Adrian stood across the street from the private compound.
Night had already settled over Kanazawa.
The streets were quieter now, the movement of people gradually disappearing as shops closed and lamps illuminated the roads. From where he stood, the compound looked almost disappointingly ordinary.
A high wall.
A wooden gate.
A traditional Japanese house hidden behind it.
Nothing about the place suggested that one of the most dangerous sorcerers Adrian knew lived inside.
Adrian narrowed his eyes.
"That's it?"
Naomi stood beside him.
"Yes."
Adrian glanced at her.
"You're certain?"
"I've watched this place for several days."
She lowered her voice.
"Ogun rarely leaves his residence. Most of his affairs are handled through the dojo."
Adrian nodded.
That was useful.
Very useful.
According to Naomi, there were only two guards assigned to the private compound.
Two.
Adrian had expected more.
Much more.
But that didn't mean the house was safe.
In fact, the small number of guards made Adrian more suspicious.
A man like Ogun didn't need an army around his home.
He was the army.
Adrian looked at the walls again.
He had already decided that fighting Ogun directly was out of the question.
He knew enough about the man to understand that much.
Ogun was a master ninja.
A sorcerer.
A warrior with decades of experience.
And Adrian was still only a Sequence 8.
His Clown abilities had made him faster, more agile, and far more difficult to predict.
But none of that made him foolish enough to believe he could defeat Ogun in a straight fight.
And there was another problem.
His pistol.
Adrian knew what would happen if he used it.
The moment a gunshot echoed through this compound, stealth would be over.
The entire situation would change.
So Adrian had prepared something better.
Silence.
He opened his coat slightly.
Several pieces of ordinary paper were tucked inside.
He had spent part of the afternoon preparing them.
With his Clown spirituality, he had shaped them into thin, rigid paper blades.
They weren't elegant.
They weren't particularly intimidating.
But they were silent.
And silence was exactly what he needed.
Adrian turned toward Naomi.
"You're leaving."
Naomi blinked.
"My Lord?"
"You heard me."
"But—"
"Once I make my move, your cover is finished."
Naomi's expression changed.
"If the military discovers that you helped me, they'll know you were involved."
"I don't care."
"I do."
Adrian looked directly at her.
"You're coming with me."
Naomi stared at him.
For a moment, she seemed unable to respond.
Then she bowed her head.
"Yes, My Lord."
Adrian frowned.
"And don't call me that where anyone can hear."
"Yes, Adrian."
Better.
He turned back toward the compound.
There was something about Naomi's devotion that continued to make him uncomfortable.
He hadn't asked for it.
He hadn't wanted it.
He had simply wanted to survive.
Yet somehow, he had acquired a follower who believed he was an incarnation of the Fool.
Adrian had no idea how long this situation would last.
Nor did he realize that his decision tonight would have consequences far beyond what he could imagine.
Naomi watched him silently.
She understood his order.
But she had already made her own decision.
If my Lord is going to face danger, then someone must help him.
She wouldn't interfere tonight.
She wouldn't disobey him.
But someday, she would build something.
An organization.
A network.
People who could work from the shadows.
People who could gather information.
People who could protect those who served the Fool.
She would make sure her Lord never had to walk alone again.
Adrian knew none of this.
And perhaps, years later, he would regret giving her the freedom to do it.
The night deepened.
Adrian waited until the streets were almost empty.
Then he moved.
He crossed the road without making a sound.
His enhanced balance made the climb easier than it should have been.
His fingers caught the top of the wall.
His body followed.
A moment later, he was on the other side.
Adrian crouched in the shadows.
He waited.
Nothing.
No footsteps.
No voices.
His Clown intuition remained quiet.
Good.
He moved toward the house.
The two guards were exactly where Naomi had said they would be.
One was near the side entrance.
The other was patrolling the rear.
Adrian waited for the first man's back to turn.
Then—
he moved.
A piece of paper flashed through the darkness.
