Chapter 85: Urgency

Chapter Eighty-Five
Urgency

That strange, distorted, indistinct fluctuation vanished in a flash, so quickly that Klein nearly suspected he had hallucinated it.

If his command of inspiration had not already become fairly practiced, there was a good chance he would have overlooked the abnormality entirely.

Thinking of his sister upstairs, Klein frowned, tightened his grip around his cane, passed the washroom, and turned toward the Wood family’s staircase.

He quickly headed upstairs. Following his inspiration’s grasp of the remaining traces, he arrived outside the door of a sitting room near the balcony.

It should be here…

Klein murmured softly and raised his hand, lightly tapping the space between his brows twice.

One aura after another entered his eyes through the wall and wooden door. Most of the colors were normal, their outlines blurry.

But one of them had its surface rippling with an evil black-green, a black-green that was slowly corroding inward.

“There really is a problem.”

Klein’s expression became unusually serious. He reached with his right hand and unwound the silver chain wrapped around his left wrist.

His left hand held the silver chain, allowing the citrine pendant to hang naturally before him.

Once the swinging calmed, he outlined the sphere of light in his mind and silently recited:

“There is danger caused by the extraordinary inside the room before me.”

Normally, the pendulum method was suitable only for divining matters related to oneself, as well as objective situations within a small range. Therefore, Klein’s phrasing was very deliberate: “danger” could affect him, while the “room” was right before him.

…

“There is danger caused by the extraordinary inside the room before me.”

Again and again, seven full times. Klein opened his eyes and saw the citrine pendant rotating clockwise—and doing so rather quickly.

This indicated that there was indeed danger caused by the extraordinary inside the room, and that the danger was not minor.

Selena is a mysticism enthusiast. Did she take her friends into some ritual and cause a serious problem? What should I do?

Klein rubbed his brow, wrapped the citrine pendant away again, and reached out to knock on the door.

Knock, knock, knock!

He knocked three times in a steady rhythm, while putting on a kind smile.

With a creak, the door opened. Melissa, wearing her new dress, appeared before Klein.

“Klein, is something the matter?” The girl had not expected her brother to come up. She looked rather surprised.

Klein smiled without a trace of gloom.

“I heard you all having such fun and suddenly became a little curious.”

“Sorry. Did we disturb you?” Melissa lowered her head in embarrassment. “We are playing magic mirror divination. Selena knows a lot. It is very fun.”

Magic mirror divination…

Sister, why not go ahead and play with a spirit pen or a spirit dish while you are at it?

Half angry and half amused, Klein shook his head.

His gaze passed over Melissa and entered the sitting room. He saw Selena, with her radiant smile and deep dimples.

Yet in his spirit vision, the wine-red-haired girl holding the silver-plated mirror had been corroded even more deeply by that evil black-green.

Thoughts racing, Klein weighed his words.

“Heh, then I will not disturb your game. Ah, right—where is Elizabeth? Just now, while chatting with her, we touched upon the grammar of ancient Feysac. She said she had a question she wanted to ask me.”

“Elizabeth?”

Melissa looked her brother up and down, her tone growing strange as she emphasized, “She is only sixteen.”

Hey, what are you thinking!

Klein immediately explained, “This is a normal academic discussion. Elizabeth is very interested in history and ancient languages.”

Melissa gave her brother one more deep look before saying, “She is inside. I will have her come out.”

“All right.”

Klein stepped back, moving away from the doorway.

Watching his sister turn around, he let out a rather ungenerous breath of relief, grateful that the person encountering danger was not Melissa.

He waited barely a dozen seconds before a puzzled Elizabeth came out, asking doubtfully, “Mr. Moretti, what exactly is the matter? I never said I was interested in history or ancient languages…”

At that moment, her words were interrupted by Klein’s grave and solemn expression. Her whole body suddenly tensed, as though she had also smelled something ominous.

Klein walked diagonally a few steps away and gestured for Elizabeth to half-close the door before coming over.

The girl with adorable baby fat on her cheeks was affected by the solemn atmosphere that had suddenly descended. Without realizing it, she followed.

“You know I am a mysticism enthusiast,” Klein said directly after stopping and turning toward her.

Elizabeth nodded lightly in reply.

“Yes. I even think you are an expert in mysticism.”

“No. I am only an enthusiast. But that does not stop me from discovering that something has gone wrong with your magic mirror divination.”

Klein’s tone was grave.

“Something has gone wrong?” Elizabeth almost raised her voice, but hurriedly covered her mouth with one hand.

Klein thought for a moment.

“I know words alone will have difficulty convincing you. Return to the sitting room now. While Selena is not paying attention, sneak a glance at the front of the mirror she has been keeping from all of you.”

“How do you know she has not been letting us look at the front of the mirror?” Elizabeth blurted.

According to the Nighthawks’ internal materials, more than ninety percent of evil-involved magic mirror divination cases show similar conditions…

Klein smiled faintly.

