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.

to hear my sincerity,” Klein looked him straight in the

Of course,

slowly, “Mr. Welch lost a revolver. I

A thought flashed in his

open. Then, he signaled at the bunk bed with

“Behind the bed board.”

hide things at the back of

not move forward. The corners of his mouth twitched as he asked,

hesitation, Klein

me. There was a bullet at the corner of the room. It was as if I had committed suicide. But due to a lack of experience of never having

did at Welch’s

of being eliminated as a suspect. For the sake of getting rid of all these strange events surrounding him, Klein explained almost everything that had happened. Except, the

with his words, allowing every sentence to be amenable. Such as, not revealing the fact that the bullet had hit his brains, but only mentioning that it did not achieve the desired result, and that his head was

might seem to convey the exact same ideas, but in reality

listened quietly, then said, “This corresponds with what I had surmised. It also corresponds with the hidden logic of similar incidents in the past. Of course, I have no

don’t know how I survived either.” Klein heaved a small sigh of

threw out 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 that you indeed have nothing to do with the deaths

his expression becoming

to the police station for the investigation. This

here?” Klein asked

they say it would take another two

came earlier than expected.” Dunn turned sideways, signaling

to leave

and Melissa had gone to school. He could only leave a note to inform them that he was involved in an incident associated with Welch so that they would not worry about

Dunn nodded, barely minding.

“Alright.”

returned to the desk. As he searched for paper,

speaking, he did not wish to meet the ‘expert.’ After

Roselle, who was suspected to be a transmigrator predecessor, was assassinated, a thing like ‘transmigration’ usually meant having to go to

match for a professional policeman.

they draw their guns and shoot at me, I’d

the note, grabbed his keys,

dark aisle, four policemen in black-and-white checkered uniforms split into pairs and

followed alongside Dunn as they went down the wooden stairs which occasionally

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

on, up.” Dunn signaled for Klein to go

about to step forward when an oyster seller suddenly grabbed a customer

and triggered a response from

An opportunity!

to think any