Sitting beside Fors' bed, Kiyotaka read through Stormwind Mountain Villa. While he had gone through it during his initial days of transmigration where he would read through books in a library, he never paid much attention to it.
The only detail he could remember from it was that the height and weight of the female main character in the novel was much similar to Fors' own height and weight. The novel itself was about Lady Sissi staying at the Stormwind Mountain Villa.
He flipped through the pages slowly, reading at a freakish speed. While he did not need to consider her waking up, he still flipped the pages carefully regardless. It was basic courtesy, after all.
Once he was done with the book, he sat there for a long while. The night was almost over and he was feeling somewhat tired and sleepy as well. The past two days had not been easy as he was helping Leppard, sleeping on the narrow couch and also trying his best to not fall under Patrick Jason's RADAR.
He was unsure how long he could hold up.
Just as he started to feel his eyes grow heavy, a sudden explosion of grey fog filled his vision and a lofty figure sitting on a high-back chair entered his eyes. At the same time, he heard a voice that was stacked over itself.
'Miss Magician has returned to the real world. Do you want to come up to talk about it or is it not a good time?'
Kiyotaka looked at Fors and then cleared his throat. Seeing as how she did not wake up, he silently replied. "Not a good time."
He waited there in his seat and cleared his throat multiple times, sometimes moving the glass around and placing it loudly on the table to wake her up.
About five minutes later, Fors let out a groan. With that groan, she rubbed her eyes a few times before prying them open.
The first thing she saw was a gentleman sitting on a chair not far away from her bed, holding her book in his lap. His eyes were heavy and the usual glint in his pale irises was gone, replaced by a tired look.
"You..."
"You collapsed suddenly. Then you were mumbling something and lost consciousness. I would have left but there was no way to lock the door otherwise. It felt wrong to leave Xio's friend lying like this, defenseless."
Fors tried to suddenly sit up but the pain from the mutation was still lingering in her body.
Kiyotaka stood up and adjusted the pillow behind her, helping her sit in a way that her back had sufficient support. Pouring some water in the glass that he used to make noise, he handed it to her.
"Would you mind locking the door now? It's past my bedtime."
He joked. Fors' eyes widened as she looked outside.
'She is quite non-verbal. What did Sherlock do to her?'
"Ugh—Sorry about that. Really sorry... I—"
"It's ok. As long as you have recovered now."
"I have..." Her voice trailed off. It was a little awkward for her, seeing the man her best friend got in contact with quite a lot sitting in her room, all alone.
"Well then, I will take my leave." Putting the book down, Kiyotaka picked his cane and hat up. Without waiting for Fors to stand up, he placed his hat on his head and tipped it before leaving the flat.
Fors looked at him and sighed. 'Suspicious... So suspicious... He said I was mumbling things... But... Maybe it was because I was already considering reciting that Honorific Name but still... I can remember someone guiding me through it.'
*****
Sitting alone in the café, Kiyotaka sipped through his cup of black coffee that was sweet enough to make his lips sticky.
As he was eating, a man wearing normal clothes and having a slight oily stench to him—common amidst people who used to work in the factories—walked past him. As he did, he sat in the chair right behind Kiyotaka.
"Good morning, sir. I bring some news."
Kiyotaka sipped on his coffee leisurely. "Yes?"
"Some members of the MI9 are looking for, what I presume to be, you. After the incident at the docks, while we were able to hide from being tracked by the Police, MI9 seems to be much more vehement on finding the culprit behind the destruction." The short man that had a hunch in his back briefed.
"Is anyone from the gang captured?"
"No sir, none. We have taken precautions and are still being cautious... However, because of that our pockets have been a little empty lately, heh..."
Kiyotaka could hear the rubbing of his coarse hands as he spoke sheepishly.
Taking out a small wad of cash from his inner coat pocket and counting it while hiding it inside the flap of the coat, he handed out 10 £1 notes and slipped them behind. "You are in charge of distributing the money. If there is any conflict that reaches my ears, well then, you should be aware of what can happen."
"Of course... Of course, sir..."
There was a quick sound of paper being stuffed inside a pocket.
"Do you know who in MI9 specifically is looking for me?"
"Well, she is not an official member, but rather someone affiliated with someone inside the middle-level management in MI9. Xio Derecha. She has been investigating this matter quite vehemently. Rumors are that MI9 might get in touch with the church and get some help from their Beyonders.
Those military hyenas are quite hell-bent on investigating this whole thing that happened in East Balam Docks..." The hunched man paused for a moment, "...what do we do boss? Should we halt all of our activities and stop taking protection money from the nearby casinos and other markets?"
Kiyotaka had taken control of the Zmanger Gang and in doing so, he realized that while it was a gold pot of money, 99% of it came from illegal activities. Those illegal activities were mostly forcibly taking protection money from small vendors.