The guard barely had time to react before Adrian struck him and caught his body before it hit the ground.
The second guard heard something.
He turned.
Adrian was already behind him.
A quick strike.
The man collapsed.
Adrian lowered him carefully.
Two guards.
Two unconscious bodies.
No alarm.
He exhaled.
So far, so good.
Adrian looked toward the house.
The darkness beyond the windows seemed to stare back.
His danger intuition remained silent.
He didn't trust that silence completely.
But it was enough.
He entered.
The interior was exactly what Adrian expected from someone like Ogun.
Traditional Japanese architecture.
Dark wooden floors.
Minimal decoration.
Everything perfectly arranged.
Yet beneath the simplicity was something else.
Adrian could feel it.
Magic.
Old magic.
Subtle.
Almost invisible.
His eyes narrowed.
So the rumors were true.
Ogun wasn't merely a warrior who happened to know magic.
Magic was woven into this place.
Adrian moved carefully.
He didn't touch anything unnecessarily.
He didn't open doors without checking them.
And when he reached a corridor, he stopped.
The pendulum in his hand moved.
Left.
Right.
Then—
forward.
Adrian followed it.
The movement became stronger.
He continued through the house until he reached a large wooden door.
The pendulum swung directly toward it.
Adrian smiled.
"The library."
He slowly opened the door.
The room beyond was enormous.
Shelves covered almost every wall.
Ancient books filled them.
Scrolls rested in wooden cases.
Some volumes were bound in leather.
Others were covered in symbols Adrian didn't recognize.
A few appeared so old that he couldn't even tell what material they were made from.
Adrian stepped inside.
His eyes widened.
"This isn't a library."
He stared at the shelves.
"It's an arsenal."
He began searching.
He knew what he was looking for.
Not necessarily a specific title.
His divination had shown him books.
Something within this collection could help him against Selene.
He moved from shelf to shelf.
Occult texts.
Sorcery manuals.
Books concerning spirits.
Ancient rituals.
Techniques involving the manipulation of energy.
Adrian carefully examined each one.
Nothing.
Nothing.
Nothing.
His frustration slowly grew.
Come on.
He had crossed half the world for this.
There had to be something here.
He pulled another book from a shelf.
Nothing.
Another.
Nothing.
He reached toward a darker volume near the back.
Then—
his intuition exploded.
Adrian froze.
The sensation was so sudden that his entire body reacted before his mind understood why.
Danger.
He dropped his weight.
His body twisted sideways.
At the same instant, he threw the book backward.
CLANG!
Steel struck the book.
The sound echoed through the library.
Adrian landed several steps away.
His eyes widened.
He slowly turned.
A figure stood where he had been.
Tall.
Still.
Completely silent.
A katana rested in his hand.
Traditional clothing covered his body.
And over his face—
was an oni mask.
Adrian's heart began pounding.
For the first time since entering the house, his Clown intuition wasn't merely whispering.
It was screaming.
The masked figure slowly raised the katana.
Adrian stared at him.
He didn't need to ask who it was.
He already knew.
Ogun.
The sorcerer slowly tilted his head.
"You entered my house."
His voice was calm.
Almost conversational.
Adrian looked at the katana.
Then at the shelves surrounding them.
Then back at the oni mask.
He swallowed.
So much for stealth.
Ogun took one slow step forward.
Adrian's hand moved toward the paper blades hidden inside his coat.
His mind raced.
He had come here to steal a book.
He hadn't planned to fight.
He hadn't planned to meet Ogun.
And most importantly—
he had absolutely no idea how strong the man standing before him truly was.
Ogun's grip tightened around the katana.
Adrian smiled.
It was a small smile.
The kind a man might wear when he had just realized that his carefully prepared plan had completely fallen apart.
"Well…"
Adrian slowly raised his hands.
"I'm guessing the library isn't open to visitors."
Behind the oni mask, Ogun said nothing.
Then the katana moved.
And Adrian realized something.
The real test of his Clown potion had just begun.