The Resentful Klein

The sky gradually brightened. Morning light streamed through the broken doorframe, casting a long slanting beam across the floor and revealing the mess everywhere.

"You mean a Beyonder suspected to be Sequence 7 was killed just like that by the two of you in the chaos?"

Dunn asked Klein, who had suffered only minor injuries, utterly baffled.

His gray eyes were full of the question, "Are you sure you're not messing with me?"

Wind whistled through the gaping hole behind him. The once tastefully furnished lobby of the Blackthorn Security Company had become a crime scene.

The tables had been smashed into splinters, and bullet holes pocked the walls. Police officers who had arrived later had put up a cordon to block the view of the citizens outside.

The explanation given to the public was a gas leak.

The unconscious Rozanne had already been sent for treatment, while the other Nighthawks who had hurried back were examining the corpse on the floor.

The corpse's head bore an obvious blunt-force wound and several bullet holes.

A pile of things had been found in the scorched tailcoat: several cut paper rolls, a handkerchief, playing cards, a short stub of candle, and several colored ribbons.

There was even a half-melted piece of ice.

"Uh... yes." Klein was struggling to keep a straight face.

What could he say? That before he passed out, all he had seen was Leon charging forward looking incredibly cool, and that when he woke up, all that was left was a corpse?

Wouldn't that be pushing every question onto Leon, the person who had saved his life?

Klein didn't want to see things come to that.

If they did, then under the Church's rules, someone still affected by a supernatural incident like this...

It was already unusual enough that Leon had been the only survivor at the sacrifice site. Just as he was finally about to clear himself of suspicion, he had displayed something out of the ordinary again.

People from the archdiocese might even be sent down to investigate.

As the leader of a newly established secret organization, Klein had plenty of experience in this regard.

So even though Klein knew the account was especially clumsy, he steeled himself and continued.

"Captain, I'm willing to swear in the Goddess's name that it's true."

Dunn didn't respond immediately. He simply looked away from Klein and turned to Leon, who stood calmly at the side.

His gaze held curiosity, but none of the scrutiny Klein had expected. He looked more like he was watching an employee who had smashed the company sign on his very first day.

"Obviously, he underestimated us. But that makes sense. He was ambushing two rookies left on duty, and he was about to succeed. I don't think it would have been easy for a Sequence 7 who had prepared in advance to be overly cautious. On top of that, Klein happened to block his view of me, buying me time and giving me the chance to strike.

"Looking back, I should be glad I brought this cane. I don't know how many years it's been handed down, but at least its hardness can be guaranteed."

By comparison, Leon wasn't embarrassed at all. Looking as though it all made perfect sense, he continued along the lines of Klein's story.

The Clown had underestimated them, he had been lucky, and Klein had cooperated well. But the expression on his face, which seemed to say, "I took him out with one swing, so what's there to talk about?" was really hard to believe.

Come on, man, can't you hide it a little?!

Why do you think I fired so many shots into the corpse after I woke up? Wasn't it to make it look like we'd fought a grueling battle?!

Doesn't saying that make it look even more suspicious...?

Klein held back the torrent of complaints in his mind. Beyonders were physically stronger than ordinary people to begin with, and this was a Sequence 7. Who the hell would believe it had been that easy?

"I see." Dunn nodded.

Huh? Klein could hardly believe it.

He watched Dunn listen calmly, even interrupting from time to time to ask about the details of the fight. He already looked convinced.

When Leon finished, Dunn even took the ruby cane from him, gave it a slight swing, and handed it back.

At that point, even Leonard, who had been wandering around nearby and eavesdropping like a street loiterer, noticed something was off.

He slowly edged over to Klein and looked at Dunn suspiciously.

Old Man, are you sure there's nothing wrong? Leonard asked silently.

Only after hearing an affirmative answer from the other voice in his head did his expression change from suspicion to surprise.

Sensing that something was wrong with the atmosphere, the other Nighthawks stopped what they were doing and quietly drew closer, loosely surrounding Leon.

Just before the atmosphere began to freeze, Dunn waved a hand, and everyone dispersed at once.

He then took a scroll from his pocket, sealed in wax bearing the sacred emblem of the Church of the Evernight Goddess.

He looked at Leon and said, "This is a letter of appointment personally issued by the Archbishop. A colleague who came from Backlund to provide support brought it in the early hours of the morning."

"Although I don't know why the Archbishop personally issued it, it clearly proves beyond doubt that there's nothing wrong with you."

Looking somewhat helpless, Dunn handed the scroll to Leon. He had only asked about what happened because it was his duty as captain of the Nighthawks.

As for what secrets this newcomer had, he neither wanted nor was willing to know. As captain, all he wanted was to ensure everyone's safety.

The others relaxed at Dunn's words. The Archbishop's name was enough to dispel all doubts, so they each went back to what they had been doing.

Leon took the letter of appointment, opened it, and read it. It contained none of the unusual wording he had expected; it really was just a standard letter of appointment.

Unable to contain his curiosity, Klein moved closer too, then froze as his eyes swept over the text.

