Part 1 The Joker Chapter 130 The Hidden Gathering in Birkeland
Looking at Svein who was standing in front of the monster’s corpse, and then looking sideways at the “vicarious punisher” who was in charge of holding back the semi-conscious companion, Klein suddenly felt an indescribable sadness.
Whether it’s the Night Watchman, the Substitute Punisher, or the members of the Mechanical Heart, it’s almost impossible to become a hero, because everything they do will not be known by the public, and can only be hidden in various classified documents, but the dangers and pain they endure are so real.
Maybe one day, my opponents will be my teammates …… Klein sighed silently, feeling the “night watchman”, “vicarious punishment” and “members of the mechanical heart” and so on. Mechanical Heart members” and other terms implied a heavy weight.
At that moment, the old Neil sighed and said:
”Let’s leave and not disturb them.”
”Okay.” Klein picked up his cane and was just about to take a step when he suddenly saw that Old Neil was still covering his left hand, so he asked with concern, “Are you hurt?”
Old Neil gave a heave and said:
”Got zapped by a bouncing splinter, I would have been able to dodge it when I was younger, luckily it’s only a minor problem.”
He slightly loosened his right hand, allowing Klein to see the small wound on the back of his left palm that was still seeping blood.
After confirming that it was nothing serious, Klein sighed as he made his way down the gangway:
”Mr. Neil, you’re even more calm than I imagined, with that monster less than two meters away from you, you were still able to calmly pronounce the words and use the charm.”
Although the Substitute Punisher who had lost control and turned into a monster was pouncing on Klein at that time, Old Neil had been very close to him.
Facing the praise, Old Neil immediately laughed:
”I’m a senior night watchman, among the dangerous scenarios I’ve experienced, what just happened doesn’t even rank in the top ten, I remember once, Dunn and I were patrolling Raphael’s Cemetery, and a dead man had somehow turned into a living corpse, left the grave, and silently ambushed in the shadows of the trees, and I was passing by there, not noticing it at all, and thinking of finding a secluded place, hey, you know of it, only to have him pounce on my back and squeeze my neck.”
Crane, listening with a certain amount of alarm, asked speculatively and rhetorically:
”And in that situation, you’re still cool enough to use a charm, or a spell that some ‘secret spy’ can cast quickly?”
Old Neil glanced at him and smiled lowly, “No, Dunn dragged that walker into a deep sleep just in time, and I say this to tell you that as a night watchman, you must trust not only yourself, but your teammates as well.”
”…… “Klein was silent for a few seconds and said, half in jest and half from the heart, “Mr. Neal, you are so wise today.”
The elder Neil took a small hop and stepped onto the dock, replying in a dismissive tone:
”That’s because you usually recognize only the most insignificant side of me.”
The two men walked out of the dock and all the way back to the front of the Wicked Dragon bar.
Klein put away his revolver, leaned back on his cane, took off his jacket, and examined it for damage by the glow of the gas streetlights.
”That was lucky, just a few splinters and a small patch of dirt ……” He plucked off the debris, patted it roughly clean of dust, and redressed himself.
Old Neil watched with a smile, mimicking his tone of voice, and added leisurely, “What a shame there’s no way to get reimbursed.”
”……” Klein briefly actually couldn’t find the words to respond.
I’m not like that! He emphasized in his mind.
At this time, the public carriage arrived, and Klein pulled out his silver pocket watch with a branch pattern and pressed it open to look at it.
”If there’s nothing else, I have to go home.” He said with a sideways glance to Old Neil.
Neil Sr. nodded slightly:
”Go back and enjoy your dinner, don’t think about that ‘Sleeping Charm’ just now, I’ll get Svein to pay for it, he’s a rich man, not today of course, I’ll have to consider his mood.”
”…… Thank you for your generosity ……,” Klein opened his mouth and finally only spat out this sentence.
He walked quickly to the carriage and made his way back to Daffodil Street, where it was already past seven o’clock and completely dark.
Pulling out his key and unlocking the door to his room, Klein smiled at the sight of Melissa removing her sarong and hanging it toward the coat rack:
”You just got back too?”
By this time, the complications he’d built up earlier dissipated all at once, and his whole being became relaxed and felt warm.
”There’s a practical lesson at school today.” Melissa explained seriously.
Klein twitched his nose, smelling the aroma of food, stunned, and subconsciously asked:
”Who’s preparing dinner then?”
As soon as the words left his mouth, he and Melissa simultaneously grabbed the answer:
”Benson!”
The two men’s tones carried a bit of panic.
At that moment, Benson, who had heard them, stepped out of the kitchen and wiped his hands on his apron:
”Don’t you guys have any confidence in my cooking? I remember when Melissa didn’t know how to cook, you guys would know how to wait for me to come home and watch me cook very eagerly, in fact, cooking is very simple, for example, beef stew with potatoes, first put the beef to cook for a while, then put in the potatoes, and then put in the seasonings ……”
Klein and Melissa looked at each other and remained silent.
Leaning back his cane and removing his hat, Klein turned and laughed:
”I think it’s time to hire handyman maids, it’s very unhealthy to always be off time for dinner.”
