Chapter 109: Deduction

The sound of running footsteps entered Klein's ears, calming him down as

he stood at the entrance of the guard room.

Leonard arrived first, holding a revolver. He asked in a solemn voice,

"What happened?"

Watching Leonard struggle to stop, Klein suddenly thought of something

that Rozanne had mentioned in the past. Three years ago, Leonard, who

had just become a Sleepless, tried to run down the flight of stairs

despite not having adapted to the potion's power, causing him to fall

and roll down.

With a cough, Klein pointed at Chanis Gate and said, "There was a

knocking noise from the inside, which then became a loud slamming noise.

Then the door was pushed open a little."

"Chanis Gate was pushed open?" the short Kenley asked in shock.

"Yes, a slit was opened." Klein continued his description. He saw that

Leonard, Kenley, and Royale had stopped approaching the guard room,

instead forming an arc formation a few steps away, loosely surrounding

Klein.

He paused for a moment before asking, "Are you suspicious of me?"

"No, it isn't suspicion. This is protocol." Kenley shook his head.

In this tense atmosphere, Leonard maintained his flippant attitude,

laughing as he added, "There have been incidents like this in other

churches. The Beyonder guarding Chanis Gate lost control and pulled the

bell before killing two teammates who came to help."

"Alright." Klein no longer felt angry and aggrieved at being ostracized.

Instead, he asked, "Then how should I prove that I haven't lost

control?"

Leonard wiped away his flippant smile and tapped his chest four times.

With a hoarse voice, he recited softly, "Lacking clothes and food, they

have no shelter in the cold.

"They are drenched by rains, and huddle around the rocks for lack of

shelter.

"They are orphans snatched from the breast, hope lost on them; they are

the poor that have been forced off the proper path.

"The Evernight did not forsake them, but bestowed them with love."

The holy, yet pitiful prayer reverberated around the basement, making

the bodies, hearts, and souls of everyone present feel purified and

tranquil.

Seeing Klein not display any abnormal reactions, Leonard stopped his

recital and smiled.

"There's no problem. You are still our trusted partner."

Madam Royale, who had been quiet all this time, looked at Chanis Gate

and asked, "What did you see when the gate was pushed open?"

"I saw a Misfortune Cloth Puppet, the one wearing the black classic

regal gown, 3-0625," Klein replied, still a little fearful. "But three

seconds later, a formless power pulled it back and Chanis Gate was

closed once again. What's going on?"

Leonard, Kenley, and Royale exchanged looks.

"Heh heh, we are in the same boat as you. We don't know the true cause.

But since Chanis Gate is closed once again and there's nothing unusual,

we shouldn't enter it at this time. We have to wait till dawn for the

Captain."

Royale calmly added, "I will wait here and guard the gate with you."

"Alright." Leonard moved his hand and gave a bantering laugh. "As the

most powerful person here, I shall stay too. Kenley, return to the

second floor just in case the police department has an emergency case

and cannot open the door."

Kenley didn't say much, he just nodded immediately and left.

Leonard glanced at Klein and Royale.

"Perhaps we can continue our card game? It's best to have some sort of

entertainment in circumstances like this, to relax."

"No problem." Klein adjusted his revolver and put it back into his

underarm holster. Royale didn't voice an opinion, but instead stroked

her smooth, black hair as she entered the guard room.

While playing Fighting the Landlord, no---Fighting Evil, Klein said

casually, "Misfortune Cloth Puppet, I mean 3-0625, according to its

description, doesn't have any living traits..."

"Haha, three aces." Leonard showed his hand and replied with the same

casual tone, "In the past forty years, 3-0625 hasn't displayed any

life-like characteristics. We can first assume that the information is

correct and make our assumptions based on that."

"Pass. You already have an idea?" Royale asked simply.

As Klein hesitated to think about whether he should throw his three

deuces, Leonard took a sip of his freshly brewed coffee and said, "Yes,

since 3-0625 shouldn't have any life-like characteristics, then its

actions today must have been influenced by some other factor. This

factor must also be rather recent; otherwise, we would've observed this

phenomenon a long time ago."

"Has there been anything different about Chanis Gate over the last

month?"

Royale saw Klein toss his three deuces and pondered for a few seconds.

"There is only one thing different; the Antigonus family's notebook and

the Sealed Artifact 2-049 was stored behind Chanis Gate for a night."

Leonard looked at the cards in his hand and as he tapped the table, he

said with a smile, "If 2-049 can make the Misfortune Cloth Puppet act

abnormally, then something similar should have happened behind

Backlund's Chanis Gate a long time ago. So I suspect that the problem

lies with the Antigonus family's notebook."

Klein thought for a moment and nodded.

