~8,100 words
After the fight ended as abruptly as it had broken out, Kiyotaka arrived at his house and started his preparations.
Once he was done with that, he took a shower, threw his bloodied clothes into a basket to deliver them to the laundry later. Despite it being a form of a formal invite to celebrate his house, he did not bother himself with wearing formal clothes.
Instead, he wore the white shirt and did not tuck it inside his pants. With his hair wet, he walked over to the mirror where the comb was located. Picking it up, he looked in the mirror.
After advancing and gaining a bit better vitality, he looked much better than before. The hunch was unnoticeable when he was standing, however, it was still visible whenever he sat down, looking like a slightly bent string of a bow.
His eyes had lost the ever-present look of being drunk and were replaced by a refreshed look.
Kiyotaka had felt that his Lawyer potion had digested even more. He could feel himself come close to digesting it completely.
'Feedback is the biggest driving factor for digestion after all.'
Due to the feedback from Rosago, recognising Kiyotaka as a Sequence 9: Lawyer when he predicted his teleportation helped him to digest it more. Satisfied with his performance, he decided to not focus on the matter of Mr. Fool or his powerful bodyguard, and instead he turned his attention to the present.
'Haah... I deserve a moment of respite.'
Walking over to the kitchen, he looked at the time.
There were still 15 minutes before Xio and Fors arrived.
Kiyotaka heated the high-quality pan over the gas stove that had four outlets. This was the pan that he had bought for a mere 3 Pence by fleecing a poor shopkeeping using his Eloquence.
He was not feeling fancy, so he just did the basic procedure of adding salt and pepper to the steak. Since the steaks were of a good quality and had quite a good marbling of fat, he did not want its natural flavour to fade away.
He then seared both sides by using a spatula and his own hand on top of spatula as weight to get a good crust. Once it had developed a good crust, he began basting it in a dollop of butter, tons of garlic and some greens that he stole from a lawn at the boundary of the West Borough.
He repeated the process for all three steaks. While he was just done basting the last steak, he heard three systematic knocks on the door.
"Ah... they're here." Kiyotaka spoke out loud.
However, he was still a little traumatised. So instead of directly going ahead, he wore the mystical ring.
The three rhythmic knocks came again.
However, he did not feel his Danger Intuition trigger this time.
Suddenly, a sharp and impatient knock resounded immediately afterwards.
"Coming!" Kiyotaka raised his voice and barked at the door.
"..."
Realising what he had done, he quickly took the ring down, slipped it into his pocket and walked to the door with quick strides.
As he arrived at the door, he opened it and then quickly got out of the way.
At the doorstep were two women. The one at the front was short and had a delighted look on her sharp face. The other one was much taller and had a somewhat annoyed look. However, the laziness in her eyes masked it for the most part.
Xio Derecha and Fors Wall.
"Sorry for the delay, I was...occupied. Please, come inside."
Getting out of the way, he allowed the two guests to walk inside.
Xio did not wear anything out of the ordinary, however, it was evident that she had put quite an effort into the cleanliness and colour palettes of the clothes. While still being neutral colours, they fit quite well with her. Coupled with her shoulder length blonde hair, sharp green eyes and an Arbiter's dominating aura, she was quite eye-catching.
As for Fors, she had worn a little more formal dress that looked quite expensive. She was wearing a pale-grey skirt and blouse with a matching hat. On top she was wearing a long coat that was quite famous amongst middle-class women.
Her blue eyes were a shade darker than Williams'.
"Good evening, Williams." Xio greeted as she came inside and handed him a basket full of apples, bananas and other fruits. They were fresh and the smell that wafted made Kiyotaka think of the fresh produce that was available in ANHS on Sundays.
"Good evening, Xio. Miss." Kiyotaka swept his gaze over the two women who smelt a mixture of strong citrus and mute-scented daisies.
"Fors is fine." Fors insisted as she walked inside.
'It seems like Xio has forcefully pulled her out of the house. From a preliminary judgement of her appearance and character, she seems like a lazy person. She is also someone who is adventurous at times however she fears committing any kind of wrongdoing, even if it is just a petty crime.'
Kiyotaka made a preliminary judgement using his "Law Proficiency."
He was quite amazed how versatile his abilities were. He realised that the information that had flooded his mind upon the consumption of Lawyer potion only debriefed him about the surface level mechanics. The use of those abilities was entirely connected to one's imagination.
In other words, the applications' only limit, if they conformed to specified parameters and area of influence, was a person's own imagination and mind.
His mind went back to the 3 v 1 fight with Rosago.
'That said... The Seer pathway really is extremely terrifying. I still feel the sting in my stomach and ribs. Not only that, but it is also almost impossible to kill them, no matter what you do.
It should be renamed to the Cockroach pathway.
The combination of teleporting by burning things with a snap, firing bullets out of nothing using a simple word, controlling people and turning them into your puppets and an astonishing control over one's own body is a terrifying combination.
Sigh... I don't see how Lawyer Pathway can compete with that. The trend of Seer Pathway seemed to be centered around deception and fooling a person's perception. The puppet-making ability also conforms to that.
