Nexus District. Martyr Street. Friday, October 19, 12:40 p.m.
Stepping down from the carriage, Klein took a slow breath.
His thick black robes shielded him from the light afternoon drizzle. In addition to the makeup he'd used to alter his face, this time he'd also opted to wear a topaz face mask.
Tucking the robe snugly around his body, the man advanced toward his objective with an elegant stride.
The only thing missing to complete the image of a gentleman was a cane and a top hat.
In preparation for his mission to investigate Meruiem, the detective deemed it vital to attend the gathering organized by the Aurora Order once again.
The reminder of his spirituality as a Magician, as well as subsequent divinations, proved that there was a danger there. One that simultaneously brought him gains.
The greatest danger he might face was the monster from Analia's story. That whistling spirit.
While there was a chance it could involve other people, such as gangs, the detective could handle them with his Magician abilities, which, though lacking significant firepower, were sufficient to deal with ordinary people.
The real danger lay in spirits. His firepower as a Magician might prove ineffective against such beings. That was why he had come here.
His experiences as a former Nighthawk had shown him that there was no better way to deal with residual spirits, shadows, and wraiths than with artifacts of the Sun Pathway.
Given the likelihood that he might face one of these in the near future, Klein wanted to have all the cards in hand to ensure a crushing and certain victory.
'With the Aurora Order's animosity toward the Church of the Eternal Blazing Sun, they're sure to have some artifacts with the qualities I need.
'I can also take the opportunity to buy a firearm as well as various types of ammunition, such as demon-hunting and purifying bullets.'
Taking a seat at an empty table, Klein took the paper and pen offered by one of the workers and wrote down his order.
*Seeking a Sun Pathway artifact specialized in purification and dealing with shadows, spirits, and wraiths. Maximum price of 6,000 sassem.
*Exorcism, purification, and demon-hunting bullets.
*A standard revolver, in good condition.
Ignoring the twinge in his heart at having to spend so much money, Klein folded the paper and placed it on one of the workers' trays.
Watching the worker carry his order to one of the many blackboards and write it there, the detective inhaled lightly.
The mantra of his sequence repeated silently in his mind.
'A Magician never performs unprepared…'
On the podium at the back of the room where the gathering was taking place, Miss L sat in her elegant seat of red cushions.
Despite her thick tunic concealing her body, one could see her hands resting on her lap and her head slightly bowed.
Because of the shadows cast by her hood that darkened half her face, it was unclear whether she was asleep or simply observing in silence. The small table beside her held a single lit candle, its light failing to pierce the shadows on the woman's face.
Her chest didn't even move. There was no sign of life whatsoever. Only a faint smile rested on her full red lips.
No one approached to check.
Not even the staff, who seemed to make an extra effort to stay at least five steps away from the podium where she stood.
After 10 minutes, the clock struck 1:00 p.m.
Ding Ding!
The facilitators began shouting out the ingredients from the blackboards, moving on to the next one after saying them three times.
It was at that moment that Klein noticed a worker approach the podium and extend a tray toward Miss L.
From what he could see, it was a piece of paper folded in half.
'Does someone want to do business with her?'
This movement caught the attention of several other participants at the gathering. They watched with varying degrees of interest what was happening at the podium.
Miss L finally showed signs of life.
The shadowy figure in black robes bowed slightly. She took the letter in her right hand and unfolded it slowly, reading its contents.
After a few seconds of studying the note, Miss L pulled a pencil from her robe and wrote something. Folding the paper back, she placed it on the worker's tray.
The worker gave a brief bow before retreating. His path was a straight line to another solitary table where a person was seated.
This person was also wearing a dark gray hooded tunic that covered their face.
From the way the tunic hugged their shoulders, Klein would say it was an adult man.
As he took in the man's profile, one of the several workers approached his table and handed him a folded note.
His order for the revolver and the special bullets had already been taken.
With more important things to do, the detective put off dealing with that man for another time and rose from his seat, heading toward the room where his new weapon was kept.
On the outskirts of a city shrouded in yellowish smoke, a screen made of golden dust showed the detective's back disappearing down a hallway.
Ruby eyes watched this: an unreadable expression on the faces that bore them.
"I feel like a crazy woman still obsessed with her ex." Scratching the back of his neck, Adryan didn't know how to feel about it.
Putting that aside, the redhead adjusted his posture in the beach chair and held his arm outstretched, observing the gathering through his soldier.
Through a prayer addressed to Charlotte via his mask as the Monarch, he had sent one of his soldiers to summon and thus attend this gathering without drawing the attention of the Wise Owls. It was the same method he had used with Hazel during the operation to deal with Ambassador Bakerland.
This method of "lending a soldier," while useful in situations where he couldn't go in person or wanted to act discreetly, had the weakness that the soldiers possessed only the strength of a normal person.
Well, it was an acceptable weakness in exchange for the utility it offered.
"Almost all the soldiers I can use as Reapers are busy. I didn't think it would happen so fast." Letting out a small sigh, the man refocused his attention on the note in his soldier's hands.
