In Empress Borough, the opulent villa of Count Hall.
Audrey, with a white napkin covering her, watched as the dining maidservant cut her a piece of bacon, laid out two fully-fried eggs, spread fruit jam on a piece of soft bread, and added sauce to some grilled mushrooms.
In a true noble family, maidservants were divided into many categories. Apart from personal maids, there were maids for the different bedrooms, study room maids, activity room maids, guest room maids, dressing maids, shoe maids, jewelry maids, dining maids, laundry maids, and kitchen maids. They were strictly assigned to their own tasks, with one task handled by one maid.
Although this was a great waste of manpower, for nobles, propriety was everything. Unless there was a large amount of debt, they would never reduce their requirements in such matters.
Audrey took a sip of the brownish-red tea, allowing the faint scent of malt and rose slush in her mouth.
At this moment, she heard her father, a Member of Parliament of the House of Lords, the powerful banker, Count Hall, mumbling as he held a newspaper in his hands.
"The Aurora Order is really crazy."
Aurora Order? Audrey blinked and asked curiously, "What did they do?"
"Oh, baby, you don't want to know. They assassinated the Intis Ambassador, Bakerland. It does them no good." Count Hall shook his head as he flipped through the newspaper.
Audrey's elder brother, the count's eldest son, Hibbert Hall swallowed the grilled mushrooms in his mouth and expressed his opinion.
"Perhaps they want to destroy the relationship between the kingdom and Intis and let the war spread from the colonies to the Northern Continent."
This child of noble birth had a handsome face and bright golden hair. He looked like a classical sculpture, regardless of which angle one viewed him from.
"No, if that was the case, then they wouldn't leave behind so much obvious evidence. Moreover, recently, the kingdom has too many new policies that will be implemented and will need some time to stabilize the environment, so we won't rashly start a war. What happened last night was already reported in the newspaper this morning, and the details of the events and the murderer are enough to explain the thoughts of His Majesty and the ministers." Count Hall directed his son.
Audrey listened to her father and brother discuss the matter in a daze before realizing what had happened.
Bakerland has been assassinated?
Mr. A succeeded?
He really is from the Aurora Order?
The reason why he intentionally exposed that it was the Aurora Order who did it was to prove that he was the one who completed the task and that he hadn't cheated me out of my money?
This is too fast and efficient. I only paid the first sum yesterday afternoon, and I'm hearing the result this morning. A good result!
Audrey was astonished and delighted. It was an uncontrollable joy, but also an instinctive fear.
It was definitely something to be happy about since the mission entrusted by Mr. Fool's adorer had been accomplished so easily. However, the power and actions displayed by Mr. A and the Aurora Order who was backing him left Audrey subconsciously scared.
Thankfully, I talked with Glaint yesterday and reached a loan agreement. As a viscount, he should've successfully raised the money without drawing attention to himself... I'll give Mr. A the remaining funds in the coming two days through Xio and Fors. I can't afford to show my face... I won't be attending Mr. A's gathering for the next month or two. It's good that I already have other circles... Audrey took a reserved bite of the soft bread which was slathered with jam.
As breakfast drew to a close, small cakes of cream, cherries, and strawberries were served to her plate, and she suddenly felt a little smug as she calmed down.
Mr. Hanged Man wanted to take part in the mission, but he might've only just now completed his initial assignment... but it's already over. Serves him right to be at sea~ Audrey was in a good mood, and she was smiling as she savored the dessert.
...
At Hillston Borough, Xio and Fors looked at the newspaper in front of them and made no further movements for a long time.
"... This was done by Mr. A, wasn't it?" Xio looked at her friend with a shocked and puzzled look.
Fors turned the stone bracelet on her wrist and shook her head in a daze.
"Perhaps."
"I know about the Aurora Order, but I don't know if Mr. A is a member of the Aurora Order."
"He should be. After all, we only gave him 2,000 pounds yesterday. I doubt anyone else would also want to assassinate Ambassador Bakerland..." Xio said with uncertainty.
Fors was silent for a few seconds before she suddenly sighed and said, "Whether it was Mr. A or not, we still have to give him the remaining 8000 pounds. At the moment, no one can prove that he didn't do it. If we want to stay in this circle, we can't renege on the debt!"
"Anyway, we're not the ones paying... And we'll still get 500 pounds for the work!" With that, Xio became happy.
"The thing is, I always have a feeling that finding Mr. A again would be dangerous..." Fors pondered and said, "I'll go by myself to make the last payment. It'll be better for the both of us."
"But..." Xio was a little worried.
"If you follow me, it'll affect my escape," Fors shook the bracelet on her wrist and said in a disdainful tone.
"Alright then," Xio scratched her short, rough blond hair as she helplessly replied.
