At that moment, Odys understood why he had appeared here!
The space he could enter, a realm of infinite knowledge, had reacted in some way with the "Russell Memorial Exhibition" and Klein's "Source Castle."
The reaction ultimately, after Klein's spiritual form departed, for some reason formed a gray, palm-sized sphere.
It was then that Odys realized it must be an "invitation" and a "pass."
Thanks to the influence of that sphere on his own spirit, in an unconscious dreamlike state, he had arrived in the spirit world, right outside the "Source Castle."
But…
Odys felt helpless. "The 'pass,' really, you give it all, big guy! It's one thing if people can't get in, but can you not send dogs to bite me?"
"Open the door! Your dog is about to attack!" he shouted while looking for any way to climb over the wall.
Fortunately, the Fierce Dogs seemed to sense that Odys's spirit carried some aura of the "Source Castle," so they hesitated and did not immediately attack.
But Odys could feel their aggression growing stronger, and any second they might pounce to tear him apart.
The high surrounding walls had not a single gap between bricks, and this was a castle derived from source material—climbing in was not so simple.
Thump, thump, thump~
"Open the door!" Odys wondered if he should reveal the Fool's material to gain a slim chance of survival.
Howl~
A high-pitched roar sounded, like a signal to attack. Dozens of black shapes charged toward him, lunging at Odys.
He pressed against the gate in terror. As a Sequence 9, he was naturally no match for these Fierce Dogs.
Creak~
At that moment, the gate opened just enough for a single person to pass through.
The Fierce Dogs, already nearly upon him, immediately lay down, showing submission.
Odys took the opportunity to slip inside the castle.
Creak~
The castle gate closed again on its own.
Odys breathed a sigh of relief. He knew the Fool would not allow him to die.
Just as his heart settled, seeing the gray mist ahead, Odys suddenly thought of another concern: "Could the aura of the Source Castle contaminate me?"
But then he thought: since Klein had allowed him in, he would surely protect him from contamination. Otherwise, just looking at the Source Castle from outside would have caused him to lose control and turn into a monster.
At that moment, the gray mist rolled aside, revealing a towering hall, as if prepared for giants.
In the hall stood a mottled bronze long table. On both sides and at the ends were high-backed chairs inscribed with occult symbols.
At the far end of the hall, at the head of the table, sat a mysterious and powerful blurred figure.
Odys paused, recalling that outside the gate had been a courtyard. How was it now a grand hall?
But he quickly regained composure and bowed.
"Mighty and mysterious existence, are you the one who summoned me here?"
He said this first to prevent the Fool from asking: how did you come here?
Even if it were a truly hidden existence, the Fool would likely ask anyway. But the Fool, still a hollow frame, had to maintain formality and would not ask lightly.
At that point, a few casual words would be enough to ask to be sent away.
The Fool, Klein, spoke in a low voice:
"What were you doing tonight at the Kingdom Museum?"
Klein, beyond the gray mist, had indeed been sleeping soundly, only to be disturbed by knocking.
Upon waking, he realized someone was knocking on the "Above the Gray Mist" space!
Arriving there, Klein was more surprised. Someone outside was urgently knocking, and his vision had already glimpsed Odys through the gate.
This young man, with black hair but a face partially obscured by mist, felt familiar to Klein.
He quickly used "Dream Divination" to recall where he had seen the young man, and the vision revealed the "Russell Memorial Exhibition."
This put Klein on alert. Fortunately, "Above the Gray Mist" was his realm, so he had little to fear and went to rescue Odys, intending to question whether this young man was connected to the mysterious and formidable lady he had encountered earlier.
Odys glanced at the Fool in surprise, then lowered his head as if he understood something.
His actions were not fake. He was indeed surprised that the Fool knew of his nighttime actions, but he reasoned that the Fool's divination had revealed certain information, hence the knowing expression.
From the Fool's perspective, Odys's expression seemed first surprised, then understanding that such a "mysterious and mighty existence" could know his actions. Klein's lips curved slightly, feeling confident he had the situation under control.
Odys finally spoke:
"Mighty existence, I appeared there under duress."
He knew it was necessary to tell the truth, as the Fool could discern lies.
As expected, Klein's hand under the bronze table was divining whether Odys was lying.
Having concluded that the young man spoke truthfully, Klein asked:
"Who coerced you?"
"An enigmatic and powerful lady," Odys answered.
Klein nodded slowly, realizing this young man was close to that "mysterious lady":
"Why did she coerce you?"
"I achieved some research results in extraordinary weapons. This caught her attention, and she wanted to coerce me into certain transactions."
Odys's statement was partly deceptive. Bernadette's main goal was to prevent him from falling into the mysterious organization's hands. She was indeed interested in his research and intended to trade, so partial truth sufficed.
Klein asked again:
"Did you… conduct the transaction?"
He had considered asking about Odys's work as a craftsman, but decided to focus on the mysterious lady instead.
After all, her power was evident, and it was normal for a mysterious being like the Fool to be interested in a high-sequence extraordinary individual.
Odys replied truthfully:
"Yes, we conducted the transaction."
Klein hummed thoughtfully. He used spiritual vision and could see Odys was a Sequence 9, but could not determine how he had come about his abilities.
Nonetheless, it was rare for a Sequence 9 to be able to craft extraordinary weapons.
Without a stable channel, Klein considered further investigation. He asked:
"Do you wish to gain the ability to counter her?"
Odys was slightly surprised, then said immediately:
"No."
Klein had expected him to say yes, so he could assign tasks and gain information about both the young man and the mysterious lady. But Odys's answer pleased him.
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