Chapter 254: Various Parties

In Empress Borough, the opulent villa of Earl Hall.

Audrey, with a white napkin covering her, watched as the dining

maidservant cut her a piece of bacon, laid out two fully-fried eggs,

spread fruit jam on a piece of soft bread, and added sauce to some

grilled mushrooms.

In a true noble family, maidservants were divided into many categories.

Apart from personal maids, there were maids for the different bedrooms,

study room maids, activity room maids, guest room maids, dressing maids,

shoe maids, jewelry maids, dining maids, laundry maids, and kitchen

maids. They were strictly assigned to their own tasks, with one task

handled by one maid.

Although this was a great waste of manpower, for nobles, propriety was

everything. Unless there was a large amount of debt, they would never

reduce their requirements in such matters.

Audrey took a sip of the brownish-red tea, allowing the faint scent of

malt and rose slush in her mouth.

At this moment, she heard her father, a Member of Parliament of the

House of Lords, the powerful banker, Earl Hall, mumbling as he held a

newspaper in his hands.

"The Aurora Order is really crazy."

Aurora Order? Audrey blinked and asked curiously, "What did

they do?"

"Oh, baby, you don't want to know. They assassinated the Intis

Ambassador, Bakerland. It does them no good." Earl Hall shook his head

as he flipped through the newspaper.

Audrey's elder brother, the count's eldest son, Hibbert Hall swallowed

the grilled mushrooms in his mouth and expressed his opinion.

"Perhaps they want to destroy the relationship between the kingdom and

Intis and let the war spread from the colonies to the Northern

Continent."

This child of noble birth had a handsome face and bright golden hair. He

looked like a classical sculpture, regardless of which angle one viewed

him from.

"No, if that was the case, then they wouldn't leave behind so much

obvious evidence. Moreover, recently, the kingdom has too many new

policies that will be implemented and will need some time to stabilize

the environment, so we won't rashly start a war. What happened last

night was already reported in the newspaper this morning, and the

details of the events and the murderer are enough to explain the

thoughts of His Majesty and the ministers." Earl Hall directed his son.

Audrey listened to her father and brother discuss the matter in a daze

before realizing what had happened.

Bakerland has been assassinated?

Mr. A succeeded?

He really is from the Aurora Order?

The reason why he intentionally exposed that it was the Aurora Order who

did it was to prove that he was the one who completed the task and that

he hadn't cheated me out of my money?

*This is too fast and efficient. I only paid the first sum yesterday

afternoon, and I'm hearing the result this morning. A good

result!*

Audrey was astonished and delighted. It was an uncontrollable joy, but

also an instinctive fear.

It was definitely something to be happy about since the mission

entrusted by Mr. Fool's Blessed had been accomplished so easily.

However, the power and actions displayed by Mr. A and the Aurora Order

who was backing him left Audrey subconsciously scared.

*Thankfully, I talked with Glaint yesterday and reached a loan

agreement. As a viscount, he should've successfully raised the money

without drawing attention to himself... I'll give Mr. A the remaining

funds in the coming two days through Xio and Fors. I can't afford to

show my face... I won't be attending Mr. A's gathering for the next

month or two. It's good that I already have other circles...*

Audrey took a reserved bite of the soft bread which was slathered with

jam.

As breakfast drew to a close, small cakes of cream, cherries, and

strawberries were served to her plate, and she suddenly felt a little

smug as she calmed down.

*Mr. Hanged Man wanted to take part in the mission, but he might've only

just now completed his initial assignment... but it's already over.

Serves him right to be at sea\~* Audrey was in a good mood, and

she was smiling as she savored the dessert.

At Hillston Borough, Xio and Fors looked at the newspaper in front of

them and made no further movements for a long time.

"...This was done by Mr. A, wasn't it?" Xio looked at her friend with a

shocked and puzzled look.

Fors turned the stone bracelet on her wrist and shook her head in a

daze.

"Perhaps."

"I know about the Aurora Order, but I don't know if Mr. A is a member of

the Aurora Order."

"He should be. After all, we only gave him 2,000 pounds yesterday. I

doubt anyone else would also want to assassinate Ambassador

Bakerland..." Xio said with uncertainty.

Fors was silent for a few seconds before she suddenly sighed and said,

"Whether it was Mr. A or not, we still have to give him the remaining

8000 pounds. At the moment, no one can prove that he didn't do it. If we

want to stay in this circle, we can't renege on the debt!"

"Anyway, we're not the ones paying... And we'll still get 500 pounds for

the work!" With that, Xio became happy.

"The thing is, I always have a feeling that finding Mr. A again would be

dangerous..." Fors pondered and said, "I'll go by myself to make the

last payment. It'll be better for the both of us."

"But..." Xio was a little worried.

"If you follow me, it'll affect my escape," Fors shook the bracelet on

her wrist and said in a disdainful tone.

"Alright then," Xio scratched her short, rough blond hair as she

helplessly replied.

