Chapter 130: Backlund's Secret Gathering

Klein looked at Swain standing before the monster's corpse before

looking sideways towards the Mandated Punisher who was helping his

semi-conscious partner up by the arm. Klein suddenly felt an

indescribable sadness.

It was almost impossible for members of the Nighthawks, Mandated

Punishers, and the Machinery Hivemind to be known as heroes. The things

they did were never made known to the public but only hidden in

confidential dockets. But the danger and pain they endured were ever so

real.

*Perhaps there would be a day when my enemy will be one of my

teammates...* Klein sighed silently. He felt the heavy weight

that all Nighthawks, Mandated Punishers, and Machinery Hivemind carried.

At that moment, Old Neil let out a sigh.

"Let's go. Let's not disturb them."

"Okay." Klein picked up his cane. Just as he widened his stride, he

suddenly noticed that Old Neil was still holding his left hand. He

asked, concerned, "Are you hurt?"

Old Neil chuckled briefly before saying, "I got stabbed by one of the

shrapnel earlier. If I was still young, I definitely would've been able

to dodge it. Luckily, it's just a small cut."

He moved his right hand slightly to let Klein see the tiny wound that

was still lightly bleeding on the back of his left hand.

After he confirmed that it wasn't a big issue, Klein walked off along

the gangway as he sighed.

"Mr. Neil, you're much calmer than I imagined. Despite being less than

two meters away from the monster, you could still chant the incantation

calmly and use the charm."

Although the rampaging Mandated Punisher had leaped towards Klein in the

form of a monster, Old Neil was physically very close to him the entire

time.

Old Neil chucked at the compliment.

"I'm an experienced Nighthawk. Among the dangerous things that I've

done, what happened just now isn't even in my top ten. Once, when I was

patrolling Raphael Cemetery with Dunn, I had no idea that a corpse had

turned into a zombie and left its tomb to lie in ambush in the shadows

of the trees. I passed by without noticing it at all since I was looking

for some hidden spot. Heh, you know what I mean. In the end, he leapt

onto my back and seized my throat."

Klein felt gripped by terror when he heard the recollection as he voiced

out his guess.

"And under such a situation, you were still calm enough to use a charm?

Or did you use some spell that a Mystery Pryer could cast quickly?"

Old Neil stole a glance at him and chortled. "No, Dunn managed to drag

that zombie into a slumber in time. I'm telling you this story to tell

you that, as a Nighthawk, you not only have to believe in yourself, you

also have to trust your teammates too."

Klein fell silent for a few seconds. Then, he replied both sincerely and

jokingly, "Mr. Neil, you are so wise today."

Old Neil did a tiny hop and found his footing on the pier. He replied in

disdain, "That's because you only get to know the most trivial side of

me usually."

The two of them left the harbor and walked towards Evil Dragon Bar.

Klein put away his revolver, set his cane aside, and took off his

jacket. Under the light of the gas street lamp, he started checking if

there was any damage to his jacket.

"How lucky. There are only a few splinters and a patch that got

dirtied..." He removed the splinters and roughly patted the dust away.

Then, he put it back on.

Old Neil looked at him with a smile and mimicked his tone by adding

leisurely. "What a pity, there's no way to claim compensation."

Klein was temporarily at a loss for words.

I'm not such a person! He emphasized in his heart.

As the public carriage arrived, Klein took out his silver vine-leaf

pocket watch and flipped it open to check the time.

"If there's nothing else, I have to head home," he turned to tell Old

Neil.

Old Neil nodded slightly and said, "Enjoy your dinner at home. You don't

need to think about the Slumber Charm. I'll get Swain to compensate me.

He's a rich man after all. Of course, I won't go today. I have to

consider his mood."

Klein opened his mouth, but in the end, he only said, "...Thank you for

your generosity."

He boarded the carriage quickly and returned to Daffodil Street. It was

already past seven in the evening, and the sky had already grown dark.

Klein took out his keys to open the door and saw Melissa taking off her

fishnet hat and setting it on the clothes rack. He smiled and did small

talk.

"You just got back?"

Then, his mixed emotions suddenly vanished, and he felt relaxed and

warm.

"There was a practical lesson in school today," Melissa explained

seriously.

Klein sniffed and smelled the fragrance of food. He was stunned and

asked subconsciously, "Then, who's cooking dinner?"

The moment he finished his sentence, both of them answered the question

in unison, "Benson!"

Their tone had a hint of alarm.

Benson, who had heard their conversation, walked out of the kitchen.

While wiping his hands on an apron, he said, "Do you have no confidence

in my cooking? I remember that before Melissa learned how to cook, you

two would wait for me to come home and watch me cook with anticipation.

Actually, cooking is so easy. You want potato beef stew? Put in the beef

first, then the potatoes, then add some seasoning..."

Klein and Melissa exchanged glances and remained silent.

Putting aside his cane and took off his hat, Klein turned around and

smiled.

"I think it's time to hire a maidservant. It's very unhealthy to not eat

dinner on time."