Since he wasn't the one attending the Aurora Order gathering, it was certain that the "mark" the True Creator had given him wouldn't be with him. Therefore, confirming his identity as Adryan Kenway might be a bit of a hassle.
To solve that, he didn't overcomplicate things.
He simply copied exactly what Miss L had written to him the first time he attended this gathering.
Only he had read that note, and he had burned it before the dark woman's eyes. That should be enough to verify his identity.
And, as he read the words freshly written on the note, it seemed he was right.
Beneath what he had written, traced in handwriting so elegant it looked more like that of a noble, two words lay.
Room 7
"Of course, these guys' handwriting is beautiful too. Is the Aurora Order also a talent agency to meet these standards?" Adryan could picture a studio with several members in tutus, dancing in circles with ribbons, with decent coordination.
Putting aside the Aurora Order's ridiculous beauty standards and whatever they had to do with it, the redhead looked at the short reply with a grimace.
Aside from copying the first note Miss L had given him, he had also written down his interest in buying some of the woman's blood at a good price of 1,200 sassem.
A Shepherd's blood was a valuable ingredient for various blood rituals and spells. But, at the same time, it was the blood of a Sequence 5 Beyonder.
No Beyonder with any sense would so easily hand over something so precious. A single drop of blood was enough to make one a victim of powerful curses from devils and witches, so it had to be handled with care.
Although this wasn't such a big problem for the Shepherds—they were experts in the magic of blood and flesh—they had no trouble severing the connection with their blood to prevent retaliation through it.
That's why Adryan made sure he wasn't skimping on his money and even added a little extra to guarantee the purchase.
But despite that, his money was completely ignored?
The Reaper understood what that meant.
"Miss L wants to speak with me."
His request wasn't immediately rejected, nor had the soldier been choked by his own shadow. It was clear that the woman in dark robes wanted something more. And considering whom she served, it was also possible that He wanted something.
'… Sigh' Controlling the soldier, the redhead made him rise from his seat and head toward the room to which he had been summoned.
Through the third-person view, Adryan saw Miss L smile from her seat and, extending a delicate hand, extinguish the candle on the small table beside her with two fingers, plunging the podium into darkness.
Now, it was impossible to tell whether she was still there. The shadows seemed to stir slowly as if they were a living creature.
'Luckily, Charlotte stayed; I doubt he could have borne to see that.' Having already seen worse, the redhead was neither impressed nor concerned about where his soldier was going.
Even if he died, he would reappear in the City of Calamities a few days later, so there was no real danger.
Soon, the brave soldier arrived at the room in question. Without much haste, he grabbed the cold doorknob and opened the door.
Sitting in the middle of the large sofa, Miss L was waiting for him in the same posture she'd been in on the podium—legs crossed and her hands resting on her lap, her head hanging slightly.
"Good afternoon, Mr.," Miss L greeted him in a sing-song voice, a faint smile on her face, "I'm sorry I wasn't able to greet you properly last time."
Closing the door behind him, Adryan deepened his control over the soldier and spoke through him.
"No problem," he said, taking a seat across from the woman.
"Ohoho. How delightful, then" Miss L lifted her gaze slightly.
That movement allowed the light from the lamps to finally pierce the darkness of her hood, revealing her face.
A face with deep eye shadows, giving her a piercing gaze. Her skin had a dark tan, highlighted by the blood-red of her lipstick. It was clear she was of South Continent descent—at the very least, one of her parents was.
Adryan found her makeup similar to some gothic cultures in his world.
Uninterested, he controlled the soldier to lean back slightly.
"Have you thought about my request?"
"It's a fair price for me." The woman nodded with her eyes closed.
She raised her left hand and, with her other hand, grabbed her index finger.
Crack!
The finger began to change rapidly once it left her hand. The skin turned red, and the muscles beneath seemed to form tumors. The nail turned a deep black.
With her four-fingered hand, she rummaged in her tunic for a moment before pulling out an elegant handkerchief with embroidered edges.
Without any change in her expression, Miss L placed the mutated finger on top of it and carefully offered it to him with both hands.
"Here you are, Mr. Kenway." The woman smiled broadly, so brightly it was blinding.
The soldier's expressionless face was mirrored in Adryan's.
'I'm sure she didn't use her flesh magic powers to remove her finger. She has a high pain tolerance…' Given that the woman had clearly survived and passed the Listener phase, this was to be expected.
Adryan's ruby eyes dropped to the mutated finger. He clicked his tongue sharply.
'That's Sukuna's finger. I'm not taking that shit.'
Hiding his true emotions for another time, he spoke seriously.
"I just need a little blood. Not a limb."
Miss L wasn't fazed by his tone; she just laughed a little and looked at him mysteriously.
"Ohoho, of course I know that, Mr. Kenway. But how else could I communicate with you?"
Closing her eyes, she added in a subservient voice, "This is the will of my Lord; as His Anointed One, it is your duty to bear it."