Lord of Mysteries: Starting As A Reader

Late at night, in front of a dimly lit villa in the St. George District of Backlund, Talim checked his pocket watch. Seeing that the appointed time had arrived, he took a deep breath and mustered the courage to ring the doorbell of the eerily dark building.

Why does Miss Lena live in such a gloomy place? And why must we meet in the middle of the night? Could she actually be one of those witches or banshees from horror stories?

I should have hired Sherlock to accompany me…

No, wait. If something truly terrifying happens, bringing Sherlock along might actually put him in danger…

The cold night wind sent a chill down Talim's spine as he realized, belatedly, how frightening this situation truly was. His mind started spinning with wild thoughts.

Just then, the villa's large door creaked open. A young person dressed in androgynous clothing stepped out, holding a lantern. After carefully examining Talim's face, the person said politely, "Mr. Dumont, please follow me. Miss Lena is waiting for you in the drawing room."

Talim Dumont was once the scion of a noble family with a Viscount title, but his family fortune had long been squandered by his grandfather.

Talim studied the young person before him but couldn't determine whether they were male or female. He settled for a vague response. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," the young person replied softly and led Talim inside.

To Talim's surprise, the interior of the villa was brightly illuminated, a stark contrast to its gloomy exterior. The sudden transition from darkness to light made him squint and shield his eyes with his hand.

Following his guide into the drawing room, Talim immediately spotted Miss Lena, Prince Edessak's old friend.

He couldn't help but notice that Miss Lena's demeanor bore a striking resemblance to the young lady the prince was currently infatuated with—they were both elegant, graceful, and undeniably beautiful.

But sadly, neither of them could ever become the prince's wife…

Suppressing a sigh, Talim greeted Miss Lena courteously.

Lena stood up, returned the greeting, and got straight to the point. "You're here to deliver a message from Edessak, aren't you?

"Heh… Let me guess—it's not good news. Is he breaking off our friendship?"

Miss Lena, if you're so intelligent and clear-headed, why are you still entangled in this mess?

Conflicted, Talim hesitated. Instead of relaying the prince's cold words, he tried to offer gentle advice. "Miss Lena, I think you're well aware that His Highness can only marry a noblewoman… someone like the Earl Hall's daughter…"

Before he could finish, Lena interrupted sharply, "I have no intention of becoming his wife. My only goal is to keep that 'Witch' away from Edessak."

Witch? That kind and gentle girl, a witch? If anyone here seems like a witch, it's you, Miss Lena—meeting me at midnight in this creepy villa… if only it were a Gothic castle instead.

Shaking off the intrusive thought, Talim said, "But that lady has already accepted my suggestion and agreed to leave His Highness…"

"Leave? She certainly wants to… but unfortunately, she's also not in control of her fate!" Lena sighed softly, then added, "Do you know why I asked to meet you at this hour?"

Confused, Talim asked, "Why?"

"Because only at night can I use a certain item to temporarily break free from the fate controlling me… but even then, it doesn't always work."

Fate? What nonsense is this? Talim thought Miss Lena might be losing her grip on reality. His worry was evident in his expression.

Lena shook her head and said, "You wouldn't understand even if I explained. Just know this: when you return, do everything you can to assist that kind, gentle, graceful, and beautiful girl you spoke of. Perhaps she'll be able to break free from this fate."

With that, Lena picked up her teacup and gestured for the androgynous attendant to escort Talim out.

The attendant hesitated briefly, then snapped to attention and politely guided the still-baffled Talim back outside.

Once the drawing room was empty, Lena sat in silence for a moment before the corners of her lips curved into a faint smile.

...

Above the Gray Fog, Klein had witnessed the entire conversation from his vantage point through the young attendant Shoko's perspective. Deep lines creased his brow as he tapped the edge of the ancient bronze table with his finger.

"What exactly does Lena mean by this? If she truly has a way to shield herself from '0-08', why call Talim here and intentionally tell him all that? Was she testing the effectiveness of her shielding method?"

"No… that would risk leaking information. If Prince Edessak is the center of this scheme, Talim would certainly be under Ince Zangwill's close watch. Even if he wasn't monitored inside the villa, he would surely be observed once he left."

"Unless… she wanted to leak this information to '0-08'! Could this be a strategic deception?"

"She probably does have a way to resist '0-08', but it might not require the villa, or midnight, or even partial success. That could all be false information she intentionally revealed!"

"But if I can think of this, wouldn't Ince Zangwill suspect the same thing?"

"Wait… I may have overlooked something. '0-08', despite being under Ince Zangwill's control, is still a Sealed Artifact with terrible side effects. It might not reveal everything to its wielder, especially when he's not actively using it."

"Perhaps Lena discovered some sort of pattern during her past attempts, something that let her exploit the artifact's blind spots."

"She understands '0-08' better than I do… If '0-08' is truly behind all this…"

"Who told her? Was it the old man who gave her the 'Fallen Morning Star'? And who exactly is he?"

Unable to make sense of the puzzle, Klein sighed and leaned back.

"Perhaps 'Iron Man' knows something…

"Although 'Tower' is principled and unwilling to reveal 'Iron Man' identity, I can ask him to relay my questions.

"Next Tarot Club meeting, I'll bring this up with him. As for compensation… I happen to have the 'Judge' characteristic that 'Judgment' needs. Given their close relationship, I doubt 'Tower' would refuse this exchange."

...

Bayam

Busy days passed in the blink of an eye, and before long, it was Sunday morning.

In his underground laboratory, Ebner had just finished crafting an Extraordinary item using the Werewolf characteristic that Jane had commissioned.

At that moment, the teleportation altar glowed with flickering flames, and Vice Admiral Iceberg Edwina stepped through the portal.

"The Golden Dream has arrived near Gulain City in East Balam."

(End of Chapter)