A Knock at the Door in the Dead of Night

Footsteps echoed through the empty corridor.

After passing through the crossroads and continuing straight ahead, they saw a pair of black iron doors engraved with seven sacred emblems in less than a minute.

"That's the Chanis Gate," Rozanne said, pointing to a small room beside the iron doors in the distance. "The captain is inside. The front desk can't be left unattended for too long, so I have to get back."

With that, she turned and walked back, somewhat reluctantly.

Leon continued inward. Halfway there, he saw a man with a distinctly romantic air emerge from the small room.

Leon recognized him as the police officer who had left early that morning. If he remembered correctly, his name was Leonard.

The moment Leonard saw Leon, he quickly came over to him.

As if they were already old friends, he said, "You're finally here. I was going to come get you, but a task came up at the last minute."

"Come find me when you're done in there. I can help you get familiar with the onboarding process."

"Whether I can join is another matter. Are you so sure I'm here to join you?" Leon was somewhat surprised. "Come to think of it, are the Nighthawks always this welcoming?"

"No. I just think we're the same kind of people, so you'll join us." Leonard shook his head, gave him a firm look, and walked away without looking back.

"Same kind?" Leon's eyes were full of confusion.

What, did you transmigrate here too? Why does every one of you love speaking in riddles...

Leon grumbled silently, then went to the door and knocked.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

"Come in." Dunn Smith's deep voice came from inside.

Leon gently pushed the door open and saw that the room contained only a table and four chairs. Dunn Smith, whose hairline was slightly high, was no longer wearing the uniform he had worn that morning.

Instead, he wore a black trench coat and was leisurely reading a newspaper. A gold watch chain hung near the buttons on his chest, giving him a distinctly old-money look.

"Have a seat. Have you thought it over? Are you sure you want to join us?" Dunn put down the newspaper and asked with a smile.

Leon set his cane aside, removed his hat, and sat down at the table. He nodded decisively.

"Yes, I want to join you."

"Then take a look at this agreement. Though these days, people tend to call it a contract. If you don't have any problems with it, you can sign." Dunn pulled open a desk drawer and took out two copies of the contract. Leon could even smell the ink.

Leon nodded and looked over the contract.

There weren't many clauses, and most of them were what Dunn Smith had already mentioned. Among them, he noticed the confidentiality clause.

It stated that violators would be tried directly by the Church of the Evernight Goddess's tribunal.

A five-year contract... a weekly salary of two pounds and ten soli, plus ten soli in confidentiality and risk allowances... Leon smacked his lips and took his time before speaking.

"Although you're already a Beyonder, you still need to submit an application, wait for the cathedral's reply, and complete an assessment task before you can become a full member. Your salary will increase somewhat then," Dunn added. "For now, we can only offer you the salary of a civilian employee."

"I have no problem with that." Leon looked at Dunn suspiciously. "Don't I need any other assessments?"

"In theory, we would observe you for a while longer, but I don't know why, I believe you're trustworthy. So, the pen is right here." Dunn pointed to the dark red fountain pen and ink on the table.

That made Leon a little embarrassed. He really had overdone it during the day.

Leon picked up the pen and signed his full name on both copies of the contract: Leon Kaspar. He then affixed his seal.

Dunn likewise took a seal from the drawer and stamped it at the end and at several key points on each copy.

Once he had done all that, he stood up, handed one copy of the contract back, and shook Leon's hand very formally.

"Welcome. From now on, you're one of us. One more thing, could you give me back my pen?"

Leon smiled and put back the fountain pen he had tucked into his pocket. "Then should I call you Captain now?"

"Yes." Dunn nodded, put away the contract, and turned around. "Oh, right. From what we understand, although a civilian employee's salary can't compare to your detective fees, we don't mind you taking private jobs as long as they don't interfere with your work for the Nighthawks."

"However, for the time being, you'll need to stay at the base and remain under protection for a while." Dunn stood up and rummaged through the cabinet behind him for something.

"Is this about that cult?" Leon nodded in understanding.

"Not just that. Yesterday, before we received the tip-off, we conducted another operation. During it, a Beyonder disguised as a Clown unexpectedly escaped."

"His target is a relic containing supernatural power, which is in our hands. On top of that, the cathedral hasn't sent over the information on the Erdtree Church yet."

"For now, we can't be sure whether there will be further trouble from this."

"Fortunately, the cathedral just replied to my telegram. The two items involved will be sent to Backlund immediately, and Nighthawks from other cities are also coming by steam train this afternoon to help."

Dunn finished getting dressed and spoke to Leon.

As soon as he finished speaking, there was a knock at the door. Klein, whom Leon had met during the day, came in wearing the same kind of black trench coat.