While the two of them were fretting about this, a new message from Mr. A

came to them from a private communication channel. He told them not to

look for him, but to deposit the rest of the money in separate anonymous

accounts at different banks.

Phew... Xio and Fors breathed a sigh of relief in unison.

In a basement that was as wide as a temple, Mr. A, wearing a hooded

black robe, was kneeling in the darkness, murmuring something

reverently.

In front of him was a three-meter statue of a man hanging upside down

with his legs chained up.

This hanged man had a giant's unique single vertical eye, and his arms

were stretched out horizontally, forming a cross.

At this moment, a man with a black robe came in and humbly reported,

"Mr. A, I've already sent the news."

"Well done," Mr. A said, without turning his head.

The man in the black robe asked curiously, "Why don't you let us

investigate who commissioned this mission?"

Mr. A lowered his head and said with an indifferent tone, "There's no

need.

"You must remember that this is a critical moment.

"We will cause chaos throughout the continent, try our best to attract

the attention of others, and use these to welcome the return of our

Lord!

"Hahaha. Cough! Cough! Cough..."

Mr. A suddenly laughed before he started having a fit of coughing. It

was so serious that he fell to the ground.

"Cough! Cough!"

He coughed out blood-colored fragments which continued squirming after

falling to the ground as if they were alive.

The man in the black robe immediately lowered his head, pretending as

though he had seen nothing.

After quite some time, Mr. A finally calmed down.

He crawled forward, his mouth pressed against the ground as he licked

all the blood-colored fragments that he had coughed out back into his

mouth.

126 New Year's Street, Hillston Borough.

The relaxed Klein didn't tail Doragu Gale this time. Instead, he chose

his mistress, Erica Taylor. After all, adultery needed two to clap.

The pretty blonde, with the intricate makeup, arrived early at the

Quelaag Club via a rental carriage. Klein, who carried a suitcase

containing a portable camera and all sorts of disguises, followed her

in.

"Are there any more rooms to rest in?" Wearing the club's Frost badge on

his chest, he asked the elegant maid responsible for receiving guests

today.

The maid wearing a black-and-white dress politely smiled.

"Yes, please follow the attendant upstairs."

Klein nodded slightly. He followed the red-vested attendant up the

stairs and arrived at the second floor, just in time to see Erica Taylor

enter a lounge that faced the streets.

"Do you want to see the passers-by on the street or the tennis court out

back?" The red-vested attendant asked politely.

"Let's do the street," Klein answered casually in a deliberate manner.

Under the arrangements of the red-vested attendant, he and Erica

Taylor's room was separated by two rooms, and he could also see the

street outside the club.

*How do I take a picture later? Should I find a chance to sneak in and

hide in the room, or climb out of the window and travel across the

pipes? Neither of these methods can conceal that exaggerated flash, but

the latter can be disguised as a vogue shot from the outside. That

wouldn't bring suspicion to me and I wouldn't be kicked out... However,

this will be easily noticed by Doragu and Erica... Use a charm to put

them to sleep? No, it wouldn't be convincing enough; it has to be a

picture of them doing the deed...*

*There's only one chance, and I have to take it well enough... This

isn't my field of expertise, as I'm not some artistic master. If it was

Old Neil, he would definitely attempt to conjure a new ritualistic magic

to hide the camera flash. Of course, the Goddess might not respond to

his request...*

As Klein considered his next move, he saw the image of Miss Bodyguard

appear in a silver mirror in the room.

She was still wearing her black Gothic regal dress and her matching soft

hat. Her hair was pale blonde in color with delicate features across her

pale face.

"Do you have any way of hiding the flash of the camera?" Klein asked

casually.

Before he could finish his sentence, he saw ripples on the surface of

the silver mirror as a slightly transparent palm suddenly extended.

Miss Bodyguard came out of the silver mirror like a ghost, walked in

front of Klein, and said with a nod, "Yes."

She lowered her body and leaned over, slowly fusing into the camera's

lens!

Klein's mouth slightly opened as he watched this horrifying scene,

taking quite a while to recover from his shock. He picked up his

portable camera and tried a test shot in his lounge.

The effect was beyond his expectations. The flash was limited to the

vicinity of the camera, and the resulting image was also quite good.

Perhaps it should now be called a Spectral Camera... Klein

lampooned. He took the camera, went to the window, and patiently waited.

Not long after, he saw Doragu Gale arrive via carriage.

In the other room, Erica Taylor saw her lover and hastily left the

lounge to meet him on the first floor.

Klein seized the opportunity to use a tarot card to open her room,

carefully hiding in the cupboard where the extra sheets and quilts were

kept.

The darkness around him reminded him of the previous night, of that

creepy and terrifying Numblewright Master, Rosago.

*Last night was filled with danger, yet today, here I am catching

adulterers in the act. Life sure is marvelous...* While Klein

was making fun of himself, he heard the door open.