"Can I have a glass of Southville Beer, please?"
The bartender grunted in response as he handed over the drink, "Four penny."
After paying, Andrew moved to the table on the furthest corner of the empty bar.
It was the next morning since that encounter with those spirits, and Andrew was forced to leave the house as soon as he woke up.
Being Sunday, he would usually sleep a little longer, but he had someone to meet.
Their meeting place was the Bravehearts Bar, located on Iron Gate Street. It was a popular place among wild Beyonders, since a meeting point to exchange, sell, and acquire goods, weapons, and formulas took place in the same building.
He also had attended a few times.
For anyone wondering how it was possible that on the same street where there was once a Church of the God of Steam and Machinery such meetings occurred, the answer is simple.
The black market and these meetings could not be controlled twenty-four hours a day, and therefore they were inevitable. It was also a source of resources that Churches would normally have to wait months to receive from headquarters. So as long as they were harmless and nothing too illegal, the Churches often turned a blind eye.
Another reason Andrew had chosen this bar was the lack of people in the morning, which made it a suitable place to talk about certain matters.
When he arrived at the table, he slammed his glass on the tabletop, and a head, which had been blissfully resting, shot up.
The figure had disheveled red hairs and a poorly shaved beard. He was wearing cheap black pants and a linen shirt that wasn't fully buttoned.
The man in his mid-twenties had a confused face and green eyes clouded by both sleep and alcohol. After that, he woke up, and his eyes showed anger, at least until they landed on Andrew.
As if he had understood everything, his gaze returned to normal, and a lazy smile grew on his face.
"It's good to see you, kiddo. You could have woken me up another way, ya know?"
After that, he chuckled a little before taking another sip of alcohol from his mug.
An aura of beer and vomit permeated around him, creating clear exasperation on Andrew's face.
He never felt the need to maintain an air of elegance around this guy.
"Drunk? Early in the morning?", Andrew asked.
It was true that he also took some beer, but it was only out of respect for the owner. It was bad etiquette to come in just to talk and then leave.
"It's the joy of life!!"
The man shouted at the top of his lungs.
And then he folded his arms while looking at Andrew with almost serious eyes.
"So, any news?", he asked in a low voice.
The man was Luke Ross, and he was his most important informants in the field of mystical knowledge.
He was also a Beyonder, and despite his low Sequence, Andrew guessed 8, and his appearance, his family's lineage dated back to the Fourth Epoch.
Needless to say, they possessed many secrets.
Mulling over the events, Andrew drank a little bit of beer before replying, "I almost encountered a spirit of Sequence 6."
"Really!? Oh! Come on, tell me more."
Andrew briefly recounted what had happened, leaving out Melissa's identity, of course.
Luke chuckled before speaking.
"Finally, it was your turn, huh? It's been too long since you encountered anything serious."
It was true.
In the world of Beyonders, there seemed to be a rule: once you became a member, encountering cases like this was inevitable.
Andrew, despite having been a Beyonder for almost seven years, had only encountered minor, almost harmless cases.
This was seen as very strange by the drunk man.
"Come on! At least you digested a good portion of the potion, right?"
"You're right."
The Student of Ratiocination principle followed the rule that the more you applied it in dangerous cases, the more it aided digestion.
After yesterday, he was about twenty-five percent off from a full digestion.
After years of small incidents and small reasonings that had helped little, yesterday he had received the necessary push to continue.
"You know, I have to thank you. That information you gave me about the Lights proved useful."
"Oh yes. The old Seven Lights, always reliable…"
After watching him drink another portion of his beer, Andrew asked, "What do you think, then?"
"As far as I'm concerned, you're right. It's too strange for a case, there's probably a Beyonder behind it. I'd say a Beyonder from the Corpse Collector Pathway, but there are other Pathways that might be able to do something similar."
Andrew nodded and then entered a reflective phase.
"Hey, if you have something to tell me, do it. You've never had a problem with it before!", he said while pointing his finger at him.
Annoyed, Andrew pushed his finger away before looking at him.
"…Why did you become a Beyonder?"
"You... you'd never asked me that before..."
Perhaps driven by last night's dream, he'd become curious. Or perhaps he wanted to understand why other people chose to follow this path.
Slowly moving the mug Luke grimaced before speaking.
"Honestly, I didn't want to be part of this shit."
"!"
Andrew looked at him in shock; he hadn't expected this answer.
