Chapter 16 : Miss Sharon (1)
Klein picked up a book that was on the table.
He had spent the whole day buying new furnitures with Xin Jian and could now relax for a bit.
As expected from one of Xin Jian's books, it was a novel. However, it was quite different from what she usually read. She generally only bought fantasy or action.
He looked at the cover.
"Stormwind Mountain Villa, author, Fors Wall"
Klein caressed his fingers against the smooth paper as he began making guesses of the subsequent content.
However, just as he thought it was a romance novel, an evil spirit emerged in the story. When he believed that it was a ghost story, Lady Sissi revealed herself as a detective and made a marvelous deduction.
Just as Klein felt that it was definitely a detective novel, the main male character took a heavy blow to the head and lost his memory. Then, it became a heart-rending drama.
« …In the end, it's still a romance book. »
Klein closed the book and drank a mouthful of coffee.
"No wonder she's always thinking bullshit when she's reading things like that !"
Xin Jian : What ? No, I just bought that one because of the author. What am I accused all of a sudden ?
Klein made dinner and ate with Xin Jian before preparing to go out.
« Where are you going ? »
Klein turned back and told the truth.
« I'm going to search for a Beyonder circle. »
Xin Jian stood up as well.
« Then I'm coming too. »
They went to the Bravehearts Bar and Klein bought a revolver.
Xin Jian looked at him with envy and wondered if she should buy one as well.
In the end, she decided not to. Even if she had a gun, she would have to learn to use it and she was too lazy for that.
She was bad at aiming anyway. And it's expensive.
While Xin Jian was making more and more excuses to convince herself to not buy it, Klein asked :
« If I wish to hire a good bodyguard, who should I look for ?
A very good one, the kind that exceeds human limitations. »
Kaspars rubbed his red nose and his eyes turned cold.
He carefully examined Klein for two minutes, using his silence to create a terrible sense of oppression.
« I can make the query for you, but there's no guarantee that someone will accept this mission. »
—————— I am the dividing line~
Xin Jian's point of view :
So Klein drank his beer, (while I didn't drink anything because I am forever 5 years old in my head, I'm still a minor UwU) and Kaspars came back.
« He wants to meet you before making a decision. » He said in a deep voice.
Ah, yes. We will meet Maric, right ?
The one who hat set up an intimidating atmosphere with zombies and all but was scared when he actually heard Klein's reason for wanting a bodyguard ? Hehe.
When we entered the room, I looked at the ten dead people playing cards and Maric with deep malice in his eyes.
Hmm… I wonder if Sharon is here too ?
If only I could see spiritual lines…
Well, I don't know if I'm able to do it with the gray fog but if I can't that will break all my delusions so I'd rather not try…
So far, I've tried to use up to sequence 8 after all, let's say that I'll keep the upper limit a surprise for myself ?
(Mr. Fool : But you obviously used a miracle last time-
Xin Jian *threatening tone* : I said that I would keep it a surprise for myself.
Author, to Mr. Fool : Give up, she's thinking nonsense on purpose.)
The man asked in a deep voice :
« You're the one looking for a bodyguard ? »
« … Yes. » Klein gulped deliberately.
« Why are you looking for a bodyguard? How much are you willing to pay for this ? »
Klein didn't answer straight away. He thought for nearly twenty seconds before saying :
« I'll tell you the details of the mission first. Give me a price after you assess it. If I can pay for it, or if I have an item of equivalent value, we would have ourselves a deal. Otherwise, I can only give up and look for someone else. »
Then give up now. Being too honest is a bad idea.
Am I not a good enough bodyguard~?
(Author : …says the girl who has been useless since the beginning of the story.
Xin Jian : That's why I'm not saying out loud.)
Klein deliberately looked at the zombies, treating them as normal card players. Then, he gave the man an inquisitive look saying :
« Before I answer, do you want to kick these guys out of the room ? »
« There's no need for that. » The pale-faced man said in a deep voice.
Klein, you're (a sequence 5) an angel, why do you even need a bodyguard ?
Not that I don't want to meet Sharon, though.
Klein hesitated for a moment, then honestly said :
« I offended a big shot who might have a country supporting him. »
The room suddenly turned still and silent. The man, who had a hint of madness and malice in his eyes, froze on the spot as if he had turned into a plaster statue.
Hahaahahahaha !
I laughed in my head while keeping the corners of my mouth from twitching with the power of the gray fog.
After nearly a minute, Maric slowly said :
« This mission is priceless.
