Chapter 776: Preparations

Without the high tea session, Klein decided to pray at Saint Samuel

Cathedral, so as to show his devoutness.

Of course, he didn't forget to stop and admire the white pigeons on the

square, allowing himself to appear leisurely and calm.

He entered the cathedral, passing through the murals that were

illuminated by the sun from high above and arriving at a dark and deep

prayer hall.

This place wasn't as gorgeously decorated like the other Churches that

had all kinds of dazzling elegant taste that produced a visual impact.

Instead, it was mild and peaceful, allowing one to feel a natural sense

of tranquility. As for the pure light that resembled twinkling stars up

ahead, they were filled with the intense solemnity of holiness.

Klein removed his hat and handed it to Richardson along with his cane.

Then, he walked down the aisle.

At this moment, two figures stood up in the front pew and turned towards

the entrance. One of them was the black-haired, green-eyed Leonard

Mitchell who looked suave with his untidy hair.

Almost at the same moment, Leonard Mitchell also saw the middle-aged man

with the white sideburns and deep blue eyes.

Dwayne Dantès... He tensed up momentarily as his body showed

signs of indiscernible stiffness.

Klein gave Leonard a side look as he nodded with a smile. He had a

friendly and casual expression.

"..."

Leonard forced a smile as he nodded in a slightly sluggish manner.

Following that, he turned to the side, made way, and brushed shoulders

with Dwayne Dantès.

This made Klein see who the person was behind him. It was also someone

he knew---Daly who was wearing a spirit medium's black robe.

This lady still wore blue eyeshadow and blush, presenting quite an

uncanny sense of beauty.

Daly glanced at the middle-aged gentleman when her expression suddenly

went adrift. She retracted her gaze as she silently approached the exit.

*No way, I was just mimicking Captain's profound eyes. Even the color is

different, yet Ma'am Daly could still find it familiar? A woman's

intuition is truly terrifying...* Klein had a vague guess when

he noticed Daly's brief abnormality.

A long time ago, as an insensitive man, he believed that Ma'am Daly was

secretly in love with Captain; otherwise, she wouldn't have endured the

risk to rush to Tingen to get Klein to find an opportunity to teach the

acting method to Dunn Smith.

As for Captain, Klein wasn't sure about his thoughts. After all, Dunn

Smith, at that moment, was often unable to distinguish reality from a

dream. His bad memory was rather pronounced, and he might unknowingly

have forgotten certain things that lay at the bottom of his heart.

*However, Captain often mentions Ma'am Daly, using her as an example to

educate us. He was so familiar with how many years she took to advance

and the kind of talent she had that it seemed like he had memorized

it... Yes, whenever Captain mentioned these matters, he would

occasionally add that he spent nine years going from Midnight Poet to

Nightmare... C-could it be that he was feeling a little inferior when

facing Ma'am Daly? Inferior...* Klein recalled the past as his

mood suddenly felt dampened.

He realized that he didn't really understand Dunn Smith. He didn't

understand how many things the man had hidden inwardly.

*And Ma'am Daly isn't much younger than him. She appears to be very open

and doesn't care about marriage...* Klein silently sighed and

reined in his thoughts. He found a nearby pew and bowed his head,

closing his eyes to pray.

Outside the prayer hall, Leonard had recovered as he gathered with the

other Red Gloves teammates with Daly.

They waited for a while as Soest, who had become a Spirit Warlock,

walked out from another side. He scanned them and said, "Our mission

this time is to use the various clues discovered from the explosion of

the Black Skeleton Gang's headquarters to find all the formal members of

the Numinous Episcopate in Backlund.

"Ma'am Daly is a Beyonder from the Corpse Collector pathway. She knows

quite a bit about the Numinous Episcopate, so His Grace, Saint Anthony,

has gotten her to assist us."

In the evening, Klein, who had dismissed Richardson, took four steps

counterclockwise and entered above the gray fog. He conjured The World

Gehrman Sparrow and made his blurry figure pray.

"...Please inform Miss Magician that she needs to reserve a hotel room

before Friday night. It's best that it's far from the place where Mr. X

holds the gathering...

"...Pass me the stone and spellbook ahead of time. I need to make

certain preparations...

"...On Friday night, she needs to stop her friend who participates in

Mr. X's gathering and also present to me that person's external

appearance when in disguise...

"...If there's anything else, I'll inform her in time."

With only two days left before the assassination attempt on Mr. X, Klein

undoubtedly needed to prepare ahead of time. And there were many things

that needed preparation. Dwayne Dantès wasn't able to do everything, so

he had to rely on Miss Magician.

His preliminary plan was to use the powers of a Faceless to disguise

himself as a participant in Mr. X's gathering. He would enter directly

with the passcode, and then he would employ different plans based on the

situation.

