Lord of Mysteries:Fire of Destruction

Victoria Road, Wayne Enterprises.

Eleanor, dressed in a thick shirt and vest, hair always neatly slicked back, stood in front of his boss's desk with a somewhat confused expression.

"Wouldn't it be better to have a postman deliver this, Mr Wayne?"

In his hands was a sealed envelope of good size and a little heavy for some simple papers.

His boss, who had a small smile, shook his head, "That envelope contains important information; I can't rely on the care of a postman to deliver it in order."

'And why do I have to be the one to do it? Wouldn't it be better if Miss I'll-never-remember-your-name did it?' The man swallowed the question and bowed respectfully to his boss.

Turning slightly, he gave a subtle nod to the woman beside his boss, who just gave him a bored look.

'What a serious guard...'

After checking the address and confirming the unit number, Eleanor left the office.

Waiting a few moments and making sure they were alone, Flora turned to look at the man in the chair curiously.

"You only saw him last week and you're already getting back in touch? I knew he was special but to this extent? You must hold him in high esteem."

The princess revealed himself as soon as he found a moment to do so; it was obvious that this 'detective' must be special. But it was at this moment that Flora realized that she had perhaps underestimated this specialty a little.

Looking at his companion with one eye closed, Adryan chuckled softly, "In a way, we're old friends who haven't seen each other in a long time."

A white eyebrow rose. "Oh?"

"Not in that way." Adryan added boredly, his eyes saying, 'Really?'

Flora threw up her hands in mocking surrender and laughed in amusement. Her eyes also sparkled mischievously now, "Why the need to defend yourself? I didn't say anything."

Adryan snapped his fingers and pointed at her, looking at her in amazement, "You got me there."

The Jacob smiled sideways, "Of course I did."

After a moment of enjoying her grandiose victory, she added, "By the way, why don't you just send it like you normally do?"

The problem was too simple, and the solution was even simpler, so much so that there shouldn't be one.

If security were a serious problem, the messenger would solve it immediately.

Who would dare mess with an Angel?

Adryan gave a mysterious smile, leaned back in his chair, and closed his eyes, "It's not time for that yet."

Again, he was full of shit.

It was more for the safety of the Poor God than anything else.

A Door Pathway angel, mixed or not, would undoubtedly find what he had very juicy.

'The attraction of their path will lead her to watch... And there's not much you can hide from a Planeswalker.' The black-haired man rolled his shoulders inwardly in a bit of irony.

And it's not as if Klein could hide it from her. Sephirah Castle's aura was seeping continuously—something that wouldn't be fixed until Klein became a Bizarro Sorcerer, making the situation even more dangerous.

While Chicho now called him 'Lord', to Adryan that was less than an empty title.

He had no control over her; it was best to avoid accidents until he was sure that her loyalty lay with him...

Besides, it wasn't as if the information in the letter was sensitive.

'Fufu. It's just an opportunity and an invitation to a dance. What else is there~' The man laughed a little, got up, and walked over to a small table to his right.

He was in the mood for a good cup of coffee.

Using the coffeepot he had installed in his office a few days ago, Adryan calmly watched as his cup was filled, the soft smell of freshly brewed beans soothing his mind.

'Of course, it's not just Klein who's in danger... Chicho could also be in danger if she were to meet the bearer of Sefira Castle. In her current state, their meeting could cause trouble for both sides...'

The mere thought that 'such' trouble could happen made cold sweat run down his back.

Sighing slightly, he grabbed one of the two steaming mugs, but before he could reach for the other, it disappeared.

"Really?" Adryan looked at his guard, who suddenly had her eyes closed and her lips slightly parted.

"I don't want my peace disturbed. Shu. Stay in your corner." Flora opened one eye in amusement and continued gazing out the window at the blue sky, taking an extremely satisfied sip of the steaming cup in her hand.

Glancing down at his companion's back and then at her hair, Adryan wondered if he should heed the voice calling him to bring some fire closer to the cotton cloud.

