Chapter 776. Preparations |
Without the high tea session, Klein decided to pray at Saint Samuel Cathedral, so as to show his devoutness.
Of course, he didn’t forget to stop and admire the white pigeons on the square, allowing himself to appear leisurely and calm.
He entered the cathedral, passing through the murals that were illuminated by the sun from high above and arriving at a dark and deep prayer hall.
This place wasn’t as gorgeously decorated like the other Churches that had all kinds of dazzling elegant taste that produced a visual impact. Instead, it was mild and peaceful, allowing one to feel a natural sense of tranquility. As for the pure light that resembled twinkling stars up ahead, they were filled with the intense solemnity of holiness.
Klein removed his hat and handed it to Richardson along with his cane. Then, he walked down the aisle.
At this moment, two figures stood up in the front pew and turned towards the entrance. One of them was the black-haired, green-eyed Leonard Mitchell who looked suave with his untidy hair.
Almost at the same moment, Leonard Mitchell also saw the middle-aged man with the white sideburns and deep blue eyes.
Dwayne Dantès… He tensed up momentarily as his body showed signs of indiscernible stiffness.
Klein gave Leonard a side look as he nodded with a smile. He had a friendly and casual expression.
Leonard forced a smile as he nodded in a slightly sluggish manner.
Following that, he turned to the side, made way, and brushed shoulders with Dwayne Dantès.
This made Klein see who the person was behind him. It was also someone he knew—Daly who was wearing a spirit medium’s black robe.
This lady still wore blue eyeshadow and blush, presenting quite an uncanny sense of beauty.
Daly glanced at the middle-aged gentleman when her expression suddenly went adrift. She retracted her gaze as she silently approached the exit.
No way, I was just mimicking Captain’s profound eyes. Even the color is different, yet Ma’am Daly could still find it familiar? A woman’s intuition is truly terrifying… Klein had a vague guess when he noticed Daly’s brief abnormality.
A long time ago, as an insensitive man, he believed that Ma’am Daly was secretly in love with Captain; otherwise, she wouldn’t have endured the risk to rush to Tingen to get Klein to find an opportunity to teach the acting method to Dunn Smith.
As for Captain, Klein wasn’t sure about his thoughts. After all, Dunn Smith, at that moment, was often unable to distinguish reality from a dream. His bad memory was rather pronounced, and he might unknowingly have forgotten certain things that lay at the bottom of his heart.
However, Captain often mentions Ma’am Daly, using her as an example to educate us. He was so familiar with how many years she took to advance and the kind of talent she had that it seemed like he had memorized it… Yes, whenever Captain mentioned these matters, he would occasionally add that he spent nine years going from Midnight Poet to Nightmare… C-could it be that he was feeling a little inferior when facing Ma’am Daly? Inferior… Klein recalled the past as his mood suddenly felt dampened.
He realized that he didn’t really understand Dunn Smith. He didn’t understand how many things the man had hidden inwardly.
And Ma’am Daly isn’t much younger than him. She appears to be very open and doesn’t care about marriage… Klein silently sighed and reined in his thoughts. He found a nearby pew and bowed his head, closing his eyes to pray.
Outside the prayer hall, Leonard had recovered as he gathered with the other Red Gloves teammates with Daly.
They waited for a while as Soest, who had become a Spirit Warlock, walked out from another side. He scanned them and said, “Our mission this time is to use the various clues discovered from the explosion of the Black Skeleton Gang’s headquarters to find all the formal members of the Numinous Episcopate in Backlund.
“Ma’am Daly is a Beyonder from the Corpse Collector pathway. She knows quite a bit about the Numinous Episcopate, so His Grace, Saint Anthony, has gotten her to assist us.”
…
In the evening, Klein, who had dismissed Richardson, took four steps counterclockwise and entered above the gray fog. He conjured The World Gehrman Sparrow and made his blurry figure pray.
“…Please inform Miss Magician that she needs to reserve a hotel room before Friday night. It’s best that it’s far from the place where Mr. X holds the gathering…
“…Pass me the stone and spellbook ahead of time. I need to make certain preparations…
“…On Friday night, she needs to stop her friend who participates in Mr. X’s gathering and also present to me that person’s external appearance when in disguise…
“…If there’s anything else, I’ll inform her in time.”
With only two days left before the assassination attempt on Mr. X, Klein undoubtedly needed to prepare ahead of time. And there were many things that needed preparation. Dwayne Dantès wasn’t able to do everything, so he had to rely on Miss Magician.
His preliminary plan was to use the powers of a Faceless to disguise himself as a participant in Mr. X’s gathering. He would enter directly with the passcode, and then he would employ different plans based on the situation.
