Inside the palace above the gray fog, Klein, who was holding the Sea God Scepter, looked at the Black Emperor card and the Tyrant card on the table in front of him with a heavy look.
Although Viscount Stratford's answer could only prove that King George III hid a great secret, had played a crucial role in the Great Smog of Backlund, and was highly likely to be a mass murderer, it couldn't be said that he had spearheaded everything and was the true mastermind. After all, he might only be a puppet. But to Klein, this was already enough. The target was clear, and he had clues to investigate what they were planning.
Seeing that Miss Magician and Miss Judgment had left the area where the abnormality had happened and were practically safe, Klein retracted his gaze and continued to observe the actions of MI9 deputy director, Qonas Kilgor, via prayer vision.
After a while, after "securing" the territory and confirming that no one was tailing him, Qonas Kilgor walked to a mountain wall and took out an object.
His entire body was tainted with a ghostly-blue glow as he gradually became hazy and blurry.
Then, he disappeared into thin air, his whereabouts unknown.
A rather special form of Traveling via a corporeal ritual or item that allows him to teleport from point to point within a very short distance... Back when I came out from the underground ruins where Ince Zangwill was, I also passed through a similar "door"... Yes, this place isn't too far from the mountain where Mr. A pursued me...
This setup needs a very suitable and secretive region. Without having any permission from the interior, just holding onto an activation item might not have any effect. And once something happens, destroying the corresponding ritual can prevent enemies from entering and stop them from finding the exact location... Klein nodded in enlightenment.
Combining the information which Viscount Stratford had just revealed, he had come to the initial conclusion that the king's secret and the ploy by the three factions were all hidden deep within the underground ruins. As long as one entered, the truth would be obtained through a careful investigation.
However, the difficulty in performing the investigations became apparent the more he thought about it—he had to first obtain the corresponding item and, using his disguise as a Faceless to fool the guards, he would "Teleport" in. None of these steps were easy.
According to Arrodes, Qonas Kilgor wasn't just a demigod of the Black Emperor pathway, he also possessed a rather powerful Sealed Artifact.
Even if Klein had made preparations, his odds of defeating the brigadier general of MI9 wasn't too high if he didn't seek the help of angels, much less finish him off in a stealthy manner without anyone realizing it. Furthermore, there were many difficulties in getting the help of an angel, as all of "Them" had their own extenuating circumstances that prevented "Them" from agreeing.
Even if I take down Qonas Kilgor without drawing the attention of anyone, I have to consider the danger that stems from entering... Based on what previously happened, it's impossible for them to not be on guard against a Faceless...A cooperation effort between the king, the Psychology Alchemists, and the Demoness Sect guarantees that their ploy is significant. It's extremely possible that there's an angel within the underground ruins... Klein frowned as he was at a loss for a reliable angle for investigation.
He tapped the edge of the long mottled table and decided to break out of the confines of his original thoughts and consider it from a different angle.
A few seconds later, a flash of inspiration came to him.
Why do I want to complete all these steps by myself?
The king's secret and plans are likely detrimental to the three Churches of Storm, Evernight, and Steam; otherwise, the former captain of the royal guards, Mason Dere, wouldn't have attempted to inform the three Churches. As a Blessed of the Evernight Goddess—at least for now—isn't it obvious what I should be doing?
This can also count towards my contributions to exchange for the Scholar of Yore potion formula!
In an instant, Klein's thoughts became extremely clear. He left the area above the gray fog without any hesitation and returned to the real world.
Dressed in blue and white checkered pajamas, Gehrman Sparrow raised his hands once more and made a prayer gesture, he chanted in ancient Hermes, "The Evernight Goddess who stands higher than the cosmos and more eternal than eternity. You are also the Lady of Crimson, the Mother of Concealment, the Empress of Misfortune and Horror, Mistress of Repose and Silence..."
This time, Klein didn't hold a ritual because he wasn't praying for a bestowment or response. All he wanted was to simply describe what Viscount Stratford had said, as well as his observations regarding Qonas Kilgor. Therefore, a direct prayer was sufficient.
After praying, Klein exhaled and stood in a remote area of the woods, patiently awaiting the possible developments.
In less than a minute, a figure suddenly appeared in front of him, like a quickly sketched portrait.
The newcomer was dressed in a simple robe. By the figure's waist was a belt made of tree bark. Long hair cascaded down as the figure was barefoot. She had a pair of dark and serene eyes, and she was none other than the highest- ranking archbishop and leader of the ascetics, Servant of Concealment, Arianna.