As for my own Pathway, it seems to be centered on the theme of Law and Order and finding ways around it. As compared to the concept of deception and fooling perception, Law and Order has a very rigid definition...I suppose as long as lower Sequences are concerned.
There are some ways to deal with Seers though. From what I can tell, they are nimble but not physically gifted. And fighters like Seers would depend on their preparations. That means that one needs to equip themselves with quite a lot of anti-Seer weapons and preparations in case of a sudden attack.
And since they would divine everything beforehand, one way to counteract that would be to find or buy a mystical item that interferes with divination such as an anti-divination charm. That said, if Sherlock ever got on my bad side, it would be quite arduous to deal with him.
Not because he is a Seer but because of his constitution and circumstances with Grey Fog. I no longer have access to it. The last time Soest tried to look into my past memories, it was filtered by the Grey Fog. If it happened again, this time I won't be safe.
Going by that line of thought, even if I were to buy anti-divination charms, if my opponent is Sherlock, then it is possible that the Grey Fog is able to cut through the anti-Divination.
Hmm... for now he doesn't seem malicious and it doesn't seem like he would be malicious in the future. However, there is a non-zero chance of it happening, so I should collect materials that can counteract his advantage of Grey Fog and Seer abilities.
As he was busy in his thoughts, he helped the ladies sit.
Silently walking to the kitchen, he began to heat the steaks just a little in a pressurised pot he managed to make by tinkering around with current utensils. The purpose of this pot was to throw a burning coal in water and then use that smoke to somewhat heat the food and give it a smoky flavour.
Meanwhile, on the dining table with four chairs around the four sides, Fors and Xio sat across from each other, leaving the head and foot of the short, freshly bought table vacant.
"Hey, is this the person who you sold the Apprentice formula to?" Fors whispered.
"Yes... I think he is a Beyonder already. I know he is, but I can't prove it yet." Xio whispered back.
"I see..."
"Fors, you have met him before. In the Bravehearts Bar. Remember he said something about your book."
"Yes, yes, I remember. I didn't drink so much that I would forget that." Fors felt the smooth surface of the table. Clearly it was a very expensive table and not something someone who lives in a single-storey house could afford.
"That said, how did he even afford all this? Last time I saw him he looked like a homeless man, and his clothes were all crumpled. Not to mention there was this heavy, damp smell from his clothes as well. Like it was washed with hundreds of other sweaty clothes." Fors recollected her experience.
Xio silently cleared her throat. "Don't talk like that about the host, it is bad manners. Anyways, I think he hit it big in the accounting profession. He told me had become an accountant with a security company. As you know, they get huge bonuses if they do something remarkable. Perhaps that."
"Besides, he has rented the place, not bought it. Which means that he didn't do anything suspicious."
Fors nodded and looked around. From the slightly ajar door, she saw the ostentatiously decorated master-bedroom. Her eyes narrowed but eventually she shrugged her shoulders, and lazily sprawled her arms over the squeaky clean and flawlessly smooth table, touching her cheek to it.
"I'm tired.
I'm hungry.
I want wine.
I want meat.
Hey Xio, I am going to hit you."
Xio sighed hearing Fors yammer nonsensically, due to her state at this time of the month.
"See this is what happens when you hole yourself in the room for days on end without getting out at all. You are losing your mind!"
"Ugh..." Fors grunted.
She was visibly irritated over why Xio had pulled her all the way here when she could've been at home, under her sheets, lazing away and getting drunk.
Just as Fors inserted a finger inside the fabric belt that cinched her waist in to reduce the pressure, Kiyotaka walked with two plates in his hand.
Over a splattered steak-jus was a sizzling hot steak. There was not just the usual smell of steak, but also a smoky one which suddenly made Fors and Xio's stomach grumble at the same time.
The plate was warm and underneath the steak, Kiyotaka had made a splattered design on Fors' plate while a slightly turned down arc with the steak-jus for Xio.
As for garnishing, he had used a quenelle of bone-marrow sabayon which was basically whisked marrow, egg yolks and some red wine. Ideally, he would've used champagne, but since that was too expensive, he decided on just what he had on hand.
This would've ruined the dish in his old world, but the standards in this one were not that high. The taste was still quite good, but the creativity with dishes was something that left some room for mistakes. Just like this disaster could've been labelled as an "exotic dish" or an "acquired taste."
As a Lawyer, Kiyotaka was not lacking in any way in terms of a "magisterial fugue of forensic fiction" or in simple words, pulling things out of his ass.
The steak also came with asparagus and a few other things that Kiyotaka had made beforehand. Of course, the steak was not the only thing he had made. There was also bread and a strange, circle shaped butter alongside it.
After exchanging pleasantries, the three began to eat.
"What is this called? I haven't had something like this before..." Xio marvelled as she spread the circular butter on white bread and ate it.
"I like to call it compound butter. It has a lot of other elements as well, which gives it that strange mixture of flavours. I hope it is not too overwhelming." Kiyotaka—just like any other good host—replied in a hospitable manner.
"No, it's actually very good."
Kiyotaka cut the steak like a gentleman and chewed on the mouthful bite. He chewed slowly and then swallowed slowly. "I will send some the next time. We can exchange it for some Supplementary Ingredients."
