Chapter 34: The Cause and Course of Events

Chapter Thirty-FourThe Cause and Course of Events

The figure in the mirror became clear, but the woman in the black court dress was no longer there. It was as though she had never appeared.

Klein quietly activated spirit vision, but still found nothing.

I did not hire a female ghost as my bodyguard, did I? This is even stranger than a female ghost… At least spirit vision can see ghosts…

Thoughtfully, Klein touched Azik’s copper whistle in his pocket. He felt only its usual coolness and coldness, with no additional change.

Not affected by the copper whistle… It seems she is not of the undead type… But that cannot be confirmed. Back when the copper whistle was buried with me, the dead people around me did not show any abnormality either… Was that because everyone buried in the graveyard had undergone rites of requiem by priests and bishops?

When exactly does it take effect, and when does it not?

Once the ambassador’s matter is over—if I am still alive—I will go to a graveyard and run some experiments, trying to determine its range and limitations. I cannot keep carrying something that feels like a time bomb…

Klein washed his face, then turned and left the washroom.

He had only just picked up the newspaper in the living room, preparing to read in the sitting room or bedroom, when he suddenly heard the doorbell ring.

Amid the dinging and clanging, Klein’s mind abruptly tightened. Highly alert, he put on his coat containing various materials and walked toward the door.

He clearly remembered that danger would descend within the next few days.

Standing behind the door and waiting for a moment, Klein naturally saw the scene outside in his mind.

The crimson moon appeared and vanished in the sky. Elegant gas lamps on both sides of the street illuminated the damp road. A boy in an old coat stood there, his bright-red eyes deep and carrying a trace of confusion.

Ian Wright? Why has he appeared? Is this not the scene I saw in my dream divination? Is this the omen of danger arriving?

Klein pulled open the door and warily retreated two steps.

“Detective Moriarty.”

Ian removed his brown round-topped hat, bowed slightly, and said, “I am here to apologize. I am very sorry for involving you in such a dangerous incident.”

Klein furrowed his brows slightly.

“The thing you should do most is go to the police station.”

Ian looked around and lowered his head slightly.

“I just came out of MI9.”

Ah? So that is the name of the military’s special department?

Klein stepped aside and pointed toward the living room.

“Perhaps we can talk.”

At the very least, I need to know what kind of matter dragged me into such a passive situation…

He sighed inwardly.

Ian did not stand on ceremony. He followed Klein into the living room and sat in the same place as last time.

He was about to speak when Klein suddenly added, “If what you intend to say will place me in even greater danger, then you need not say it.”

“It will not. Everything is nearly over,” Ian said, with calmness that did not match his age.

Klein breathed out in relief and asked in puzzlement, “Then what exactly happened?”

Before his voice had even fallen, he abruptly saw a figure appear on the glass of the oriel window across the living room: black court dress, pale-golden hair tied up, blue eyes, exquisite features, and a pale face. It was precisely the woman who had greeted Klein from the wash mirror earlier.

The woman seemed to have found an illusory high-backed chair. She sat down, propped her left hand beneath her right elbow, rested her right hand against her cheek, and took on a blankly listening posture.

…

For a moment, Klein actually did not know how he ought to react.

At that moment, Ian, after several seconds of silence, said in a low voice, “In truth, Detective Zeriel was a spy of the Feysac Empire. He adopted several street children and taught them techniques for gathering intelligence. I was one of them.”

So that is how it is… I was swept into a major…