443 A One-man Performance (1/2)
The visitor was a man in a dark green postman uniform. He smiled at Klein in a fawning manner.
”Are you Mr. Sherlock Moriarty?” he asked.
”Yes.” Klein could vaguely guess the purpose of the other person's visit.
The visitor raised his right hand and handed over a palm-sized item that was wrapped in layers of black gauze.
”Please sign and accept your package.”
Klein deliberately revealed his doubts.
”Shouldn't you give me a slip and let me go to the corresponding post office for collection?”
The Loen Kingdom's postal system was a perfect replica of the Intis system, and even the flaws were copied quite significantly. Anything that couldn't be stuffed directly into the mailbox, no matter what it was, would only be given a ”collection slip” by the postman, making the recipient go through the hassle of collecting it himself.
”… Haha, because it's rather precious, so I have to personally deliver it to you,” the postman said after a momentary shock.
It seems you're not professional enough to be a real postman… Without further questions, Klein accepted the package, pen, and slip before signing them.
He closed the door and returned to the living room. He didn't rush to open the package, but he took out a gold coin and threw it into the air.
Pa!
Klein caught the gold coin and looked down to see if it was heads or tails.
A number faced up, indicating a negative response. There's no latent danger… Klein nodded slightly and put away the gold coin. He touched the paper figurine in his pocket and carefully opened the package.
After one layer after another of black gauze was removed, the objects inside clearly presented themselves to him. They were a pale gold-colored, elegantly patterned pocket watch; a handkerchief stained with dark red blood; seven or eight brown short curly hair tied together; and a stack of notes.
Talim's belongings, his hair, his blood, and his daily records, are all present… Prince Edessak sure is a very efficient man. It's not even nighttime… Klein looked at the items on the coffee table and suddenly felt that there were many people staring at him at that very moment.
An ancient Angel Family with a heritage of more than two thousand years would definitely have an unimaginable background. Being involved with the royal family's internal strife makes it possible for me to be pulverized at any moment and anywhere… Maybe I'm already being monitored now… I have to appear mediocre and useless enough, to ensure my safety… Klein had already decided what to do, so he took his time checking the pocket watch, handkerchief, and hair.
During this process, his spiritual intuition didn't give him any warnings, nor did it prevent him from attempting divination.
After having a better grasp on the situation, Klein took out the letter, picked up a pen, and wrote his divination sentence:
”The true cause of Talim Dumont's death.”
He acted big-hearted and poised, as though he didn't feel that he was being monitored at that very moment.
Picking up the curly hair and handkerchief, Klein chanted the divination sentence while leaning back against the back of the sofa. His eyes turned deep as he entered Cogitation.
After repeating it seven times, he came to the dream world and saw the familiar lobby of the Quelaag Club.
And then he saw Talim Dumon clutch at his heart, his face contorted once again.
”This revelation shows that Talim did die of a sudden heart disease…” Klein opened his eyes and muttered softly to himself.
He frowned, wearing a puzzled, confused, and thoughtful expression.
He tried several different divination statements and received the same result.
He got up and paced back and forth several times.
He punched himself in the head, as though he was angry that he wasn't good enough to help his friend or find out who the culprit was.
In the end, he dejectedly sat down and didn't move for a long time. In the dark room, he was like the silhouette of a stone statue.
That should be enough. I can't go overboard… If there's no one monitoring me, then I would've been fighting with the air just now… Klein shook his head in a self-deprecating manner, got up, and walked to the kitchen.
After dinner, he seemed to perk up again before he read the stack of notes carefully, including what Talim had done and who he had met on the day and the days prior to his death.
Home, Red Rose Manor, Quelaag Club, Viscount Conrad's mansion… There's nothing out of the ordinary about it… Klein picked up a sharpened pencil and drew circles, marking out the places he would visit and the targets he would ask about in the next few days.
After doing all of this, he let out a long sigh. Without confidence, he packed up his things, washed up, and went to bed.
In the middle of the night, when the red moon was hidden by layers of clouds, Klein suddenly opened his eyes and woke up.
He got out of bed, opened the door slowly, and went into the bathroom next door, hiding himself with a Paper Figurine Substitute in the process.
Walking four steps counterclockwise, he arrived above the gray fog and sat down at the seat which belonged to The Fool.
His eyes had become clear, no longer dispirited, dejected, and pessimistic.
Soon after, Klein took the blood-stained handkerchief from a hidden pocket in his pajamas made out of old clothes.
When he was packing his things, he had used his Beyonder powers as a Magician to hide the handkerchief on his body.
After taking a deep breath, Klein conjured a pen and paper, and he wrote down the divination sentence that was no different from the beginning:
”The true cause of Talim Dumont's death.”
After he repeated it seven times with his body and mind in peace and quiet, he leaned back in his chair with the paper and handkerchief in his hand and fell asleep in the silent and empty old palace.
In a gray, separated, and illusory world, Klein saw a completely different scene from before.
Presented before his eyes was a palm-sized wooden puppet, carved with eyes, a nose, and a mouth.