"But I don't want to have a stranger next to us when we chat. That'll

make me feel uncomfortable," Melissa said, subconsciously finding an

excuse to object.

Klein spoke with a smile as he took off his jacket.

"I don't mind..."

Just then, his expression froze, and he stopped what he was doing.

*I almost took off my jacket. I still have a revolver at my

armpit...*

Ahem. He cleared his throat and pretended nothing happened.

"Don't mind her. When we get home, we can let the maidservant rest in

her room. I doubt any maidservant would dislike resting. Hmm, we must

find a maidservant who's willing to learn how to cook."

He didn't want to endure the torture of a cuisine that left him guessing

in the future.

Benson stood at the kitchen and nodded in agreement.

"When we have time, we can go over to Tingen Family Servant Assistance

Association. They have a great deal of experience and many resources in

this field."

"Alright, it's decided then!" Klein ignored Melissa's unwilling look.

Backlund, Empress Borough, Viscount Glaint's residence.

Audrey Hall left the party with her personal maid, Annie. They came to

the second floor and entered the bedroom that the Viscount had prepared.

She took off her glamorous dress and her lightweight dancing heels

slowly with Annie's assistance. She then put on a black hooded robe that

she had prepared ahead of time.

Pulling up the hood, Audrey stood before the full mirror and examined

herself.

She saw that more than half her face was covered by the shadow of her

hood, and only her beautiful lips were clearly exposed.

*Long black robe, face hidden by shadows, a mysterious feeling... This

is something I've been dreaming of wearing all this time!*

Audrey thought to herself happily.

Worried, she added a blue boat-shaped soft hat under her hood. With the

fine checkered fishnet drooping down, her facial features became even

more indiscernible.

"Not bad, that's it!" Audrey stuffed her feet into leather ankle boots,

looked to the side, and told Annie, "Wait for me here. No matter who

comes, do not open the door."

Annie looked at her helplessly and said, "But you have to make sure that

your trip doesn't take more than an hour."

"You should trust me. I have kept my promise every single time in the

past." Audrey smiled and leaned in towards her personal maidservant. She

hugged her and kissed her cheek as etiquette demanded.

Then, she walked quickly and pulled up her hood. Turning around, she

exited the bedroom through a secret door.

She walked all the way down and came to the side door of the viscount's

residence where she saw that there was already a carriage waiting there.

Glaint stood amidst the shadows as he glanced at Audrey and complimented

sincerely, "By dressing up like this, you are really, yeah---like the

description Emperor Roselle often used---very cool."

"Thank you." Audrey pulled up an imaginary skirt and curtsied elegantly.

The two of them got into the carriage and left the villa. They arrived

at a house about ten minutes away.

Outside the house, Audrey saw Apprentice Fors Wall and her friend,

Arbiter Xio Derecha, whom she had been seeing recently.

Fors's slightly wavy brown hair and her light blue eyes showed a natural

laziness. She pointed at Xio Derecha next to her and said, "She's an

excellent persuader, capable of helping you get things that you want."

Xio Derecha was slightly shorter, about 150 cm at most. Her facial

features were soft, but she seemed pretty young and immature.

Although her shoulder length blond hair was messy and unkempt, and she

was in a traditional knight training suit, she carried an indescribable

look of dignity and a convincing charm.

Audrey had met her a few times. She smiled faintly and greeted, "Miss

Xio, can I trust you?"

"You don't have to worry at all." Xio Derecha smiled and gestured with

her hand.

Just as she walked to follow Audrey and Viscount Glaint, they heard a

sudden thud.

Audrey looked towards the source of the sound and saw that a triangular

blade coruscating with a cold glimmer had fallen beside Xio Derecha's

leg.

Audrey and Xio Derecha exchanged looks, simultaneously at a loss for

words.

After nearly twenty seconds, Xio Derecha quickly squatted and picked up

the triangular blade and hid it on her body.

"We have to prevent the occurrence of an accident. Some people lack

rationality, and they aren't convinced easily," Xio Derecha explained

seriously.

Audrey nodded and replied with a clear voice, "I believe you..."

"These are tools to convince those b\*stards to talk to us calmly," Fors

added, looking sideways at the lawn.

The quartet didn't continue conversing and walked a few steps forward.

They knocked on the wooden door with three long and two short knocks.

The door squeaked and opened. Slowly, using her Spectator state, Audrey

looked into the house that had many people sitting around randomly. They

employed various methods such as hoods or masks to conceal their looks.

Some didn't even bother and exposed their faces openly.

Almost instantly, Audrey noticed a black-robed man on a single seat

sofa.

That man wore a hood too, hiding his looks under a shadow.

He looked at all the guests in silence, giving people a feeling that he

was somehow in a commanding position.

*He is very confident, but his gaze is very disgusting. His gaze moved

up and down my body like two slippery tentacles wanting to tear off my

clothes...* Audrey's senses were sharp. She carefully observed

and made a judgment calmly, but she nearly had goosebumps.

Fors introduced him.

"That's Mr. A, a powerful Beyonder, the leader of this secret

gathering."