At that moment, Xio and Fors almost choked on the meat they had in their throats.
Exhaling slowly through his nose, he pushed the jug of water towards them. "Of course, I was merely joking." He made a mental note to not joke about such things on the table again.
Once the two had calmed, Kiyotaka prepared to serve the wine that was a specialty of Intis Republic—Aurmir Red Wine.
Fors' sour mode had lifted quite a lot after drinking the red wine. The three of them chatted around a bit more about the current political conditions, as well as the reforms, the ever-increasing poverty and negativity brewing in East Borough.
Some of the factories that had recently announced to introduce machinery to do the work were getting a lot of backlash and protests. Since this introduction of machinery would cut the need for other workers, the currently existing poverty and unemployment was about to enter a new chapter.
Time passed by as Xio debriefed the most about local matters and her missions.
Kiyotaka did not deny Xio the wine as red wine was something one could not overdose on.
Well, people like Williams were exceptions. But he was changing now.
Once around the 2 hours mark had passed, Kiyotaka began to tap at the table every time one of the two ladies would start talking about a new topic.
Once Xio caught up to it, she gestured to Fors.
It was a Loen styled euphemism. A culture where nothing was said outright but instead expressed by talking in circles or by showcasing not-so-obvious physical ticks.
Being born in nobility, Xio immediately caught up to it. She didn't mind as it had already gotten quite late.
"I will be right back." Xio stood up and looked at Williams.
Kiyotaka nodded. "It is to the right." He gave directions towards the toilet.
"Thanks."
Once Xio was gone, Fors made her way to the main door. Letting it slightly ajar, she took out a box of cigarettes from her inner pocket. Taking it out, she lit it and inhaled sharply.
Kiyotaka walked to the guest. From her side, Kiyotaka assumed she was in somewhat pain. What surprised him was that it did not seem physical.
Seeing Kiyotaka just standing there and staring at her, Fors pursed her lips and smiled curtly. Taking out the box of cigarettes and opening the lid, she extended her arm to Kiyotaka.
Without any reservations, he extended his hand and took out one of them. Pressing it between his lips, he lowered his head and covered one side of it as Fors lit the matchstick and ignited the tip of the cigarette.
Taking in a deep inhale, Kiyotaka exhaled. The pale grey smoke wafted up.
He felt his head grow a little heavy.
Fors looked at Williams with glossy eyes. "Is it to your liking?"
Kiyotaka stared at the woman for a long time. Maintaining eye contact, he took another puff and exhaled with a content look on his face. The look on his face and eyes carried a "Take a guess" look.
Fors let out a little scoff as she looked down and took a puff of her own.
The two of them smoked in utter silence until Xio finally arrived. Before she had arrived, the two of them had thrown the cigarettes outside.
"Thanks for inviting us. It is so nice to see you live a good and healthy life. I hope it stays that way. May the Goddess bless you."
Kiyotaka lifted Williams' lips up in a curve as he tapped his chest in a clockwise manner in a rather surreptitious manner. "May the Goddess bless you too."
Xio's lips pursed into a thin line as she nodded her head.
Kiyotaka held the jacket up as Fors slipped her arms in and then handed her the hat. She placed it on her head and gave Kiyotaka a wry, pained smile. "Thanks for your hospitality. Good luck on your future ventures. I had a lot of fun talking to you and eating the food as well. And..." she looked down. "...that as well. Good company."
Kiyotaka wanted to jab back at her comment but decided not to.
He was not on terms like that with Fors Wall.
Under the Crimson moonlight, her blue eyes were in a sharp contrast that made Kiyotaka's eyes fix on them. After about 2 seconds, Kiyotaka pressed his hand on his chest. "The pleasure is all mine."
Then Kiyotaka donned his own coat and accompanied the women to the outside door, at the end of his lawn. Once the three exited, Kiyotaka kept following them until they reached the carriage at the end of the street.
He helped the two ladies board the carriage and then watched them leave.
Once the carriage was out of sight, he walked back to his house, changed into casual ones and left his house once again.
He had a sudden urge to take a walk.
*****
Inside the carriage that rolled silently through the night, Xio looked outside the carriage with an empty look.
Her mood had changed quite considerably.
She tapped her finger on the window as her mind drifted.
"What's bothering your heart?" Fors asked with a snort.
"Not my heart." Xio's reply was so stern that Fors immediately fell silent.
After a moment, Xio sighed. "He was a believer of Lord of Storms... did he really convert or..."
Her words drifted into a lull, silent underneath the sounds of hooves rapidly beating against the road in the heavy lull of the night.
"Something is wrong with him." Xio added as Fors' eyes darkened.
"Mhmm... there is definitely something more to it." While Fors added her input, she inwardly got some motivation.
'This could be the perfect story idea. A wretched scoundrel suddenly claws his way toward redemption. Possession by a malevolent spirit or a desperate bid for love's salvation? Heh-heh, genius. I should write the rough draft for the whole story as soon as I am home!'
Feeling motivated, her procrastination had suddenly vanished but the throbbing ache in her body and soul kept getting more violent.
