three pounds in total, not much less than a full university lecturer earns."
"After that, as your seniority increases and you earn corresponding merit, your salary will gradually rise."
"For civilian staff, we generally use five-year contracts. After five years, if you no longer wish to work for us, you can resign normally. You'll just have to sign an additional lifetime confidentiality agreement. You may not leave Tingen without our approval, and if you move to another city, you must immediately register with the local Nighthawks."
"Oh, and there are no Sundays off, only rotating days off. We must have three civilian staff members working at all times. If you want to take a holiday in the south, at Desi Bay, you'll need to coordinate with your colleagues."
Just as Dunn finished speaking, the carriage stopped. The apartment building where Klein's family lived appeared to the side.
"I understand." Klein turned and stepped out of the carriage, stopping beside it. "By the way, Mr. Smith, once I've made my decision, where should I go to find you?"
Dunn gave a low chuckle.
"Go to the Hound Tavern on Besik Street and find the owner, Wright. Tell him you want to hire a mercenary squad for a mission."
"Huh?" Klein was utterly bewildered.
"Our address is confidential too. Until you agree, I can't tell you directly. Well then, Mr. Klein Moretti, I wish you pleasant dreams for the rest of tonight." Dunn smiled in farewell.
Klein removed his hat and bowed, watching the carriage pull away and gradually pick up speed.
He took out his pocket watch and clicked it open. It was only just past four in the morning. A cool breeze swept pleasantly along the street, and the streetlights glowed dim yellow all around.
Klein took a deep breath, taking in the stillness of the night around him.
The neighborhood that was the loudest and noisiest during the day was so deserted and quiet in the middle of the night. It was utterly different from the silent gazes and the trancelike spirit channeling inside Welch's residence.
Only then did he discover that, at some point, the back of his linen shirt had become soaked with sweat, cold and clammy.