Miss Daly? What is she doing at the free school? Did some extraordinary incident occur here?Though Ebner was puzzled, he outwardly put on a look of surprise, glancing at Miss Daly several times.
After all, the school was close to the East Borough, and women as beautiful and well-dressed as her were rare around here. Sneaking a look was only natural.
Sure enough, Miss Daly suspected nothing, completely ignored Ebner, and stepped into a carriage by the roadside that bore the emblem of the Church of Evernight.
Ebner only turned around and walked into the school after watching the carriage leave, heading to his office.
The four students were already waiting inside.
Very few people were willing to teach at the free school, so a unique teaching model had developed there. The teacher would arrive early, gather a few of the top students, pass on the day's lesson to them, and then those students would teach their respective classes. The teacher would patrol between classrooms to supervise and correct mistakes. This was known as the tutor system.
After Ebner had assumed his current identity and applied to teach at the school funded by the Church of Evernight, he had met with the four top-performing students and memorized their names.
There were three boys and one girl. Their clothes were worn but clean and tidy, and they were all polite.
The only girl was named Daisy. She was the daughter of the laundry worker who had been rescued during the Capim case by the hero bandit Black Emperor.
Of course, with Aetris's help, her family had already moved out of the East Borough, though they still worked in the laundry trade.
Ebner checked over the homework he had assigned earlier, then casually asked, "Did something happen at school?"
Otherwise, why would a Nighthawk show up...
"Yes, sir. A lady just came by. She was a bishop from the Church," a thirteen or fourteen-year-old boy with faint freckles on his face answered respectfully.
His name was Baker—a very common name, especially here in Backlund.
"What was she here for?" Ebner asked.
"I'm not sure… the principal was the one who met with her…" Baker thought for a moment, then pointed to the girl beside him and said, "Oh, right. She seemed to have called Daisy over and asked her something privately."
Ebner turned his gaze to Daisy at those words.
He wasn't worried about appearing nosy—after all, it was perfectly natural to ask about a beautiful woman.
Daisy looked a little confused. "I… I just remember that Miss Daly's perfume smelled really nice, and then… then everything felt hazy. I didn't even notice what she was asking me…"
She lowered her head, embarrassed.
She used spirit mediumship, huh? And only on Daisy—so it's not about something that happened at the school... Is she still investigating the hero bandit Black Emperor?But judging from what I just saw through the Professor's Sight, Miss Daly seems to have emerged from her grief… there's not even a trace of sorrow in her emotions… instead, there's a bit of longing…
Professor's Sight was a secret art Ebner had recently begun experimenting with. It combined Spirit Vision, Mind Reading, and the Desire Perception he had learned from the Magic Mirror, allowing him to observe emotional and mental changes more precisely and thoroughly.
And because it incorporated traits of a demon, this secret art was extremely covert, nearly impossible for Beyonders of the same level to detect—even those with sharp spiritual senses.
Given the kind of fierce love Daly had for Dunn in the original work—willing to risk her life for vengeance—I can rule out the possibility that she's fallen out of love…
So… has she confirmed that Dunn is still alive? Did she dig up the grave?I wonder if Dunn came back to see her after parting ways with Closfia…But knowing Dunn's personality, he'd probably be worried that his presence would only cause her trouble, wouldn't he?
With these thoughts swirling in his mind, Ebner pulled out the lesson plan and began teaching the day's material to his four top students.
.....
At 15 Minsk Street, not long after the Tarot Club meeting ended, Miss Sharon—her face pale and her features delicate—knocked on Klein's window.
Seeing the quiet Miss Temperance sitting across from him, Klein smiled before she could say anything.
"This is the payment I owe you for the Deep Sea Naga hair, plus the protection fee for the past two days—500 pounds in total."
After speaking, he took out two stacks of cash from his coat pocket.