*****
Letting out a heavy sigh, Klein pinched the bridge of his nose as he walked towards his house.
He had been pardoned from the police station after a preliminary round of questions and answers. He was allowed to go back home but at the same time the police officers told him that he could not leave the city without informing the police department first.
Needless to say, Klein obliged. He was in no hurry to leave Backlund anytime soon. Besides, he was still quite weak and was in no condition to come across Ince Zangwill who was now a demigod and had the assistance of Sealed Artifact 0-08.
His mind went back to the fight earlier. 'He really did choose the Lawyer Pathway. The abilities showcased are very similar to Lawyer. However, I did not know they could be used that way. He sure has a way to utilise his powers in a very creative manner.
The mystical item that I gave him also played quite the role. If not for his constant disruption of preventing Rosago from taking control of Ma'am Bodyguard, we would've lost.
I really should purchase that mystical item from Mr. Eye of Wisdom's Gathering next time. Despite it being from a Sequence 8: Listener, in a fight where there are terrifying powers at work, one should use every kind of assistance they can.
That said... Did he really come to get help from me? Or did he purposefully lead him there?
No, there can be much smarter ways to do that.
Yes, he was smart enough to pull his weight into an actual Mid-sequence Beyonder fight on his own after just a few days of becoming a Beyonder. He really has a unique composition and fighting method.
That means that Rosago really was after him, but why?
Currently, I can only think of one reason. Due to my involvement with Ian Wright and the difference machines his superior was investigating, Bakerland sent Rosago after me. Does that mean that the commission of killing him failed?
Or did he send Rosago while being oblivious to the commission?
It's possible that Rosago was sent to kill me and he just so happened to encounter Mr. Emperor on the way and decided to use him as a Marionette to aid him in battle. However, Mr. Emperor detected anomalies and made some ruckus, causing him to escape Rosago's clutches.'
Suddenly, another theory formed in Klein's mind.
'Could it be that the Hunter's Beyonder Characteristic belonged to Meursault? He had come to me to investigate Ian and when I refused, he was about to kill me.
That could make sense since I had seen a person who I couldn't divine at the scene where Ian's mentor was killed. I am certain it was Mr. Emperor. After seeing him on the spot, Meursault suspected him and perhaps decided to tail him or straight-up attack him.
In the end he was killed by Mr. Emperor.'
A cold shiver ran down Klein's spine.
'He killed a Sequence 9: Hunter... a sequence 9: Hunter as a non-Beyonder! That is insane! What kind of misfortune did the Hunter encounter for him to lose to a non-Beyonder?! This is beyond absurd.'
Klein knew how low-sequence Beyonders were susceptible to being killed by normal weapons, but he couldn't have guessed that an ordinary person with average physique could kill a Beyonder that specialised in enhanced physical abilities.
That was just incomprehensible to him.
'Going by that train of thought, it means that once Meursault was killed, Rosago was sent by Bakerland to do cleanup. As the only two people who were "somewhat" associated with the matter of difference machines, his mission was to kill both "lambs" and get rid of them.
However, in the end, due to the presence of Sequence 5: Wraith, a Sequence 8: Clown and a Sequence 9: Lawyer were able to kill off a Sequence 5: Marionettist.
Let's just hope that the hit on Bakerland was successful. Otherwise, I am truly doomed.'
As Klein got close to his house, Sharron suddenly turned corporeal and appeared beside Klein in the dark alley.
'She's back so quickly? She sure has a huge network to gather information so quickly.'
"His name is Williams. Williams J. Holmes. He recently added Holmes to his last name."
The corner of Klein's mouth twitched as he used his Clown powers to not shout some profane curses in Chinese at him.
He stopped and then looked at her. "Thank you. Uhh, do I owe you some extra for gathering intel?"
Sharron's doll-like face bobbed up and down. "£50."
'Just take all my money at this point!' Klein lampooned as he pursed his lips and smiled. "Sure."
Sharron's pale lips moved once again. "He is currently living in a single-storey house in Cherwood Borough, right at the boundary between Cherwood and West Borough."
Before Klein could nervously ask anything, Sharron began to turn incorporeal. "This is included in the £50."
"Oh... thanks."
"Ok."
*****
Walking underneath the starless, moonless sky that was blotted out with smog, Kiyotaka let his instincts drive his feet.
He did not have a destination in his mind. The sudden thought of taking a walk was suspicious, but he decided not to pay it much heed. He had the mystical item in his pocket, and he had slipped his hand in the same pocket.
The moment he felt something amiss; he was going to wear it.
At this time of the night, the people in the streets were sparse. There was an occasional sound of horses' grooves clobbering against the road, groaning sounds from the sleeping, homeless tramps and the occasional grunts due to the "busy nightlife" of Backlund.
After all, when everyone was inside, it became a prime time for all kinds of debauchery that was looked down upon in society. Street girls stood at the intersections, and the edges of almost every alley. They wore non-revealing clothes but a single look at them could reveal why they were standing there.
Kiyotaka would occasionally see a few men who were heavily clothed and with their faces covered enter these alleys, do the deed, and then walk out as if nothing had happened.
