After listening to Councilor Macht's answer and combining it with the information he had gathered, Klein made a preliminary judgment that the rat at the suburban manor was probably the " Marauder " Demigod who had been by Hibbert's side before. As for why the rat had gone mad and why it had bitten Hibbert, that remained a mystery for the time being.
He nodded slightly and tapped his chest four times clockwise, saying:
May the goddess protect her.
Having said that, he stepped past the host and entered the hall, waiting for the ball to begin that evening.
In a bedroom on the third floor, Hibbert sat listlessly in an armchair, her legs curled up.
Her left hand was wrapped in thick bandages, with little blood seeping through. Her expression was somber, devoid of her usual arrogance.
At the suburban manor, after being suddenly bitten by the teacher who had transformed into a rat, she remained in a similar state, appearing dazed and confused, as if she had been bitten not in the hand, but in the heart.
For Hibbert, although her arrogance stemmed from her early education, her superior learning talent, her outstanding appearance, her upper-class family background, and her more mature thinking than her peers, this mentality was still within the normal range before she came into contact with supernatural powers. It did not make her feel that she was completely different from others or that she was inherently superior to ordinary people.
So, the teacher who sustained her pride, represented her extraordinary adventure, and symbolized the source of her power suddenly became like a real rat. Not only did his speech become unclear, but he also bit her irrationally, causing her a huge blow. She couldn't help but wonder whether supernatural power represented transcendence of mortals or approaching Monster.
Lost in thought, Hibbert unconsciously tucked a strand of her dark green hair behind her ear, feeling a surge of annoyance at the melodious music drifting downstairs.
Just then, she heard the creak of the Door Opening and turned her head to look over, somewhat belatedly.
The mouse that entered was a gray mouse with smooth, glossy fur, and its eyes were deeper than those of its kind, almost dark red.
" Hibbert," the rat said in a low voice.
Hibbert was taken aback at first, then overjoyed. She quickly stood up and blurted out:
"Teacher, you... you've recovered?"
As soon as she finished speaking, she suddenly saw gray mice emerge from the corner of the bedroom, the entrance to the balcony, and under the bed. They all had dark red eyes and could only make squeaking sounds.
Hibbert was so startled that she took a step back, tripped on the edge of the armchair, swayed, and almost fell, barely managing to regain her balance.
At this moment, she discovered that all the red-eyed rats had disappeared, and the door was tightly closed and had not been opened.
Everything that just happened seemed to be just her hallucination, or a nightmare caused by her worries!
After a moment of silence, Hibbert pursed her lips and sighed.
She sat down again and raised her hands to pinch the temples on both sides of her forehead.
As she continued kneading, her brows furrowed slightly, feeling that what she had just experienced was too surreal and not real enough.
Her deep brown eyes shifted slightly as Hibbert pulled the necklace from her neck and held it in her palm.
The main body of the necklace consists of seven translucent emerald green stones, surrounded by a ring of tiny diamonds, all spaced perfectly evenly apart.
At this moment, one of the stones slowly lit up, emitting an emerald green light that made Hibbert's face appear extremely lustrous, highlighting one strange and mysterious symbol after another in her eyes.
All the previous images resurfaced in the mind of the long-haired girl with dark green hair, gradually becoming clearer from a blurry, dreamlike state.
As she examined each scene, Hibbert noticed something amiss, confirming that she hadn't been dreaming or experiencing a brief hallucination, but rather had been trapped in a dreamlike state for nearly ten seconds.
" Cryptologist "!
"This..." Hibbert brown eyes widened suddenly, and she unconsciously uttered a word filled with fear.
She jumped to her feet and looked around hastily, but found nothing.
But the more this happened, the more terrified she became, because she didn't know what she would encounter next, and she didn't understand what the person who created the illusion wanted to do!
The only thing she was certain of was that the other party's level and power in the supernatural realm far surpassed her own!
This shattered the last vestige of pride she held in her heart.
Several minutes passed, and the bedroom remained quiet. Downstairs, a lively melody evoked images of energetic dance steps.
Hibbert finally calmed down and felt that nothing else should happen.
Only then did she have the energy and the peace of mind to think about what the person in the shadows was trying to achieve by creating the illusion.
Amidst a jumble of thoughts, Hibbert suddenly had a guess:
That person just came for their teacher!
Through the illusion, he confirmed his teacher's current condition through his own perception!
Is he a friend or foe of the teacher? He must have already gone to find the teacher. What should I do? He probably doesn't know where the teacher is hiding... No, everyone in the neighborhood knows that I was bitten by a mad rat at the suburban manor... Hibbert felt a surge of panic, and her grip on the necklace tightened.
She couldn't tell if the person she had just spoken to was good or bad, and she didn't know what to do.