According to the experience he had in engaging in combat and controlling his marionette, Klein had a feeling that a Marionettist’s principle was “try to hide behind the scenes, covertly directing a script.”
Unless necessary, a Marionettist had to avoid engaging in direct combat with others!
Currently, the most troublesome point is that Mr. X’s gathering is at eight. And usually, at this time, Dwayne Dantès clearly wouldn’t have fallen asleep. He won’t be able to escape the notice of his butler and servants and secretly head to East Borough… Of course, on the contrary, it can also create an alibi, but the problem is, what method should I use to fool everyone in his house… If only I had a Faceless partner who can act as Dwayne Dantès… Miss Justice’s necklace can do it, but she’s not in Backlund… Klein leaned back into his chair as he rubbed his temples.
He had even considered directly summoning and responding to himself, using his identity as Hero Bandit Black Emperor to carry out the operation, but doing so would cause him to lose the ability to change his physical appearance. It also made it difficult for him to possess others and disguise as Fors’s friend to participate in the gathering.
Unless Miss Magician’s friend is a part of this, allowing me to possess him or her… That wouldn’t do either. First, it will expose some of the Tarot Club’s secrets, and second, Mr. X might have the means to discover a Wraith. Of course, traces of this can be concealed using a series of seals with a gold coin, the Paper Angel, or the iron cigar case… Klein considered for a while before deciding on a method he was very proficient in from his previous life.
Feigning sickness!
I’ll begin acting sick tomorrow. I’ll eat very little, and sleep before eight… This way, the butler and servants wouldn’t disturb me… But if there’s an emergency, what do I do when Walter and company knock on the door? A Magician’s Illusion Creation can only fool the eyes. It isn’t some artificial intelligence… Artificial intelligence… Right, I can fix the illusion onto a mirror, letting it look like Dwayne Dantès. Then, I’ll get Arrodes to answer remotely! With this in mind, Klein’s thoughts suddenly opened up.
I have to say that Arrodes can be quite useful at times… After a poignant comment, Klein returned to the real world. He walked to the desk, took out pen and paper, and began drawing a picture comprising of symbols that implied secrecy and mystery prying.
Just as he finished his final stroke, the room’s lighting dimmed suddenly. The full-body mirror first turned deep black before silver light surfaced. Loenese text appeared one after another.
“Great Master, your loyal and humble servant, Arrodes, heard your summoning. W-was I late?”
There’s something new every time… Klein shook his head in amusement.
“No.”
“How tolerant you are of me, Great Master. You can ask your question.” Words neatly appeared on the mirror.
Klein thought for a moment before saying, “I plan on eliminating the Aurora Order Oracle, Mr. X. Do you have any suggestions?”
The full-body mirror’s words froze for a few seconds before changing.
“It’s best you do it after Thursday.”
It’s in line with my divination… Angel of Fate Ouroboros or a Saint of the Aurora Order might be around Mr. X tonight and on Thursday… Klein smiled and said, “Arrodes, I have something that requires your help.”
“T-this is my honor! You are giving me an opportunity!” Words quickly emerged, fully professing what it meant to be excited and delighted. “May I ask what the mission is?”
Klein nodded and said, “This Friday night, I will be using a mirror as an illusion prop, changing it to look like my present identity… If any emergencies happen, you’re in charge of controlling the mirror to answer without letting anyone discover any abnormalities.
“Can you do it?”
The air around the full-body mirror suddenly gushed around, and a toady voice belonging to Dwayne Dantès sounded:
“Great Master, I’ll try my best to complete anything you command.
“Although it won’t be able to last long, and it doesn’t match my usual habits, it’s enough to deal with everyone here.
“If you wish, I can simulate any voice!”
You’re more talented than I expected… It’s not easy being a mirror these days… However, why does that final statement sound odd… Klein’s facial muscles trembled as he said, “When dealing with them, hide the nature of the question-and-answer game. Don’t let others notice it.”
Arrodes immediately presented a new sentence on the full-body mirror:
“I will play your identity well!”
“Very good.” Klein nodded.
He was truly worried that Arrodes would begin asking Butler Walter and Valet Richardson embarrassing questions. Questions like: “have you fantasized about ladies you shouldn’t have any urges for?” or “who do you think of late at night when resolving your physical needs?”
He believed that with the magic mirror’s way of doing things, it might very well carry out such an act without any forewarning. Back then, Danitz nearly broke down thanks to its questions.
Without speaking any further, Klein switched to saying, “That will be all for today. I’ll contact you again on Friday night.”
“Yes, Great Master. Your humble servant already looks forward to serving you!” Arrodes first conjured a single line before producing a drawing of a hand waving.
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