Alexandria's Keeper - Lord of the Mysteries

Irina half-shouted, "Huh?!"

Leonard's grin widened. "I'm not taking you on a whim—"

But she quickly interrupted him, "Wait! Klein isn't an official member yet, so he can help you. But I am a full member, and you were the one who signed the contract, not me!"

Leonard shrugged off her objections. "Don't worry. This isn't the first time you've done something like this. Besides, your 'knowledge' could come in handy."

Later, their carriage didn't stop directly at Vickroy's residence for fear of alerting the kidnappers. Instead, they halted on a nearby street. None of the Nighthawks spoke in Klee's presence as they waited for him to retrieve the items.

Once Klee had distanced himself, Leonard spoke quietly to Klein and Irina. "My guess from before wasn't aimless. I was hinting that the notebook will definitely resurface. It might be sooner than we think. Irina's 'skill' will help us then."

She frowned. "You're making my ability sound more useful than it really is."

It's perfect for my plans, sure. But… I'm not sure I like how Leo is poking around in my secrets. He definitely suspects something—whether it's me or Klein.

Klein gestured with his chin toward the carriage driver outside, signaling that he didn't want to discuss sensitive matters with outsiders around. "That's not exactly a pleasant prediction."

Leonard just whistled and turned to watch the rain streak across the carriage window, leaving blurry trails behind.

After a while, Klee returned with a bag of items. He recounted the details of the kidnapping, but none of them were particularly interested. The kidnappers were ordinary criminals, whereas Leonard was a Midnight Poet, Klein could divine the outcome, and Irina already knew what would happen.

Once they bade Klee farewell, they hired a private carriage. Klein used his silver-inlaid cane to divine Elliott's location. Before long, he spoke in a deep, ethereal voice, "Straight."

Whoa! His voice sounds so cool—so different from Old Neil's!

Leonard instructed the driver, "Go straight. We'll tell you when there's a turn."

The carriage rolled slowly down the streets, passing building after building. Klein continued using Dowsing Rod Seeking to refine their direction. After circling the same block, Klein pointed his cane toward a staircase and said, "There."

The poet smiled with a sigh. "Sometimes, I really envy Old Neil… And now, I envy you too."

Irina chimed in wholeheartedly, "Same."

Klein glanced at the two of them, responding calmly, "It's not that difficult. If you're willing to learn, you'll master it easily enough… Your perception should be quite high, right?"

Irina nodded. "Yeah, but still, it's not my specialty. And my pathway goes in a different direction."

Talking about pathways is safe enough, right? As long as I avoid mentioning higher Sequences…

Leonard nodded, chuckling. "That's not exactly an advantage."

The three of them entered the building, the heavy rain still pouring outside. They reached the third floor, where Klein pointed to a room on the right. "They should be in there."

The seer then tapped his glabella twice with his cane and whispered, "One, two, three, four… Three kidnappers, one hostage. The numbers match. One of the auras is faint—likely Elliott. Klee mentioned they had two hunting rifles and a revolver."

Leonard chuckled. "Let me recite a poem for them. Why be a kidnapper? Why not just be a happy, civilized person?"

Irina humored him with a smirk. "Are you seriously questioning the morals of some idiots now?"

The poet's expression suddenly turned serene and melancholic; his magnetic and deep voice gradually filled the room "Oh, the threat of horror, the hope of crimson cries!

One thing at least is certain—that this Life flies;

One thing is certain, and the rest is Lies;

The Flower that once has bloomed forever dies…"

Klein's mind immediately became sluggish. He felt as though he was witnessing a silent moonlit night, with a serene, rippling lake. His eyelids grew heavy, as if he were about to fall asleep while standing. Irina, however, felt nothing at all, almost as if nothing had happened.

Soon after, Leonard stopped singing and turned with a playful smile. "I'm thinking of asking for the Captain's permission to apply for a Feynapotter lute. How can there be singing without accompaniment?"

Irina, clearly annoyed, responded, "You better be thinking about doing it alone, and not dragging others into some concert of yours."

He laughed. "Haha, I'm just joking~ I can already hear them snoring."

The green-eyed Nighthawk suddenly shifted his shoulder and threw a punch at the door's lock.

Crack!

The wood around the lock splintered with a muffled sound.

Irina whistled in surprise. "Damn, that's not very poetic nor gentle."

Leonard turned, smiling. "This takes precise control. And poets aren't always gentle, you know."

Creepy, Irina thought, shrugging. "If you say so."

As the door swung open, they found a man asleep at the table with a gun at his feet, while another one groggily rubbed his eyes, trying to get up.

Was my whistle too loud?

Bam! Leonard moved smoothly, knocking the dazed kidnapper unconscious.

Irina, following closely, remarked, "Brutal. Does that also require precise control?"

She watched as Leonard dealt with the remaining kidnappers one by one, while Klein stood outside, suddenly turning towards the staircase. He raised his revolver, pointing down the stairs, and spoke in a calm, yet commanding voice. "Do not move. Raise your hands. Three, two, one..."

Tension filled the air. The man at the staircase spoke, his voice tight with fear, "Sir, is this some kind of joke? Has there been a misunderstanding?"

