{T/N: At this point, I've probably forgotten most OC names. I'll be depending on my fellow readers to help me with corrections if I happen to get some wrong...}
~~~
Klein suddenly recalled that Lelouch of the Rebellion was part of the name of an anime called 'Code Geass'! It was a story about a noble youth rebelling against noble rule. Before transmigrating, he had even watched both seasons!
He guessed that this Lelouch was probably a transmigrator. If he were simply named Lelouch, it could have been a coincidence, but pairing 'of the rebellion' with 'Lelouch' was definitely a trope only a transmigrator would use.
At that thought, Klein smiled: 'This world really does have more than one transmigrator. Roselle was one who came over a hundred years ago. At the time, the Emperor had thought he was the protagonist of this world, but now it seems he was just the protagonist of an era. There's another transmigrator who arrived around the same time as me. I became The Hero Bandit Black Emperor, and he became Lelouch of the rebellion. It seems they too were disappointed with certain aspects of this era and this kingdom...'
Klein currently had no intention of seeking the other out. First, he might not necessarily be able to find him. Second, there wasn't much use in revealing themselves to each other at this point.
'At the time, I had left that phrase on a whim, and Klein has probably already realized that Lelouch is definitely a transmigrator...' Odis felt a bit of regret, but then he thought, 'It's not a big deal. The Lelouch account has been deactivated, leaving behind a book at most, nothing else. With the clues Klein has, it's impossible for him to suspect me.'
When Fors heard Miss Justice's answer, she was curious, "Why did he leave a phrase like that? 'Of the rebellion'? Could he still be a teenager in his rebellious phase?"
"Perhaps he was expressing his uncompromising spirit." Audrey said.
Odis nodded slightly: 'Miss Justice understands me well.'
Klein nearly twitched his mouth in an undignified manner: 'Maybe he was just suffering from chuunibyou, just like Roselle...'
Alger was more concerned about the man's fate. He asked, "Has this Lelouch been caught by the official Beyonders?"
"Not yet," Audrey replied.
"Then this person is quite formidable," he commented.
'Setting a fire on King's Avenue and getting away unscathed is no small feat indeed.' Klein thought.
"I hope they never catch him." Fors said.
Audrey nodded, "I hope so too."
Odis's lips curled slightly upward: 'You can rest assured on that. The official Beyonders can't catch a ghost.'
With that, the topic ended, and everyone moved on to other subjects...
Odis said, "I've received some information that the Rose School of Thought has been very active in Backlund recently. I wonder what their purpose is. Do any of you have news about them?"
Alger, Audrey, and the others shook their heads; however, The World said, "As far as I know, they are dealing with some internal issues."
"I've heard that too," Odis agreed, "The Indulgence and the Temperance Factions seem to have already clashed once over by the docks. Later, the Indulgence Faction was severely hit by the official Beyonders and appeared to withdraw from Backlund. But just a few days ago, the official Beyonders dealt with another Werewolf, who is also said to be a member of the Rose School of Thought. It's safe to assume that their retreat was a ruse. Their purpose is unclear..."
Audrey and Fors were very concerned about this, both thinking: 'Such things have been happening in Backlund?'
Behind the gray fog, Klein was visibly startled. He hadn't expected The Hermit to know more details about the recent movements of the Rose School of Thought than he did.
He only knew that the Indulgence Faction had withdrawn after being struck by the Machinery Hivemind, which was why Sharron and Maric had resumed their activities. But he hadn't expected their withdrawal to be a feint.
Klein decided to inform Sharron tonight, advising them to be cautious for the time being.
In fact, Odis's words were specifically meant for Klein, hoping to draw the attention of Sharron and her companion. Although he had previously asked Bernadette to inquire with Sharron about the herb buyer, Bernie, the Queen Mystic might not necessarily warn Sharron about the need to guard against the Indulgence Faction.
It would be better to have Klein remind them. If this was a counterattack targeting the Temperance Faction, Miss Bodyguard could be in grave danger.
After some more discussion, Klein declared the Tarot Club meeting over...
...
Upon returning to the real world, Odis lay quietly on his lounge chair for a while, reflecting on the information he had obtained from Fors.
For the moment, he couldn't think of any good channels for publication. If all else failed, he would have to delete the analysis and summary of his battles with Chipman, but that would rob the book of its essence. For now, he would wait and see, then act when an opportunity arose.
Next, Odis began to consider his advancement. This time, he planned not to report to the Machinery Hivemind first, but to advance secretly and deal with the consequences later. He already had all the main ingredients.
At that thought, he suddenly remembered that his shop didn't have any silver-beaked crane blood yet.
He took a deep breath, got up, and wrote two notes. Then he went to the front shop and had his assistant Kain run errands.
