Chapter 21 – Exhausted Dunn
"Something important?"
When Klein said this, Roseanne's expression turned grave at once. She pointed out where Dunn was at the moment, then returned to her reception desk and kept watch as duty required.
Klein strode in the direction Roseanne had indicated, yet in her eyes he caught a trace of carefully hidden worry.
—Was it because of Old Neil?
Klein guessed that the barely concealed heaviness on Roseanne's face had something to do with Old Neil, but he asked nothing and said nothing, simply heading for Dunn.
Arriving at Dunn's office, Klein tapped lightly on the door with a finger. Only after hearing "Come in" did he push the door open and step inside Captain Dunn Smith's office.
The moment he entered, Klein smelled an almost overpowering reek of tobacco. He frowned instinctively, then realized that after Old Neil had been sent to the Cathedral, the captain who had personally arrested him was far less calm than he appeared.
"...Captain."
Klein hesitated, then spoke to Dunn, who sat blank-eyed, lost in thought.
Only after hearing Klein's voice did Dunn react, rubbing his temples rather sluggishly, and said:
...Klein? What is it?"
With that, Dunn seemed to remember what he had forgotten:
"Right... Old Neil can't teach you about the Beyonder world anymore. I'll assign another Nighthawk to instruct you in mysticism. For now, finish reading and memorizing the material Old Neil gave you—your task for the time being."
Seeing Klein still standing there unmoving, Dunn was puzzled:
"Did I forget something else?"
Captain, your mental state really isn't good... Klein sighed inwardly, but still spoke earnestly: "Captain, I have something important to report."
"Speak." Dunn replied steadily, seemingly back to his usual captain self.
"This matter is rather bizarre. Don't be shocked when you hear it," Klein prefaced, still uneasy: "It's so strange I can scarcely believe it myself. Just hear me out."
Dunn frowned. "Spit it out—no need to copy Leonard's dramatic flair."
Klein opened his mouth, unsure whether Dunn meant him or Leonard.
Studying Dunn's expression, Klein nodded after seeing Dunn signal he was ready, and continued:
"I encountered the Aurora Order's envoy, 'Mr. L'."'
"...What?"
Dunn froze for a moment, then straightened up. The last of his fatigue vanished; he stared gravely at Klein.
"Don't describe it yet—recite the Goddess's honorific name, now!"
Hearing Klein, Dunn's scalp prickled. He examined Klein's eyes, trying to confirm whether this newly recruited Beyonder had been seduced by the True Creator's whispers.
Compared with the Hidden Sage who had corrupted Old Neil, the True Creator was the great enemy of the Church of Storms, the Church of Knowledge, and the Everlasting Sun Church. The Aurora Order was also a front-line cult claiming terrorist acts in the Kingdom of Loen. Dunn felt a stab in his chest; he stared hard at Klein—if the next words were the True Creator's name, Dunn would subdue him on the spot.
Klein understood immediately.
"...O Goddess nobler than the Cosmos, more eternal than time, Mother of Secrets, Queen of Calamity and Dread, Sovereign of Sleep and Silence."
With that, Klein calmly raised his hands and said: "Captain, I haven't been contaminated by the True Creator."
"...Tell me in detail what you did before and after you met the Aurora Order's envoy." Dunn exhaled silently, a trace of weariness returning to his voice.
Klein gathered his thoughts and began:
"Yesterday, inspired by Old Neil's lessons and Ms. Daly's remark about 'becoming a true Spirit Medium,' I decided to become a real 'Seer'—to 'play' the part of a true diviner."
"So I formally joined Tingen City's Divination Club as a fortune-teller. While listening to the well-known diviner Haynes Vancent explain divination, I spotted an acquaintance from where I used to live."
Klein phrased it that way because he figured the student roster of his former school likely still existed. If the Church of the Night investigated the 'True Creator,' they could easily find those names. By then, unable to reveal his identity as a Transmigrator, Klein would struggle to explain his earlier lies.
Yet he had chosen his wording carefully: the 'place I used to live' could refer to the Earth he had come from. If every word was literally true, even divination could not brand it a lie.
"An acquaintance... so the 'acquaintance' was the Aurora Order's Mr. L?"
Dunn slowly sat back down, rubbing his chin. After hearing Klein recite the Evernight Goddess's name while clearly conscious, he ruled out contamination by the True Creator.
"In other words, the diviner at that club—Haynes Vancent—might also be a member of the Aurora Order."
"Klein, describe everything in detail..."
Dunn pressed his temples again, his head throbbing.
"I have to report this to Cathedral Headquarters. This—this is even more serious than the Old Neil incident..."