According to the experience he had in engaging in combat and controlling

his marionette, Klein had a feeling that a Marionettist's principle was

"try to hide behind the scenes, covertly directing a script."

Unless necessary, a Marionettist had to avoid engaging in direct combat

with others!

*Currently, the most troublesome point is that Mr. X's gathering is at

eight. And usually, at this time, Dwayne Dantès clearly wouldn't have

fallen asleep. He won't be able to escape the notice of his butler and

servants and secretly head to East Borough... Of course, on the

contrary, it can also create an alibi, but the problem is, what method

should I use to fool everyone in his house... If only I had a Faceless

partner who can act as Dwayne Dantès... Miss Justice's necklace can do

it, but she's not in Backlund...* Klein leaned back into his

chair as he rubbed his temples.

He had even considered directly summoning and responding to himself,

using his identity as Hero Bandit Black Emperor to carry out the

operation, but doing so would cause him to lose the ability to change

his physical appearance. It also made it difficult for him to possess

others and disguise as Fors's friend to participate in the gathering.

*Unless Miss Magician's friend is a part of this, allowing me to possess

him or her... That wouldn't do either. First, it will expose some of the

Tarot Club's secrets, and second, Mr. X might have the means to discover

a Wraith. Of course, traces of this can be concealed using a series of

seals with a gold coin, the Paper Angel, or the iron cigar

case...* Klein considered for a while before deciding on a

method he was very proficient in from his previous life.

Feigning sickness!

*I'll begin acting sick tomorrow. I'll eat very little, and sleep before

eight... This way, the butler and servants wouldn't disturb me... But if

there's an emergency, what do I do when Walter and company knock on the

door? A Magician's Illusion Creation can only fool the eyes. It isn't

some artificial intelligence... Artificial intelligence... Right, I can

fix the illusion onto a mirror, letting it look like Dwayne Dantès.

Then, I'll get Arrodes to answer remotely!* With this in mind,

Klein's thoughts suddenly opened up.

I have to say that Arrodes can be quite useful at times...

After a poignant comment, Klein returned to the real world. He walked to

the desk, took out pen and paper, and began drawing a picture comprising

of symbols that implied concealment and mystery prying.

Just as he finished his final stroke, the room's lighting dimmed

suddenly. The full-body mirror first turned deep black before silver

light surfaced. Loenese text appeared one after another.

"Great Master, your loyal and humble servant, Arrodes, heard your

summoning. W-was I late?"

There's something new every time... Klein shook his head in

amusement.

"No."

"How tolerant you are of me, Great Master. You can ask your question."

Words neatly appeared on the mirror.

Klein thought for a moment before saying, "I plan on eliminating the

Aurora Order Oracle, Mr. X. Do you have any suggestions?"

The full-body mirror's words froze for a few seconds before changing.

"It's best you do it after Thursday."

*It's in line with my divination... Angel of Fate Ouroboros or a Saint

of the Aurora Order might be around Mr. X tonight and on

Thursday...* Klein smiled and said, "Arrodes, I have something

that requires your help."

"T-this is my honor! You are giving me an opportunity!" Words quickly

emerged, fully professing what it meant to be excited and delighted.

"May I ask what the mission is?"

Klein nodded and said, "This Friday night, I will be using a mirror as

an illusion prop, changing it to look like my present identity... If any

emergencies happen, you're in charge of controlling the mirror to answer

without letting anyone discover any abnormalities.

"Can you do it?"

The air around the full-body mirror suddenly gushed around, and a toady

voice belonging to Dwayne Dantès sounded:

"Great Master, I'll try my best to complete anything you command.

"Although it won't be able to last long, and it doesn't match my usual

habits, it's enough to deal with everyone here.

"If you wish, I can simulate any voice!"

*You're more talented than I expected... It's not easy being a mirror

these days... However, why does that final statement sound

odd...* Klein's facial muscles trembled as he said, "When

dealing with them, hide the nature of the question-and-answer game.

Don't let others notice it."

Arrodes immediately presented a new sentence on the full-body mirror:

"I will play your identity well!"

"Very good." Klein nodded.

He was truly worried that Arrodes would begin asking Butler Walter and

Valet Richardson embarrassing questions. Questions like: "have you

fantasized about ladies you shouldn't have any urges for?" or "who do

you think of late at night when resolving your physical needs?"

He believed that with the magic mirror's way of doing things, it might

very well carry out such an act without any forewarning. Back then,

Danitz nearly broke down thanks to its questions.

Without speaking any further, Klein switched to saying, "That will be

all for today. I'll contact you again on Friday night."

"Yes, Great Master. Your humble servant already looks forward to serving

you!" Arrodes first conjured a single line before producing a drawing of

a hand waving.