Darc was Derrick's classmate during his general education days and later became his teammate in the patrol squad...
However, after returning from the exploration of the half-destroyed temple of the 'Fallen Creator', Darc had lost his former enthusiasm and cheerfulness, becoming deeply introspective and only smiling at everyone.
Derrick found it strange: 'Why is he suddenly coming to see me?'
Suddenly, a possibility occurred to him: 'Elder Lovia knows I suspect they've undergone abnormal changes, so Darc is here to probe me?'
Then another thought struck him: 'This might actually be a good opportunity to clear my suspicions!'
After a brief surge of excitement, Derrick felt a wave of nervousness. After all, this was his first time executing such a plan, and he wasn't sure if it would succeed.
Taking a deep breath to steady himself, Derrick strode to the door and opened it...
Standing outside was the slightly chubby, brightly smiling young man.
"Your quarantine has been lifted?" As he spoke, he stepped aside to let Darc in, careful not to expose his back to his classmate and teammate.
"Yes," Darc replied, walking over to sit at the table, "Didn't you say you wanted to hear about our exploration?"
Derrick gave a noncommittal hum, though he suddenly wasn't so eager to know.
Darc curled his lips into a smile, "At the bottom of the temple, we found some strange plants. They looked like the mushrooms described in our general studies. They were vibrantly colored and so appetizing, you couldn't help but crave them. After confirming, we learned they could be eaten directly."
As he spoke, he pulled a bright red mushroom from a small cloth pouch.
Just the sight of it made Derrick's mouth water uncontrollably, as if he hadn't eaten for days.
Darc enthusiastically offered, "Here, have one."
"O-okay…" Derrick reached out to take it, forcing himself not to immediately pop it into his mouth.
He struggled to restrain himself, "I'll try it tomorrow."
At the same time, he warned himself inwardly: 'Don't eat it! If I do, I might be corrupted by the Fallen Creator!'
With great effort, Derrick changed the subject, "Did you make any discoveries during the exploration?"
"Yes!" Darc replied immediately, "We found some murals…"
Derrick felt his mind grow hazy, as if he couldn't resist the urge to grab the mushroom and devour it. He realized he had to do something to escape this situation.
Regaining a sliver of rationality, he reviewed his earlier plan and said to Darc, "Let me get you some water."
Darc said nothing, merely nodding.
Derrick stood up, deliberately slowing his movements as he poured the water. Lowering his head, he silently recited Mr. Fool's honorific name:
"The Fool that doesn't belong to this era;
The Mysterious Ruler above the gray fog;
The King of Yellow and Black who wields good luck...
Your devoted servant prays for your attention,
I pray for you to take his offerings.
I pray for you to open the gates to your Kingdom."
A fierce wind suddenly swept through the room, and Darc whipped his head toward Derrick, "What's happening?"
Derrick didn't answer. With one hand gripping the 'Axe of Hurricane' and the other reaching into his pocket, he dispelled the wall of Spirituality around the All-Black Eye.
Whispers and a sense of sinister corruption began to spread. Darc's expression darkened, the veins in his blue eyes bulging unnaturally.
The vibrant mushroom on the table no longer seemed appetizing... it had transformed into a bloodstained scalp with short black hair.
The thought that he had nearly eaten the 'mushroom' made Derrick nauseous. Suppressing the churning in his stomach, he opened his mouth and sang:
"O God, let Your holy light descend upon this place,
Grant Your believer courage to dispel the enemy,
To dispel all evil."
The hymn radiated warmth and sanctity, bathing Derrick in sunlight and instantly banishing his discomfort.
Meanwhile, Darc shielded his eyes from the light, staring fixedly at the spot where the All-Black Eye had been, repeatedly demanding, "What's on you? What's on you…"
Suddenly, Darc's flesh split apart, tendrils of meat writhing outward like a blood-red hedgehog.
Derrick raised his arm and swung the Axe of Hurricane, which he had been gripping tightly, down onto Darc's head.
Darc, still fixated on the All-Black Eye's former location, let out a scream but refused to look away.
At that moment, 'The Fool' responded, opening an illusory door adorned with intricate patterns.
The shadows in the room stretched unnaturally, and a voice roared at Derrick, "Stop! What are you doing?!"
Though the voice sensed the immense power of the illusory door, it could do nothing to intervene.
Seizing the opportunity, Derrick hurled the All-Black Eye toward the door. As it vanished, the door that was covered in strange symbols slammed shut with a resounding *clang* before disappearing.
Then, Derrick began his performance...
Deliberately contorting his facial muscles, he broke into a violent coughing fit, clutching his mouth and collapsing to the ground.
The shadow in the room first swiftly subdued the now-monstrous Darc before turning its attention to Derrick. Just as it was about to envelop him, Derrick 'fainted', his hand revealing a peculiar worm with twelve transparent rings...
...
Above the gray fog, Klein nodded approvingly, giving Little Sun's acting high marks.
