"You just said that many people dress like this and go out walking late at night?"
In the end, Klein chose to avoid this difficult question by answering with a question of his own.
"This book, Children of the Stars, is currently the bestselling mystery novel. There are always some people who, after finishing the book, like to embrace the mysterious in this way."
"Mr. Hastur, you seem to know quite a lot about this sort of thing?"
"Mr. Klein, you still haven't answered why you know so much about the King in Yellow."
A bitter smile appeared at the corners of Klein's mouth. Why had the boomerang come flying back again?
"I merely heard someone mention it before."
Klein then fabricated a nonexistent person and used them as an excuse to explain some information about the King in Yellow to Hastur. Afterward, he seemingly casually asked why Hastur was here.
"Adventure. The ruins left behind after Emperor Roselle's death have reappeared and possess immense archaeological value. As an enthusiast of Emperor Roselle's culture, how could I possibly miss such a grand occasion?"
Klein could accept that explanation.
During his adventures at sea, he had encountered quite a few fanatical admirers of Roselle. In order to decipher the mysterious writing Roselle had left behind, some were even willing to risk their lives.
At some point, the crimson moon had quietly disappeared. Only stars remained suspended in the night sky, and the wisps of starlight falling from above could barely illuminate a tiny patch of space before him.
Klein's heart suddenly trembled, and he raised his head again to look at the ragged yellow-robed figure who claimed to be Hastur.
Enveloped in the hazy starlight, the figure remained indistinct. His face in particular wasn't covered by the ragged yellow robes, yet Klein was somehow unable to make out his true appearance.
This caused an absurd thought to arise in his mind. Was the Mr. Hastur speaking with him really Hastur himself? Or was this merely an illusion deliberately created by the King in Yellow to confuse and mislead him?
He knew that Klein suspected a connection between Hastur and the King in Yellow, so He had deliberately disguised Himself as Hastur and appeared before him? If the Hastur before him was actually the King in Yellow in disguise, then many of these coincidences could be reasonably explained.
The more Klein thought about it, the more possible it seemed. When encountering mysterious events, nothing could be judged according to common sense.
The vigilance in his heart increased severalfold once again.
"Mr. Hastur, why am I still unable to see your face clearly?"
As Klein asked this question, the Fate Charm in his left palm was already poised for activation, and he had prepared himself for battle.
"You can't see clearly?" Hastur turned his head and deliberately spoke in an ethereal yet oppressive voice. "Then I'll come a little closer and let you take a careful look."
"No, there's no need." Klein's entire body tensed as he decisively rejected the proposal.
"It's getting late. I still have matters to deal with. Mr. Hastur, you should get some rest as well."
Just as Klein was about to leave, the lights along the entire street suddenly began flickering before plunging back into darkness. The surroundings also fell completely silent.
In this world illuminated only by sparse starlight, the ragged yellow-robed figure in Klein's vision appeared even more blurry and mysterious.
"Mr. Klein, are you suspicious of me?" The casual tone caused the surrounding temperature to seemingly drop several degrees. An inexplicable chill seeped through Klein's skin, burrowing into his flesh before invading the area around his heart.
Klein took several steps backward. "This isn't suspicion. I simply don't believe Mr. Hastur would appear here tonight for no reason."
"Perhaps I merely came to catch up with you."
"Catching up in the middle of the night? This way of meeting is certainly rather unusual."
"A meeting is a meeting. It makes no difference whether it happens during the day or late at night."
"Then why hasn't Mr. Hastur gone to sleep yet?"
"Because I came to see you."
During their brief conversation, Klein keenly noticed something else. The shadows cast on the ground by the starlight overhead were continuously flowing toward the feet of the ragged yellow-robed figure.
Only then did he realize that the feet of this Mr. Hastur, hidden beneath the ragged yellow robes, were actually pitch-black tentacles.
They were greedily devouring the surrounding shadows and darkness.
Looking more carefully, he saw that Hastur's previously indistinct face was now covered by a pale mask. Beneath the mask, countless tendrils seemed to be writhing, completely fused together with His flesh.
The sight made Klein's scalp tingle, because this was precisely what the true King in Yellow looked like.
Does appearance arise from the mind?
For some reason, this phrase suddenly appeared in Klein's thoughts. Could it be because he had seen through the King in Yellow's disguise that he was now able to perceive His true form?
I can't stay here any longer! I need to find a suitable opportunity to leave immediately!
"Mr. Hastur, do you still remember Leonard from Backlund? He's a mutual friend of ours!"
Klein shouted in a deep voice.