"Keep doing it, but in moderation. Totally halting it would be an indirect admission to guilt." Kiyotaka did not need his Lawyer powers to determine this aspect. It was a given.
"Got it, sir. As for the money we've received for our 'services,' I will give you a breakdown for it soon enough. By the end of the coming week to be exact."
"That is not an exact time." Kiyotaka placed the cup down and then stood up. Without waiting for the hunched man to reply, he walked to the counter and paid for his food before departing.
"On Sunday of the coming week then, good sir..."
"Better."
The hunched man looked at Kiyotaka and then felt the wad of cash between his fingers.
"He is so much better than that fat old prick, Billy. Fuck 'em. Long live the boss!" Rubbing his hands greedily, he stood up and decided to leave as well.
In the coming few days, Kiyotaka did nothing except staying over at Leppard's place, hiring new employees to make the first batch of the Alcohol-Engine cars, and improving the obnoxious amount of sound while driving due to faulty placement of axles.
Klein on the other hand spent his days loafing around, except for the time when he had to battle a giant priest in his mind realm. He also gave out the Beyonder Characteristic of Rose Bishop to Maric to turn it into a Mystical Item.
He was a little sour though, since Kiyotaka's collection of Mystical Items was outgrowing his.
*****
Monday, October 15, 1349
Crimson beams illuminated the entire space, lighting up the Grey Fog that surrounded the figures sitting at the head and foot of the long, mottled bronze table. One after another, people arrived on either side of the table.
Just as the high beams of crimson light dissipated, Miss Justice stood up. As if lifting her skirt slightly in a courtesy, she tip towed and bowed a little. "Good afternoon, Mr. Fool~! Good afternoon, Mr. Emperor~!"
The two nodded their heads as Audrey happily began to greet the other members. Just as she finished doing so, her gaze fell on a new figure, sitting not that far away from The Emperor.
'A girl? Is this Xio or Fors?' The thought came up instantly in her head.
Klein, who was sitting at the head of the long table, removed his attention from Kiyotaka despite his initial apprehension. To him, Kiyotaka looked quite different and something was definitely bothering him.
Despite being a little distraught over the past few days, Klein had avoided divining anything about Kiyotaka. Part of the reason behind this was that after all that they had been through, it was wrong to pry into his matters without his permission.
Of course, there was a fault in this logic, since he could've been in danger. However, Klein decided to put his faith in The Emperor's survival skills.
Pulling the same lofty tone as he would normally do, Klein motioned towards the newest member that had brown hair and blue eyes. "This is Miss Magician, our new member." He then looked at Fors and began introducing, "This is Miss Justice, Mr. Hanged Man, Mr. Sun, Mr. World and Mr. Emperor."
Fors took in their profiles, or whatever was available of it, and did a preliminary judgement.
Miss Justice is blonde and seems very young; she sits with a graceful posture.
Mr. Hanged Man has dark blue hair, as messy as seaweeds; he doesn't have a very bulky figure; he doesn't like to talk, but when observed by him, it gives me a sense of unease; he must be a leader of some faction...
Mr. Sun looks like a teenager; he's very silent and reserved; other than that, I can't tell anything else — maybe he's just as weak as me.
Mr. World's eyes are very cold and quite gloomy; it's obvious that he isn't someone to be trifled with...
Mr. Emperor is also blonde but that's about it; I can't sense much about him. Earlier Miss Justice greeted Mr. Emperor and Mr. Fool in the same breath; is it possible that Mr. Emperor is also a lofty figure, but one beneath that of Mr. Fool?
If so then it would make sense why he sits so nonchalantly, as compared to other members who also seem to have a peace of mind but are still reserved. In a sense, Mr. World and Mr. Emperor are quite alike, both give off a very emo energy...
...I shouldn't be thinking like that! What am I even doing!?'
Having taken a preliminary judgment of the situation and the other members, Fors settled down and did not say anything else. Her eyes darted to Mr. Fool a few times, but seeing as how there was no change in the way he treated her and now, she relaxed a little.
At that moment, since there were no new Roselle diary entries, Klein looked at Kiyotaka who was sitting in a relaxed manner. Making a mental note to talk to him about his condition later on, he controlled The World and said, "I want to know about the Devil and Guardian Sequences."
Kiyotaka's ears perked up as he heard "Devil." While Kiyotaka did not know about the correct origins of The World, he was sure that he was much closer to The Fool than the other members in this group.
Hence, he saw this as The Fool's way of helping him. And while that really was the intention, Klein wanted to know about it himself as well. There were two reasons for this: The first one was that Isengard Stanton asked him to help him with the serial murder cases, and the second was that since Kiyotaka was involved with Patrick Jason, he might ask for Klein's help one day or the other.
