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.

a neighbor, but he did not reveal any abnormalities. He

man in the stairwell. He said leisurely, “So the kidnappers have

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

coldly pulled the trigger like

Bang!

from the man’s

and attempted to escape from the second floor; however, Leonard

a dull thud, Leonard landed

the blood that had splattered on him.

“Nice shooting.”

hit his legs… The corner of Klein’s mouth twitched in

visual, auditory, or tactile senses after consuming the

as he watched Leonard find

entered the kidnapper’s room. They saw Elliott Vickroy jolt awake from the gunshot as he straightened his body and sat up slowly from a

the rope they used against Elliott. Bunched together, they were thrown in a corner. The lack of

shoulder was bandaged, but Leonard disdained getting his hands dirty, so he

are you people?” Elliott stammered in pleasant delight when

precise.” The genuflecting Leonard answered

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

saved?” Elliott said joyfully without daring to make

the short few hours of being a kidnapping victim. He

and find some patrolling cops. Get them to inform the tobacco merchant. I

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

went down the stairs, he had a nagging feeling that he had forgotten something. In addition, he heard Leonard say to Elliott, “Don’t be nervous. You

…

held back his laughter and walked out into the streets. With the help of pedestrians, he found two

did not use his badge and identification as a member of the Special Operations Department; instead, he used his

received an all-purpose weapon usage certificate the day

one of them left to gather reinforcements and inform the Vickroy family. The

Klein while the policeman was not paying attention. Klein was to sneak out of

police station is an extreme waste of time. Let’s leave first,”

any responsibility for

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

was still in a daze. He found it incredulous that news would come

heard a crisp

The black-haired and green-eyed Leonard had snapped his

Leonard closed the window, turned

extended his right hand

pleasure

don’t think we are on that good terms…

could do was marvel at the capabilities of Beyonders. Even though he

aristocrats after a clash of swords,”

know.” Klein had many aristocratic

and said with a frown, “Shouldn’t we confirm with Mr. Klee? If he believes that the police rescued Elliott, our commission will

total of 100

their providing of the kidnappers’ location from their ‘meeting’ from

money isn’t that important,” said Leonard

important to