The silent atmosphere around them was instantly shattered, and even the passing wind seemed to freeze for a brief moment.
Klein seized the opportunity and shot backward at extreme speed. At the same time, he pulled the trigger of the revolver named Death Knell, and repeated gunshots echoed throughout the entire street.
He rushed a considerable distance away in one breath. Only when the streetlights that had inexplicably gone dark suddenly lit up again did he stop and calmly survey his surroundings.
Pedestrians were walking nearby. Shops along the street that were still open occasionally carried the sounds of customers and merchants haggling over prices.
Although it was already very late at night, the surroundings still retained a certain lively atmosphere.
The ragged yellow-robed figure before him had already disappeared, and the chill He had brought was gradually dispersing outward from Klein's heart.
As expected, the person who had been speaking with me just now wasn't the real Mr. Hastur, but the King in Yellow!
Klein stood rooted to the spot in a daze for quite some time. Only when nearby pedestrians began murmuring about his guarded appearance while holding Death Knell did he finally put away the revolver and leave.
Within the darkness at the end of the street, the ragged yellow-robed figure that Hastur had disguised himself as quietly faded away as well.
This prank had been even more successful than he had imagined.
Especially during the final part. Once Klein began growing suspicious, Hastur had cooperated at just the right moments to create a mysterious and sinister atmosphere.
Hastur had even already decided how he would deny ever having appeared here tonight the next time he met Klein.
...
Audrey was awakened by Susie at daybreak. She pushed open the window and faced the morning sea breeze, gradually becoming fully awake. As she recalled secretly going out alone with Mr. Hastur late last night, the corners of her lips curved upward, and her mood became considerably more cheerful.
Even the scenery of the sea, which she had nearly grown tired of looking at, seemed more playful and lovely than usual.
"Audrey, if you go out again next time, can you bring me along too?"
Susie stretched out her front paws and rested them against the foot of the bed, looking aggrieved and resentful.
She wanted to go out and have some fun too instead of staying aboard the ship all the time.
"No, Susie. You need to help conceal the traces of me going out."
"Audrey, that isn't what you really think. You're lying."
Susie's gaze instantly sharpened, as if she had seen through Audrey's thoughts. "You deliberately didn't let me come along so that you could go out alone with Mr. Hastur."
"Susie..."
Knock, knock, knock.
Just as Audrey was about to come up with an excuse to fool her, a knock sounded from outside the door. She immediately took the opportunity to move past Susie's question and got up to open the door.
The visitors were Xio and Fors. They said that another pirate fleet nearby appeared to be preparing to attack the Hope.
Before long, Audrey brought Susie along and followed Fors and Xio onto the deck. Through a telescope, she clearly saw six ships ahead, arranged in a semicircle as they waited for the Hope to sail into their pocket.
Audrey also noticed that this pirate fleet had its own distinctive flag, a pirate flag depicting white bones.
"This is a pirate fleet belonging to Vice Admiral Ailment, one of the seven pirate admirals of the sea. Fortunately, Vice Admiral Ailment's personal flagship, the Black Death, isn't here," Xio, who had gathered quite a bit of information about pirate groups, explained at the appropriate moment.
Her eyes were practically glowing.
A pirate fleet without Vice Admiral Ailment herself was basically a bounty delivering itself straight to their doorstep!
They were practically gold coins glittering brilliantly beneath the sunlight!
Audrey lowered the telescope and handed it to the equally interested Fors. Puzzled, she asked, "Did they specifically come after us?"
Xio chuckled. "No idea, but regardless of who they're after, they're still worth a considerable bounty."
While the group was discussing the matter, Hastur also walked out of his room and came onto the deck.
"Good morning, Mr. Hastur." Audrey greeted him with her usual radiant smile.
Hastur smiled and returned the greeting. Xio walked over and reported their current situation to him.
Vice Admiral Ailment Tracy's fleet. Could they have appeared here because they're searching for the missing Helene?
What a coincidence. Wait. If that's the case, wouldn't there be a chance to see the "Elaine", or Klein dressed as a woman?
Hastur's thoughtful expression appeared to Xio, Fors, and the others as if he had encountered a difficult problem.
Could it be that even Mr. Hastur was wary of Vice Admiral Ailment?
"Mr. Hastur, Vice Admiral Ailment herself and her flagship, the Black Death, aren't here," Xio reminded him.
Hastur put away his stray thoughts and smiled. "I was merely reminded of something interesting."
Yes, something interesting concerning Klein's first time wearing women's clothing.
If he brought Audrey along to watch, then Miss Justice would also get to see another side of Mr. Fool's unusual interests.