"What's up?" Benson asked casually.
Melissa watched her brother intently, because she felt that Klein's performance tonight was equally strange, only slightly better than Elizabeth and later Selena.
Klein had already prepared his answer, and chuckled:
"There's an Error in a description of a document, and I've already told my colleague to submit it as soon as they get to the office tomorrow morning. So, I either have to go and fix it now on my way, or get up at least half an hour earlier tomorrow. Without a doubt, I choose the former."
"I always thought you weren't focused enough while playing cards; turns out you were thinking about work." Benson suddenly realized, then laughed, "No, I apologize, I should say playing cards helps with thinking."
"Okay, we'll wait for you." Melissa withdrew her scrutinizing gaze and raised her hand to straighten the ruffles of her leg-of-mutton sleeves.
Because they had long passed the operating hours of both trolley and trolleybuses, the three siblings said goodbye and left, so they had to hire a taxi nearby, which took 2 Soli and 45 minutes.
"I've heard that every coachman who rents out a carriage overcharges," Benson muttered in a low voice after reluctantly paying off most of his winnings.
Klein smiled and said:
"I think it's acceptable; it's almost 11 o'clock now."
"I was just joking. My current idea is that we could actually hire them together with other guests, and we could get to many places in 45 minutes," Benson said, looking out the window at the people hiring carriages one after another.
I understand, it's carpooling... Klein stroked the silver-inlaid pattern at the tip of his cane and said:
"We have no problem, but the other guests do, Benson, haven't you noticed? They're all very conscious of their image, very concerned about 'decency.' I think that's perhaps a common trait among the middle class."
"Hmm." Benson nodded seriously. "The Wood family is more luxurious than I imagined, yet Old Wood's salary is only four pounds a week... Ah, perhaps 'respectability' is the biggest difference between some middle-class people and curly-haired baboons."
"What did the curly-haired baboon ever do to you..." Klein almost couldn't hold back his laughter.
Melissa didn't join their discussion. She sat down and glanced at Klein every now and then, making him feel slightly uneasy.
The light two-wheeled carriage sped along the quiet, dimly lit streets, arriving at Zouteland Street in just 12 minutes.
"Wait for me here. I'll be back in five minutes, no more than five minutes," Klein emphasized again, putting on his top hat, taking his cane, and stepping down from the carriage.
Since the calculation was based on time, not distance, the coachman had no objection to waiting.
Klein went up the stairs and arrived outside Blackthorn Security Company, knocking loudly on the door.
Less than ten seconds later, the door swung open, and Leonard Mitchell, appeared before him.
"You don't need to be on duty tonight," Leonard emphasized, sounding slightly surprised.
Klein only needs to take turns working at Chanis Gate one day a week, and can maintain a normal routine the rest of the time. As for unexpected events at night, those who love the Evernight are left to the " Sleepless.
But sleeping only two or three hours a day can cause hair loss and memory decline... Whenever Klein thinks about these things, he can't help but jokingly criticize Captain Dunn Smith in his mind.
"I have something to report," he said simply.
"A mission?" Leonard made way for the doorway and asked casually.
As soon as Klein entered the reception hall, he saw Dunn come out wearing a black trench coat, his gray eyes as deep as ever.
"Captain, I've encountered something extraordinary."
"The specifics?" Dunn asked directly.
Klein recounted the events that had transpired and how he had handled them in detail:
"... Therefore, I believe it is necessary to investigate Hynas Vincent."
He reasoned that since the evil entity summoned by the " Magic Mirror Divination " hadn't yet caused a tragedy or given him any warnings of extreme danger, it meant that the entity might need more time and was unwilling to awaken or control Selena prematurely. Therefore, as long as it didn't directly reveal its purpose, the evil entity would definitely choose to observe first. Under such circumstances, it wouldn't be too difficult for Elizabeth to lure Selena to the bedroom door.
"You handled it very well, seizing the opportunity before the Evil Spirit had fully descended and possessed you," Dunn nodded slightly. "Leave the rest of the investigation to us; you can go back and rest."
Klein breathed a sigh of relief and chuckled:
"I thought you, Captain, would make this my induction mission and let me complete it alone."
Judging from the spell provided by Elizabeth, Hynas Vincent is quite dangerous...
"That's because you already have a mission to join the team," Leonard chuckled casually from the side.
"What?" Klein was startled.
Dunn's lips curled up, and he explained in a mellow voice:
"Around 7 PM, we received a case transferred from the police station. The initial assessment indicates there's no danger or urgency, so we plan to have you handle it alone tomorrow."
"Alright, don't ask what the case is. Get a good night's sleep tonight. Your day off will be moved to Tuesday or Wednesday."
Captain, you're making it even harder for me to sleep... Besides, Monday afternoon is the date of the Tarot Gathering... Are we going to send a message to " Justice " and " The Hanged Man " to postpone the "message"? Klein shook his head and smiled bitterly, then took his leave.