"That is the most likely explanation... Leonard, I never expected you to

be this good at deduction."

Typically speaking, being a romantic poet and a person with excellent

deductive skills was mutually exclusive...

"That's because he's recently into detective novels," Royale explained

indifferently. "Two Kings, a straight from 8 to King. Does no one want

it? Three 6's and no more."

Upon seeing this, Klein and Leonard fell silent.

Having not been concentrating on the game, they forget something

important.

Royale was the 'Evil' in this round!

Watching Royale cut the deck, Klein took the opportunity to ask, "Then

what power pulled 3-0625 back?"

Leonard glanced at him and chuckled.

"Do you really think that the defensive mechanisms behind Chanis Gate

only consists of the buried sealed chamber and a few elderly keepers?

"In reality, when the sun sets fully, the keepers would have already

left Chanis Gate and returned to Saint Selena Cathedral.

"The power in the gate is strongest at night and is no longer safe for

any living creature. The power only weakens when the sun rises again.

That is also why the Captain asked us not to enter Chanis Gate no matter

what we hear."

*In other words, the Captain had forgotten to tell me the

reason...* Klein thought for a bit before asking, "Defensive

mechanisms such as nexus formations?"

Like magnified versions of amulets and charms?

"Yes." Royale nodded as she stroked the edge of her cards. "There is a

reason that Chanis Gates are placed in the central cathedral of each

city. The gate is maintained by the followers that go to these churches

every day. Their sincere prayers allow a part of their spirituality to

enter the nexus formations, and from small contributions comes

abundance."

"I see..." Klein nodded as he saw that he had a lousy hand.

At that moment, Leonard laughed and said, "There isn't just one

defensive mechanism behind Chanis Gate. Saint Selena's ashes are buried

inside. She was a High-Sequence Beyonder when she was still alive."

*The ashes of Saint Selena? Ashes of a High-Sequence Beyonder? Sacred

ashes? What use do those have?* Klein was as puzzled as he was

curious.

Saint Selena was a devotee when the Church of Evernight was being

established. She was active during the Third Epoch and her deeds were

written in many holy scriptures. Thus, Saint Selena was a fairly

commonly-used name among the commoners who believed in the Evernight

Goddess.

Leonard seemed to read Klein's mind as he continued, "Rumors suggest

that the skeleton or ashes of High-Sequence Beyonders still contain

incredible power. Of course, those are just rumors."

Klein nodded, focusing his attention on the cards in his hand.

There were no unusual incidents in Chanis Gate for the next few hours,

but Klein lost exactly two soli. It pained his heart, but Leonard, who

fully expressed his romantic poetic vibes while playing, lost four soli

and five pence, leaving Royale as the undisputed winner.

"The sun has just risen, it's my turn." The quiet Author, Madam Seeka

Tron entered the guard room at six.

Klein wrote the incident he encountered the previous night into the

record book and returned to the Blackthorn Security Company with Leonard

and Royale.

He felt unusually exhausted, but the Midnight Poet and Sleepless beside

him remained energetic.

This is the difference between the different Sequences...

Klein was just about to make his way past the partition and catch up on

some sleep at home when he suddenly saw the Captain enter.

"Good morning, Captain." He couldn't help but yawn when he greeted him.

Dunn, who was in a black trench coat, took off his hat and looked at him

with his gray eyes.

"Good morning. You should head back home for some rest. Did anything

happen last night?"

Klein immediately gave a succinct summary of the incident regarding the

Misfortune Cloth Puppet and Leonard's deduction.

"Okay." Dunn didn't give his opinion. He concentrated on making his way

to his office. "I will send a telegraph to the Holy Cathedral."

Klein didn't stay any longer. He slowly walked out of 36 Zouteland

Street and breathed in the cool morning air.

He felt a little more energized, suddenly remembering something he had

forgotten all this time.

*I forgot to tell the Captain and the rest about the piece of paper in

the Misfortune Cloth Puppet's hands!*

How could I have forgotten?

*It was as if some power was influencing me, stopping me from telling

this to the other Nighthawks...*

*It has been some time since the Antigonus family's notebook was present

at Chanis Gate. The Misfortune Cloth Puppet 3-0625 should have been

affected long ago. Why did it only show abnormal behavior last

night?*

*Was it because it was the first time I was on shift at Chanis

Gate?*

It used all of its power to show me the picture on the paper?

What is the motive of the Antigonus family's notebook?

*Has it got to do with my survival despite making contact with it? And

that I became a Seer?*

Many suspicions flashed through Klein's brain, rooting him to the spot.

He was unsure if he should pretend that he didn't remember anything and

make his way home to sleep, or head up and report it to the Captain.