Keeping his suspicions to himself, Kiyotaka did not tell Klein about the bookmark immediately, however, he was sure that he had to take action as soon as possible.
The Roselle Memorial Exhibition was not going to last forever, and he had to take his chances to get his hand on it. While the Card of Blasphemy had Anti-Divination and Anti-Prophecy elements to it, Kiyotaka was not sure if it was going to stay the same once he activated it.
'I could always stash it away in that space above the Grey Fog... But the prime question is how do I even get my hands on it.
There are bound to be High-Sequence Beyonders protecting this place. Even if not high, there would be multiple low and mid-Sequence Beyonders. That is enough to make it nigh impossible.
Making a distraction like the Lanevus Incident is also not possible. The location of the docks was in a way that it was quite some distance away from the mainland and the Churches. And since it was a sneak-attack without any prior preparation or attempt, it did not gather as much attention as it normally would have.
Right now, I am safe because the intelligence that the MI9 and Churches are working with is the involvement of a Pyromaniac. Even if I am tailed, under the slightest suspicion, all I have to do is not use flames.
However, 'Ember' is my main offense weapon. If I lose that, then... Hmm, the other Mystical Item will soon arrive. Maybe in the meantime I should use the Hunter and Rose Bishop Mystical Item. Rose Bishop is able to pull its own offense and defense quite nicely, despite the way its abilities work being quite repulsive.'
Lost in his thoughts, Kiyotaka walked about in the West Borough. He was currently looking for a house of his own. Ever since his previous one was blown to bits, he had either stayed with Klein or Leppard.
It was about time that he rented his own place.
As he walked about, he took in different places. However, there was a single problem. West Borough was a high-class residential borough, belonging to the nobles and the richest magnates, bordering Cherwood and Empress Borough.
'I can probably afford a month or two in rent, but then it would be hard to sustain the lifestyle. Just from a brief observation, rent isn't the only thing I have to worry about. 99% of people here have private carriages, lots of servants, drivers, maintenance staff and such. There is also the matter of bureaucracy being involved. Its not rare for landlords or governing bodies to reject giving out a place for rent if a person doesn't have good enough background or portfolio.
That leaves Cherwood Borough. The problem with this is that Patrick Jason knows I live in Cherwood Borough. Just being in the same borough will make it really easy for him and his devil dog to narrow down on my position. Hmm... I think it is better that in the meantime, I keep renting hotels near the Churches.
If push really comes to shove, I can use commotion to get out of the matter by involving the churches.
I should probably visit the Beyonder meeting tonight to get materials for Barbarian. The supplementary ingredients like deep-patterned walnut, 1 Lemon Balm (Melissa), 10ml pure dew steeped from poplar bark and 100ml strong liquor are really easy to obtain. I don't even need to go the Beyonder meeting for this. However, getting Berserk Weed and Solid Crystallized Horn of an Earth Rhinoceros will either be hard or expensive to obtain...
Yes, let's advance to Barbarian before trying to put my hands on the supposed Card of Blasphemy.
Once the mystical item from Sherlock is prepared into a Mystical Item, I can use both to work around Patrick Jason and acting as a Barbarian too.'
Kiyotaka looked down at his hands. There was something going on inside his head, and he had been debating how he should handle Patrick Jason, or at least the Devil Dog for a long time now. And while the method—as he had previous ruminated in his head—was not entirely something that would be appreciated by Klein, it was still something that needed to be done.
"Something needs to be done about this. My freedom has been put in some serious jeopardy purely because I saw it kill a woman. I need to get this out of the way as soon as possible."
Mentally planning the next course of actions, Kiyotaka made his way to the nearby cafeteria and sat there until the sun began to go down.
Just as the first vestiges of the sun began to disappear, a man with the hunched back and crooked nose walked inside the café. Sitting in the same way as before, right behind Kiyotaka, he rubbed his hands together.
"You wanted to see me, boss?"
He spoke slowly, loud enough for only Kiyotaka to hear.
"I had something for you to deliver." Kiyotaka replied solemnly. It was about nigh-time that he had to put his plans into motions.
Taking out three letters from his inside pocket, he held them back as the hunched-back short-statured man took it from his grasp. He slipped it inside his rags and smiled crookedly at the waiter who placed a cup of coffee on the table in front of him.
"Deliver one of these to a firm on the address mentioned on the envelope. Deliver the other via a subsidiary to address mentioned in Empress Borough and the last one to Cherwood Borough. Once you deliver the letters, I need you to put some pressure on a certain individual." Kiyotaka talked so eloquently that the hunched man could not help but listen really closely to him.