Get out. »
Klein : You played cards with a bunch of living corpses in the room and presented yourself as a person of high standing and strength. Yet, you were scared off just like that? You're clearly a little crazy…
Klein didn't know whether to laugh or cry as he added :
« The big shot doesn't have that much freedom in Backlund. »
Maric left the room and Klein saw across Kaspars who had outside.
« We didn't come to an arrangement. »
Seriously, I feel like I'm watching movie. Everyone is ignoring me.
Kaspars didn't show a look of surprise as he pondered for a few seconds.
« Did he request too high a price ? »
« No, he finds the mission too difficult. » Klein didn't hide the reason.
Kaspars frowned.
« Maric is the scariest person I know. He isn't even afraid of bullets, and since he thinks the mission is difficult, I don't think I can help you get in touch with other powerful people. »
« What a pity. » Klein sighed.
Kaspars clenched his right fist and struck his left chest.
« May the Storm be with you. »
"Then I'm dead…" Klein lampooned.
(However, Klein's thoughts would change completely on that matter in the future.)
—————— I am the dividing line~
After a full day of hard work, Leonard came back to his empty house.
The day when Klein died, Xin Jian disappeared and now everything wasn't as lively as before.
There wasn't anybody to wake up in the morning. There was nobody to urge him to cook. There was nobody to ask him on "dates" because they were bored.
There was nobody to laugh with. Nobody to tease him because he couldn't write poems and nobody waiting for him when he came home.
It was empty.
Leonard's mood dropped down as he arrived to 7 Pinster Street, ready to prepare dinner.
However, when he entered, he stopped.
There saw a person sitting on the sofa.
The man was wearing a classic black robe and a pointed hat. He placed his right leg over his left and was leisurely reading a newspaper.
As if sensing Leonard's arrival, that person raised his head and adjusted the monocle on his right eye, revealing a teasing smile.
Blasphemer Amon !
Pallez hid while Leonard didn't know the stranger's identity.
At that moment, Leonard's thoughts nearly froze as his mind went blank. Only a small number of thoughts could spin.
Amon's lips suddenly quivered as He muttered a raving that was completely at the level of a deity.
One voice after another echoed in Leonard's mind as though it came from the countless number of Amons :
« Are you pleasantly surprised ? Are you shocked ? »
Amon stood up and began His monologue.
« I originally didn't plan to enter Backlund but I saw an interesting distortion in fate and passed by here. It's been a long time, Pallez. »
(Author : Backlund's distortion in fate was of course created by… Xin Jian's announcement in the newspaper !
Mr. Fool : And I tried to stop her…
Xin Jian : Instead of my announcement being a problem, I see more that it serves you as an excuse to explain all of the incidents that weren't supposed to happen.)
« I guess you must be thinking of how to stall for time and wait for a deity's descent… »
These voices overlapped each other, tearing through Leonard's thoughts and hurting his soul.
With just the ravings alone, Leonard was close to losing control. He was in extreme pain and had no means of resisting.
This was the son of the Creator, a King of Angels. (Leonard also listened in when Xin Jian was teaching Klein so he knows what a King of Angels is.)
At the same time, 7 Pinster Street changed. At some point in time, pitch-black stone pillars were erected around them, propping up a majestic cathedral.
Each column of the cathedral was embedded with the bones of different races. They were densely packed as they used different eye sockets to stare at the puny Leonard who stood in the middle as though they were conducting a trial.
Amon stood in front of the cross that was more than a hundred meters tall in the depths of the church, smiling as "He" looked at Leonard's grimacing face.
« This corpse cathedral is pretty good, isn't it ?
I just 'stole' it not long ago.
This way, if 'They' wish to discover any abnormalities here and do a deity's descent, it can stall for at least thirty seconds. That's enough. »
As "He" spoke, Amon raised "His" hand to pinch the crystal monocle that had a beaming face underneath it.
Leonard suddenly heard a "gong." It was ethereal, as though it came from an infinite distance away.
This caused the ear-piercing ravings that tainted Leonard's Spirit Body to come to an abrupt stop as everything around him turned silent.
In Leonard's eyes, beams of light shot out from his body, condensing into a pure and pure figure that was like a wingless angel.
The figure was also a hundred meters tall, and its body constantly coruscated with a faint glow, as though it was announcing the passage of time.
With that, Leonard's body was pushed by an invisible force as he flew towards the door of the corpse cathedral.
On the door, transparent and distorted faces appeared. They sealed the inside from the outside, isolating it from the spirit world and the astral world.
Gong!