As he stepped out of the stairwell, he suddenly noticed something and looked up at the carriage he had hired. He saw Melissa quietly observing him through the window.
Upon making eye contact, Melissa immediately turned her head and sat up straight.
Klein's lips twitched slightly, and he stepped onto the carriage as if nothing had happened.
Under the crimson the Moon and the clear night sky, the two-wheeled carriage moved swiftly through street after street.
Back home, Klein told Benson to take a shower first, then went to Melissa's bedroom door and knocked twice.
Melissa, who was about to go to another restroom, Door Opening with a creak and looked at her brother with a puzzled expression.
" Melissa, is there something you want to ask? I know you do," Klein said directly.
Don't always observe from the shadows...
Melissa's lips moved a few times, and she frowned slightly as she said:
" Klein, what exactly did you do to Elizabeth? I feel like something's wrong with her."
"Also, Selena became very strange later on."
Klein, prepared for this, countered with:
Did you know that Elizabeth and Selena are enthusiasts of the occult?
"... I know, but I don't like it. I don't believe there's anything in this world that's incomprehensible." Melissa paused, then replied seriously, "All the lack of understanding is simply because we don't know enough."
"Yes, that's what I think too," Klein said guiltily.
I used to think that way, until I successfully pulled off a disastrous blunder...
He coughed lightly twice and continued:
"Mysticism includes Hermes, the script used in ancient rituals and prayers. Elizabeth knew I was good at this—well, it's a historian's field after all—so she asked me for a few words with the corresponding pronunciations and their meanings."
Melissa nodded slightly, accepting her brother's explanation, as it aligned with her understanding of both parties.
"As for why Elizabeth and Selena became strange later, I don't know the specific reasons," Klein said, first disclaiming his own involvement, "But I can make a guess."
"You guessed it?" Melissa blurted out in surprise.
Klein raised his hand and poked his mouth, saying:
"I guessed it from what Elizabeth asked me. The Hermes she mentioned were related to Divination and evil objects of sacrifice. Hmm, did Selena chant Hermes when she performed Magic Mirror Divination?"
He brought this up on his own initiative to warn his sister against similar situations in the future, and it would be even better if she could stay away from Selena and Elizabeth.
"Yes..." Melissa answered hesitantly, "I think I understand Elizabeth and Selena's strangeness..."
At this moment, Klein deliberately asked in return:
"Because Selena's Magic Mirror Divination involved evil and illegal beliefs, after Elizabeth understood the specific meaning of the corresponding Hermes from me, she found an opportunity to rebuke her and correct her Error?"
"I think so." Melissa had no doubt about this conclusion, because it was her own reasoning.
Seeing that his inducement had worked, Klein breathed a sigh of relief and said:
"You should also frequently advise Selena to return to the right path of faith."
As he said this, he tapped his chest four times in a very pastoral manner.
"Yes, I will!" Melissa replied firmly.
"Also, don't tell Elizabeth and Selena about our speculations, or what I said. I promised Elizabeth I wouldn't tell you," Klein emphasized finally.
"Mm." Melissa nodded lightly.
Monday morning at 8:00 AM, Blackthorn Security Company.
Klein took off his hat, greeted Rozanne and Brett, and after exchanging pleasantries about the weather, went into Captain Dunn Smith's office.
He pushed open the door, looked up, and was suddenly startled, because Dunn's face was quite pale, and his gray eyes were slightly cloudy, losing their usual depth.
"What happened, Hynas Vincent?" Klein asked, both surprised and concerned.
Dunn rubbed his forehead, took a sip of coffee, and said with a wry smile:
" Hynas Vincent is dead."
"Who killed him beforehand?" Klein asked, sitting down opposite Dunn, cane in hand.
Dunn did not answer directly, but sighed and said:
" Leonard and I went to see Hynas Vincent. Since he hasn't shown any unusual signs and there's nothing strange about his house, I decided to enter his dreams first to look for clues."
"In his dream, in his dream..."
Dunn repeated it twice, his eyes unconsciously revealing fear as he said:
"In his dream, I saw a cross, a huge cross, a cross that filled the sky. On this cross, black iron nails were driven into a naked man, his arms outstretched, his feet up, his head hanging down like a pendant, and his body covered with streaks of blood."
"I fainted as soon as I saw that scene, and I left Hynas Vincent. When I woke up, Leonard told me that Hynas had died in his sleep."
"A giant cross, a man hanging upside down, covered in blood... This is somewhat similar to the True Creator worshipped by several Concealment organizations, but also very different..." Klein speculated with doubt.
The Concealment organizations that believe in True Creator are mainly a few that have emerged in the last two or three hundred years, such as the Aurora Order and the Iron and Blood Cross Order, but similar figures have never disappeared for more than a thousand years before that.
Dunn rubbed his forehead again:
"We'll follow up on this. Go and complete your induction tasks now."