Chapter: 28 Prelude
Seeing his teacher's surprise, Enber had anticipated the reaction but couldn't come up with a fully convincing explanation. He simply said, "I've always loved reading, even before I became a Beyonder. It helped me digest the potion a lot."
Detective Isengard Stanton's eyes lit up at Enber's use of the term "digestion," and he said knowingly, "So, you understood the Acting method from the very beginning."
Due to his oath with the Church of Knowledge, Isengard couldn't openly discuss the Acting method. But if his student already knew, there was no restriction. Orthodox Churches required Beyonders to swear on a sacred artifact to avoid spreading such knowledge.
Enber, aware of this, didn't resent his teacher's silence on the matter.
Noting his student's calm response, Detective Isengard sighed. "It seems you know more than I suspected… Whether you deduced it on your own or learned it elsewhere, it's a good thing. Your future is brighter than mine—I spent over ten years at 'Student of Ratiocination' without fully digesting it. I only pieced together the Acting method when I forced an advancement to Detective (Knowledge Keeper)."
'So that's why you're still only at Sequence 7 despite knowing the Acting method…' Enber thought, but chose not to pursue the subject, preferring to avoid any questions that might require him to lie.
"Teacher, you seemed pleased when you came in. Is it some good news?" Enber changed the topic.
Isengard collected himself, grateful for the shift. With a familiar grin, he replied, "The Mandated Punisher squad activated a sacred artifact and still couldn't capture those Rose School of Thought members! They've really embarrassed themselves this time."
The Church of knowledge and wisdom and the Church of Lord of Storms may be at odds, but isn't this a little extreme for schadenfreude? Enber thought, though he couldn't deny a measure of respect for the official Beyonder teams from the original storyline.
After all, they're not only pitiable but also protectors.
Then it struck him: the recent battle had taken place near his usual public library… and not far from Jane's family clothing store. "How could I have missed a raid so close by?" Enber wondered aloud.
"That's because the Church of Storms used a Level 2 Sealed Artifact. I'm not certain of its name, but it can pull Beyonders within a certain radius into a peculiar enclosed space," Detective Isengard explained.
'A Sealed Artifact like that? I wonder which pathway it belongs to…' Enber pondered.
---
Late that night, Mr. Grant—who hadn't ventured out to collect corpses for once—suddenly woke with a start. He sat upright and scanned his surroundings. With Spirit Vision granted by the "Corpse Collector" potion, he saw every spirit within the shop.
Yet he found nothing unusual. Confused, he turned on the gas lamp and gazed out the window. The world lay silent under the soft red moonlight, blanketed in tranquility.
His wife, Mrs. Grant, stirred awake. Seeing her husband sweating at the window, she asked, "Darling, is something wrong?"
Shaken from his thoughts, Mr. Grant forced a smile. "Nothing… just a nightmare."
Inside the clothing store's warehouse, a figure in a black tailcoat and dark red cloak slowly took shape. A man in his forties, slicked-back hair, eyes reflecting an emerald sheen devoid of warmth. As he materialized, he issued a low command to a slim but muscular man lurking in the shadows.
"Taylor, suppress your malice. The man who lives here is a Beyonder with heightened perception."
"Master Steve, I can't hold back much longer! And why should I?" Taylor rasped, scratching his spiky hair. "I want to tear these people apart and listen to their screams! If I keep holding back, I'll lose control!"
The wraith, Steve, ignored him and vanished into the night. Nearby, the zombie Jason tossed Taylor a severed human torso and said, "Our prey hasn't taken the bait yet, so random killing isn't wise. Tomorrow night, or the night after at the latest, I'll let you deal with the two women here. For now, this will have to do. I killed him just days ago."
"Not exactly fresh…" Taylor grumbled, but he accepted the offering.
---
The next morning, since it was Wednesday, Enber and Xio went to the underground shooting range at the Cherwood Borough Police Station as usual. But this time, they were greeted not by the mouthy officer Alys, but by an elderly officer named Brier.