She wanted to go to the suburban estate to tell her teacher about it, but she was also afraid of encountering danger and becoming a victim.
Moreover, her teacher seems to have lost most of her communication skills, and even if she receives a reminder, she may not be able to understand its specific meaning.
Hibbert unconsciously stood up and paced back and forth in the bedroom. Finally, she made up her mind, pursed her lips, walked to the door, and said to her personal maid outside:
I'm a little tired and I'm going to sleep now. Don't let anyone disturb me.
"Yes, Miss," the maid replied immediately.
After closing the door, Hibbert began to change into clothes that would allow her to move around easily. Her expression was very serious, and she was gently biting her lip.
She ultimately decided to go to the suburban estate to remind the teacher.
She didn't want to become someone who seemed arrogant but was actually cowardly, someone who would lose all principles at the slightest danger!
That would make her look down on me!
While the bodyguards were focused on the ballgos, Hibbert slipped through the balcony water pipes into the garden and left 39 Böklund Street. Meanwhile, Klein was holding a glass of sweet, iced sparkling wine, discussing business matters in the Southern Continent with several men.
He tilted his head slightly and glanced at the garden, already sensing Hibbert's movements through his intuition.
... Although she wasn't a particularly likable girl, she still had a conscience... Klein nodded almost imperceptibly, silently praising her in his heart.
He had no worries about Hibbert's actions, because even by carriage, it would take three to five hours to travel from Böklund Street in the North Borough to the Macht family estate in the northwest suburbs of Backlund, and he could find an excuse to leave the ball before then, Teleportation there directly, and check the situation.
Although the Macht family estate is located in the northwest suburbs, it is situated on the other side of the Tussock River. Therefore, to reach it, one must first detour to a place with a bridge. If it is daytime, it is fine to take the Steam subway from the riverbed to the Bridge South Borough. At night, one can only consider one of the three long bridges, and the overall time spent is unavoidable.
Of course, Klein had used the " Kindling " gloves and read the information on the "2-105" Blood Vessel Thief, so he had some understanding of the abilities of the " Marauder " pathway. Therefore, he suspected that Hibbert, who possessed a higher-level item, could " Stealing " the flight ability of birds and use that brief duration to cross the river directly from mid-air. In this way, she might only need 3 hours to reach her destination.
But no matter what, I'm faster than her... Klein looked away and considered who to invite as his dance partner next.
At 10 p. m., at the Elk Manor, located in the northwestern suburbs of Backlund.
Originally belonging to a Viscount, this property is over a hundred years old. Member of Parliament Macht bought it after getting married and spends a sum of money every year on major renovations so that he can invite friends to vacation there on weekends in the fall and winter.
At this moment, the manor steward was instructing the male and female servants to check all areas and lock the doors and windows tightly, something they did every night before going to bed.
After several maids came out of the wine cellar together, they went straight to the kitchen area to make sure that all the flames had been extinguished.
As soon as they arrived there, they heard a squeaking sound. Looking closely, they saw a gray-furred mouse gnawing on the leg of a long table.
The mouse seemed to sense their gaze; instead of running away, it turned its head and stared at them with slightly reddened eyes.
At the same time, more squeaking sounds came from the rafters, next to the storage cabinets, in the various storage rooms, and by the stove where hot water was being boiled. One after another, rats with red eyes crawled out.
The maids were startled and nearly screamed.
As members of the lower class of society, they were no strangers to rats and had even killed some before, but encountering so many at once was a first for them, and they were deeply shocked.
"Let's go find Ged; Ged and the others will handle it," a maid suggested, leaving the kitchen, looking quite frightened.
The other maid nodded repeatedly:
"Miss Hibbert was bitten by a crazed rat before... this doesn't seem quite right either!"
As they spoke, they retreated further and further away, eventually disappearing from the kitchen altogether.
At that moment, a figure quickly appeared on the long table in the kitchen. He was wearing a white shirt, a black vest, a dark suit, a top silk hat, and shiny leather boots.
The figure, pressing his hat, slowly raised his head, looked around, revealing black hair, brown eyes, a thin face, and sharp features—it was none other than Gehrman Sparrow.
After leaving the ball early, Klein returned to Dawn Dantès' mansion, entered his bedroom, and Teleportation over with " the Winner," Enuni.
Of course, he placed the latter outside the manor so that it could be moved at any time.
As rats came into view, Klein tugged at the human skin glove on his left hand and turned his gaze to the area of the manor where flowers were planted.
Almost simultaneously, all the rats in the kitchen jolted and became sluggish, but they soon returned to normal.
They have become the Marionette of the " Bizarro Sorcerer ".
Klein's current limit for controlling Marionette is 50, but it will increase after he finishes digesting the Potion!
P. S.: Requesting recommendation votes and monthly tickets on Monday!