Lord of the Mysteries

Melissa, can you not rub my nose in it… Klein muttered inwardly. He felt a throbbing pain in his head.

The amount of content Klein had forgotten was considered a lot, but neither was it negligible. The interview was in two days, so how could he find the time to make up for it…?

Furthermore, he was involved in such strange paranormal activity, so how would it be possible that he would be in the mood to revise?

Klein gave his sister a perfunctory response and began putting on the appearance of studying. Melissa moved a chair over to sit beside him. With light shining from the gas lamp, she began working on her assignments.

The atmosphere was serene. When it was almost eleven o’clock, the siblings bade each other goodnight and went to bed.

…

Knock!

Knock! Knock!

Poundings on the door roused Klein from his dreams.

He peered out of the window to see the first glimmer of dawn. In a daze, he flipped over and sat up.

“Who is it?”

Look at the time now! Why didn’t Melissa wake me up?

“It’s me. Dunn Smith,” a man with a deep voice outside the door replied.

Dunn Smith? Don’t know him… Klein got off his bed and shook his head as he walked towards the door.

He opened the door to see the gray-eyed police inspector whom he had met the day before standing in front of him.

Alarmed, Klein asked, “Is there something wrong?”

The policeman replied with a stern look, “We found a carriage driver. He testified that you had gone to Mr. Welch’s place on the 27th—the day when Mr. Welch and Ms. Naya died. Furthermore, Mr. Welch was the one who paid for your transportation fees.”

Klein was startled. He did not feel a tinge of fear or guilt that one would expect from having his lies exposed.

It was because he was not even lying. In fact, he was surprised by the evidence provided by Dunn Smith.

On the 27th of June, the former Klein had indeed gone to Mr. Welch’s place. On the night that he returned, he killed himself, the exact same way as Welch and Naya did!

Klein gave a forced smile and said, “This is insufficient evidence. It does not directly prove that I am associated with the death of Welch and Naya. Honestly speaking, I’m also very curious about the whole incident. I want to know what exactly happened to my two poor friends. But… But… I really can’t remember. In fact I have almost completely forgotten what I had done on the 27th. You may find it hard to believe, but I fully relied on the diaries I had written to roughly make a guess that I had gone to Welch’s place on the 27th.”

“You sure have great mental fortitude,” Dunn Smith said while nodding. He showed not a trace of anger; nor was he smiling.

be able to hear my sincerity,” Klein looked him straight in the eye and

truth! Of

slowly, “Mr. Welch lost a revolver. I guess… I should

understood where the revolver had come from. A thought flashed in his mind and he came to the final verdict in an

leaving a path open. Then, he signaled at the bunk bed

“Behind the bed board.”

hide things at the back of the

Smith did not move forward. The corners of his mouth twitched as he asked, “Nothing to

Klein replied, “There

the room. It was as if I had committed suicide. But due to a lack of experience of never having used a gun, or maybe I was too scared at the final moment… Anyway,

then, I have lost some memories, including what I saw and did

suspect. For the sake of getting rid of all these

fact that the bullet had hit his brains, but only mentioning that it did not achieve the desired result,

seem to convey the exact same ideas, but in reality they were

Smith listened quietly, then said, “This corresponds with what I had surmised. It also corresponds with the hidden logic of similar incidents

don’t know how I survived either.” Klein heaved

a conjunction. “There is no use in me believing you. You are currently the prime suspect. You have to be confirmed by an ‘expert’ that you have indeed forgotten what you went through, or

his expression

with me to the police station for the investigation. This should take roughly two to three days if it is confirmed that there are

expert is here?” Klein asked blankly

they say it would take another two

than expected.” Dunn turned sideways, signaling

to leave a note,” Klein

to inform them that he was involved in an

Dunn nodded, barely minding.

“Alright.”

As he searched for paper, he

not wish to meet the ‘expert.’ After all, he had a bigger

seven major churches, under the premise that Emperor Roselle, who was suspected to be a transmigrator predecessor, was assassinated, a thing like ‘transmigration’ usually meant having to go to court

professional policeman. What’s more, a few of Dunn’s subordinates were standing in

their guns and shoot at me, I’d

one step at a time.” Klein left the note, grabbed

policemen in black-and-white checkered uniforms split into pairs and guarded them on

went down the wooden stairs which occasionally

four-wheeled carriage. On the side of the carriage, there was the “two crossed swords and a crown” police emblem.

Dunn signaled for Klein to go

was just about to step forward when an oyster seller suddenly grabbed a customer and claimed that

a response from

An opportunity!

to think any further; he bent forward and dashed