His complexion looked a little better than it had during the day, but there were still faint dark circles under his eyes. He seemed not to have rested well.

"This is Klein. You met this morning. You can ask him if you have any questions." Dunn gave Klein a few instructions, then spoke to Leon.

"You can rest in the recreation room, or stay here and keep Klein company while he's on duty. With luck, once we hear from the cathedral tomorrow, you'll be able to return to your normal life."

With that, Dunn walked out of the room, and his footsteps gradually faded away.

Strangely, though, Klein didn't go to his seat. Instead, he watched the half-closed door, as if waiting for something.

Leon watched silently. A few breaths later, Dunn suddenly pushed the door open and came back in. "Oh, right, I forgot to remind you. No matter what sounds you hear, do not open the Chanis Gate, unless it is opened from the inside."

"Remember, no matter what sounds you hear, no matter what happens."

With that, he closed the door and left again. This time, his footsteps really did fade into the distance.

Leon fell silent for two seconds, then turned to Klein. "Is the captain always like this?"

Klein scratched his head awkwardly. "The captain is a Sequence 7 Nightmare of the Sleepless pathway, so he rarely needs sleep. But you know how it is, a lack of sleep always comes with forgetfulness. We're all used to it."

"I see. I understand." The corner of Leon's mouth twitched slightly. "Is there anyone else in the rest room?"

"Leonard went out with the captain, so there's only one other Nighthawk left now, Ms. Royale."

"Then I'd better stay here with you." Leon turned around and sat back down in his chair without hesitation.

Given the choice between staying with a woman he didn't know and spending time with someone he had already met, he would choose the latter without hesitation.

"Perfect. I'd be bored here alone anyway. I can tell you about the rest of the onboarding process." Klein readily agreed, then pointed at the drinks on the table. "Coffee or tea?"

"Either is fine. I'm not picky." Leon sat back down, and over coffee, he and Klein chatted about the operation that had taken place yesterday.

It had happened just before he arrived, so there was no harm in learning more about it.

From Klein, he learned that it seemed to be a follow-up investigation into a supernatural incident. But he paid attention to the unexpected event Dunn had mentioned: the target, Welch McGovern, had suddenly undergone a transformation while absorbing the power of the Antigonus Family Notebook.

Flames had erupted from his facial features and gradually burned his head until it was completely replaced by a ball of fire. After that, he had burned to ashes on his own.

Frenzied Flame again? It seems I really did choose the right path this time, Leon thought to himself.

"Then we received the news and found you. But don't worry, you'll be very safe here. I'm sure the captain will be able to resolve everything soon." Klein was never stingy with kindness or reassurance toward a new colleague.

"When the captain gives you instructions, always remember to wait three extra seconds, or you might easily get called back. Old Neil..."

Leon noticed that Klein had a strange rhythm when he spoke-as if he went over his words in his head before saying them. That habit was rare among ordinary people, but Leon often saw it in one kind of person.

People who were full of secrets. But then again, who didn't have a few secrets these days?

The two chatted on and off.

Klein talked about things to keep in mind after joining, some interesting anecdotes, and his own experience as a senior who had joined half a month earlier.

He also mentioned that Ince Zangwill, an Archbishop of the Church of the Evernight Goddess, had lost control after failing to advance three years ago and fled with the Sealed Artifact bearing the serial number 0-08.

Because information concerning grade 0 Sealed Artifacts was top secret, Klein didn't know what it did. He only knew that it looked like an ordinary quill and could write without ink.

Leon, meanwhile, shared some gossip from Tingen's aristocratic circles. After all, the commissions he received most often involved tracking which family's husband was carrying on with which family's wife.

When they got onto a novel called Storm Manor on the bookshelf nearby, the two began debating whether it was a romance or a mystery.

Klein maintained that it belonged in the mystery category, on the grounds that the murder in the book was intricately designed and its chain of logic was complete.

Leon, on the other hand, said he knew detectives well. Those emotional passages weren't what a proper detective should be writing. What detective novel spent three whole chapters on the male and female leads pouring their hearts out to each other on a stormy night?

"Maybe it was setting up the characters' motives?" Klein said.

"I think the author was just padding the word count." Leon waved his hand. "It's disgraceful!"

The discussion was just getting lively-

Knock!

Leon's hand stopped in midair.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

Three knocks rang out in succession, each more urgent than the last.

The sound didn't seem to come from outside the door, but from within-from inside that heavy pair of black iron doors.

The sound of metal being struck echoed repeatedly through the empty corridor, bouncing off the stone walls and back again, pouring into their ears in overlapping waves.

Both fell silent at the same time, turned their heads at the same time, and looked toward the source of the sound at the same time.

The Chanis Gate!