Some would take the girls to pubs where there were private rooms while some people who had no concept of shame would just latch themselves to the girl on the spot without having a regard for the other girls or customers watching.
Staying alive in East Borough was a daily struggle.
Kiyotaka watched everything with a look of indifference. He did not feel pity, but at the same time, he realised how harsh the reality beyond the confines of a controlled, experimental place was. While aware of human nature and such hardships, this was Kiyotaka's first real life exposure to such things.
Unlike other things, he did not feel excited at knowing how depraved human nature was.
Minding his own business, he walked through the streets of Backlund.
As he was walking, his eyes briefly fell on a person.
The man had a soft look on his face and had blonde hair. He smiled softly at Kiyotaka.
The hair on the back of his neck suddenly stood up.
Before he could look at him again, a carriage blitzed past him, masking the man for less than a second. And then he was gone.
Kiyotaka was about to run after him but stopped himself from doing so.
It was possible to fall into a trap. Since the man was deliberately throwing Kiyotaka around, he had to be extremely cautious.
Acting as if he had never seen the man, he kept walking ahead.
While walking along Williams Street, his eyes fell on a man. It was a man who was in his early forties with light blue eyes and brown hair, but the sides of his hair had turned white. He had puffy eyes and clear wrinkles on his face. The jittery motion reminded Kiyotaka of his own past.
However, what caught his attention was the man's clothes.
The clothes were covered with wet sand.
Narrowing his eyes as he walked, Kiyotaka kept his eyes on him.
Suddenly, the man looked back and spoke in a drunk manner. "What? Why are you looking at me like that? I am not a homosexual."
Kiyotaka slowed his stride as he replied: "I wouldn't want to do anything with you even if I was a homosexual."
The man's face reddened; however, a sneer soon found its way to his face. "You're a murderer, aren't you? You have fresh blood on your hic hands." He jeered. "You're so done. I am going to report you to the police—"
Kiyotaka's entire body bristled.
Even without wearing the ring, Kiyotaka's sudden acceleration took the man off-guard. Before he could react, Kiyotaka kicked the man so hard that he went flying back as his head collided into the steel gate behind him.
His body went limp as the back of his head started bleeding.
Looking down at the slowly bleeding man, he turned around and decided to go home.
While he was walking back home, he realised what had happened.
He had come across a Sequence 9: Lawyer.
The reason why the man could suddenly tell Kiyotaka had committed a murder was because of his Law Proficiency which made a Lawyer very good at identifying and taking advantage of the legal weaknesses an enemy possesses.
This was a basic intuition that all Lawyers had.
The reason why he kicked the man so hard was because it was dark and the man did not need to necessarily remember his face to know if he was a criminal. And since he lived quite some distance away from this area, he was safe.
However, this led to another issue.
Law of Beyonder Characteristics Convergence.
At lower levels it wasn't supposed to be this severe.
In the end, Kiyotaka went back home after taking multiple detours and buying a pack of cigarettes. He laid down on his bed and closed his eyes.
There were too many things that had happened today: Fight against Rosago, Xio and Fors as guests and them potentially getting suspicious of him and then his first experience with the strong Convergence.
He had just become a Beyonder, so it had truly drained him.
Taking a mental note of acting as a Lawyer—in the true essence of the word, not just as a profession—starting tomorrow, he closed his eyes.
Just as he was about to drift into the land of sleep, a boundless grey fog enveloped him as he jolted.
In the following moment, he felt himself hurtling towards the grey fog that contained boundless screams and murmuring ravings before he arrived at the Mysterious Space that looked like the abode of giants.
'Come on... just let me sleep...'
Kiyotaka complained inwardly as he remained seated at the foot of the table.
Klein had his fingers interlocked as he rested his face on them.
"So... Williams J. Holmes, huh?"
"I took a little inspiration from Sherlock Moriarty."
Klein snorted. However, instead of replying with a snarky comeback, he looked at him and said: "I owe you a lot. You helped me quite a bit there. It was quite the versatile use of your abilities."
Kiyotaka nodded. "Thanks, you as well. Had you not doused flammable objects in water, it would've been hard to pin his cards down. Seer Pathway really is terrifying."
Klein pursed his lips. Of course, he already knew that Williams would know about his pathway but hearing it out loud made him a little uneasy.
At that time, from the corner of the giant castle, a single object flew towards Klein as he placed it in front of himself. "This is one of the bigger spoils of war. It is a Beyonder characteristic of a Sequence 5 from the Seer Pathway, Marionettist."
'Ah, Marionettist. That makes sense. I kept referring to it as 'Puppet,' but thinking deeply about it, the effects were very similar to turning into a Marionette with the joints, movements and thinking process turning mechanical.
Hmm. Very neat powers. Really, really envious.'
Klein licked his lips as he spoke again. "There was also a wallet containing quite the cash. Of course, with the involvement of police, I could not have all of it retrieved, but there is still quite some sum. A total of £200. Another £300 was left in the wallet.
Kiyotaka leaned back into the chair and without much thought replied: "I am assuming you're willing to add up more money in case I go for the Beyonder Characteristic since you're from the same pathway and having a characteristic is much cheaper than buying formulas and ingredients later on."
