Chapter 65: Roselle’s Other Reminder

Chapter 65: Roselle’s Other Reminder

Night was deep. Layered clouds covered the moon, and Backlund Bridge lay in darkness.

Klein had just “teleported” there and had not yet had time to look around when he saw one pea vine after another, green tinged with blue, descend from high above, covering the surrounding area like a torrential rain.

They twined and interwove, rapidly forming a forest, layer upon layer extending upward until the top could no longer be seen.

Klein released the right hand pressing down on his top hat and, with practiced familiarity, followed the path formed by the vines upward.

Before long, he saw a natural swing formed from green plants. He also saw the Mystery Queen, Bernadette, standing beside the swing.

The eldest daughter of Emperor Roselle had long chestnut hair. She wore a ladies’ blouse with a lace-flower bow tie, matched with a gray skirt that fell past her knees, a pair of long leather boots, and a soft hat from which a fine black veil hung.

“You have grown much faster than I expected.” Bernadette’s blue eyes, hidden behind the black gauze, reflected Gehrman Sparrow’s figure.

Klein’s expression did not change in the slightest as he replied,

“Praise Mr. Fool.”

At the same time he said that, he inwardly mocked himself:

This is what it means to strive unceasingly. Better to rely on oneself than to ask others!

The Mystery Queen nodded gently and said in a soft yet emotionless voice,

“I know why you wished to meet me.”

Without waiting for Klein to speak, she tilted her head slightly and glanced at the vine swing beside her. In a tone like the calm waters of a lake concealing countless undercurrents, she said,

“I feel that he has not truly, completely fallen.”

…Meaning, you feel Emperor Roselle has not completely died? That he still lives somewhere in this world and still has a chance to return? Klein had not expected to hear such direct and explosive words right at the beginning. Although he controlled his expression very well, he temporarily did not know how to respond.

At the same time, he noticed that Bernadette had used “he” rather than “He” to describe Emperor Roselle. Whether in ancient Feysac, which they were currently using, or in everyday Loenese and Intis, those were completely different words.

This means that in the Mystery Queen’s heart, Emperor Roselle is not an angel, but a father… Klein settled his emotions and carefully asked,

“Why do you feel that way?”

Bernadette withdrew her gaze from the vine swing. Her voice remained soft as she said,

“In the final stage of his life, although he was very mad and very radical, there was not a single matter for which he failed to make arrangements. I believe he must also have made preparations for himself.

“You should know that in his later years, he attempted to cross pathways and attack the vacant Black Emperor divine throne. That required building nine pyramid-style secret mausoleums.

“After he died in the White Maple Palace, the Church of Eternal Blazing Sun and the Church of Steam worked together to locate eight such mausoleums and destroyed them one after another. However, the ninth one has never been found. No one knows where exactly it is hidden.

“If he had already become the Black Emperor, then he could certainly awaken and return from that mausoleum. If he failed, I think perhaps there is still a possibility of using it to resurrect…”

As Bernadette spoke, her voice became softer and softer. By the end, it was already ethereal and difficult to distinguish.

You are not that confident either… This is more expectation and hope… Klein felt a wave of emotion as he listened.

Suddenly, he remembered something the King of the Five Seas, Nast, had once said:

Emperor Roselle liked to stand before a certain row of floor-to-ceiling windows and gaze westward.

And from Roselle’s diary, Klein knew that he had discovered an entrance to the Abyss in the Fog Sea west of Intis, and had found a primitive island there. He had believed the place to be filled with strangeness and worth exploring.

Could it be… Did Emperor Roselle build that final secret mausoleum inside the Abyss, or on that primitive island? Klein pondered for a while, then curved the corner of his mouth and said,

“You seem to understand the Black Emperor pathway rather well.”

He suspected that part of Emperor Roselle’s thinking in leaving a Black Emperor card as a bookmark, and using Bernadette’s ancient Feysac name as the activation incantation, had been to tell his daughter about the corresponding ritual. Yet Bernadette seemed to have obtained information in this area through other channels.

A faint curve appeared on the Mystery Queen’s lips, the portion not covered by her veil.

“I have investigated this matter for more than a hundred years. In order to understand the details, I have even endured knowledge infusion from the Hidden Sage.

“I can tell that you, and Mr. Fool behind you, also possess very deep understanding of this… I have always been curious. Why are you so interested in matters related to him?”

Judging by the current situation, if we truly talk seniority, you would have to call me Uncle… The Emperor and I may very well have been “roommates” hanging together for many years… Klein used inward mockery to ease the dull, heavy feeling in his heart. In a tone without much fluctuation, he answered,

“You may pose that question to Mr. Fool.”

He had no intention of telling Bernadette right now that the ninth secret mausoleum was very possibly somewhere in the Fog Sea, very possibly on that primitive island or within the Abyss. It would be better and more appropriate for The Fool to answer that.