“Common sense.”

After Elizabeth, half doubtful and half afraid, returned to the room, Klein’s calm, composed smile vanished all at once. His face was covered in worry.

Although this is also the North Borough, it will still take at least fifteen minutes by public carriage from Fania Street to Zouteland Street. There and back, waiting for the Captain and the others to arrive, the situation may already have worsened beyond repair… If only Benson and Melissa were not here… But I cannot handle those hidden, unknown existences… Is there a way to temporarily restrain it? Right. Selena is a mysticism enthusiast. Her room should not lack hydrosols, essential oils, herbs, and similar materials…

While Klein was racking his brain for a countermeasure, Elizabeth casually found an excuse about something she wanted to discuss and sat beside Selena.

“Help me divine when I will meet a romantic, handsome gentleman this time.”

Across from them, another young lady drank a sip of wine. Under the teasing gazes of everyone else, she blushed, summoned her courage, and spoke.

Selena cleared her throat twice. With complete seriousness, she rubbed the back of the mirror and said, “Magic mirror, magic mirror, tell me: when will the gentleman in Yunina’s heart appear?”

After repeating it three times, she lifted the mirror and brought it close before herself.

Seizing that chance, Elizabeth abruptly leaned sideways and craned her head, looking over.

According to what she expected, she should have seen Selena’s face in the mirror, and half of her own.

Yet what entered her eyes was only Selena.

Inside that small mirror, there was only Selena—and it was Selena’s whole body!

The mirror was pitch-black. At the center stood Selena, expression cold and sinister.

Elizabeth shuddered violently, suddenly recoiling until her back hit the sofa. For a brief time, she even forgot to breathe.

She trembled uncontrollably and could no longer spare thought for an excuse. She abruptly stood, stumbled toward the door, and dared not turn back to look at the smiling, sunny Selena.

“Yunina’s gentleman will appear on the second Sunday half a year from now…”

Amid the laughing voice, Elizabeth opened the door and went out. She saw Klein, dressed in a tailcoat and wearing a half-top silk hat, standing in the shadow of the wall lamp.

“Mr. Moretti, I—I…”

She stammered, unable to speak clearly.

Klein smiled calmly.

“Do not disturb the young ladies and ladies inside.”

Infected by his smile, Elizabeth calmed somewhat. She reached back, pulled the door nearly shut, and quickly came near the wall lamp.

“I saw it. I saw only Selena in the mirror. Selena like a demon…” she whispered.

As expected…

Klein became even more solemn. In a deep voice, he asked, “Do you know which room is Selena’s bedroom? Do you know where she keeps her mysticism items?”

“It is over there. Her mysticism items are also there.”

Elizabeth pointed without hesitation to the room diagonally opposite.

Klein carried his cane over, turned the unlocked wooden door, and, by the streetlamp light outside the window and the crimson moonlight high above, opened the gas valve and lit the gas lamp.

Amid the glow of yellowish light, his eyes swept over the room. He saw bottles of hydrosol and flower essence, boxes of powdered herbs, candles, and amulets one after another.

Some of these items were arranged on the desk; others sat neatly on shelves. All of them were labeled with their names.

Having confirmed this, Klein turned to Elizabeth, who had followed behind him.

“Do you want to save Selena?”

“Yes!” Elizabeth nodded instinctively. Then she froze and asked blankly, “Will it be dangerous?”

“There will be a certain degree of danger. After all, I am only a mysticism enthusiast,” Klein answered frankly.

“A certain degree of danger…”

Elizabeth pressed her lips tightly together for several seconds.

“What do you need me to do?”

Klein smiled gently and soothed her.

“No need to be nervous. You only need to return to the sitting room and go back to Selena’s side as though nothing has happened. Five minutes later—remember, five minutes later—use the excuse of giving Selena a surprise and bring her here. Knock on the door, one long and two short. After that, mm, leave the rest to me.”

Elizabeth silently reviewed it once, then nodded solemnly.

“All right.”

Watching her return to the sitting room, Klein glanced at his pocket watch, closed Selena’s bedroom door, then rapidly cleared the desk. One by one, he selected the items he needed and placed them on the chair.

Immediately afterward, he picked up two faintly fragrant candles and placed them at the upper-left and upper-right corners of the desk respectively.

These symbolized the Lord of Crimson and the Empress of Misfortune and Horror.

Klein was going to conduct a ritual here, borrowing the Evernight Goddess’s power to fight that mysterious, unknown existence influencing Selena.

Because he was only Sequence 9, the ritual magic he grasped was not powerful enough. If he wanted to succeed, Elizabeth would have to lead Selena into the “sealed circle”—into the range of the “altar.”

Therefore, he also had to consider the possibility that the other party would notice and resist.

Based on those factors, Klein prepared to use an “interruption-style” ritual magic.