'I wasn't necessarily going to increase the cash offer! These are spoils of war, take one and leave one! No, don't take anything. Why don't you just let some cash stay in my pockets?! Don't you have a house in Cherwood Borough?!' Klein screamed inwardly.
"Technically you left the place, so there shouldn't be anything distributed on your side. However, as a show of goodwill, I am willing to give the £200 to you."
Kiyotaka did not press much into the matter. "I am fine with it."
"Alright... that's sorted." Klein smacked his lips as he warily looked at Mr. Emperor.
Taking this as a cue, Kiyotaka stood up. While he didn't bow, he showed his "respect" by nodding his head. "Good night, Mr. Fool."
He deliberately did not use "Mr. Sherlock" or "Mr. Moriarty" to address him.
Kiyotaka left Klein to read between the lines: that he doesn't know of his identity and that Klein should forget about it too.
Klein huffed, suppressing a chuckle as he raised his hand, as if saying "cheers" before greeting him back: "You too, have a good night, Mr. Emperor."
After that, first Kiyotaka and then Klein were pummelling back into the real world.
Before Kiyotaka could sleep, he lit a scented candle and recited the Fool's honorific name. Then, without waiting for him, he slipped into his soft and warm sheets before falling into the warm embrace of sleep.
About 5 minutes later, the scented candle grew to the size of a baby's fist as 20 £10 notes passed through the blue flame and settled on the table beside him.
Kiyotaka looked back through foggy eyes.
'The fight wasn't entirely a loss...thankfully.'
With his wealth boosted to £464, he had the best sleep of his life.
Meanwhile, Klein rolled in his sleep repeatedly.
After paying the remnant amount of money to Ma'am Bodyguard, he had once again become The Poor that does not belong to this era.
*****
Fog.
All he could see was Grey Fog.
The grey fog then turned thin, as it morphed into smoke.
A white smoke filled the entire reality until Kiyotaka felt like it had entered his lungs and was suffocating him.
Suddenly, very familiar ravings boomed into his ears.
His vision grew hazier as the last thing he saw something in the sky.
No, it was the sky itself.
In his hazy "vision" he saw something incomprehensible. It made his brain churn.
"Guh..." Williams suddenly stood up and placed his hand on his chest.
It was beating frantically, and Kiyotaka could feel his heartbeat inside his throat.
"What was that...?"
He mumbled to himself as he looked outside the window.
The Crimson Moon was closer to its completion.
The Full Moon was just a few days away.
*****
Saturday, September 29, 1349
Kiyotaka woke up in the best way possible.
There was no pain in his head or body, and he did not feel the immediate urge to throw up as well.
As he woke up, he washed his mouth and face before igniting a cigarette and pressed it between his lips before walking out of the house.
The smog was a tad bit thinner today and when he looked up, his pale blue eyes reflected the slight yellow sunlight through the perpetual grey.
He picked up a bucket of water and splashed it over the grass. The faint smell of damp sand wafted as he inhaled the smell of sand.
Humming to himself in a good mood, he sat on a chair in his lawn and opened the newspaper that was dropped at his doorstep.
Puffing his cheeks in, he took a shallow inhale before exhaling, letting the smoke drift up.
He was reading about the news. The protest of workers against the automation of tasks had increased quite a lot. It made sense as well.
It was an innovation for the rich, but for a lot of poor people, it was akin to a death sentence.
No one wants to die.
As Kiyotaka kept reading the newspaper, the mini gate sighed as the two officers pushed it inward. The steel latch clicked when they entered.
Kiyotaka read them with one eye but did not hurry his words, instead he redirected his focus to his newspaper.
They halted at the path as the boots sank into the wet sand from before.
The senior one out of the two stepped forward. "Mr. Williams. We need you to come with us," he said. His voice carried the rehearsed authority of a man who had practised the part.
Kiyotaka did not look up as he kept his head bowed and folded a corner over his index finger.
The cigarette was still in his other hand. When he did lift his eyes, the look on his face was a little pleased. He stared at the two men for a long moment, until the officers felt like the man was dead.
Then finally, he blinked once and took out another cigarette as he lit it up. Inhaling a big puff and then releasing it in the officer's direction, Kiyotaka spoke in a raspy voice.
"You should have brought a warrant then."
As he spoke, the smoke left his lips in lazy arcs and brushed the younger officer's face as it passed. The boy blinked, a little offended.
The senior cleared his throat. "We have reason to question you. There's been an incident..." he glanced to the younger for support, "...and we require—"
Kiyotaka suddenly looked up with a sharp look. He folded the paper, tucking it under his thigh as though it were a second habit. "Come with you? On what basis? On who's authority? For curiosity? For gossip? Or because you woke up with a headache and decided to pass it on to me?"
The younger cop's fingers tightened on the baton strapped to his waist. His mouth went red at the edges. "Sir...! Please don't force us or we will have to take you under arrest on the suspicion of murder. We're asking you to come peacefully."
Kiyotaka took another big whiff before replying in a slow manner.
"How quaint."
He set the newspaper down in neat quarters on the bench.