Another bell rang. The transparent faces filled with pain froze.
Leonard's figure was no longer obstructed. In this short span of time, he passed through the main door of the "corpse cathedral" without feeling anything.
Everything he saw instantly returned to normal. There was still a bit of light high up in the sky. The gas lamps by the side of the streets were already emitting light, illuminating 7 Pinster Street.
From the outside, the building was silent, quiet, and dark. There was nobody around.
Old Man… It was only at this moment that Leonard finally found his train of thought. His heart tightened as he strode forward and returned to the house.
However, the door to 7 Pinster Street was so heavy that he couldn't open it any time soon.
With this obstruction, Leonard finally regained some of his senses. He hurriedly retreated as he quickly thought of what he could do to save Old Man.
After a few steps, he stopped and lowered his head with a solemn expression. He quickly chanted in Jotun :
« The Fool that doesn't belong to this era… »
Leonard already knew that the one inside was Amon's true body. And to deal with Amon's true body, he could only seek help from a god !
Meanwhile, Mr. Fool who was peacefully sipping tea heard a prayer and looked at it.
He was stunned.
"Shouldn't it have happened more than a year later ? What happened again ?"
He listened to the situation and made a decision.
He told Leonard to go to an Evernight church to make him leave the scene and broke the cathedral's roof.
He had decided to invite Amon in and deal with His avatar.
It's not like He could imagine that the Fool was really a god (even if he was stronger than that) when the real Fool Uniqueness was still with Antigonus.
That's how the episode of Pallez being harassed ended.
(Leonard : Should we move out now ?)
Ah, right. At the same time, Leonard was still running to the church and didn't know that everything had already ended.
(Xin Jian : Nooooo~! I missed Amon agaiiin~!)
—————— I am the dividing line~
Sitting on the sofa with Mr. Fool, I watched Klein send a message to The Sun, Derrick.
Right, I remembered what I forgot. I lost my dear assistant, Arrodes.
Now, I can't walk around without ending up lost… Help !
Let's just use Mr. Fool as a map.
*Ding ! Mr. Fool has gained a new use !*
When the hands of the pocket watch were in place, Klein pulled in the members of the Tarot Club at the same time.
Illusion, arise !
I made an illusion appear on my chair to keep lying on the sofa while Klein looked at us enviously.
What ? You can do that too, you kn-.
I stopped my thoughts and slowly turned to Mr. Fool.
I pointed to the new member.
« …This is Leodoro, right ? »
(Mr. Fool : No, this is Leodero.)
Mr. Fool nodded.
So you pulled Him in and didn't tell me ? But what is He doing here ?
What, don't tell me it's because I asked Him if He wanted to join when I was provoking Him last time ?
And He really joined ?
Was Leodoro a tsundere ???
(Author : #Casual daily blasphemy…
Mr. Fool, nodding : True.)
I invited the gods to play cards.
« Leodoro, do you want to play with us ? »
He looked aside.
« Humph. Why would I join you ? Begin by saying my name right. »
Hmm ? What's wrong with the name ?
Question marks appeared above my head.
I shrugged and turned to the table.
Leodoro unexpectedly stood up, sat down with us and took a deck of card.
The others : Huh ? Didn't you refuse ?
I tell you, He's a tsundere !
That was the story of how the Lord of Storms also joined the Tarot Club (cards playing club).
Codename : The Strength
Right, let's be crazy, let's make the primordial demoness join too… (It's a joke.)
(Author : Editor-nim, I tried to do like you said but it's still different…)
Meanwhile, Klein didn't give a commission to assassinate Ambassador Bakerland and the Tarot Club happened normally.
I think he'll do it himself this time…
Let's wait for the news of the ambassador's death and see if the Hero Thief Black Emperor appears earlier~!
(Author : For that he needs the Black Emperor card.
Xin Jian : Stop breaking my dreams !)
—————— I am the dividing line~
After the Tarot Club, Klein thought for a while and decided to continue heading to Bravehearts Bar tonight. This was to come into contact with other Beyonders through Kaspars so as to choose a suitable bodyguard (to make others believe that he needed one so that he wouldn't be suspected when the ambassador would die).
After confirming his plan, Klein pretended to leisurely read the newspaper. He waited until the sky turned dark before slowly getting up and making tomato oxtail soup.
After eating and drinking to his heart's content, he drew the bedroom curtains as usual and decided not to open them tonight.
« Where are you going ? »
Klein turned to me.
« I'm going to the Bravehearts Bar, do you want to come ? »
I nodded and followed him.
