{T/N: Aaron the plumber once said, "There's been a lot of suspicious activity going on around here, and I don't like that, I don't like that..." And now I fully get what he meant. Like, what do you mean we reached 150 votes before the weekend?! Anyways, here's the promised extra chap. :'(... Now I strongly hope the week ends with us not reaching 300. Fingers crossed...}
....
Seeing Mr. Gale show up at his doorstep, Klein knew the other party must have already learned about the commission he had accepted...
He decided to be straightforward, "I had no intention of handing over the investigation results to the employer. In truth, I took on this commission out of curiosity about you. But so far, I haven't uncovered any useful information."
Odis smiled faintly, saying, "Detective, curiosity isn't always a good thing."
Then he stood up, "I imagine that by tomorrow, Ashbourne will send someone to cancel the commission. My apologies for costing you a job."
Klein realized Mr. Gale was about to take action, "No worries. The deposit isn't refundable."
He smiled slightly since he had already pocketed the 10-pound deposit...
Odis walked to the window, gazing at the thickening fog outside, and remarked casually, "Weather like this is prone to fires. I've heard Ashbourne's fire safety equipment has been outdated for a while..."
Klein was momentarily taken aback, then inwardly retorted: 'It's foggy outside, not dry and flammable.'
He replied, "Let's hope no innocent lives are lost in a fire."
"There shouldn't be," Odis said, turning his gaze back from the window and giving Klein a deep look, "It's getting late. We'll take our leave now. If I have any needs in the future, I'll write to you."
Klein smiled and said, "I look forward to your patronage."
After watching Mr. Gale board the luxurious carriage, Klein sighed inwardly: 'Mr. Gale sensed I meant no harm, so he warned me by predicting that Lord Ashbourne's house would catch fire tonight. Heh, it seems the Backlund Fire Department will be busy tonight...'
With that thought, he shook his head with a wry smile: 'Why didn't Mr. Gale consider bribing me with money? I'm very accommodating when gold pounds are involved...'
...
On the return carriage ride, Odis instructed Mandy, "If Ashbourne sends someone to see you tomorrow, don't meet them. Wait until he comes in person before you agree to see him. If his gifts can win you over, let the matter end there. But keep a close eye on this baron from now on."
If Ashbourne still harbored any designs on the Rosewood Pavilion, Odis would have no choice but to eliminate him entirely.
However, he generally preferred not to go that far. After all, killing a baron in Backlund would cause a massive uproar...
Mandy nodded, saying, "I'll handle it appropriately."
Odis simply gave an acknowledging hum and said nothing more.
He first took the carriage back to the Rosewood Pavilion, then used the teleportation array to return to the herbal shop...
....
In the backyard of the shop, Odis began selecting his Extraordinary weapons. He planned to take action personally tonight...
Previously, such tasks had been delegated to mercenary Beyonders. But after his recent advancement, Odis had gained considerable combat prowess and decided to handle the arson himself.
He was well aware of the security at Lord Ashbourne's residence. The millionaire employed over a dozen bodyguards, including one Sequence 8 and two Sequence 9 Beyonders.
With the element of surprise and enhanced weaponry, Odis was confident in his success.
The mystical weapons previously used by 'Leader' and Lelouch were off-limits for Mr. Gale... In the end, he chose a rifle, a sword, and retrieved his stock of four 'mystical incendiary bombs', crafting six new ones on the spot.
After completing his preparations, Odis went about his usual routine, selling medicines at the front counter.
As always, he dismissed his assistant Kain early, informing him that he had business the next morning and asking him to handle some pending herbal preparations.
Odis rested briefly, locked up, and took a carriage home.
Uncertain whether the 'Machinery Hivemind' would symbolically surveil him after the Capim incident, he maintained appearances at home; reading a book, drinking hot water, and finally retiring to his bedroom to turn off the lights.
After drawing the curtains, he arranged his bed to simulate someone sleeping and quietly slipped into the basement...
Odis began his disguise. For an arson job, he couldn't use any of his established identities. He glued on a beard, donned a cap with a long brim pulled low, and though the look was suspicious, it obscured his true features.
Next, he wore a dark knight's outfit under a loose gray coat. Using the spatial array connected to the 'Knowledge Moor', he retrieved his prepped Extraordinary weapons, bundling them in a long cloth wrap.