"Where's Alys? On leave?" Enber asked curiously.
Officer Brier cast him a sidelong glance, then answered with exaggerated delight, "You don't know? That rascal ran away from home!" It was clear Brier disliked Alys and was eager to share the news.
"Ran away?" Enber hadn't expected that answer. "Why?"
"Alys left a note for the Chief saying he was off to 'pursue his dreams!' Hah, the kid's got nerve—especially since the Chief had just arranged for his promotion to inspector. Now someone else can have that spot." Brier laughed with satisfaction.
'Alys' dream, huh… I remember he wanted to be an adventurer? Maybe Anne Gwen's disappearance influenced him. He did seem off afterward…' Enber fell silent, silently wishing his unlikely friend well. Brier seemed disappointed to lose an eager audience for his gossip.
Once they reached the shooting range and Brier left, Xio frowned and muttered, "No matter what, it's wrong to ridicule someone just because they have dreams." She, too, carried her own dream—clearing her father's name.
"Exactly! When you're young, you should pursue your dreams. Besides, Alys didn't seem cut out to be a cop anyway…" Enber agreed. Then he wondered what his own dreams were. Helping Klein become a stabilizing force? Solving the looming apocalypse and surviving as long as possible? Or perhaps… going home?
He sighed, brushing aside stray thoughts to focus on training.
Before long, Xio was stunned! She could hardly believe that Enber, who'd been a novice with firearms and swordsmanship the previous Saturday, now displayed the presence of a master. If not for her superior physique, she might not have been able to win at all.
Even with that advantage, Xio barely scraped out a victory in their sparring session.
"How did you get so strong, so fast?" she asked, panting.
"Because I've advanced to Sequence 8," Enber replied with a grin.
Unaware of his pathway, Xio wasn't especially shocked. She merely nodded and said, "Ah, that explains it. Congratulations!"
She pulled a book from her bag and handed it to him. "This is Fors' novel The Storm Manor, an advance copy I got from publishing house. Consider it a gift for your promotion."
Taking it with a grin, Enber flipped through the pages. "So it's finally published? How's it doing?"
Although he knew the book would become popular—even praised by Mr. Fool in the original novel—it had been released early under Xio's urging.
"It's doing great! Fors has really made a name for herself. She's being invited to speak at all sorts of literary salons," Xio boasted proudly Out loud, on her friend's behalf.
Enber suggested, "It'll depend on Fors' performance. Ideally, she could subtly display a hint of Beyonder ability at one of these salons…"
But Xio only pursed her lips and said, "Enber, you're thinking too far ahead. Fors is still cooped up at home, saying she needs a break. She hasn't accepted a single invitation."
"Maybe she's just setting a high bar, waiting for salons that include aristocrats?" Enber offered, trying to excuse Miss Fors' inertia.
Xio gave him a blank look, then sighed and said. "Fors would probably appreciate your excuse for her."
---
In the afternoon, Enber had just returned to his teacher's residence when Detective Isengard called him over and pointed to a stack of files.
"Now that you're a 'Student of Ratiocination,' help me connect clues from these minor cases. Just a couple of hours a day—it'll be good for your Acting method. You can spend the rest of the day studying."
"Are all these commissions? That many? How much does this pay?!" Enber asked in disbelief.
"Of course not! But even if they're not, shouldn't we understand the odd events we come across? And as Roselle said, forewarned is forearmed. Imagine if a client came to us with a mystery we'd already solved—we could display our deductive prowess with real flair." Detective Isengard spoke as if it were self-evident.
Enber could only gape before muttering, "Beyonders of the Reader pathway truly are show-offs with a flair for sanctimony…"
---
At ten that evening, Maric, dressed in a white shirt and black vest, led his group of zombies out through the back alley behind Braveheart Bar.
(End of Chapter)