In exchange for a glass of beer, Klein found Kaspars in a card room, playing Fighting Evil while betting on a boxer outside.
The latter put down his cards and led us to a Beyonder gathering.
(Author : Aren't you skipping too much steps ?
Xin Jian : If I don't I'll just end up copy-pasting the entire chapter.)
With a hood's robe on, I listened to the people talking when Klein finally spoke up.
« I want to sell something. »
After attracting everyone's attention, he took out an iron cigarette case and pushed out the crimson Beyonder characteristic which resembled jelly.
« This is something I obtained from a corpse. I'm not sure what use it has; it's just that I find it very magical. Maybe some of you know what this is ? »
Ah. Klein is pretending to be an ordinary person. But we all know that he's not…
Gazes examined the crimson object in his hand. After more than ten seconds, no one spoke. The room was as quiet as a cemetery.
Seeing this, Klein glanced at me.
I had not intention to step up and help Klein to sell it by explaining what it was so I just watched the fun and ignored him.
At this moment, the old gentleman sitting on the sofa, Mr. Eye of Wisdom, coughed and said :
« I have a rough idea of what it is and what it does, but knowledge needs to be exchanged with something in return.
I'll pay four hundred pounds ; believe me, it's a perfectly fair price. Of course, you have the right to refuse. »
Klein thought for a moment.
« Deal. However, sir, you don't need to rush to pay. I still have another request. »
« What request ? » Eye of Wisdom asked in an old voice.
Klein pondered.
« The thing is, I offended someone. Uh, according to your circle, he should be Sequence 6 or maybe, 5. I wish to hire a bodyguard. »
« Sequence 6, maybe Sequence 5 ? Why don't you just die quietly ? If we reached that level, why would we be attending such a small gathering ? » Darkwill blurted out with a bit of a sneer in his astonishment.
Ah, right. Darkwill. I remember that he was a funny guy.
(Author : I don't care anymore whether Darkwill is the right name or not… It's Xin Jian doing the narration anyway…)
Should I also invite him to join the Tarot Club ? But wouldn't he freak out if I just suddenly asked him to join a suspicious secret organization worshipping an evil god in the entrepreneurial stage ?
Eye of Wisdom, the detective working with official Beyonders whom I forgot the name of, chuckled :
« Maybe you don't know our circle well enough. People at Sequence 6 or Sequence 5 are very, very powerful and terrifying people. Yes, there have been many cases of a lot of Sequence 8 and Sequence 9 Beyonders killing someone that strong, but those are events that are still very hard to replicate. I think no one here is willing to take such a huge risk to protect you, uh… If you're certain that the other party is only Sequence 6 and doesn't have any mystical items, there might be someone who will want to accept the challenge this mission entails. »
« Well, I'm not sure… » Klein shrugged. « Then I'll have to try to save myself. What can I get for 400 pounds ? Uh, the mystical item you were talking about ? »
« Believe me, a mystical item worth 400 pounds certainly won't be able to deal with your enemy, and it will even bring you more danger. I suggest that you apologize to him. Sincerely apologize and perhaps 400 pounds will be enough to buy his understanding. » Eye of Wisdom said sincerely.
"Frankly, I've thought about it, but I don't think they'll accept it…" Klein was about to answer when the man who had accepted the task of cleaning the sewer beast suddenly laughed.
Maybe, you can try your luck.
« I have a mystical item here that I can sell you for 400 pounds.
It can let you hear the voice of a great being. If you're lucky and can decipher some useful information, you'll become very powerful, and it will no longer be difficult for you to protect yourself. Well, if you're unlucky and end up deciphering a curse, or fail to decipher it, then you'll be hurt, or even end up dying.
Do you want to take the gamble ? »
Oh, a great being. Right, the True Creator is such a great being.
So Klein spent his 400 pounds against the ravings of the True Creator…
I looked at him enviously.
Klein, can I buy it from you ? I'll reimburse from you. You don't need it since you're an angel anyway…
I mean, this thing with the corruption of the True Creator seems so interesting, I want it. Maybe I can attract His attention to me (and make Him join the Tarot Club too) ?
Just before the Tarot Club became a gathering of weird people (and Mr. Fool a real evil god because even the True Creator participated in His gathering), Mr. Fool forbade me from doing what I was about to do (and blocked my sight with the oracles conveying His nagging).
Mr. Fool, how did you know ?
My plan couldn't have been that obvious, right ? I was expressionless all along.
(Mr. Fool : I just know you too well.)