Since the 1,000 pounds promised by Machinery Hivemind hadn't come through yet, Klein had owed Sharon money last week. Now that he had received payment from Mr. Hanged Man for selling the Werewolf characteristic, he naturally wanted to pay her back.
Sharon stared quietly at him, then only took 200 pounds from the stack and shook her head.
"I didn't make a move this time, so you don't need to pay me..."
"Bodyguards are paid by the day! I know what you mean—you're saying we're friends now, so you don't want to worry about payment anymore.
"But this is just a token of appreciation from me as a friend." Klein smiled as he offered the rest of the money again.
Sharon glanced at him, then finally reached out and took it.
With a pale hand, she flipped her palm, and the cash vanished without a trace. Then, in a drifting, ethereal voice, she asked:
"You didn't mention the underground ruins with the evil spirit at the Tarot Club, did you?"
"I only described the situation in the main hall, then Mr. Tower told me part of the history from the Dual Chancellor Era of the Fourth Epoch... I told you about that before." Klein didn't ask why Sharon brought this up, and simply thought aloud.
I even found out that Trunsoest became the Arbiter and Tudor became the Red Priest... But that information was sold separately to Miss Justice by Tower, so technically the World wouldn't know. That's why I haven't told you yet, Klein added to himself with some regret.
He still remembered that when he had first explained this knowledge—what had appeared in the Tarot Club—to Sharon, she had listened intently with her chin propped on one hand. She seemed to enjoy watching plays and hearing all sorts of legends.
Sharon raised her head and gave a short "mm" in response.
"Someone is digging a tunnel to the underground ruins."
Someone is digging a tunnel, trying to get into that underground structure?
Thanks to the context of the earlier question, Klein immediately realized what she was referring to.
He pondered for a few seconds and asked,"That... Baron something? I think his name was Pound?"
He remembered the man was a descendant of the Tudors and lived on Siviras Street, where the Backlund Police Department was located. When he went to interrogate him back then, he'd almost been tricked.
"Mm." Sharon confirmed it.
"What is he trying to find? Doesn't he know there's an evil spirit in there? Doesn't he know their previous Beyonders all died inside?" Klein muttered a few questions to himself.
Sharon sat calmly and answered earnestly.
"I don't know whether he knows or not."
"...How long until he finishes digging?" Klein asked after some thought.
"Two to three months. He's working alone for now," Sharon estimated.
Whew. Klein let out a small sigh of relief.
"Then there's no rush. Once I'm ready, we'll go 'visit' him together."
At this point, he suddenly realized Sharon's earlier question had another meaning.
"You want to inform the Tarot Club about this? Invite Tower or Judgment to go together?"
"Yes. Tower is very likely already a demigod. With him, the danger could be minimized." Because she had identified Judgment as Hugh, Sharon had long suspected that Tower was Ebner.
But after the recent Desire Apostle incident, she wasn't so sure anymore.
After all, just half a year ago, the "Hero Detective" was still just a Sequence 9.
Mr. Tower definitely hasn't become a demigod. Of that, I'm sure... But he probably has demigod-level means!
Although Klein thought this to himself, on the surface he hesitated for a moment before agreeing to Sharon's suggestion and decided to try inviting Mr. Tower to go with them.
I just wonder if sharing a Fourth Epoch ruin could help offset a bit of the favor I owe that angel...
.....
After returning home, Daly pulled all the curtains shut and began setting up a ritual. Finally, she placed a mirror at the center of the altar.
It was a secret art she had learned from Stuart, one that allowed her to pray to the Sealed Artifact "2-111" from the Church of Steam.
"Executioner of Thunder, Notary of Contracts, Magic Mirror that opens the All-Seeing Eye, humble servant of the great master, Arrodes...
"I pray that your power descends upon this mirror;
"I pray that your knowledge brings me the answers I seek..."
After chanting the incantation, she used spirituality to ignite a piece of parchment with her question written on it, letting the ashes scatter across the altar.
(End of Chapter)