Lord of the Mysteries

Leonard’s singing sounded like a lullaby as it lightly resounded through the doors and into the winding wooden stairwell.

Klein’s mind immediately turned torpid. He felt like he saw a silent moonlight and serene rippling lake.

His eyelids rapidly turned heavy as if he were about to fall asleep standing.

Amid these indistinct sensations, he also felt a strange, formless, and indifferent focus on his back. It felt like he was wandering the spirit world himself.

A baffling sense of déjà vu suffused as Klein suddenly found his train of thought once again. With his strong spiritual perception and extreme familiarity with Cogitation, he barely escaped the influence of the Midnight Poem.

However, he remained serene and could hardly evoke any emotions.

Soon, Leonard stopped singing as he turned his head with a smile.

“I’m considering asking Captain’s permission to apply for a Feynapotter lute. How can there not be an accompaniment when singing?

“Heh heh, I’m just kidding. I can hear them asleep.”

The black-haired, green-eyed Nighthawk with his poetic vibe took a stride forward and walked to the door that separated them from the kidnappers and hostage.

He suddenly moved his shoulder and threw a punch at the door’s lock.

Crack!

The wooden board around the lock shattered in a muffled manner.

“This requires precise control.” Leonard turned his head and smiled. He then reached his hand into the hole and opened the door.

Klein, who had regained consciousness, was not as confident as him. He reached under his armpit, drew his revolver, and turned the cylinder, making sure that he could shoot at a moment’s notice.

As the door swung back, he saw a man sleeping on a table with a gun by his feet. Another man was rubbing his eyes in a daze while trying to stand up.

Bam!

Leonard slid forward and struck the awakening kidnapper unconscious.

Klein planned to enter as well when he suddenly sensed something. He turned around abruptly and faced the stairwell.

Tap. Tap. Tap. Footsteps were approaching from below. It became clear that “something” was a hatless man in a brown coat circling the stairwell in his progression toward the third floor while hugging a paper bag of bread.

Suddenly, he stopped. He saw a gun’s barrel aiming at him with a metallic luster.

His pupils reflected a young man dressed in a halved top hat, black formal suit with a bow tie of the same color. It also reflected the cane which rested along the rail and the dangerous revolver.

“Do not move. Raise your hands. Three, two, one…” Klein’s tone was deep but relaxed.

He held the revolver with both hands as he tried to imagine the man as a target from his practice.

Amid the tense atmosphere, the man in the brown coat threw the bag of bread and slowly raised his hands.

“Sir, is this a kind of a joke? Has there been a misunderstanding?” He stared intently at the finger that Klein had placed on the trigger as he forced a smile.

was temporarily unable to determine if he was an accomplice or a neighbor, but he did not reveal any abnormalities. He said in a deep voice,

the kidnappers, walked out and noticed the man in the stairwell. He said leisurely,

as he suddenly raised his foot and kicked the bag of bread up in an attempt

coldly pulled the trigger like his usual

Bang!

out from the man’s

attempted to escape from the second floor; however, Leonard had already reached his

dull thud, Leonard landed on the man from

the blood that had splattered

“Nice shooting.”

was trying to hit his legs… The corner of Klein’s mouth twitched in an

visual, auditory, or tactile senses after consuming the Seer potion, he could still

thought as he watched Leonard find a sharp

entered the kidnapper’s room. They saw Elliott Vickroy jolt awake from the

up the three kidnappers with the rope they used against Elliott. Bunched together, they were thrown in a corner. The lack of rope was made

been shot in the shoulder was bandaged, but Leonard disdained getting his hands dirty, so he did not

Elliott stammered in pleasant delight when he saw the scene before

you guessed right. Very precise.” The genuflecting Leonard

some humor cells in him… Klein lowered his revolver and said to Elliott, “We are mercenaries hired by your father. You can also call us security

Have I been saved?” Elliott

was apparent that he had suffered quite harshly in the short few hours of being a kidnapping victim. He

find some patrolling cops. Get them to inform the tobacco merchant. I do not wish to walk out with a child and four idiots

was wondering about the aftermath, nodded. He put away his revolver, picked up his cane, and walked

say to Elliott, “Don’t be nervous.

…

out into the streets. With the help of pedestrians,

and identification as a member of the Special Operations Department; instead, he used his identity as a professional security company and

gun, he was not worried at all. He had received an all-purpose weapon

policemen exchanged looks and one of them left to gather reinforcements and inform the Vickroy family. The other policeman followed Klein to the

Leonard signaled to Klein while the policeman

time. Let’s leave first,” the Nighthawk

would take any responsibility

a few carriages rushed to the building where the kidnappers were. The old butler, Klee, disembarked with his portly master,

in a daze. He found it

a crisp snap as he

past with its windows open. The black-haired and green-eyed Leonard had snapped his fingers

closed the window,

extended his right

was a pleasure

we are on that good terms… Klein politely shook

quickly. All he could do was marvel at the capabilities

celebratory gesture of peace among aristocrats after a clash of swords,” explained Leonard with a

had many aristocratic

outside the window and said with a frown, “Shouldn’t we confirm with Mr.

of

their providing of the

To us, money isn’t that important,” said Leonard with a

important to