As his gaze moved up, Klein roughly guessed the owner of those footsteps.
She was a woman wearing beige trousers that made it easy to move about. She wore a pair of long black leather boots, but on her body was a light brown skirt that reached her knees. The hemline fell down diagonally and in layers, giving an unrestrained and cool vibe to her.
Such a getup made Klein feel as though he had returned to Earth. This was because be it Loen, Intis or Feysac, Feynapotter, Lenburg, Masin, East Balam, and other countries, none of them had popularized such styles!
Klein lifted his head faster and finally saw the lady's appearance.
She had long chestnut hair that naturally cascaded down. Her straight eyelashes extended out just perfectly. Her deep blue eyes were deep and profound, as though it hid an ocean in them.
She had outstanding beauty, but that wasn't the most eye-catching thing of all. Her actions naturally effused a sense of nobility. She gave off a strong impression at how she had enjoyed having the status of being someone important for extended periods of time. Klein subconsciously tried to bow his head to avoid meeting her gaze.
Furthermore, she's very tall. She's almost as tall as my state as Klein Moretti... Klein suddenly added inwardly.
After completely digesting the Faceless potion, he came to a realization that one's self was an amalgamation of personality, experiences, knowledge, and social connections. His looks and build could be changed at will; therefore, as long as he knew who he was, he didn't mind using the word "state" to describe the characteristics of each of his different identities. After all, every Faceless change could be fixed without any additional maintenance. That also meant that, even without the corresponding Beyonder powers, he could still maintain his external appearance as Gehrman Sparrow.
And because of that, he could easily make Klein Moretti grow taller if he wanted.
Tap. Tap. Tap. The lady, who exuded the feeling of looking down from above, walked in front of Klein. She pulled out a chair and sat down.
"We meet again," the lady said with a gentle and emotionless tone.
The way she speaks sounds familiar... Klein's mind whirled as he remembered the source of the sense of familiarity.
The scene of her arrival immediately resonated in his mind, and he finally fixated on that pair of black leather boots!
It's... It's her! Klein suddenly recalled the relevant scenes.
Back when he used his Spirit Body state to infiltrate the Royal Museum and retrieve the Black Emperor card, he had encountered a demigod. She had been sitting at the top of a wooden staircase in the middle of two large bookshelves. Her black leather boots back then were dangling in the air!
He changed back into his identity as Sherlock Moriarty and shouted for help when he was being pursued by the Devil dog. Midway, he encountered a forest path formed from green pea vines. He had no choice but to follow the carriage up into midair where he saw the pea vines interweave to form a hammock and a pair of black leather boots!
It's her! Why would she appear in this dream world and these waters? B-besides, she said, "we meet again." I'm Gehrman Sparrow right now! Amidst his thoughts, Klein replied with a deadpan expression, "We haven't met before."
So what if you're a demigod? As long as you aren't an angel, I can use the Sea God Scepter to resist you in this dream world! Klein encouraged himself in secret.
The lady with long eyebrows sat there and lifted her chin as she observed Klein for two seconds.
"Is that so? Mr. Hero Bandit Black Emperor..."
Klein's thoughts erupted with a boom as if he had been struck by lightning. His thoughts were reduced to countless fragments that were left in shambles and chaos without any main line of thought.
S-she knows that I'm Hero Bandit Black Emperor?
She recognized me as the Spirit Body who originally stole the Card of Blasphemy from the Royal Museum?
H-how is this possible!?
Wait, why did she directly address me as Hero Bandit Black Emperor. If she had used Sherlock Moriarty, I would be even more astounded, and I might even fail to hide the change in my expressions...
As these thoughts flashed through his mind, Klein instinctively controlled his facial muscles and calmly said, "I don't know what you're talking about."
The lady, who wore clothes that were different from the present fashion trends, didn't repeat her words or explain anything. Instead, she said in a direct manner, "Your identity as Gehrman Sparrow was provided by me."
"..."
Klein instantly felt his scalp tingle. He felt as though he didn't have a single secret when facing her.
This identity of Gehrman Sparrow was created through the use of Miss Sharron's resource channels... This demigod lady is one of them?
Right, Miss Sharron had previously mentioned that someone in her circles had been investigating the true identity of Hero Bandit Black Emperor and had promised to fulfill any reasonable request in exchange. For ingredients, it was limited to those below that of High-Sequence Beyonder ingredients...