Klein's expression remained unreadable as he replied, "Do not resist. Someone will determine if it's a misunderstanding soon enough."

Leonard, having finished tying up the kidnappers, placed a hand on Irina's shoulder, stopping her from moving further.

He walked out leisurely. "So, they had another accomplice, someone in charge of food delivery?"

A loud bang followed by the click of a trigger drew Irina's attention, but she wasn't worried. She knew both Klein and Leonard could handle it. Turning back to the child tied up in the corner, she smiled. "Hello, young Elliott~ Want me to untie that rope for you? Would you prefer that?"

Elliott, wide-eyed, nodded slowly as Leonard returned, dragging an unconscious man behind him. The boy stammered in awe, still processing everything, yet asked, "W-who are you people?"

Leonard tied up the kidnappers securely with the rope they had used on Elliott. For those without rope, their clothes sufficed. He then tossed them into a corner. "Yes, you guessed right. All very precise."

Irina smiled warmly. "Ignore that guy; his sense of humor is terrible. Your father hired us to rescue you."

Elliott's face brightened as relief washed over him. "Phew, really? Have I been saved?"

Leonard gave Klein some direction, while Irina did her best to reassure the frightened child. After waiting for over forty minutes, the poet signaled to his two coworkers to quietly leave the room with him.

With a relaxed tone, Leonard explained, "Trust me, going to the police station is a complete waste of time. Let's get out of here first."

The three Nighthawks boarded a carriage and drove off. Leonard extended his hand toward Klein with a smile. "It was a pleasure working with you!"

Irina watched as Klein politely shook his head. But why? And why isn't he saying anything to me?!

Leonard, still smiling, said, "It's a traditional gesture among aristocrats after a duel—a sign of peace."

Are you serious? Do people not just shake hands?

The seer replied, "I'm aware."

Irina teased Leonard, "Just admit it, you got rejected."

Klein frowned as he glanced out the window. "Shouldn't we confirm with Mr. Klee? If he thinks the police rescued Elliott, we'll only get half the commission."

Oh... He's focused on the money. Classic Klein.

Leonard shrugged. "Don't worry about it. For us, money isn't that important."

Irina cut in with a hint of annoyance. "Speak for yourself."

Klein forced a polite smile. "Many poets died young and penniless."

Her mood lightened. "See?! I'm with our dear seer on this one. Leo, you should understand how important money is."

He chuckled. "I doubt Elliott would lie about this. He still has some innocence in him. But you won't be getting much of that 200-pound commission."

Klein immediately asked, "How much would I get?"

Irina's lips curled up. "Straight to the point, huh?"

Leonard turned to Irina. "You don't seem as interested as he is?"

She shrugged. "I doubt I'll get much. I didn't really do anything, just like you said. I've been dragged into plenty of post-mission tasks, but it's all just trivial stuff."

The poet then explained, "As always, half of the commission goes to Mrs. Orianna as additional team funds. The remaining amount is divided among the members. Since you're not a formal Nighthawk yet, you'll only get about ten percent of what's left."

He then looked at Irina. "But you'll still get a portion, since you participated."

Klein inquired about the kidnappers' memories, but Leonard reassured him they wouldn't suspect anything.

A comfortable silence settled in the carriage until Klein broke it. "I've been meaning to ask, Irina, how long have you been with the Nighthawks?"

Irina answered without hesitation. "Officially? Three weeks. But I've been with the company for about a month."

Klein nodded thoughtfully. "That makes sense then."

Curious, she asked, "Why did you want to know?"

The seer met her gaze. "The way Sir Mitchell explained things, it seemed like it was also directed at you."

Leonard chuckled before answering. "Because it was. Irina rarely goes out on missions alone. She mostly stays behind or tags along on the more peculiar ones."

Klein asked politely, "If I may, why is that?"

She took over. "It's simple. My sequence is History Teacher, Sequence 8. The abilities are pretty passive. I don't have combat skills or anything as useful as Seers or Mystery Pryers."

Klein remembered their first meeting. "I think you mentioned something similar when we first met."

The poet chimed in. "You should give him an overview of your sequence. He might need your skills one day."

She added, "I'm the only one with this pathway in the Nighthawks."

Leonard mused, "You might be the only one in the whole city."

She dismissed it. "You're making it sound more special than it is."

He smirked. "What if it is?"

Sighing, Irina changed the subject. "Anyway, back on topic. My pathway, Sequence 9 Bookworm, allows me to read incredibly fast, and it's much easier for me to remember and learn anything written in a book. I also have a 'protective' ability, but it's never been activated. Sequence 8 History Teacher lets me determine the age of objects—newer things are more precise, older things are fuzzier. Same goes for texts like historical records. That's about it."

Klein seemed deep in thought. "That's all?"

She smiled. "Anticlimactic, right? Oh, I almost forgot. My spirit vision focuses on objects and parts of objects, similar to how you can see things from a person's body, like injuries."

Klein nodded. "I see. It's quite specific, but I can understand its usefulness. Just—"

Irina interrupted, "—not very useful in the field, especially not for combat."

Leonard continued, "It's more geared toward research and development."

She shifted the topic once more. "As for the Antigonus notebook, when you find it, make sure to let me know! I'd love to help assess it in person."