"That is what we do best, boss!"
Kiyotaka hummed through his nose. 'It would be a shame... This guy is quite obedient.'
"There is a person who lives somewhere in the West Borough, or somewhere around that region. He has a giant black dog with a shiny fur. If I had to guess the breed, it would be a Cane Corso. I want you to tail that man, but not too much. Keep the stalking and pressure as minimal as possible, just to put him on edge. Maintain a safe distance at the same time."
"But boss, we can just slime him. Just give the order!"
'Why would he cover him with slime?' "There is no need for that. Just do what you are told." Using his Eloquence in a masterful manner, Kiyotaka talked in the cadence of a true gang leader, appearing charismatic and strict at the same time.
"As you say, boss! I'll have my boys get to the task as soon as possible. As for the letters, I will deliver them myself!"
Kiyotaka did not reply and instead focused his attention on the remaining few drops of coffee that stained the bottom of the white cup. He picked it up and drank it. The taste of it was bland and really cold.
Smacking his lips slightly due to mild dissatisfaction, Kiyotaka stood up and looked back. He was going to pay for both of them after saying something to him; however, the hunched man had disappeared at some point in time.
*****
The Crimson Moon hung a little low as Kiyotaka walked outside an establishment. Adjusting his long coat and his half-top hat, he adjusted the materials inside his pockets.
This Beyonder Meeting was much different than the one conducted by Mr. A
The atmosphere was much lighter and there was no constant prying by Beyonders who were at a much higher level than him. Of course, the possibility of them prying into him and him not realizing were quite a lot as well.
Clutching the letter in his hands, Kiyotaka looked down at it. Klein had sent a letter to Kiyotaka, calling him over to his house. The letter also mentioned that there was a certain degree of danger involved in the route to his house, but he would mostly be safe.
Other than that, the letter also had the Rose Bishop Mystical Item in it. The Beyonder Characteristic of the Rose Bishop had been converted into a fishnet-like glove. It was extremely thin and had blotches of red with green, blue and red veins running all over it.
'What an interesting texture. I should probably not wear it unless I really need it.'
Kiyotaka pasquinaded, feeling the slimy texture of the inside of the glove. It produced weird sounds whenever Kiyotaka tried to put his hand inside it. In the end, he just stuffed it inside his long coat's pocket and began walking.
On his way to Cherwood Borough, Kiyotaka made a quick stop at the Church of Evernight Goddess.
The inside was not as busy since it was the time when most people returned from work and had dinner. Hence, the Church was mostly empty, save for a few people who were cleaning the floors and windows, to host the believers who would come later in the night.
Sitting on one of the pews, Kiyotaka clasped his hands and lowered his head. After a few seconds of doing so, he smelt a faint but familiar scent. Tapping his chest three times, he finished his "prayer" and saw Daly standing beside him.
He looked at her arms tucked underneath her breasts and breathed out through his nose.
'She has quite firm breasts. It is different from Ichinose's though, since while her's were larger in size, Daly's are much firmer and more uptight. Of course, this can be attributed to an undergarment of that kind.
Hmm, would this also count as sacrilege, thinking such a thing inside the Goddess' Church? Uhh... I hope this doesn't accumulate as bad karma for me.'
"You seem to always find me." Kiyotaka removed his cane from the pew and patted it.
Daly huffed and walked in front of him.
Kiyotaka sniffed minutely, taking in the extremely fresh smell of flowers and citrus and shampoo. Once she was settled down, Daly looked ahead and gently tapped her chest three times before letting out a loud sigh.
"You said not to mention anything. What am I supposed to say then? Or what am I supposed to do? And why did you mention that nothing should be mentioned in case we meet in person?"
"Can I ask you something, Daly?"
"I thought it was Miss Daly, but well, yeah, go ahead, ask me."
"Do I strike as a dunderhead to you?"
"No, as a matter of fact, you have grown on me as a totally opposite kind of that. Why do you ask?"
"Well, then there must be a reason why you should not think or ask of me anything."
Daly scoffed and adjusted her posture, shifting her legs in a way that the long frills of her dress framed tightly around her thighs. "That is not how things work, especially when you are asking for favors."
"It is not a favor I want. It is more akin to a transaction, a transaction in which we make each other satisfied and happy. In its essence, it is a purely transactional exchange."
Daly looked at Kiyotaka from the corner of her eyes. "The way you put it makes one of us sound like a prostitute."