According to Miss Sharron's description, the person who offered the mission was more than 1.7 meters tall, with a very proportionate body and long chestnut hair. She liked wearing black leather boots. Man... isn't this person before me... Back then, I even suspected if she was the demigod whom I met in the Royal Museum. Furthermore, she knew very well that I had taken the Black Emperor card...
Thoughts flashed past as Klein was temporarily at a loss for words. All he could do was maintain his silence.
The lady whose chin wasn't sharp and was a little rounded didn't harp on Gehrman Sparrow's identity. She looked out at the frozen sunset and said, "While you were in the Rorsted Archipelago, Nast Solomon's Black Emperor also appeared in those waters.
"I believe you know what that means, Mr. Hero Bandit."
Realizing how she wasn't exposing his identity and was even giving him clues and evidence, Klein could only twitch the corner of his lips and say, "Law of Beyonder characteristics convergence."
The expression of the lady opposite him immediately softened as she said with a smile, "You really are Hero Bandit Black Emperor."
... So you weren't certain... You were only listing down the clues and presenting your confident attitude... How was she so certain just now? Does she still have evidence that she hasn't provided? Klein felt some regret and was abnormally puzzled.
The lady who seemed to enjoy her standing as an important figure didn't say anything further. She then looked at the bookshelf and said, "You discovered that the bookmark has a Black Emperor card through his diary?"
Diary... This lady also knows that the so-called Roselle's notebook is a diary... Klein was taken aback as he didn't reply to her.
"You didn't take that notebook because you sensed something?" the lady asked again.
This... Klein suddenly realized something and decided not to answer and instead pose questions. He wanted to extricate himself from a passive state and not be led by the nose.
He looked at the lady's deep blue eyes and asked directly, "You are the mysterious person on the Future who was secretly spying on me?"
The beautiful lady who didn't allow anyone to come close replied frankly, "Yes. Cattleya doesn't know that I've secretly boarded the Future, but you actually discovered it... A Clown's sense for danger?"
Based on the observation and the information from before, she can basically determine that I'm a Faceless, a Magician... From her tone, she's very familiar with Admiral of Stars... The upper echelons of the Moses Ascetic Order or that Queen Mystic? Klein nodded and said, "That's right."
The lady raised her chin and curled her lips up slightly.
"It's impossible for a normal Clown to sense danger at this level, even if they're already a Sequence 5."
She has discovered another unique trait again... This... She knows the Seer pathway very well... Indeed, I've been somewhat affected by the gray fog's powers, giving me a direct premonitory intuition even in situations that aren't dangerous? Klein didn't give her a chance to speak again as he asked in a deep tone, "Were the sounds of the door opening and the footsteps heard by Anderson Hood in the depths of the hall of murals yours?"
"Are you referring to the hunter who's plagued by bad luck?" the lady asked in thought.
"Yes." Klein nodded.
"It was indeed me." The lady paused. "Inform that hunter of a prophecy. The most lethal danger often lies in day-to-day life."
What does that mean? Seeing how she had no intention of explaining, Klein deliberated and asked, "You were the one that made me appear in the Saint of Darkness's dream?"
The lady combed her long chestnut hair as she said gently but coldly, "That's not hard to guess.
"Through that dream, I confirmed that you took the remains of that sea serpent, Kalvetua.
"And like before, you appeared using a Spirit Body state. You took away the item from Jahn Kottman and vanished directly? Oh, you still carry the Black Emperor card."
Klein didn't respond to this topic and switched to asking, "You are Queen Mystic?"
"Many people call me by that name," the lady calmly answered.
It's really her... This lady's bounty reaches 650,000 pounds just from Loen's bounty alone! Klein silently drew a gasp and said, "Ma'am, is there a reason why you are looking for me?"
Queen Mystic used her blue eyes to look at him for a few seconds before saying, "I hope you can share with me the method to interpret the language created by Emperor Roselle. For that, I can satisfy most of your requests."
Klein didn't admit or deny anything. He chuckled and asked, "Don't tell me you're even able to give me the corresponding High-Sequence Beyonder potion formulas?"
Queen Mystic had her bearing converged, but she said without any decrease in her dignity, "Your fate lies on the main peak of the Hornacis mountain range."
This... Klein felt a baffling sense of shock.
His eyes darted around. While he was considering a question, Queen Mystic stood up.
"When you need some help or clues to a few Cards of Blasphemy, tell me the answer."
She turned around and walked into the depths of the tidy and vast library. With each step, her figure turned faint before quickly vanishing.
The library immediately collapsed. After a moment of feeling adrift, Klein found himself in the hall filled with beautiful murals.
Anderson looked at him in shock as he blurted out, "How did you get here?"