The Mystery Queen was not surprised by Gehrman Sparrow’s response. She turned her gaze toward the west, toward a place separated by a vast distance.

Although Klein could not see Bernadette’s eyes, he could vaguely sense that this lady was looking at the place where she had lived as a child, at the destination of her spirit and heart, at a homeland to which she could no longer return.

In that moment, among the blue-green vines and deep blackness, many subtle emotions and dreams hidden deep in the heart fermented little by little.

Only a few seconds later, the Mystery Queen withdrew her gaze and spoke softly:

“Once the matter I have in Backlund comes to an end, I will give a few pages of the diary to Cattleya and have her ask this question on my behalf.”

“Why not ask next week?” Klein did not conceal his confusion.

Bernadette calmly replied,

“I feel that the answer will affect my mood, and a poor mood will lead to my failure.”

A poor mood will lead to failure? What matter has such strict requirements? A confrontation with a demigod of the mind domain? Or perhaps, after untying part of her inner knots, she is confident of attacking the angelic rank? Klein nodded thoughtfully and did not ask further.

This already involved the other party’s secrets. Unless necessary, it was best not to inquire.

The Mystery Queen then said instead,

“When he wrote one of those diary pages, I was sitting opposite him. I wanted him to teach me how to interpret and write those symbols. He did not agree. He only rubbed my hair. At that time, I was already an adult…

“I could tell that when he wrote that diary page, he was somewhat worried, somewhat troubled, somewhat afraid. In the end, he also said something to me. He said that if I truly could become an important figure of the mysterious world in the future, just as Zaratul had prophesied, then I must remember this: beware of the Spectator.”

Beware of the Spectator… Klein could not help repeating Roselle’s reminder inwardly.

He believed this Emperor would not be referring broadly to all Beyonders of the Spectator pathway. It must be a euphemism for some special existence, or some special matter, or both.

Emperor Roselle had been a member of that ancient secret organization… And the founder and leader of that ancient secret organization is… Klein’s eyelid twitched. He did not dare think further, afraid that a certain existence might be able to hear his thoughts.

“Perhaps that diary page contains a detailed explanation,” he said, giving a hint and hoping he could see that diary page as soon as possible.

“I know.” Bernadette nodded.

She did not continue this topic. After two seconds of silence, she said,

“On Cattleya’s behalf, I offer thanks to Mr. Fool and to you. Obtaining blood from the Snake of Fate will be of enormous help for the road that lies ahead of her.

“Although in the advancement ritual for a Mysticologist, the blood of a mythical creature from any pathway can be used, the best choice is still the Fate pathway. This will make her advancement to Sequence 3 much easier.”

“Why?” Klein asked with a learner’s attitude.

After all, a favored one could not possibly understand everything. Even true gods could not do that!

Bernadette’s gaze became slightly vacant.

“‘Peering into the secrets of fate’ can be expressed another way: prophecy. The name of Sequence 3 of the Mystery Pryer pathway is Clairvoyant. This is also the reason I am in Backlund.”

Because of a certain prophecy? Klein formed a guess and gained a certain understanding. He then said,

“Many pathways seem to have abilities related to prophecy.”

The Mystery Queen’s lips curled slightly, and she sighed softly.

“In ancient times, many extraordinary creatures believed that concentrating the same abilities together would produce qualitative change and breakthrough. In the end, without exception, they went mad and lost control. It was not until the first Blasphemy Slate appeared that all living beings understood: balance—the kind of balance that comes from walking along the edge of a cliff—is the key to the extraordinary path.”

So the abilities covered by a particular field are scattered among multiple pathways. The main pathway concentrates a large portion of them, while the remaining pathways divide the rest among themselves? Mm, the negative example would be the North King Ulyssan from Groselle’s Travels… Klein fell into thought and did not ask further.

After a while, the Mystery Queen Bernadette broke the silence.

“If you have nothing else, this will be all for today.”

Klein thought briefly and said,

“All right. If there is anything you need help with, you can find me through Star Admiral.”

Bernadette nodded gently. Her figure suddenly became transparent, transforming into a cluster of bubbles.

The bubbles scattered and floated away, vanishing in the blink of an eye. The blue-black pea vines then shrank back, disappearing into the night.

Klein seemed to be supported by an invisible hand as he lightly descended onto Backlund Bridge.

He reached up to press down on his top hat and looked around. He saw rows of houses standing on both banks, faint yellow lights shining from within them. Amid the rumbling sound of the river’s current and the deep, dark night, they appeared peaceful, quiet, warm, and tranquil.

“I hope all of this will not be destroyed…” Klein sighed. His figure rapidly turned transparent, faded, and vanished.