382 Hero Bandi (1/2)

Cherwood Borough, in the house Xio and Fors rented.

Fors was just finishing the beginning of her new book and, in her good mood, prepared to reward herself with a cigarette, when Xio pushed open the door and entered the study.

”Smoking is harmful to your health.” Xio sniffed.

Fors didn't argue with her when she saw her puzzled look. Instead, she asked, ”Looks like something happened to you?”

Xio scratched her rough blonde hair and sat down on a nearby chair.

”That person from before contacted me—the person who sold the Sheriff formula to me through another person at Mr. A's gathering.

”He gave me a relatively simple mission. The initial reward is thirty pounds. I don't even know if there are any hidden dangers…”

Fors thought for a moment and then said, ”That person… There should be an organization behind him, but why would they want to rope you in? Aren't they afraid of being implicated by your intelligence; thus, causing the entire organization to be completely destroyed? There's nothing they really need from you either. Your looks are barely passable, but you're too short, so perhaps your life is relatively more valuable… Eh, what mission is it?”

Xio was used to her good friend's snide remarks as she ignored what she said in the beginning. She directly answered the second question, ”Investigate if there has been anyone keeping tabs on Capim recently.”

”Capim? The human trafficker who deserves to be hanged—no, burned to death?” Although Fors wasn't a bounty hunter, it was her writer's instinct to gather material, so she often asked Xio to tell her stories and news she had learned.

Xio nodded. ”It's him, but he's already dead. He seems to have died rather miserably.”

”How did he die? Was he sliced to death by a knife, bit by bit?” Fors asked, pleased and curious.

”That person didn't go into a detailed description. Perhaps it'll be mentioned in the papers tomorrow.” Xio thought for two seconds before continuing, ”He only mentioned a rather special situation at the scene of the death. He said that Capim's corpse was covered in tarot cards. His face was covered with the 'Judgment' and 'The Emperor' cards.

”The 'Judgment' card probably meant that it was a judgment on Capim, and the verdict was death. But what does 'The Emperor card' represent? That murderer, no—that hero's identity?” As a best-selling author, Fors instinctively began interpreting the unique layout of the scene of the crime.

Suddenly, she froze.

Tarot cards? The corpse was strewn with tarot cards? Fors suddenly thought of the secret organization she had just joined—Tarot Club!

It couldn't be one of us, could it? However, none of the members has the code name of The Emperor… If it's really the case, then this is the first time I've found traces of the Tarot Club in the real world… We're not just a secret organization that only exists above the gray fog. As Fors's emotions churned, she felt pleasantly surprised and also worried.

…

Under an attendant's lead, Klein entered the familiar activity room.

There was only one candle in the room. The dim yellow light made the surroundings look like a scene from a ghost story. Coupled with the black robes and the iron masks worn by the mysterious people, the atmosphere turned even more intense.

The moment he stepped in, Klein suddenly had a baffling sensation.

He felt the flickering candle flame staring at him.

He felt that the flame would burst and ignite his hair and robe.

He felt that the curtain behind the oriel window would suddenly flare up, enveloping his body, and covering his nose and mouth, forcefully choking him to death.

What's happening? Klein was stunned as he turned extremely tense.

It wasn't a premonition for danger, but a feeling that was hard to avoid.

Klein carefully found a seat and sat down.

The moment his buttocks touched the surface of the chair, he felt as if the chair would explode and thick wooden thorns would end up piercing through his body.

This reminded him of the videos he had seen back on Earth—due to the explosion of a low-quality gas cylinder under a swivel chair, the steel pole, and the debris had stabbed into the seated owner's buttocks, drilling into his abdomen. The whole scene was filled with badly mutilated blood and flesh, a ghastly sight.

Why am I always making such bad associations? Is it because of the damage done to my Spirit Body from the battle earlier? Klein looked around thoughtfully and saw that the fat Apothecary had still not attended.

What happened? Or has he already left Backlund? Klein murmured something to himself and heard Eye of Wisdom announce the beginning of the gathering.

In the course of the next few hours, Klein felt as if the chandelier on the ceiling was going to fall sideways and smash into his head. He thought that the coffee table in front of Eye of Wisdom would suddenly move sideways and stumble him over, and he suspected that the members of the gathering around him were full of malice and might cause him trouble at any moment.

It made him fidgety, alert, and puzzled, and he was too distracted to pay attention to deals that either ended in success or failure.

If one is to say that a premonition for danger is like an occasional vibration, reminding one that there's news entering the room or an incoming phone call, then the feeling I have at this moment is akin to an electric drill boring constantly, causing me to be unable to relax or pay attention to anything else… Klein tried to rub his forehead, but it only touched the cold iron mask.

At this moment, he felt as if his iron mask would suddenly cave in and stick close to his face, embedding itself into his brain.

Is it really because my Spirit Body was damaged so it's making me hallucinate? Klein frowned.