Chapter 39: A Favored One of “Concealment”

Chapter 39: A Favored One of “Concealment”

Above the boundless grayish-white fog, inside the majestic, towering palace.

The moment Leonard Mitchell’s figure appeared beside the bronze long table, he instinctively stood, wanting to bow to Mr. Fool.

However, as his gaze swept over, he discovered that the seat was empty. No one sat there.

Mr. Fool usually isn’t here? As this thought flashed through Leonard’s mind, he cast his gaze toward the very end of the mottled long table.

The World sat there silently, his figure as blurry as if it had fused with the gray fog.

“…Since it’s just the two of us, there’s no need to deliberately use Gehrman Sparrow’s appearance.” Leonard sat back down as he casually said this to The World.

After discovering that Mr. Fool was absent, he immediately became extremely relaxed. He was no longer as restrained as when he had first attended the Tarot Gathering. He was practically one step away from propping both legs up on the table.

“Habit,” Klein replied briefly.

Leonard nodded thoughtfully.

“I heard that Gehrman Sparrow’s image at sea is cold, reserved, refined, and courteous. Your current performance fits that description very well. But Klein, you weren’t like this before. You must remember that you’re only acting. You can’t let the identity of Gehrman Sparrow affect you.”

Hey, I pulled you up here to talk about Amon, not to make small talk! Are you that unconcerned about the old grandpa in your body? Klein was indeed accustomed to using The World’s image in this kind of setting. But after Leonard pointed it out, he actually found it awkward to change back into his original appearance. He gave a soft “mm” and said,

“Did Pallez Zoroast teach you that you are ‘only acting’?”

“Yes.” Leonard answered frankly.

This old grandpa seems fairly decent. He even told Leonard such crucial and important knowledge… Compared to Him, that earlier rat demigod really did harbor ill intent. He taught Hazel almost no common sense. Even where he did teach her something, he twisted it to a certain extent. Heh, even a wild Beyonder who has reached the level of demigod can’t possibly know nothing, right? Even Kalvetua, that half-mad sea serpent, knew how to respond to rituals, how to demand sacrifices, and even how to bestow a few divine arts… Inwardly, Klein began forming a preliminary image of Pallez Zoroast.

However, he did not make a judgment based on this alone. After all, when fishing, one had to prepare bait. A single matter alone could not prove much.

Seeing Klein remain silent, Leonard ended the pleasantries and moved to the main topic.

“Where did you discover new traces of the Blasphemer Amon?”

Klein summarized the key points.

“I was tracking a demigod of the Marauder pathway who was on the verge of losing control. As a result, I encountered Amon in the outskirts of Backlund and had no choice but to directly escape by relying on Mr. Fool’s power.”

“So Amon’s avatar really is still in Backlund…” Leonard sighed. Then, slightly curious and quite casual, he asked, “Why were you tracking that demigod of the Marauder pathway who was on the verge of losing control?”

After asking, he abruptly realized something and hurriedly added,

“If it involves one of Mr. Fool’s plans, pretend I never asked.”

Why? Isn’t dealing with Beyonders who are approaching or have already lost control one of the Nighthawks’ responsibilities? Hearing Leonard’s question, Klein felt a wave of emotion.

He recalled his experiences in Tingen City.

During that short period of a little more than two months, he had handled several similar matters: a Mandated Punisher of the Church of Storms turning into a monster, Hood Eugen losing control, and Old Neil being polluted by the Hidden Sage. Although the total number had not been large, they had left a deep impression on him, carving certain principles of conduct into his bones.

Therefore, after combining the information he already had with the news that a rat had gone mad and bitten someone, he analyzed that the Marauder pathway demigod was on the verge of losing control. Without hesitation, he immediately used illusions downstairs to obtain confirmation from Hazel. Then, without waiting or thinking of spending another day or two preparing, he simply went above the gray fog to perform a divination, obtained a rough plan, and began acting.

To him, such a matter was like putting out a fire.

In addition, Klein himself had long wanted to eliminate that Marauder pathway demigod. The malice the other party had displayed toward Hazel was far too obvious, and he had even tried to lure Miss Magician to what appeared to be a treasure but was in truth a trap. If Klein’s level had not been too low at the time, if the gap in strength had not been too great, and if he had not feared causing unnecessary accidents, he would have already considered taking action.

It was precisely for this reason that once he confirmed the state of the Marauder pathway demigod, he began the elimination according to his predetermined plan.

His first-stage objective was to lure the enemy out of Elk Manor, so that the incomplete mythical creature form the other party might reveal before dying would not affect ordinary people. The result had been fairly good. Using himself as bait, Klein achieved that goal. The only issue was that the salvo of air cannons failed to end the battle, allowing that Marauder pathway demigod to escape into a shrub-filled wood and parasitize a large tree.

Originally, Klein had a second-stage plan, and had even prepared a fallback measure in case he could not successfully purify the target himself. Who knew Amon would suddenly appear, forcing him to directly interrupt every plan and flee without the slightest hesitation? Klein’s fallback measure had been to have one marionette leave the battlefield and write a letter asking Patrick Bryan, that experimental demigod of the Numinous Episcopate, to come help. That Undying should already possess a certain degree of ability to traverse the spirit world. If an accident still happened, Klein would summon Miss Messenger and pay after the task was done.

As memories rose and fell, Klein answered Leonard’s question in a sighing tone:

“Secret.”