”But I don’t want strangers around when we talk, it makes me feel uncomfortable.” Melissa subconsciously found another reason to veto.
Klein spoke with a smile as he took off his jacket:
”Don’t worry about it ……”
Just then, his expression suddenly stalled and his movements paused:
So close, almost took off my jacket by hand, I have a revolver under my armpit ……
”Ahem.” He cleared his throat and said as if nothing had happened, “Don’t worry about it, when we get home, we can let the handyman maid rest in her room, I don’t think there’s any servant who doesn’t like to rest, well, we have to find a handyman maid who’s willing to learn how to cook.”
He didn’t want to be subjected to the ravages of dark cuisine all the time in the future.
Benson stood in the kitchen doorway and nodded approvingly:
”When we have some free time, we can go to the ‘Tingen City Association for the Help of Household Servants’, they have a wealth of resources and enough knowledge in this area.”
”Okay, it’s happily decided!” Klein ignored Melissa’s less-than-reluctant look.
……
Bakerland, Queens, Viscount Graylingt’s house.
Audrey Hall leaves the ball with her personal maid, Anne, and heads up to the second floor and into the Viscount’s arranged bedroom.
She slowly removes her ornate dress and light dancing shoes with Anne’s help and slips into a pre-prepared black robe with a hood.
With the hood on, Audrey stood up in front of the full-length mirror and began to examine herself.
She saw that most of her face was hidden by the shadow of the hood, with only her beautifully curved lips clearly noticeable.
Black robes, hidden in the shadows of the face, mysterious and deep feeling …… This is the dress I have always dreamed of! Audrey thought with delight.
Not quite sure of herself, she added another blue boat-shaped fedora to her hood, with black fine lattice tulle draping down to make her features hazy.
”Nice, that’s it!” Audrey tucked her feet into her calfskin boots and turned her head sideways to Anne, “You wait here for me, and don’t open the door to whoever comes.”
Anne looked helplessly at the young lady and said, “But you must promise that this outing won’t last more than an hour.”
”You should trust me, I’ve kept my word the first few times.” Audrey smiled and leaned in close to the valet, embracing the other woman in a close-faced salute.
Then, with a few brisk leaps back, she pulled on her hood and turned to leave the bedroom where she was through the secret door.
She made her way down to the side door of the Viscount’s house and saw that a carriage had pulled up.
The master, Grelint, stood in the shadow, glanced at Audrey, and complimented her heartily:
”It’s really, uh, cool to see you dressed like this, as Roselle the Great often describes it.”
”Thanks.” Audrey lifted her robes in vain and gave a graceful and pleasant curtsy.
The two got into the carriage and exited the villa to a house ten minutes away.
Outside the front door of the house, Audrey saw Forsyth Vole, the Apprentice, and her friend Hugh Dilcha, the Arbiter, whom she had been seeing on a daily basis for some time.
Forsyth, with slightly curled brown hair and pale blue eyes with a natural languor, pointed to Hugh Dilcha beside her:
”She is an excellent persuader and can help you get what you want.”
Hugh Dilcha was shorter in height, at most a meter and a half out, with delicate and soft features, but her eyebrows seemed to be ungrown and rather green.
She had an ineffable majesty and believable charisma, despite topping her head with straggly, shaggy, shoulder-length yellow hair and wearing a traditional knight’s practice uniform.
Audrey had met the other woman a few times, and with a light smile beat out a call:
”Ms. Hugh, can I trust you?”
”You needn’t worry at all.” Hugh Dilcha smiled and made a gesture of invitation.
Just as she took a step to follow Audrey and Viscount Grelint, there was a sudden “ding” sound.
Audrey looked at the sound, and saw a three-pronged thorn flashing with cold light lying quietly by Hugh Dilcha’s foot.
”……” Audrey and the other you look at me, I look at you, at the same time forgot to speak.
After a dozen seconds or so, Hugh Dilcha crouched quickly and nimbly, picked up the three-pronged thorn, and hid it on his person.
”We must guard against surprises; there are people who lack sufficient sense to be convinced so easily.” Hugh Dilcha explained in a serious voice.
Audrey nodded wordlessly, her voice clear and thin as she replied:
”I believe you …….”
”It’s a prop to get some guy to calm down and talk to us.” Forsyth added next to him as he turned his face sideways and looked out over the lawn.
Without further ado, the four took a few steps forward and knocked on the wooden door in three long intervals.
With a creak, the front door slowly opened, and Audrey, who had entered the spectator’s state, saw a number of people sitting scattered inside, some of them concealing their own appearance in various ways, such as relying on hoods and masks, while others cared nothing for it, frankly exposing their features.
Almost instantly, Audrey noticed the black-robed man sitting on a single couch.
This man also wore a hood, hiding his looks in the shadows.
He was quiet and silent as he watched his visitor, giving him a condescending look down.
Very confident, but the eyes are disgusting, and the line of sight keeps moving over me, like two slippery tentacles that want to peel off my clothes …… Audrey s senses are sharp and observant, and she calmly made a judgment, but her body almost got goose bumps.
At this point, Forsyth introduced:
”That’s Mr. A, a powerful extraordinary person, the convener of this hidden gathering.”