Madam Sharon

"Klein?" Leon asked in surprise, looking at Klein standing outside the door, having just been brought over by Tolle. "Weren't you going to the Seer Club?"

"Just before I went in, I did a divination for myself. It told me today wasn't a good day to go inside."

Klein scratched his head, looking a little embarrassed. "Otherwise, something bad might happen."

"You know, as a Seer, I ought to trust my own judgment."

"But did you have to come all this way on your own?" Leon asked, puzzled.

"Because the captain said we wouldn't have to come in this afternoon once we were done." Klein gave him a knowing look.

"Perfect reason." Leon agreed and stepped back to make room for Klein. "Are you going to use Ritualistic Magic?"

"Yes." Klein nodded, then looked over at Frye. "Frye, could you tell Inspector Tolle to take his men as far away from this room as possible?"

After receiving an affirmative answer, Klein stepped back and began preparing the scene. As he worked, he spoke to Leon in a voice only the two of them could hear.

"I've already applied to the captain for a promotion." Klein's expression suddenly turned a little strange. "But oddly enough, the captain didn't seem to see much of a problem with it. He just told me to wait for a reply from the cathedral."

"Let me guess. Did you also tell the captain about the experience you gained at the Seer Club?" Leon walked over, picked up the silver dagger, and raised a Wall of Spirituality. "It's actually a special way to master it, isn't it?"

"Yes. It's called the Acting Method. You act out the role of the Potion to digest it." At this point, Klein had nothing to hide.

Besides, Leon didn't seem to need to act.

After completing the preparations for the Spirit Channeling ritual, Klein stood before the corpse.

"Evernight Goddess, more exalted than the stars and more eternal than eternity, you are the 'Lady of Crimson, Mother of Concealment,' and the 'Empress of Misfortune and Fear'..."

After the incantation, amid the tranquil, ethereal fragrance and the cold wind swirling around him, Klein silently recited the divination statement he had prepared:

"The cause of Councilman Maynard's death."

"The cause of Councilman Maynard's death."

As he recited, Klein backed up to the high-backed chair Leon had prepared and slowly sat down.

His eyes turned black. He leaned back and quickly fell into a deep sleep.

In the illusory, hazy world, his vision slowly returned.

He saw Councilman Maynard, whom he had just seen.

But in the Dream Divination, the seemingly dignified and elegant councilman had his blue eyes open, while a fair-skinned woman with an outstanding figure sat astride him, moving vigorously up and down.

He seemed to thoroughly enjoy being driven, his face showing extreme satisfaction and pleasure.

Then he abruptly withdrew his right hand and clutched his chest, his expression twisting into a grimace.

Crack!

As Maynard began struggling violently, the scene rapidly shattered. Klein opened his eyes and woke from the dream.

But the dream hadn't ended on its own. Leon had forcibly interrupted it.

Klein found himself suspended in midair, held by the collar, with the councilman who had died between nine and eleven the previous night directly in front of him.

The corpse that should have lain still now had saliva dripping from the corners of its mouth and its vacant eyes wide open.

Councilman Maynard's hands gripped the chair Klein had just been sitting in, the backs of his hands bulging with black-and-blue veins.

If Leon hadn't pulled him away in time, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

He instinctively wanted to find his cane and fight back, but before he could ask Leon to put him down,

a black spark flicked from Leon's fingertip, tracing a black line as it shot into Councilman Maynard's forehead.

Then came a bang!

The corpse, which had come back to life, stiffened once more and toppled straight backward, crashing to the floor.

"What happened?" Klein was still trying to make sense of it.

"I'd like to know too." Leon silently returned the corpse to its original position. "But don't worry. He's completely 'dead' now and won't show any more signs of life."

As he spoke, he seemed to remember something and looked at Klein. "Did you bring Azik's whistle?"

"You mean it was because of Mr. Azik's belonging?" Klein took the whistle out of his pocket.

"Most likely. Azik's powers involve the undead, and a Zombie is a kind of undead." Leon didn't mention the Pathway of Azik he had learned about in the Roundtable Hold.

"All right, I'll be more careful next time..."

Klein put the whistle away again and described what he had seen in the dream.

"Just as I thought. Councilman Maynard died in bed while having an affair. He overexerted himself, and his already weak little heart couldn't take it." Leon chuckled.

"Can you draw this woman the way you showed me the chimney last time?" Leon asked curiously. "Once we hand it to Tolle, we can go home and rest before lunch."

Klein replied quietly that he could. Then he took out a fountain pen and some paper, used the ritual again, and slowly began drawing the woman he had seen in the dream.

Of course, he only needed to draw her from the neck up.

While Klein was drawing, Frye and Tolle, who had heard the commotion, came in through the door.

"Did something happen?" Tolle asked, looking tense.

"Nothing, just a necessary reaction to the ritual." Leon smiled and gave Tolle and Frye, who had been waiting for some time, a general account, leaving out the little incident.

"Judging from the Dream Divination, we can rule out the influence of Beyonder powers," Frye, an expert on corpses, said with certainty.

The result was a considerable relief to Inspector Tolle.

Five minutes later, Klein finished the portrait obtained through Ritualistic Magic.

It was difficult to tell the woman's exact age. She had the mature charm of a woman in her thirties, yet retained a trace of youthful innocence. Her eyes were moist and lustrous, giving her a pitiful look.

Klein packed up the ritual materials, dispelled the Wall of Spirituality, and glanced at his "work."

"Are you sure the cause of death was... that?" Still uneasy, Tolle asked again, a knowing expression on his face.

"In theory, yes, but an autopsy is needed for an authoritative final result. What we can say for certain is that no Beyonder factors were involved." Klein handed the portrait to Tolle.

"That's good, but Madam Maynard won't permit something as undignified as an autopsy." Tolle took the portrait, but after just one glance, he cried out.

"Madam Sharon!"

Klein looked utterly baffled and couldn't help turning to Leon. "Is she famous?"

Judging by her looks and figure, she probably is, he added inwardly.

Tolle gave Leon a long look, then suppressed his excitement and took the portrait outside.

Before leaving, he said to Klein, "I'll let Leon tell you. He knows more about this than I do."

How is Leon involved again? Klein looked at him curiously.

Leon sighed helplessly. "Madam Sharon is the most famous and beautiful widow in Tingen City, and the most sought-after woman in society. She was Baron Khoy's second wife, but unfortunately, she was widowed."

"In short, she's an outstanding socialite."

"She's also the woman who nearly made it impossible for me to carry on back then," Leon said with a cold laugh.

Leon's words puzzled Klein a little, but he didn't see much of a problem.

People like that were always trouble.

But Leon's next words gave him a headache once again.

"Still, it's worth mentioning that, although I have no proof, I'm ninety percent sure she's no ordinary person."