After pausing for a second, he asked proactively,

“Why did you not find an opportunity earlier to inform the Church of Evernight that Amon’s avatar had come to Backlund?”

Leonard hurriedly began explaining. He roughly described how “if Amon’s main body arrives, there will definitely be a divine descent,” how “Amon can, through the death of His avatars, see the corresponding changes in fate, thereby locating the source of the disturbance and grasping the approximate activity range of the one manipulating things behind the scenes,” how “Amon’s style is to have one apparent avatar surrounded by ten, several dozen, or even more than a hundred hidden avatars,” and how “Amon’s avatars can parasitize all kinds of living creatures with spirituality; if one is not a demigod, one cannot even detect having been parasitized.”

Finally, Leonard told Klein in detail the example the Old Man had given him about stealing someone’s fate.

The more Klein listened, the colder his back became. He felt fortunate that he had not recklessly tried to deal with Amon last time. Otherwise, Mr. Fool might have already changed owners.

No wonder Leonard didn’t report it before… Amon appeared so openly because He was fishing. And even worse, there are more avatars hidden in the shadows, and they can parasitize tiny organisms in the air… Just thinking about that makes my scalp tingle. The creatures I can manipulate right now cannot reach that level. The smaller they are, the less obvious their Spirit Body Threads become. They are rather special… Sigh, I can’t use the Church’s strength unless there’s someone who, from every angle, has absolutely no problem and should report this matter… Klein felt a wave of regret inwardly. At the same time, he gained an even clearer and deeper impression of Amon’s terror.

In his view, Leonard would originally have been an excellent candidate to report the matter to the Church of Evernight. But with Pallez Zoroast parasitizing him, he did not dare expose his own existence under Amon’s gaze.

In addition, The Hanged Man could also assume that responsibility, but he would be unable to give Amon a convincing source of information. This meant there would be a problem, one worth investigating deeply.

One choice after another flashed through Klein’s mind. In the end, the options unexpectedly fixed on himself—on the two identities of Klein Moretti and Gehrman Sparrow.

“As a favored one of Evernight, it is perfectly reasonable for me to inform the Church that Amon has appeared in Backlund. Even Amon wouldn’t be able to find fault with it.

“And as the Bizarro Sorcerer who fought that demigod of the Marauder pathway tonight and personally saw Amon, it is also normal for Gehrman Sparrow to know that this Angel of Time’s avatar has come to Backlund. It wouldn’t make Amon suspicious. At the same time, because I am a favored one of Evernight, Amon, who only lost a few avatars, probably won’t retaliate. After all, what awaits Him might very well be a trap, a divine descent!

“It feels wonderful to have backing… But all gifts of fate have their prices secretly marked…” Klein quickly obtained a preliminary grasp of the matter.

Then, out of habit, he shifted to another perspective and began considering tonight’s events from Amon’s point of view.

“Amon is definitely familiar with Bizarro Sorcerers. From just the manipulation of marionettes and position-swapping, He can determine my pathway.

“Since Amon allowed a Bizarro Sorcerer to escape, He must already have prepared for His whereabouts to be exposed. He might even be hoping to draw out the target He wants to find.

“I used Gehrman Sparrow’s appearance, but that doesn’t mean anything. A Faceless’s appearance is the thing that matters least… Mm, then how would Amon judge my identity? A powerful individual walking in the dark, a demigod of the Seer pathway… Because the Church of Evernight and the Secret Order control the formulas, materials, and mermaids, there are almost no wild Bizarro Sorcerers. The descendants of the Antigonus family are also already extinct. Therefore, a Bizarro Sorcerer is either someone from the Secret Order or an invisible agent secretly cultivated by the Church of Evernight…

“Adding the location of Backlund, the answer is practically obvious…

“Based on these reasons, it won’t be difficult for Amon to conclude that the Church of Evernight will soon learn His traces and launch a cleanup operation. Me reporting Him is within His expectations. Not reporting Him would instead be abnormal…

“Mm. He will definitely hide for a while now. Even if He has replaced that Marauder pathway demigod’s identity, He won’t come to Böklund Street in the short term!”

With this judgment, Klein immediately felt much steadier, because he would have sufficient time to prepare.

“What thoughts do you have?” Seeing that Klein had been silent for a long time after hearing his description, Leonard could not help asking.

Klein gathered his thoughts and answered with a question instead.

“What suggestion does Pallez Zoroast have?”

“He said that if you want to deal with Amon’s avatars in Backlund, you must first obtain the protection of Concealment,” Leonard answered truthfully.

The protection of Concealment… Pallez Zoroast is openly probing me. Half of the symbol behind The Fool’s chair belongs to concealment… If I use a Paper Figurine Angel together with the Red Priest card and the power I can pry from the mysterious space above the gray fog, interfering with Amon’s avatars should not be a problem. But whether that can stop His main body from prying into fate is another matter… However, I still have the identity of a favored one of Evernight, and another title of the Goddess is Mother of Concealment… Does clearing out Amon’s avatars count as paying the price, or as accepting a gift? It feels like both… Klein thought for a moment, then answered in a low voice,

“Tell Pallez Zoroast that I am a favored one of Concealment. I will try to pray for help.”

He was referring to being a favored one of the Mother of Concealment, but Pallez Zoroast would definitely understand it as being a favored one of The Fool.