'It seems most of the suspicion against him could now be cleared...'
With that thought, Klein withdrew his gaze.
...
~Backlund, Unit 51 Henry Street, rear courtyard of Gale's Herbal Shop~
Odis returned to the real world and sat quietly for a moment...
Sensing no prying eyes, he retrieved the portable spatial array and withdrew the iron-black glove and Beyonder characteristic obtained from the Capim operation from the 'Knowledge Moor'.
Touching the black glove and channeling his Spirituality into it, he immediately sensed its level.
His spiritual intuition during the loot division had been accurate. The glove was of Sequence 5 caliber. However, Odis's current level was too low to determine its abilities and negative effects.
Since the glove couldn't be used in Backlund anyway, he stashed it away after confirming its tier. As for the Beyonder characteristic, it belonged to a Sequence 7 'Interrogator'.
For now, he couldn't offload it either, so back into storage it went.
After securing the spoils, Odis smirked, thinking: 'I actually got the better end of the deal compared to the Fool...'
The Sequence 5 glove alone was worth more than the three Beyonder characteristics Klein had taken.
*Buzz… Buzz…*
A headache-inducing noise suddenly erupted in Odis's mind, sending a wave of dizziness through him. He gripped the table for support.
Fortunately, the discomfort lasted only a second or two before fading. Though his mind now swarmed with chaotic and incomprehensible fragments of foreign knowledge.
'Knowledge Pursuit!'
This was Odis's first experience of the agony caused by Knowledge Pursuit.
'No wonder the Admiral of Stars Cattleya had nearly lost control. If it felt this bad at Sequence 8, wouldn't my head explode at Sequence 5?'
But now wasn't the time to dwell on that. Odis had a busy afternoon ahead.
Heading to the basement, he donned his Mr. Gale disguise and activated the Teleportation Array to the third floor of the Rosewood Pavilion...
...
Lady Mandy was already waiting outside. Spotting the masked Odis, she immediately said, "Apologies, Mr. Gale. It was my oversight that–"
Odis raised a hand, cutting her off, "Is the carriage ready?"
"It is!" Mandy replied promptly.
Without another word, Odis strode downstairs, Mandy following closely.
Once inside the luxurious carriage, Mandy asked, "Where are we headed, Mr. Gale?"
Odis replied, "Unit 15 Minsk Street, Cherwood Borough."
Whether Klein knew that Mr. Gale was the Hermit or not, showing up unannounced would catch him off guard. It was the best strategy under the circumstances.
Mandy's eyes narrowed. She hadn't yet reported the private detective's address to Mr. Gale, yet he already knew it!
But she quickly composed herself. As she had suspected, Mr. Gale undoubtedly had other intelligence channels besides her...
....
~Cherwood Borough, Unit 15 Minsk Street~
After watching Little Sun clear his name, Klein returned to the real world and resumed studying the Book of Secrets...
*Ding-a-ling*
Around 4:30 PM, the doorbell rang.
Klein hurried downstairs. The moment his hand touched the doorknob, an image of the visitor flashed in his mind.
Outside stood a masked young man in a black overcoat…
'Mr. Gale!' Klein involuntarily took a step back.
The man he had spent two days investigating without success was now right at his doorstep.
Then, Mr. Gale spoke, "I know you're in there. Open up."
Suddenly, a familiar, brainwashing jingle played in Klein's head: "…Stop hiding in there, I know you're home! Open the door, open the door, open the door! You've got the guts to–"
"Ahem~" Klein cleared his throat and opened the door.
Besides Mr. Gale, Lady Mandy was also present.
"Mr. Gale," Klein said with a smile, feigning surprise, "What brings you here?"
Odis, however, cut straight to the point, "Shall we talk inside?"
"Please, come in." Klein ushered them into the living room and offered them seats on the sofa before preparing tea.
As soon as he sat down, Odis remarked pointedly, "Detective, how did you like the cigars I gave you last time?"
Klein sighed inwardly. During his assignment to protect reporter Mike of the Daily Observer during negotiations with Mr. Gale, the latter had 'gifted' him cigars as a subtle warning.
Bringing it up now was clearly loaded with meaning...
After adding hot water to the teapot, Klein carried the cups to the coffee table, "They were quite good, thank you."
Odis nodded slowly, "Let's get to the main matter. Around last year, Ashbourne first visited the Rosewood Pavilion and was quickly captivated by its business model and profitability. We had two… 'pleasant' exchanges afterward. He attempted to pressure me into shutting down the dance hall using the police and a certain councilman, hoping to acquire it at a low price."
"...Both attempts were thwarted by me. Since then, he's been searching for my whereabouts. I imagine he wishes to pay me a visit to apologize for those two disgraceful actions. But I can't bear to see people apologize. For his own safety, I refrained from disclosing my address."
Klein's lips twitched: 'Pleasant exchanges? That's some understatement! That man's life is undoubtedly in danger now...'