"Our oh-so-big family—" a laugh escaped his mouth "—had a curse. Every full moon, all the Beyonders in the family would hear screams and shouts so loud it would drive them crazy, losing control.
To try and save themselves, many members sought outside help, making people with no connection honorary members or some bullshit like that.
Basically, to soften them up so they would do the work we couldn't do.
The old man who controls my family branch wanted me to become a Beyonder too, but my parents protected me, saying it was too dangerous with the curse.
Recently, the curse was lifted, so here I am!"
Saying the last part, he slammed the mug on the table, similar to how Andrew had done it, but with much more force.
Andrew had never seen him so angry.
"Sorry, if the curse has been broken why do you have to become a Beyonder? It should be "safe" for everyone now, right? If it's about regaining your former family strength, just let the most willing members take over, right?"
"If only it was about that…"
"And what is it about?"
"Shortly before the curse was broken, a good portion of the family converted to the Fool's religion, which apparently protected them during the full moon, and the member of his church who was recruited by us has gained more power.
Many traditionalists don't like it, so they're forcing young people like me of the family to become Beyonders. But if you ask me, it's a fucking losing battle; after all, she is already at the level of a demigod…"
A demigod?!
Andrew's eyes widened. A Beyonder of Sequence 4 or 3 who had acquired extraordinary powers.
Maybe now it made sense why he was helping him.
He was giving private and secret information gathered by his family for centuries to a stranger!
It was his way of taking a childish revenge against them.
Seeing the gaping mouth, Luke regained his good humor.
"And why did you become a Beyonder kiddo?"
Andrew didn't take long to think of the answer.
It was very simple for him.
"There's no real reason."
"What do you mean?"
Looking at Luke's unblinking face, Andrew pondered which words were most appropriate.
"…To put it simply, I was born and raised around mysticism and the Beyonders. Honestly, it was only a matter of time before I became one myself."
The words weren't filled with strong emotion. They were simple and direct.
Andrew didn't need a reason; he knew he belonged to this world since he was born.
Luke seemed to look at him with an emotion akin to sadness, which confused him.
Why was it something worth being sad about?
A silence fell between the two.
Then Andrew opened his mouth.
"The Fool, huh?"
"Uh, yeah," Luke replied distractedly.
The Fool was the name of a God that became famous in recent years. At the start many talked about the rise of a new Evil God but as the Churches never made an action now there were voices of the rise of a new Orthodox God.
"The Fool that doesn't belong to this era, huh?" Andrew asked in an interested tone.
Luke finally snapped out of his trance to stare at him with a raised eyebrow.
"How do you know part of His Honorific Name?"
Andrew was ready to answer until—
Why do I know?
He didn't remember, the Honorific Name was just there in his mind.
Seeing the boy's shocked face, Luke stood up and patted him consolingly.
He didn't know, but it was certainly a complicated story.
Andrew refocused and let out a few words in a whisper, "I need your help."
Luke tilted his head.
"…Please help me find the formula for Sequence 7 Detective."
"Hmm, I might have some leads, but I can't guarantee anything."
"I'm willing to pay you."
"In that case, I want 200 pounds, for the research and to buy the formula from whoever has it, and another 750 pounds for myself if I find it."
Despite the pity he felt for the boy, he couldn't work for free.
"Fine by me, let's meet in three days to give you the money."
The boy didn't think twice.
This was the price for overcoming the crises around him. Even if it cost all his savings.
Luke nodded, smiled, and began to walk away.
Andrew watched him.
He finished his beer in one gulp and leaned on the table.
"What's happening to me…"
------------------------
"Hey, Andrew, what do you have in your hand?"
"Huh? Oh, it's nothing, don't worry."
Andrew answered Michael's question with great casualness.
A day had passed since the meeting with Luke, and Andrew had found a piece of paper on the desk where he usually sat.
The piece of paper wasn't anything special, but it contained a feminine handwriting that made him stand still.
"Meet me at the entrance after school."
There was no name on it, but he was pretty sure it had been written by Melissa.
Andrew reasoned that she would most likely discuss the matter with Chancellor Portland later in the day and perhaps wanted to update him.
That's nice...
Andrew couldn't help himself but formulate the thought.
After all, he'd only asked to notify the Chancellor, yet she'd decided to talk to him...
It was certainly free information, so he wouldn't refuse it.
Meanwhile...