"Show me the paper," he said. "If you have one, I'll go. If you don't—" He let the cigarette hang from his lips and took a long breath, letting the smoke plait the air between them. "—then you're breaking the law of privacy on private property. No matter the severity of crime, unless there is direct proof, you cannot make an arrest on a civilian."
The two officers looked at each other in a baffled manner.
"Section A, 102." Kiyotaka walked away from them, towards his house. Then, he stopped and looked back over his shoulder. "Must I educate you on the law now? Please, bring a warrant and I will come without any resistance."
He clicked the door open and then, as if remembering something, he spoke again. "Next time, keep off the threshold of someone's property. You can be legally obliged to pay for "damages" of all nature. The lawsuit may climb up to £500. For your own sake, be careful."
Letting the cigarette fall, he curbed it with his heels before walking inside.
The two officers stared at each other before quickly leaving the premises.
"Damn it! Why didn't anyone tell us beforehand that the guy is a lawyer?!"
"He might just be aware of the law or perhaps heard something from one of those "know your rights" campaigns. Don't think too much about it. We can get the warrant in some time."
"Why do we even need a warrant if he was the only person seen there at that time of the night? We have witnesses!" The younger police officer expressed his anger.
"The witnesses can be suspects too. The gentleman from before was a well-behaved, well-educated man. He is renting quite a decent sized house in a decent Borough. It could be dirt-throwing by his poorer colleague or former servant.
People like him who don't look rich and influential on the surface are sometimes the hardest to deal with. Even some of the police officers end up disappearing due to their secretive ties into the upper echelons." The senior officer explained which instantly made the younger one shut up.
"If that's so, then why did we come here in the first place?"
"I had this impression of him after I got to talk to him. He sounds like someone who is in control. And besides, what would he gain by killing a failure of a man from the bankrupted, deceased Pound family?"
"Hmm..."
"Anyways, let's hope the gentleman from before is either not that influential or he's merciful enough to let this one slide."
Inside his house, Kiyotaka sat down and clutched his head. 'That was close... I almost got caught... Well, there is still a chance. But it would take time before the warrant is ready. By the time they issue the warrant, I would've made quite a name for myself. Once a person has a degree of good name and wealth, it is easy to extricate yourself from the small matters.
Of course, if a person is super rich and famous, then the same small matters can become their ruin.'
Looking at the clothes from last night that still had a little blood on them, Kiyotaka stuffed them inside a cheap looking bag. Then, he got dressed and took to the streets. He wanted to get his clothes washed by someone in the East Borough and avoid suspicion.
There was the option of going into more fancy places where other rich people would send their clothes sometimes to get ironed or dry-cleaned. It would've been a better option to opt since he wanted to get to know some people of influence, however, the current situation dictated that he should go to a rather inconspicuous location.
*****
After handing out his clothes and paying in advance for it, Kiyotaka made his way to Inventor Leppard's house.
His Lawyer potion was just a breath away from digestion. However, no matter how much he acted as one, it did not result in a digestion as smooth as his fight against Rosago.
'Perhaps I need to get feedback from a lot of people. It digested a little after the police officers left my premises. That means they suspected that I was a lawyer, however, one can also waive it off as knowing just basic knowledge.
That can explain why the Potion was digested so minutely.
That means I need to use Eloquence more often. The majority of my potion was digested when I fleeced the shop-owners into selling me things at a cheaper rate. They were using inflated prices that well topped the pre-determined rates set by the Crown.
It was a law that many commoners were not aware of. And a lot of elite people would often take advantage of it by dealing specific things at a much higher rate through back-end deals. Only a Lawyer can take advantage of it.
So I have to act according to the Law, and at the same time, I have to find my ways around it. Loophole exploitation ... Hmm, I wonder what the high sequences of Lawyer are like.
However, it will be quite disappointing if they're merely promoting me to a Barrister or an Ambassador or a Judge. That would really ruin a lot of my plans.'
"Ah, Mr. Williams, you are here. Please, please come in..." Leppard invited the man in.
Once inside, he sat down on the same couch and slouched back before crossing his legs. Igniting a cigarette, he looked up at Leppard with a rather stern face.
Leppard was a little taken aback as every time Mr. Williams would come visit him, he would feel different than before. It was like every time he saw Mr. Williams, he was meeting a new version of him. Each time, he would get more refined and look more like a decent human.
"I hope your work has been going smoothly so far." Kiyotaka spoke as the smoke wafted from his mouth.
"Ah—yes, yes, it has! I was about to mail you about the progress just now. Here is the letter that I had prepared."
He quickly took out a letter and handed it over to Wiliams.
Kiyotaka took a cursory look at the letter in his hand and then took a sharp inhale through his nose. "I would like to see it myself." He said and then looked to his right.
The basic blueprint of the bicycle made by Sherlock Moriarty was already taking shape. It should've been completed by now, but due to Leppard's own interest in the new kind of engine, he had invested most of his time into Kiyotaka's idea.
Guiding Kiyotaka, Leppard took him to a secret room at the far end of his house. As he opened the door, Leppard walked in first while Kiyotaka stood at the precipice of the door. He watched carefully as Leppard removed the curtains from the window and lit up a few gas-lamps.