It was better to have preparations and intel on an enemy beforehand.
'Guardian Sequences? Isn't it one of the Pathways that residents of City of Silver pick up the most? Hmm, if memory serves me right, it is used in not only the City of Silver but also is a pathway controlled by the Church of God of Combat, which is the main religion in the Feysac Empire. No other religions are allowed to proselytize there as well.' Kiyotaka ruminated.
'Sequence 9 is called Warrior, Sequence 8 Pugilist, and Sequence 7 Weapon Master.' Kiyotaka did a mental exercise of remembering all the pathways he knew so far.
"If it's just the Devil Sequence, I know a little about it." Alger, who had some standing in the Church of the Lord of Storms, interjected.
The Sun, Derrick Berg glanced at him and without a thought, straightened his back and said, "I'm very knowledgeable about these two Sequences. The payment I want is information related to the Fallen Creator. The equivalence of the two pieces of information will be determined by Mr. Fool and uhh..."
Derrick felt his words drawl. In the recent tarot gathering which he had attended in the presence of Mr. Emperor, it was quite clear that he took no clear initiative when it came to different things occurring in the Tarot Club. Hence, he was unsure if the addition of someone of The Emperor's stature warranted asking for "His" permission or not.
Klein looked at Kiyotaka and smiled. "Are we at a consensus?"
"Of course." Kiyotaka replied, keeping his tone reserved.
'Mr. Emperor feels much warmer than before. It is also easier to read "Him" as well. Is it perhaps because "He" is warming up to the members of Tarot Club? If that's the reason and what I think is the truth, that makes me so excited!
Despite being such a lofty figure, "He" is letting us get close to "Him"!'
Audrey made an ecstatic judgement in her heart. After the initial few meetings in the presence of Mr. Emperor, it had become easier for her to read a few tics in Kiyotaka.
While the starting times were just like looking at Klein, ever since Kiyotaka became a Sequence 9: Lawyer, he had lost his access to the Space Above the Grey Fog. And while Klein did help him by concealing him a bit, it did not compare to the real thing.
'The True Creator, huh... It makes sense why he would require the information. The City of Silver has a history with this specific deity, and given how The Sun has been involved with finding the temple of the True Creator, it is fair enough.' Kiyotaka added internally.
'When it comes to the understanding of the True Creator, none of the ladies and gentlemen present can compare to me...' On the other hand, Klein thought smugly.
While they were discussing this matter, The Magician Fors was stunned upon hearing the conversation.
'The Devil Sequence is the Devil pathway? Which Sequence number is it? What is the Guardian pathway? Which Sequence number is it? I've never heard of it... Fallen Creator? The True Creator? God, they are actually exchanging information regarding the True Creator! That deity is known as the most ancient and powerful existence amongst the deities. What kind of organization did I join?
'I really need to go and find Williams. I remember clearly now! He was the one who made me join! I was in a half-lucid state when it happened, but I am sure that it was him! I was going to recite the honorific name anyway, but I was right. Someone was making me recite it!
Wait... If he made me recite it, then...'
Fors looked around as the conversation about Gods continued. She took in the appearence—or what was visible of it—of everyone. However, she could not piece together any evidence that would suggest that any of the members present was Williams.
The Sun was too tall to be Williams, and Mr. Emperor was being regarded in the same sentence as Mr. Fool, and Williams was not even a Sequence 8. Hence why, she disregarded that possibility as well.
'God... What have I gotten myself into...'
After receiving a positive reply from The Fool, The World said without any hesitation, "Deal! I request a private exchange."
'I really want to hear it... However, I need to be frugal for the time being. There are still two more months until the new year. Endure it, Audrey!' Audrey blinked her eyes, reluctantly withdrawing her gaze from The Sun.
Their sights, vision, and spirituality were then shielded by Klein, except for Kiyotaka.
Kiyotaka leaned back into his seat.
'Well, I suppose it is time for another history lesson. The information on Devil Sequences would be a big help as well. Today sure is a rewarding day.'
*****
Author's Note; Hope y'all like the chapter. We recently hit 100K views and 355 Collections on Webnovel. And it has only been 30 chapters so far, so thanks to all of you. Especially the ones commenting every chapter. Appreciate y'all.
As for the next chapter, Eid—which is a 3-day holiday for Muslims—is approaching in next week, so there might not be a chapter release. There is still a non-zero chance of it happening, if I get some time to finish editing it.
For now, this arc, as mentioned before, will cover the Devil Dog arc and the build up to the Great Smog of Backlund. It is an inevitable event, given how weak both Klein and Kiyotaka are.
Barbarian Advancement is upon us and accompanying it would be a change in demeanor for Kiyotaka, so, excited to write Kiyotaka as someone acting like a Barbarian instead of a Lawyer (which is close to his normal self)