67 Red Plane Tree Street, Connaught City, Desi County.
Klein, sporting a face more commonly seen in the Kingdom of Loen, stepped forward and rang the doorbell.
Less than a minute later, the door creaked open, and a maid in a black and white dress peeked in, looked around for a few seconds, and asked with a puzzled expression:
Good evening, who are you looking for?
"I'm looking for Mrs. Niel; I'm a friend of her father David Raymond," Klein replied calmly.
David Raymond was the " Nightmare " he released from " Creeping Hunger," the " Red Gloves " among the " Nighthawks." His last concern was for his daughter, Niel Raymond, and he felt extremely guilty for not being able to be there for her as she grew up, causing her to almost lose her father at the same time as losing her mother. Klein had promised him that if he had the chance, he would come to this beautiful seaside city to check on his daughter.
After making some prior inquiries, Klein had a basic understanding of Niel Raymond. After graduating from grammar school, the girl went to work at the " Women and Children's Care Foundation " of the Church of the Evernight Goddess, where she earned a weekly salary of £2.10 Soli, making her the envy of her neighbors.
She also inherited a fortune from her "businessman" father; the exact amount is unclear, but it is known that she is wealthier than most middle-class people.
Normally, girls with sufficient wealth would be very cautious about marriage, repeatedly selecting and examining potential partners, often leading to late marriages. However, Niel married a government employee after only one year of working.
Because both of them worshipped the " Evernight Goddess," she did not take her husband's surname and remained called Niel Raymond, still living at 67 Red Plane Tree Street, and never moved away.
Upon hearing Klein's reply, the maid quickly asked him to wait a moment and turned to go into the living room to report.
Not long after, a woman dressed in casual home clothes walked towards the door. She had black hair, Blue Eyes, a rather thin face, and fairly good features, bearing a resemblance to David Raymond.
"Good evening, sir. I am Niel, David Raymond. May I ask when you met my father?" Niel Raymond asked politely but warily.
Klein took off his hat and smiled, saying:
We met at sea, and it's been several years.
Niel Raymond glanced at the person opposite him with a slightly wary look and said:
"You may not know this, but he has already passed away."
Klein sighed:
"I know, we met during that disaster. He said some things back then, which I didn't really care about at first, but the more I think about it over the years, the more I feel I should let you know."
"Really?" Niel murmured, then thought for a moment and said, "Please come in. Would you mind if my husband listened in too?"
"This only relates to your decision," Klein replied frankly.
Nina nodded and led Klein into the study. Her husband, an ordinary-looking but refined government employee, put down his newspaper and followed them in.
After they were both seated, Klein looked at the couple on the opposite sofa, considered for a moment, and said:
"Mr. David Raymond once experienced a tragedy, losing his father, mother, wife, brothers, and sisters."
Niel nodded expressionlessly.
"I know."
Klein thought for a moment, then continued:
"He appears to be a businessman, but in reality, he's hunting down the perpetrators of that disaster."
"I know," Nina said without much reaction.
Klein glanced at her and continued:
"He devoted himself entirely to this matter. It's a great pity that he couldn't be there for you as you grew up, causing you to lose your father almost as well as your mother."
Nina paused for a second, then replied quickly:
"I know!"
Klein's gaze swept over the old books around him, and he sighed silently:
"He said his greatest hope is to see you, with the goddess as your witness, have your own marriage and family, and no longer be alone. I think he must be very gratified now."
Niel slowly shifted her gaze from Klein's face, opened her mouth, paused for two seconds, and then answered:
"... I know."
Klein leaned forward slightly, clasped his hands together, and said:
He said he might die at sea, and told me that he died in an accident, and that all the murderers had been punished, so you don't need to hate anyone anymore.
He also said that he loves you very much and that he is sorry.
Nina paused for a few seconds, blinked, turned her head to the side, and let out a soft, ambiguous laugh:
"I see..."
Klein gave her a deep look, then slowly stood up and said:
"I have finished conveying my message; I should be leaving now."
The response from the other side was silence. Niel's husband nodded slightly in thanks.
Klein turned and walked towards the study door. Just as he turned the handle, a deep, hoarse voice came from behind Niel Raymond:
What kind of person do you think he is?
Klein paused for a second, then turned around, a smile playing on his lips, and said:
"A Guardian."
He didn't linger, opened the study door, and walked towards the coat rack.
As he put on his top hat and left 67 Red Plane Tree Street, a faint, suppressed sob suddenly rang out and entered his ears.
Klein shook his head silently, left the neighborhood, and entered a church dedicated to the Evernight Goddess.