Leon Kaspar's application for full membership approved... appointed as special consultant... weekly salary of twenty pounds... income tax and salary to be covered by the Church's headquarters.

Full member? Twenty pounds, and he doesn't even have to pay taxes?! Klein's eyes widened. Those were the only two thoughts left in his mind.

Even he had yet to become a full member. The captain had promised that once Riel Bieber's identity was confirmed, he would apply to the cathedral to make him a full member.

Why can he become one as soon as he gets here? I clearly came first.

Never mind that, what's with the twenty-pound weekly salary?

Even Old Neil, the most senior of them, only earns twelve pounds a week. In Tingen, that firmly places him in the middle class, enough to afford several servants!

Fortunately, before Klein's resentment could become almost tangible, Dunn spoke first.

"I once promised that once we confirmed Riel Bieber was a descendant of the Antigonus Family, I'd make you a full member. Now we've not only confirmed his identity, but also thwarted the Secret Order's plot. The two of you also eliminated a member of the Secret Order."

"You performed exceptionally well, so I'll keep my promise and apply to the cathedral immediately. Then we'll wait for a response."

"Are you willing? Your salary will double immediately, to six pounds a week, with annual raises."

Dunn's words instantly calmed Klein's restless heart. He said solemnly, "I'm willing to become a full-fledged Nighthawk."

"What about you?" Dunn turned to Leon, who was standing nearby, deep in thought. "Are you willing to accept this appointment?"

A dozen or so seconds later, Leon gave the same answer.

"But why did this Clown come here?" Klein voiced his question.

"Because the Antigonus Family's notebook was never sent away. This operation was only meant to draw these people out. The two items are now back on the road."

Dunn didn't seem willing to say much more about that, or about who had leaked the information.

After giving that brief explanation, he walked over to the corpse.

He touched the greasepaint on the tailcoated Clown's face with his gloved hand, then gave an order. "Have Frye handle the corpse. See if he can reconstruct the man's original appearance and find any relevant clues."

"All right, that's everything. You can go home and rest," Dunn said to everyone after making the arrangements, only to find that no one moved.

It was as though they were waiting for something.

Sure enough, a few seconds later, his quiet gray eyes suddenly flickered. As if remembering something, he raised his head and looked at Leon.

"Oh, right. You might need to find somewhere else to stay for the time being."

"What happened, Captain?" Leon pretended to be surprised, though of course he already knew.

"Someone broke into your home," Dunn said.

"How's Martha?" Leon asked, his expression growing somewhat serious.

"Miss Adeline is safe. She was only a little frightened. According to our investigation, the person who entered your home was a cultist from the Aurora Order."

He paused, his expression turning a little peculiar. "Strangely enough, just like Riel Bieber, he spontaneously combusted on the spot and turned to ash before he could do anything. But your house was also badly damaged."

"Could it have been some kind of special ritual?" Klein suggested one possibility.

Dunn shook his head. "No residual spirituality or traces of a curse were found at the scene. Aside from the charred corpse, there was almost nothing unusual. Old Neil speculated that he might have lost control because of a Potion."

As he spoke, he looked at Klein. After thinking for a moment, he asked, "I wonder if you've ever met the person who broke into Leon's home?"

"Hanass Vincent," Dunn said the name.

An expression of surprise and disbelief appeared on Klein's face:

"Yes, I know him. He has an extremely strong Awwa County accent and often gives lectures to others at the Seer Club. He always shares everything he knows with everyone as much as possible."

"I never expected... him to be a member of the Aurora Order."

"Captain, may I ask how you identified him?" Leon asked.

"We found a letter on him. Although part of it had burned away, we could still make out the sender and recipient. The sender called himself 'Mr. Z.' Based on past experience, only Oracles of the Aurora Order use that kind of code name."

Dunn continued quite calmly, "From this, we can see that it was a premeditated operation. The remaining contents of the letter roughly described how the Antigonus Family's notebook was sold from their hands to Welch McGovern."

"The letter mentioned another person, a fabric merchant."

"Sirius Arepis?" Leon answered before Dunn could finish. His predecessor had already thoroughly investigated the man's identity.

"Yes. He died at the cult ritual site last night, so a new question has arisen: why would a member of the Aurora Order become an Oracle of another cult?"

He brushed the dust off his hands, his tone becoming a little lighter. "But in any case, you two are safe. The notebook has been sent away again, so let the people at headquarters worry about the rest."

When he finished, Dunn glanced at Leon, as though unable to help himself.

Under Leon's puzzled gaze, he said, "After Klein, you're the second person to run into trouble nonstop right after joining. Before this, the Nighthawks in Tingen didn't even encounter two supernatural incidents in a month."

His voice was weary, as though his hairline had receded another few millimeters because of it.

Leon was wondering whether to remind him that this was most likely caused by people when he heard Klein muttering to himself rather deliberately.

"Why would several organizations that should have had nothing to do with one another coincidentally cross paths during this period, and even end up with a common goal? And even though they had already achieved their objective and could have left in time, they insisted on putting the two of us to death... Something's very wrong with that."

His voice wasn't loud, but it was especially clear in the quiet front hall. After saying that, Klein went to help without looking back.