What sharp powers of observation. He's paying this much attention to me even though this is supposedly the first time we've met.
Klein's expression didn't change at all, as though he hadn't noticed Hastur deliberately studying him.
He remained seated for a little while longer before getting up and taking his leave. This time, neither Leonard nor Hastur tried to stop him.
The Bravehearts Bar was still some distance from the place Klein had rented. He had originally planned to wait for a carriage, but none came. It wasn't until Leonard and Hastur also appeared at the entrance of the Bravehearts Bar that a carriage finally turned the corner of the street ahead and stopped in front of Hastur.
This should be his private carriage.
"Sir, let me give you a ride. Backlund hasn't been very peaceful at night lately," Hastur offered.
Klein politely declined. He definitely didn't want to ride in the same carriage as Mr. Hastur. That would greatly increase the chances of his identity being exposed.
Leonard also walked over and asked where he lived.
"I live in the South Borough," Klein answered naturally.
"That's not really on the way," Leonard muttered. He then asked Klein to wait there for a moment before walking back into the Bravehearts Bar. Soon afterward, another carriage appeared.
"Thank you both for your generosity." Klein thanked them, climbed into the carriage, and left.
After Klein had gone far away, Leonard looked at Hastur inquisitively and asked, "Hastur, you seemed especially interested in that man tonight?"
"Did I?"
"Do you really think I'm blind?"
"Tsk, you actually noticed. Looks like I'll have to make my acting even better next time."
"Keep making things up."
Leonard ignored Hastur's teasing. Frowning slightly, he said, "I also feel like that person was somehow familiar, even though I'm obviously seeing him for the first time."
"It's getting late. I should head back and rest."
Hastur didn't continue chatting. He climbed into his family's carriage and left.
Left alone, Leonard stared at the empty street and realized an important problem.
Now he was the one without a carriage home. He could only go back inside the Bravehearts Bar and urge them along. After waiting another twenty minutes, he finally managed to get into a carriage.
After returning to his residence, taking a bath, and lying down on the bed, Leonard couldn't help asking, "Old man, did you notice anything tonight?"
"Don't you have eyes of your own?"
"...Old man, why are you in such a bad mood tonight?"
"I simply can't be bothered wasting too many words on you."
"Old man, you definitely noticed something, didn't you?"
No matter how Leonard questioned him, the old man didn't give him another response.
A little after nine the next morning, Leonard went to the Red Gloves team's base as usual.
But today, aside from their captain, a new bishop had also arrived, Bishop Max, who was said to have been specially dispatched from the Cathedral of Serenity.
Had something major happened? Leonard muttered inwardly while standing ramrod straight and looking energetic.
"This morning, someone delivered an anonymous report. It claimed that the mastermind behind the Capim case back then was someone from the Loen royal family, and it also provided several locations."
Their captain briefly explained the situation before asking each of them for their opinions.
Leonard remembered that Klein had been responsible for the Capim case back then. Capim, the human trafficker, had ultimately died, and the matter had ended there.
Who had dug the case back up now, and why did it involve the Loen royal family?
As for his opinion, he didn't have one. He would simply do whatever his superiors ordered.
After a brief discussion, the newly arrived Bishop Max said that they would conduct a joint investigation together with members of the Church of Steam and Machinery and the Church of Storms.
Members of Leonard's Red Gloves team were also selected to serve as part of the enforcement force.
A joint investigation into the Loen royal family.
Leonard found it rather interesting, but the old man still refused to tell him what deeper meaning lay behind all these events.
While the Church of the Evernight Goddess, the Church of Steam and Machinery, and the Church of Storms were carrying out their joint operation, new developments once again emerged in Backlund.
The Beyonders who had previously participated in searching for and persecuting believers of the Stars had recently begun suffering retaliation from believers of the Stars. A card was left on each corpse, bearing the honorific name of the One Who Returns the Stars to Their Positions.
Aside from the actions of the believers of the Stars, the Aurora Order, which had remained quiet for a long time, once again appeared in the public eye. They consecutively planned several terrorist attacks.
There was also the Demoness Sect.
News broke that it had cooperated with the Loen royal family, and various scandals involving members of the royal family began surfacing one after another.
Secret agents and spies from the Feysac Empire, the Intis Republic, Feynapotter, the Balam Empire of the Southern Continent, and other countries also began fishing in troubled waters at this time.
For a while, all of Backlund was shrouded in a state of chaos and disorder.
Hastur remained at home and didn't go out.
