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.

but he did not reveal any abnormalities. He said in a deep voice, “Do not attempt to resist. Someone will determine

walked out and noticed the man in the stairwell. He said leisurely, “So the kidnappers have another accomplice responsible for buying and delivering

foot and kicked the bag of bread

pulled the trigger like his usual

Bang!

burst out from the man’s

the second floor; however, Leonard had already reached his hand towards the handrail before leveraging

dull thud, Leonard landed on the man

as Leonard swatted away some of the blood that had splattered on him. He looked

“Nice shooting.”

hit his legs… The corner of Klein’s mouth twitched in an indiscernible manner as he caught a whiff of

senses after consuming the Seer potion, he could still “see” obstructed objects and “hear” faint footsteps, allowing him to

in the scope of spiritual perception? Klein nodded in thought as he watched

cane in each hand, Klein entered the kidnapper’s room. They saw Elliott Vickroy jolt awake from the gunshot as

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

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

are you people?” Elliott stammered in pleasant delight when he saw the

you guessed right. Very precise.” The genuflecting

some humor cells in him… Klein lowered his revolver and said to Elliott, “We are mercenaries hired

saved?” Elliott said joyfully without

being a kidnapping victim. He did not have

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

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

he heard Leonard say to Elliott, “Don’t be nervous. You will soon see your father, mother, and your

…

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

identification as a member of the Special Operations Department; instead, he

at all. He had received an all-purpose weapon usage certificate the

reinforcements and inform the Vickroy family. The other policeman

minutes, Leonard signaled to Klein while the policeman was not paying

to the police station is an extreme waste of time. Let’s leave

Leonard was making it clear that he would take any responsibility for

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

to this moment in time, he was still in a daze. He found it incredulous that news would come so fast. It

a crisp snap as he

two-wheeled carriage drove past with its windows open. The black-haired and

by Vickroy’s carriage, Leonard closed the window, turned around, and looked

right hand and

pleasure

don’t think we are on that good terms…

not expect the kidnapping case to be resolved so quickly. All he could do was marvel at the capabilities of Beyonders. Even though he was just a half-assed Sequence 9 Beyonder, he was

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

had many aristocratic

with a frown, “Shouldn’t we confirm with Mr.

total of 100

was no doubt about their providing of the kidnappers’ location

To us, money isn’t that important,”

very important