Andrew glanced at Michael.
He doesn't look like a Beyonder to me
The energetic boy might have known about their existence, but he didn't look like one.
"Sorry for the rude question, but last Saturday I saw a school assistant who looked exactly like you. Was he perhaps a relative of yours?"
Michael smiled awkwardly.
"I think you mean my father. A few months ago, he was still in the military, but after the end of the World War, he started working at this school."
The World War
It was impossible to forget it.
An event like that had been so important in every way, and after all, even Andrew sometimes found himself in a bunker, hoping that the possible bombings would end soon. And also this school had to face the destruction and death when a bomb fell on it.
Obviously, its consequences continued even after the War, not only economically, morally, and socially, but also mystically.
Not only was the faith of the God of Steam and Machinery now limited in the Loen Kingdom due to their actions against it, but the Church of the God of Combat was practically disbanded.
While from the common point of view, it was simply a consequence of them being the losers of the War, according to various Beyonders, something had happened to the God Himself.
According to them, the God had stopped answering most prayers and rituals, which led them to theorize His death.
Although Andrew didn't hold faith in any Deity, even thinking of the words God and death together sounded extremely wrong.
In any case, Michael's father was a special case in his opinion.
It's not unthinkable that Beyonders are present in the army, but a former soldier working in a school is too strange
Not only because of his position as head of security, he could definitely get a far superior job, but also because many men, both soldiers and generals, suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder after the War.
And it's certainly not ideal to have such individuals working in a school.
Then there was the problem of his Pathway.
I only know of two Pathways that could have similar properties, the Arbiter Pathway and the Lawyer Pathway, but unfortunately I don't know the differences between them.
But I know they're in the hands of the nobles and…MI9
MI9 is a government group made up mostly of Beyonders.
It's essentially the kingdom's intelligence service, and as such, it had an impartial role compared to the Churches.
Its goal was the well-being of the government, which often intertwined with religion.
If Trevor Lionheart is a member of MI9, then it would mean he was moved to observe something, but what?
Before he could forget, Andrew decided to thank the boy.
"I see, thanks for your response, Michael."
Andrew offered him the most polite smile he could muster.
Michael was speechless for a second before saying: "You're a little too polite, you know?"
What
"I-It's basic courtesy-"
Without waiting for him to finish, Michael continued.
"You know, I understand that you want to be a gentleman, but maybe that's a little too much for someone of our age. So you should relax a bit!
Oh, the professor's here, see you later!"
Andrew stood frozen for a good minute before realizing that everyone was looking at him strangely.
Regaining his composure, he adjusted his posture before ignoring them.
Damn bastard...
------------------------
Class was over, so it was time for the meeting.
Andrew tried to calm himself down, trying not to think about that Michael bastard.
As he reached the entrance, he saw a girl with long black hair with a folder in one hand and a pocket watch in the other.
She seemed to be checking the time.
Andrew approached very calmly, still keeping his distance.
Once he reached her, instead of stopping to speak, he continued taking a few steps.
At that point, Melissa closed her watch and, after adjusting it, began to walk.
There was always a certain distance between the two.
It was natural that neither of them wanted to suddenly appear too friendly or even acquaintance; after all, they were in Loen, not Intis.
And even if Melissa wasn't interested in these conservative traditions, it was best to avoid bad gossip.
So even without a word, the two decided to pretend they were randomly walking together.
"Any news?"
Andrew spoke in the lowest tone possible.
Even his lips moved only slightly.
Obviously, under these conditions, it was impossible to act like a gentleman.
"The Chancellor said he'd take matters into his own hands."
"So he didn't know anything?"
"From what he told me, it certainly doesn't seem so."
"What about Lionheart?"
"He asked me a few questions since he was the one that let me into the school, but he didn't push it too hard, thanks to the Chancellor.
Oh, the Chancellor told me he's part of an official organization."
"MI9?"
"I don't know..."
Make sense. She is a Sequence 9, he probably didn't tell Melissa everything
Andrew thought for a while.
"Meet me at the Midnight Cat in ten minutes."
Seeing Melissa out of the corner of his eye, Andrew noticed that she looked surprised until she nodded slightly.
The two separated, Melissa continuing on her way while Andrew went to take his bike.
Shortly after, Melissa watched Andrew surpassed her at a moderate speed while smiling a little too wide.
A moment's astonishment then finally, she sighed in exasperation and... amused?