He walked through the deep, quiet corridor and sat down in the seventh row from the bottom, facing the deep black holy emblem with a half-red moon and glittering stars. He took off his top hat, lowered his head, and clasped his hands to his mouth, just like most of the believers here.
In the silent stillness and tranquility, time flew by. Klein slowly opened his eyes and stood up very gently.
On the spot where he sat, there was something wrapped in paper.
Klein walked down the corridor, out of the prayer hall, and to the church entrance.
He turned his back to the inside, put on his top hat, raised his right hand, and snapped his fingers.
Snap!
The papers on his previous spot suddenly caught fire, drawing the priest's attention. By the time the man arrived, the flames had been extinguished, leaving behind a dark, jewel-like, gelatinous substance.
"This is..." Although the pastor didn't know exactly what the clump of gelatinous substance was, his Spirit Intuition told him that it was important!
When he and the other pastors chased after him to the outside of the church, the gentleman in a tailcoat and top hat was nowhere to be seen.
The next morning.
Having acquired a new identity through the local black market, Klein arrived at the Steam train station.
Holding his second-class ticket worth 18 Soli in one hand and his identification documents in the other, he stood tall on the platform, waiting for the train bound for Backlund to arrive.
Now, he appears to be a middle-aged man nearing forty, over 180 cm tall, with black hair streaked with silver, and deep Blue Eyes like a lake at night. His features are quite pleasing to the eye, exuding a mature charm and refined elegance.
Klein glanced down at the identification document in his hand, his eyes reflecting his current name:
Dawn Dantès.
After thinking for a moment, he placed his suitcase on the ground, unfolded it, and stuffed all his identification documents inside.
Inside the suitcase was a small black wooden box containing the ashes of Longzel Edward, a former soldier of the Loen army.
Just as Klein finished packing his suitcase, he heard a whooshing sound. A Steam train, puffing out plumes of smoke, clattered into the platform and came to a stop, gradually slowing down.
He raised his head, looked ahead, silently surveyed the area for a couple of seconds, and then whispered something to his suitcase:
"It's time to go back..."
He immediately stood up straight, picked up his belongings, and walked step by step toward the open carriage door.
Backlund, Cherwood Borough, 26 Kingster Street.
Benson removed his hat and coat, handing them to the maid, and then looked at his sister Melissa, who was engrossed in reading in the living room, and said:
"The entrance exam is in June. Now you'll finally understand the pain I went through studying so hard."
Melissa didn't look up, continuing to read her book:
I study diligently every day.
"Have a joke, Melissa, have a joke. What's the difference between someone who doesn't understand humor and a curly-haired baboon?" Benson said with a laugh.
Melissa glanced at him casually and said:
"You didn't say that before."
She didn't dwell on the differences between humans and curly-haired baboons, but instead asked:
Do government employees also finish work this late?
"No, it's just that there's been a lot going on lately, you know, oh, you don't know, with these big changes, the handover of work and sorting out different relationships is incredibly troublesome." Benson's gaze swept across a mirror in the living room, and he couldn't help but raise his hand to smooth his hair, his expression not too pleasant as he said, "Although I'm just a lowly employee in the Treasury, that doesn't stop me from having a lot of work. The only thing that makes me feel better is that I've finally gotten through that damn internship, and from now on I'll be getting a weekly wage of 3 pounds!"
Melissa put down her book and said to Benson as she walked toward the restaurant:
"It's time for dinner."
She paused, then said very seriously:
"I read in the newspaper that there's something called the sap of the Doningsman Tree that's very effective for hair growth."
Benson's expression suddenly became very complicated.
Ugh!
With a whistle, the long Steam train rattled into Backlund.
Klein, carrying his suitcase, once again set foot on the land of this " Capital of Capitals," the " Land of Hope." He found that the fog was much thinner than before, no longer having a distinct pale yellow hue. The gas streetlights on the platform were not turned on early to dispel the gloom and darkness.
After looking around, Klein exited the Steam train station, transferred to the subway and a horse-drawn carriage, and arrived directly at a Church of Storms cemetery outside the West Borough.
Then, he spent a small amount of money to place Longzel Edward's urn in a cabinet.
At this point, more than 165 years had passed since the day the Loen soldier left Backlund.
Taking a step back and gazing intently for a moment, Klein, with a flick of his wrist, inscribed on the cabinet door:
" Longzel Edward."
He closed his eyes and wrote again:
Every Travel has an end.
(Part Three Complete)
P. S.: Third update. Thanks to Seal to Silver Alliance and everyone. I'll write the end summary tomorrow.