While the two of them were fretting about this, a new message from Mr. A came to them from a private communication channel. He told them not to look for him, but to deposit the rest of the money in separate anonymous accounts at different banks.
Phew... Xio and Fors breathed a sigh of relief in unison.
...
In a basement that was as wide as a temple, Mr. A, wearing a hooded black robe, was kneeling in the darkness, murmuring something reverently.
In front of him was a three-meter statue of a man hanging upside down with his legs chained up.
This hanged man had a giant's unique single vertical eye, and his arms were stretched out horizontally, forming a cross.
At this moment, a man with a black robe came in and humbly reported, "Mr. A, I've already sent the news."
"Well done," Mr. A said, without turning his head.
The man in the black robe asked curiously, "Why don't you let us investigate who commissioned this mission?"
Mr. A lowered his head and said with an indifferent tone, "There's no need.
"You must remember that this is a critical moment.
"We will cause chaos throughout the continent, try our best to attract the attention of others, and use these to welcome the return of our Lord!
"Hahaha. Cough! Cough! Cough..."
Mr. A suddenly laughed before he started having a fit of coughing. It was so serious that he fell to the ground.
"Cough! Cough!"
He coughed out blood-colored fragments which continued squirming after falling to the ground as if they were alive.
The man in the black robe immediately lowered his head, pretending as though he had seen nothing.
After quite some time, Mr. A finally calmed down.
He crawled forward, his mouth pressed against the ground as he licked all the blood-colored fragments that he had coughed out back into his mouth.
...
126 New Year's Street, Hillston Borough.
The relaxed Klein didn't tail Doragu Gale this time. Instead, he chose his mistress, Erica Taylor. After all, adultery needed two to clap.
The pretty blonde, with the intricate makeup, arrived early at the Quelaag Club via a rental carriage. Klein, who carried a suitcase containing a portable camera and all sorts of disguises, followed her in.
"Are there any more rooms to rest in?" Wearing the club's Frost badge on his chest, he asked the elegant maid responsible for receiving guests today.
The maid wearing a black-and-white dress politely smiled.
"Yes, please follow the attendant upstairs."
Klein nodded slightly. He followed the red-vested attendant up the stairs and arrived at the second floor, just in time to see Erica Taylor enter a lounge that faced the streets.
"Do you want to see the passers-by on the street or the tennis court out back?" The red-vested attendant asked politely.
"Let's do the street," Klein answered casually in a deliberate manner.
Under the arrangements of the red-vested attendant, he and Erica Taylor's room was separated by two rooms, and he could also see the street outside the club.
How do I take a picture later? Should I find a chance to sneak in and hide in the room, or climb out of the window and travel across the pipes? Neither of these methods can conceal that exaggerated flash, but the latter can be disguised as a vogue shot from the outside. That wouldn't bring suspicion to me and I wouldn't be kicked out... However, this will be easily noticed by Doragu and Erica... Use a charm to put them to sleep? No, it wouldn't be convincing enough; it has to be a picture of them doing the deed...
There's only one chance, and I have to take it well enough... This isn't my field of expertise, as I'm not some artistic master. If it was Old Neil, he would definitely attempt to conjure a new ritualistic magic to hide the camera flash. Of course, the Goddess might not respond to his request...
As Klein considered his next move, he saw the image of Miss Bodyguard appear in a silver mirror in the room.
She was still wearing her black Gothic regal dress and her matching soft hat. Her hair was pale blonde in color with delicate features across her pale face.
"Do you have any way of hiding the flash of the camera?" Klein asked casually.
Before he could finish his sentence, he saw ripples on the surface of the silver mirror as a slightly transparent palm suddenly extended.
Miss Bodyguard came out of the silver mirror like a ghost, walked in front of Klein, and said with a nod, "Yes."
She lowered her body and leaned over, slowly fusing into the camera's lens!
Klein's mouth slightly opened as he watched this horrifying scene, taking quite a while to recover from his shock. He picked up his portable camera and tried a test shot in his lounge.
The effect was beyond his expectations. The flash was limited to the vicinity of the camera, and the resulting image was also quite good.
Perhaps it should now be called a Spectral Camera... Klein lampooned. He took the camera, went to the window, and patiently waited.
Not long after, he saw Doragu Gale arrive via carriage.
In the other room, Erica Taylor saw her lover and hastily left the lounge to meet him on the first floor.
Klein seized the opportunity to use a tarot card to open her room, carefully hiding in the cupboard where the extra sheets and quilts were kept.
The darkness around him reminded him of the previous night, of that creepy and terrifying Numblewright Master, Rosago.
Last night was filled with danger, yet today, here I am catching adulterers in the act. Life sure is marvelous... While Klein was making fun of himself, he heard the door open.