Aside from the actions of the believers of the Stars, which had surprised him, most of the other developments bore traces of his own efforts behind the scenes.
He needed chaos.
It was necessary for his acting, and it was also a way to divert the attention and resources of the Loen royal family and the three Churches.
Achieving this was very simple. He only needed to remain in the Hall of Stars and, through divine revelations, quietly guide those devout believers into carrying out some more radical actions.
As for the cards bearing the honorific name of the One Who Returns the Stars to Their Positions being scattered everywhere, that wasn't his doing, nor was it something Bernadette and the others would do.
Someone was probably hiding in the shadows, trying to turn the believers of the Stars into a common target.
The most likely culprit was the Mother Goddess of Depravity's believers. After all, She was currently locked in an irreconcilable conflict with him.
Under Her influence, Her believers were even more insane than the lunatics of the Aurora Order.
While Hastur was deep in thought in his study, Madam Lisa came to knock on the door.
With her abilities, she could have silently appeared inside the study, but she had always maintained the highest level of respect toward him.
"Come in."
Lisa opened the door and entered, respectfully saying, "Lord Divine Envoy, the blood of Beyonders from all twenty-two pathways that you requested has now been completely collected."
"So quickly?" Hastur raised his brows in surprise. He had issued this task less than three days ago.
"Many Beyonders have poured into Backlund recently, which made the task much easier."
"You did very well." Hastur was very satisfied with their efficiency and assigned Madam Lisa another task.
He needed her to keep an eye on the movements of the former Duke of Southville, Drink Augustus.
Judging by the timing, the Duke of Southville should already have died under Caius's arrangements.
Once news of that reached Backlund, Duke Drink Augustus would undoubtedly direct his hostility toward Hastur.
Especially with the situation now so chaotic, it would be very suitable for him to act in secret against Hastur. Some precautions were necessary.
"I will obey Lord Divine Envoy's command."
"Mm. You may leave."
After Madam Lisa left, Hastur stretched, walked to the window, and looked in the direction of the South Borough.
He had now confirmed that the person he and Leonard had encountered that night at the Bravehearts Bar was Klein.
At first, he had only been suspicious. Even after probing Klein several times, he still hadn't been able to confirm it.
It wasn't until he returned home and entered the Hall of Stars to perform a glimpse into fate that he truly confirmed the man was Klein.
The method of verification was very simple.
If that person had merely been an ordinary human, then everything about him would have been laid bare. But if he possessed something special, the corresponding threads of fate would be obscured.
Through this reverse confirmation, Hastur became certain that there was something unusual about the man.
Combined with the fact that Benson and Melissa currently lived in the South Borough, he quickly locked onto Klein's identity.
He was considering whether to drag Klein into the effort to deal with George III.
Because of the butterfly effect caused by Hastur's actions, Klein had never truly gained a deep understanding of just how many unforgivable crimes George III had committed in order to advance to Black Emperor.
Without that premise, Klein wouldn't oppose George III becoming a god with the same degree of determination.
Of course, Hastur could guide Klein into discovering George III's true face.
After thinking for a long time, Hastur decided to drag Klein into the matter. Without Klein participating, it somehow felt as though something was missing.
Besides, this could also count as the first cooperation between the Stars and The Fool. As for the glorious task of guiding Klein, Hastur decided to hand it over to Fors.
He would have her pray to Mr. Fool and bitterly recount all the evil deeds George III had committed in pursuit of godhood.
...
When Fors received this task from Hastur, she was completely dumbfounded.
She was only a tiny Sequence 7. She really didn't want to get dragged into something like this, and now she even had to pray to Mr. Fool.
Fortunately, this time she didn't need to fabricate lies to deceive Mr. Fool. She only needed to report what she had discovered about George III during this period.
But how was she, a mere Sequence 7, supposed to know such an enormous secret? She had to first come up with a suitable explanation before praying to Mr. Fool.
It seemed she could only place the responsibility on Lady Sage.
"Fors, what's wrong?"
Seeing Fors spacing out for so long, Xio walked over and placed a hand on her forehead for a moment. "You don't have a fever."
"I'm just thinking about a few things."
"That's rare. Your brain has finally started working."
"..." Fors smacked Xio on the head and pretended to be angry. "You're much dumber than I am."
"You can't even cook properly, and you still dare call me dumb?"
The two fooled around for a while.
It wasn't until a little after ten at night that Fors remained alone in her room and prayed to Mr. Fool.