"Good evening, Ma'am Arianna," Klein bowed without any hint of surprise.
Arianna glanced at him and returned the greeting.
"Good evening."
"She" didn't make any small talk as "She" directly asked, "Qonas Kilgor is nearby?"
Yes, less than ten kilometers away." Klein pointed in the direction. "He has already used an item to vanish from his place. What should we do next?"
Arianna nodded slightly and said, "Wait for him to come out and find an opportunity to capture him."
I-isn't that too direct? You look quiet and plain, a cultured person—no, angel. Why are you so aggressive? If Qonas Kilgor didn't head for the underground ruins and had gone to some other secret base, or if he wasn't too deeply involved in the king's ploys, to have the Church's archbishop taking action on MI9's top brass would definitely be breaking news. The kingdom's fracturing would only worsen! Klein was momentarily unsure how he should respond to Arianna.
Although he would definitely attack Qonas Kilgor if he handled the matter himself, since the latter's involvement in the slave trade and the silencing of others was enough reason, the problem was that a demigod of a secret organization attacking a military top brass and an orthodox Church's archbishop attacking a military top brass was two completely different matters.
As though sensing Klein's thoughts, Arianna calmly explained, "You will be the one taking action, not me."
Klein was a little unused to "Her" style.
Arianna continued, "I will create a concealed world for you and provide you the necessary assistance."
Battle in a concealed state? Fight with the help of an angel? Klein nodded with a thought.
"Then where shall the ambush be?"
Arianna answered succinctly, "In your Maygur Manor."
...I share the same thoughts... But I didn't want to say it myself... Klein took a deep breath and exhaled.
The choice for the ambush location stemmed from very simple logic—it was to do it when Qonas Kilgor was in his most relaxed and defenseless state.
Without a doubt, once Qonas finishes his secret mission and returns to Maygur Manor, he would believe that the most risky matters of the night were over. He wouldn't have his guard up!
For the same reason, if the king's secret and ploy was of utmost importance, it was possible for an angel to be "watching" over him while he returned from the underground ruins. Once he suffered an attack, the angel would be able to immediately respond. And only when Qonas returned to his normal daily routine would the monitoring be retracted. After all, there were only a limited number of angels, so it was impossible for "Them" to be so free.
Thankfully, I used the most covert method of tailing him, and the distance was far enough... From the looks of it, Ma'am Arianna didn't place the responsibility of the battle onto me to avoid the risk and reduce the negative effects, but because maintaining a concealed state and preventing the existence inside the underground mins from noticing the battle will drain a great deal of "Her" energy... Amidst his racing thoughts, Klein had a better idea of how he should proceed.
At this moment, Arianna added, "The concealed world's battle won't damage the real world."
That's pretty good... Klein muttered silently and said after some thought, "Then I need to immediately make some preparations."
"Alright," Arianna calmly replied.
"She" didn't even ask me what preparations I need. I was even prepared to say that I need a change of clothes... As Klein lampooned himself, he looked down at his blue and white checkered pajamas.
His left palm quickly turned transparent as he vanished from the spot.
Inside Maygur Manor, Klein's figure blinked into existence. Maintaining his appearance as Gehrman Sparrow, he quickly changed his clothes and wore a top hat.
Following that, he took out a piece of paper and used his finger to write.
The tip of his finger spewed out a scarlet flame, leaving charred marks without burning the piece of paper.
The charred marks quickly formed a complicated symbol that was a mixture of concealment and mystery prying.
With the formation of this symbol, the full-body mirror in the room turned dark as aqueous light rippled.
A silver outline appeared, forming one word after another:
"Exalted Great Master, your loyal and resilient servant, Arrodes, is here to answer your summoning!
"Do you have something you would like to ask me?"
Yes." Klein nodded and looked out the window. "What demigod powers and powerful Sealed Artifacts does Qonas Kilgor have?"
This was something he vaguely knew before. After confirming that Qonas Kilgor was a target, he gathered more information and now wished to know more so as to prepare a strategy meant to target Qonas.
The full-body mirror's silver words warped and squirmed, quickly forming new words:
"Great Master, Qonas Kilgor is an Earl of The Fallen. To hide his strength, he wields a Sealed Artifact that also belongs to the Lawyer pathway. However, it also has some of the Arbiter pathway's characteristics mixed into it. It's called