The basement at Unit 77 Hilton Avenue housed two teleportation arrays...
One led to a rented hideout in a rundown apartment building. This array was being used for the first time.
The other originally connected to Unit 176 Riverbay Avenue, but Odis had recently planned to establish a new covert base, so its destination remained unmarked.
After a final equipment check, he activated the array, leaving his home. Slipping out the window of the apartment hideout, he moved under cover of darkness, traversing several streets before hailing a carriage to Ashbourne's neighborhood...
...
The street housed many wealthy residents and officials, illuminated by bright streetlights and frequent police patrols.
To avoid detection, Odis stuck to alleyways, evading the occasional patrol. Upon reaching Ashbourne's estate wall, he didn't rush in. After surveying the area, he approached the villa to the left.
He had already gathered information about the area. The villa's owners had recently gone on vacation to Desi Bay, leaving only the butler and a few servants behind.
Easily bypassing them, Odis infiltrated the yard.
The two estates stood side by side. Reaching the midpoint of the yard, he hurled a mystical incendiary bomb into Ashbourne's property.
The bomb contained a highly flammable spiritually infused liquid with a pressure-triggered detonator activated by Spirituality.
*Whoosh!*
Flames erupted close to three meters high within a several-meter radius, igniting everything in moments and rapidly spreading.
After about five seconds, the spiritual energy depleted, and the roaring bellows-like flames subsided. But by then, the fire had expanded to a six-meter range, consuming all vegetation within.
Ashbourne's bodyguards were the first to notice, shouting for help while fetching hoses.
As the blaze intensified, the household staff woke in a panic, rushing out in their nightclothes to fight the fire.
Neighbors also awoke, their guard dogs barking furiously. Butlers and servants from nearby villas joined the firefighting efforts, plunging the entire block into chaos.
Seizing the opportunity, Odis slipped into Ashbourne's estate from the rear. While everyone was preoccupied, he tossed another incendiary bomb into the first-floor hall, setting it ablaze.
Bodyguards still inside spotted Odis. Some rushed to protect their employer, others charged at him, while a few scrambled for hunting rifles.
Odis avoided engagement, scaling to the second floor via the windowsill and deploying another bomb there. As he ascended to the third floor, two bodyguards blocked the staircase, caught unarmed in the sudden crisis.
Seeing Odis alone and unimpressive in stature, they lunged, throwing punches at the arsonist.
Odis moved swiftly, seizing one guard's arm mid-swing and using the momentum to trip him, sending the man crashing to the ground. He then closed in on the second guard, striking his underarm before he could retract his fist, flooring him as well.
Without lingering, Odis reached the third floor, deploying his final bomb. With the three-story villa now fully alight, he made for the rooftop, locking the access door behind him.
Wary of ambush, the pursuing bodyguards hesitated to kick down the door. As smoke filled the building, they coughed violently, shepherding the Ashbourne family to safety outside. No one remained to track the arsonist.
On the roof, Odis crouched, unwrapping his bundle to assemble the rifle. Its oversized scope, which was thicker than a standard telescope, gleamed under the moonlight...
Calmly loading a gilded bullet, he chambered it and peered through the scope at the yard below.
The mystical incendiaries had rendered the fire uncontrollable in minutes. The butler now directed servants to salvage valuables; furniture, artworks, and more.
The Ashbourne family, being escorted by bodyguards, emerged coughing but unharmed into the yard.
When two guards approached with dogs in tow, Odis took aim and shot one hound dead.
His rifle's bullets were ordinary... the magic lay in the scope. Enhanced by arrays and spiritual materials, it provided near-perfect accuracy within 300 meters. It was basically like an aim-assist feature from a video game...
The guards immediately identified the gunfire, diving into flowerbeds for cover while shouting, "Sniper! There's a sniper!"
The gunshot and ensuing panic sent the crowd scattering.
As Lord Ashbourne turned to flee, Odis fired again, the bullet striking the ground before him. Ashbourne wheeled back, only for another shot to land close to his feet.
"He's on the roof!" a guard yelled.
Spotting the rifle-wielding figure, Ashbourne raised his hands and dropped to his knees, pleading: "Take all my money! Just spare me and my family!"
On the rooftop, Odis allowed himself a faint smile: 'Killing him now would be letting him off too easy...'