There, in the middle of the room, was a cuboid structure with multiple pipes scattered all around it. The pipes were made out of different materials.
Leppard wore white gloves and then extended the same to Kiyotaka.
Once he had worn them, Kiyotaka finally stepped inside the room but kept his distance from the engine.
Suddenly, Leppard cleared his throat, wringing his gloved hands as if trying to squeeze the embarrassment out of them.
"Mr. Williams... There is, ah—one issue. The, uhm—what is it called..." He took up the blueprint that Kiyotaka gave him and then raised his brows, "...ah yes, the combustion chamber isn't... it isn't responding properly. The pressure is gathering, yes, but it never pushes the piston forward. I must've misaligned something, or perhaps the alcohol concentration is too—too diluted. I seem to have reached a dead-end."
Kiyotaka stepped inside at last, exhaling a thin stream of smoke that curled through the dim yellow lamplight. "Show me."
Leppard hurried to the side panel, lifting a metal plate to reveal the inner mechanism. Gears of varying sizes were nestled inside like clenched teeth. A crude piston was lodged in place, held by a copper pipe that shook ever so slightly as Leppard tapped it.
"As you can see," Leppard continued nervously, "the ignition creates heat, the pressure then builds, but the transfer...uhm, the kinetic transfer, as you like to call it is—"
Kiyotaka had already lost interest in his explanation.
Letting him ramble, he crouched next to the machine, flicking the cigarette's ash against the stone floor as his eyes traced the engine's guts. His fingers moved without hesitation, brushing a pipe here, tapping a screw there.
Leppard's words started to get slow as he saw Kiyotaka tinker around as if he was very familiar with all contraptions that were like this.
He felt Leppard's intense gaze on his back as he reached for the thickest pipe. He pressed a thumb against it. "This alloy is too rigid. It takes heat well, but it doesn't expand quickly. So, your pressure has nowhere to go."
Leppard froze.
'Rigid alloy... insufficient expansion...' He hadn't even considered that. His mind spun with embarrassment. So far, he had done what he was told and the moment something untold had occurred, he messed it up.
Kiyotaka continued in a flat tone, explaining the most ground-breaking information—at least by the current era standard—as though explaining the weather.
"And here," he said, pointing toward a small valve tucked between two gears, "you installed the bleed release backward. It's trying to vent pressure before firing. No chamber in the world will ignite like that."
Leppard's heart hammered in his ribs.
'Backward? Impossible—I installed it myself. But... wait no, he's right. He's absolutely right. I've been staring at this for three days, and he spotted it in three seconds? Is he really blessed by the God of Steam and Machinery?!'
Kiyotaka didn't wait for permission. He reached into his coat as he took out the pocketknife. It was the same pocketknife that was the possession of the original Williams, alongside the gun he had found. Using the knife's sharp edge as a screwdriver, he twisted the valve free.
Leppard watched with wide eyes as the man rotated the valve, reinserted it flawlessly, and then—almost as an afterthought—tightened the adjacent bolt by exactly one rotation.
"Try it now," Kiyotaka murmured as he stood up.
Panicking, Leppard fumbled for the ignition lever. The moment he pulled it; a spark clicked inside the engine as a low hum rolled through the pipes and the piston jerked forward with a violent cough.
It coughed once again, but this time it was smoother and steadier.
The engine had growled to life!
Leppard's jaw trembled and his eyes stung as thick tears welled into his eyes. His entire body was shaking with excitement.
"Y-You're a Godsent genius, Mr. Williams!" Leppard uttered out loud.
Kiyotaka took a final inhale as he curbed the butt of the cancer-stick underneath his heel. "I learned about alloys long ago. Otherwise, it was all you, Mr. Leppard." Kiyotaka curtly replied. "That's all."
'All—All?' Leppard sputtered in his own skull. 'That wasn't an 'all', that was a fundamental restructuring of the pressure flow—my pressure flow—my chamber—' He forced himself to calm down.
Kiyotaka brushed past him, the faint smell of smoke trailing behind. "Let me know when it's finished," he said. "We can use it to sign deals with investors. The design for the car itself should not be that hard, right?"
Leppard stammered and stood up. "Of course, Mr. Williams... It will be done as soon as possible. The engine just needs one more day of work as well!"
Kiyotaka nodded his head. Before Leppard could ask him for tea, he had already walked outside his home.
Outside, he took out another cigarette and pressed it between his lips.
He was about to ignite it, when suddenly two people grabbed him from behind. Both of them locked his hands behind him and locked their legs with his, fully nullifying any movements.
"Do not resist." Kiyotaka felt a long, hard thing pressed against his buttocks. "Or I am going to blow your bum off. Now, silently walk with us."
Kiyotaka sighed as the cigarette fell from his lips to the ground. "Alright, but please, just put the gun away, I have loose bowels."
The two men looked at Williams with a disgusted look before tucking the gun away. Tightly folding his arms, they led him into an alley. Once they were out of public view, they threw a sack over his face.
Kiyotaka tried to wrench himself away from their grasp, but this body was not as strong as sturdy as the previous one. They kicked the back of his knees before using the gun's back end to knock him out.