Kiyotaka looked up at the Sacred Emblem and then lowered his head. "We are all prostitutes, Daly, in one way or the other, selling different parts of us." Putting his half-top hat over his head, Kiyotaka dusted the seams of his coat. "I was here for a prayer, not a meeting. I apologize if you had to go out of your way to come meet me here."
"It is fine. My ass was beginning to hurt from sitting on the seat all day today anyways."
'What a crude woman.' Kiyotaka thought internally.
The two of them talked a little more about the mundane things in life, such as where they were living, and how things were around them. Neither did Daly try to probe Kiyotaka regarding what he was doing and why he was doing it, nor did Kiyotaka try to ask Daly why the church was lenient when it came to him.
While he was naturally curious, he was also a little apprehensive when it came to secrets of divine beings. Hence, he kept ulterior motives as a factor, and planned things according to that. Of course, there was a high chance that his plans could fail miserably.
"Will I see you tomorrow, then?"
"Perhaps."
Standing outside the Church, Kiyotaka bid the uncouth lady farewell and began to trot towards Klein's house. While he was doing so, he passed by the Roselle Memorial Exhibition. In passing, he saw a girl walking out of the Exhibition with a lot of guards around her.
She had long blonde hair and enchanting green eyes.
Kiyotaka did not look at her for more than a heartbeat and kept walking.
*****
'That person was an acquaintance of Xio and Fors who was also friends with Mr. Glaint! He also recently helped father with some of his business acquisitions. But why did he look at me this way?
His posture was upright and much less rigid than before, however, the way he looked at me made it feel like he recognized me. Well, of course, he would recognize me, but there was still something different about it.
He also seems to know that I had begun observing him. He loosened his posture and controlled his breathing immediately and did not show any behavioral anomalies or subconscious ticks the moment his eyes landed on me. I wonder what the matter could be... Anyways! Mr. Fool praised me! Today sure is an eventful day!
Audrey who had momentarily seen Kiyotaka was able to read him, even in that small window of time.
*****
Kiyotaka on the other hand heaved a sigh of relief. 'That was close. She's a Sequence above me so her observation skills must've undergone a qualitative change. That means I need to avoid her in the real world.
I should also put some distinction in my mannerisms as The Emperor and as Williams Holmes. However, there is already a fundamental difference between us. The Emperor is a lofty figure who acts crass all the time. Williams Holmes on the other hand is an unlicenced accountant, drug and sex-addict and a former-informant.' Kiyotaka pasquinaded
Not wanting to walk anymore, Kiyotaka took a carriage to a hotel nearby. While he was on his way there, he had already equipped Ember and Cyst. Cyst was the Mystical Item made out of the Rose Bishop's Beyonder Characteristic.
Kiyotaka paid the money at the reception and then quickly entered the room. Once he was inside, he picked up a glass and washed it multiple times before taking out ingredients from his pockets.
He had decided to advance tonight!
One by one, he began to add the materials inside the glass. 1 Berserk Weed, 1 solid crystallized horn of an Earth Rhinoceros and then he carefully began to add 1 deep-patterned walnut, 1 Lemon Balm, 10ml pure dew steeped from poplar bark and 100ml strong liquor.
He had approximated the 100ml of strong liquor as it was something he had bought from the store. He let the concoction mix and, in the meantime, he placed the bottle to his lips and took a few sips from it.
It was to calm his nerves, in case something would happen or spiral out of control for him.
Once everything had mixed, he looked at it. It was a translucent black liquid with miniature organs, like internal organs and tongues, bobbing up and down inside.
Not letting himself have second thoughts, Kiyotaka picked it up and gulped it in one go. At the same time, he felt like all of his organs were expanding, like an overinflated balloon and were going to explode!
He fell down on his knees, as sweat covered his entire body. However, using the methods thought by Klein, he soon stabilized himself.
Before he knew it, the strange sensation cause by the potion had already subsided.
"I thought it was supposed to be harder, the further down you go." Kiyotaka spoke out loud to himself.
Looking down, he curled and uncurled his fingers.
He had finally advanced to Sequence 8: Barbarian!
'Divide and conquer.' Kiyotaka thought to himself as felt that his brain had suffered a massive boost. 'I feel like I can take care of one of them now.'
Gently feeling the texture of Ember over his wrist, Kiyotaka stood up and walked to the window. In the distance, he could feel some danger approaching, just as Klein had told him.
'So, let the hunt begin.'