------------------------
A little over twelve minutes had passed when Melissa entered the elegant and rich bar.
Seeing Andrew at a table off to the side, Melissa began walking toward him.
"Good afternoon, Andrew."
"Good afternoon, Melissa."
Looking around, Melissa's lips curved downward.
"Why this bar?"
Andrew smiled in response.
"See the long distance between tables? This bar is frequented by middle- to upper-class Beyonders. It doesn't offer the opportunity to exchange fantastical materials, but it does offer a place for people to exchange information."
Melissa nodded, satisfied with the answer.
Many rich kids liked to talk about these kinds of things.
"How did you hear about this place?"
"An informant of mine asked me to meet him here once. And now I have to say, it's one of my favorite places."
Andrew said in a calm voice, his hands imitating a cup being moved forward as if to toast with Melissa's supposed cup.
However, Melissa seemed preoccupied with something; it was hard to notice, but she seemed to be observing the surroundings more carefully.
Temporarily surprised, Andrew decided to intervene.
"Of course, whatever you desire will be provided by me. It's the only thing I can do to make up for bringing you here with me."
"Oh! There really won't be any need—"
"I insist."
Finally, Melissa seemed to give up...but at the same time, she seemed more relaxed.
I completely understand you. My heart breaks too when I think about how much a cup of coffee costs...But if that's what it takes to act like a gentleman...
"Good afternoon, what can I get you?"
A waiter from the bar finally came to greet them and take their orders.
Sparing Melissa a brief glance, Andrew motioned for her to continue.
"...A cappuccino for me."
"A black coffee for me instead."
After writing everything down, the waiter left.
Melissa was the first to speak, breaking the ice.
"Why did you invite me?"
Andrew pondered the words before continuing.
"I wanted to ask you what you were planning to do about this rather dangerous situation."
Melissa blinked.
"Plan? Unfortunately, I think I'll leave the matter to the Chancellor. I'm too weak to help him, and I don't think he needs my help.
Besides, considering the presence of someone as strong as the head of security, I don't think we'll even be needed."
"I see…"
Andrew couldn't help but be a little disappointed.
Even though he was confronted with his own weakness last night, he had considered whether or not to intervene in the matter.
Just formulating a counterattack plan put him in a good mood.
It made him feel like a true Beyonder.
So Melissa's passivity was putting his mood down.
After that, their orders came.
"Don't you like it?"
Melissa asked the question as she watched Andrew make a brief tic with his lips.
"Nothing like that, it just has a very strong taste."
That's the first time anyone notices…
Andrew actually didn't like coffee much, or bitter drinks in general. However, he believed it created the right atmosphere for almost any situation.
Is this attentiveness a Savant Pathway skill?
Even though he thought he was hiding the signs well, Melissa gave him suspicious glances with every new sip.
"Um. Back to the original point, do you think Lionheart and Chancellor Portland are close?"
Melissa shook her head.
"If you mean as friends I don't think so. However, I think they know each other, that's all I can say."
"I see."
Lionheart was sent on a job involving the Chancellor? Observation? Protection?
As a thousand thoughts raced through his mind, Melissa finally finished her cappuccino and stood up.
"Thank you so much for offering me this drink.
...Try not to be reckless."
"Who? Me?"
Andrew replied incredulously.
How could someone like him be reckless?
"You came to school even though you thought there were ghosts. At least I was there without knowing it. And now you asked me if I had any plans for how to continue. Are you telling me you don't intend to do anything?
…
Damn, she's good…
It was true; despite her lack of knowledge about mysticism, she seemed more than smart.
Now I can understand why the Chancellor took her under his wing
After a few seconds, Andrew replied with a smile.
"Thank you very much. You're really very kind."
She had no obligation to follow his invitation, and yet she had.
It seemed to Andrew that she'd been so quick to share information only to avoid putting him in danger in case he tried to find answers on his own.
Melissa looked surprised for a moment before smiling and walking away.
Andrew stayed a little longer, enjoying the silence until—
"Sir, here's the bill."
"Thank you so much."
Andrew took the piece of paper in his hands before his eyes widened.
Two Soli for two cups...
------------------------
Note:Yeah, Melissa took a lot after Klein, like his kindness…or his fear of wasting money.
Also, her observation skill is more of a personal thing, considering that in the novel she always makes questions to Klein when he acts strange.