The first note was to be delivered to the residence of Viscount Kelton at Unit 117 Queen's Avenue, to purchase Silver-Beaked Crane blood from him. The second note was to be sent to the Backlund Post, notifying the members of the Mysticism Research Society of a meeting at nine o'clock the following morning.
After that, Odis tended the shop, waiting for Mr. Fool to notify him to perform the bestowment ritual to obtain the fruits of the Fleabane Tree he had traded from Audrey...
...
~Cherwood Borough, Unit 15 Minsk Street~
*Ding-a-ling~*
Just after finishing reading the copy of Sights in the Spirit World transcribed by Miss Magician and returning to the real world from above the gray fog, Klein heard the doorbell ring.
He hurried downstairs. The moment he reached the door, an image of the visitor appeared in his mind.
Standing outside was Mike Joseph, the blue-eyed reporter of the Daily Observer with a finely trimmed mustache.
Klein could already guess the purpose of his visit. He opened the door and smiled, "Let me guess... You need a bodyguard right now?"
Klein had also read the Daily Observer report that day.
"Yes." Mike smiled wryly.
Klein glanced at the street outside, then stepped aside to invite him in.
Once the door was closed, Mike chuckled, "I wrote something else that made certain people angry. And this time, I've offended a noble."
Klein nodded, looking out through the windowpane, "So you're being followed..."
"It seems so," Mike said, settling onto the sofa, "This afternoon, I kept feeling like someone was watching me." He took a deep breath, then said, "This time, the newspaper approved a week's worth of protection funds for me in one go. How about 10 pounds a day? For the next week, you'll be protecting me. If a fight breaks out, I'll add more."
Klein opened his mouth, but then said, "One moment. I need to use the washroom and think it over."
In truth, he was leaning toward accepting the commission. After all, Mike must have endured tremendous pressure to publish that morning's report and bring the news to the public.
However, if it was too dangerous, he would decline and ask Isengard Stanton, who had official channels, to take on Mike's commission instead. After all, this commission involved a noble, and Klein had no desire to get entangled in noble conflicts.
Entering the washroom, Klein removed the yellow crystal pendant from his wrist and silently intoned, "Mike Joseph's commission is very dangerous. Mike Joseph's commission is very dangerous. Mike Joseph's commission is very dangerous..."
After reciting it seven times, the pendant rotated clockwise, though only slightly. That meant there was some danger, but it was within an acceptable range.
*Splash~*
Klein pretended to flush the toilet, then returned to the living room.
"I've decided to take your commission," he said, "When do you want the protection to start?"
"Ideally, right now."
"No problem." Klein nodded. Then he asked, "Does your family need protection?"
"I sent my family to the outskirts last night," Mike said, "That place is very secluded. As long as I don't visit them, they won't find it."
As an experienced journalist, he naturally had a secret hideout to protect his family.
"Good," Klein said as he put on his coat, "From now on, you'll follow my orders. When I tell you to hide, you hide. When I tell you to run, you run. Also, I've thought of an excellent place to protect you, but before we go there, I need to ask... how much funding have you received this time?"
"150 pounds," Mike said, "If it's not enough, I can apply for more."
"Excellent." Klein smiled, "How about we go to the Rosewood Pavilion and find some ladies to dance with?"
...
~Unit 51 Henry Street, Gale's Herbal Shop~
By evening, Odis still hadn't received a notification from The Fool to arrange the ritual, but the Silver-Beaked Crane blood had already arrived. Only one main ingredient remained.
Just as the herbal shop was getting busy, Odis noticed that his pocket watch was glowing again; however, this time the color was yellow.
This pocket watch could receive two different signals: one from Unit 199 Hailin Avenue, the gathering place of the Mysticism Research Society. If an attendant pressed the signal transmitter there, Odis's watch would glow red.
The other came from the Rosewood Pavilion. Mandy also had a signal transmitter, and if she pressed it, the watch would glow yellow.
Odis had no choice but to leave the shop's business to Kain. He went to the backyard basement, changed into Mr. Gale's disguise, and used the teleportation array to reach the third floor of the Rosewood Pavilion...
The moment the door to the third-floor room opened, the front desk attendant hurried over, "Mr. Gale, Mike Joseph, the reporter from the Daily Observer, has come to the dance hall again. Lady Mandy thought he was just here as a customer and even gifted him a bottle of wine. But about ten minutes ago, a group of people barged in, demanding to take Mr. Joseph away. Lady Mandy is stalling them while she sent me to wait for you and explain the situation."
Odis hummed in acknowledgment, "I understand." He walked briskly toward the stairs, but at the staircase, he suddenly turned back and asked the attendant, "Do you think we should protect this reporter Mike?"
"I... I read his report today. I don't think we should let those people take him away." Then she lowered her head in slight panic, "I... I don't know if what I said is right."
Odis smiled and said, "That's a very reasonable opinion."
With that, he turned and quickly descended the stairs...