After a brief but intense internal struggle, the dark-haired man shrugged.

'Nah. It's too beautiful for that.'

With the decision made, Adryan sat down and took a light sip of his coffee as he considered his new business idea.

'Miss Vivian will have to look into it, and I will have to talk to some experts, but it shouldn't be a problem. With everything coming up, this will come in handy soon~' With the corners of his lips raised, the man closed his notebook and concentrated on drinking his coffee.

He had a lot to consider in the future. And much less time than he would have liked to do them. So, in the really short time he could relax, Adryan made sure to enjoy them.

Pitedo Street, Unit 6-3

After finishing breakfast, Klein prepared for another day of waiting at home.

As he waited, someone knocked on the door.

As he walked towards it, wondering what the job might be this time, the image of the person behind it formed in his mind, and his pace stopped momentarily.

It was a young man with slicked-back hair and a deep gaze. Klein recognized him as one of Chariot's workers.

Sensing that this could be important, Klein wasted no time and opened the door with a small smile. "Good morning, Mr Eleanor. I didn't think we'd see each other again so soon."

The man's calm expression broke slightly. His eyebrows raised slightly, and his eyes sparkled with recognition. "Good morning to you, too, Detective. I didn't think you'd remember me. The last time we saw each other, our interaction was rather brief."

Though a little taken aback by the reaction, Klein didn't question it, just gave a graceful nod and smiled mysteriously. "I'm a detective. Remembering faces and names is something that comes naturally."

Eleanor smiled brightly for a moment, his eyes sparkling even more, before he sighed frustratedly and whispered, "I wish there were more people like you, Mr. Moriarty..."

'And what's wrong with this one?' Controlling his face to keep his smile in place, Klein turned slightly away from the door, "Would you like to come in so we can talk more comfortably?"

Anything to do with that man was best discussed in a more private place. Not in the middle of the corridor.

Returning to his professionalism, Eleanor coughed slightly and nodded, "If it's not too much trouble."

They sat in the living room, now officially Klein's office, holding a cup of freshly brewed tea in each hand.

'Normally I would only offer water, but I have to treat Mr. Chariot's men well... Besides, this tea is not very expensive; a 12-pack of bags costs 8 cuprums...' Even though it was cheap, it was quite rich and sweet.

Just because it was cheap, it didn't have to taste bad.

Eleanor was the first to start the conversation by putting his cup down slightly.

"Again, I'm very sorry for the inconvenience, Mr Moriarty. I'm here on an errand for my boss, Mr Harvey Wayne. I'm sure you remember him."

'Yes, I do remember.' Smiling slightly, the detective nodded, "Of course I do. If it hadn't been for Mr Wayne's help, my job would have been a lot harder.

"We detectives aren't exactly popular. A helping hand is always appreciated."

Eleanor nodded back, "He's a kind man. There's no doubt about that."

Klein didn't comment. He just smiled, holding back the trembling of his lips.

After a few short pleasantries, Eleanor finally told the reason for his visit. "Mr. Wayne instructed me to come in person to deliver a personal commission from him to you. I don't know the reasons nor what it is, he only gave me instructions to deliver the information to you once you've accepted it."

'A personal mission from Mr Chariot? Is there anything special about this mission? An ulterior motive? Another problem with an evil god I have to deal with?' All sorts of possibilities flashed through his mind, each weighing heavier on his being and bringing up recent bad memories.

Fighting the urge to bite the inside of his cheek, the detective gave a simple nod to get up from his seat.

"Excuse me, but I haven't had time to go to the bathroom yet. Could you give me a moment?" Klein said apologetically.

"Ah, yes, of course." Eleanor just nodded, a little taken aback but not noticing anything unusual.

Klein smiled at the man and returned to his more traveled room, the corners of his lips quivering slightly.

This was becoming so commonplace that he was losing his embarrassment...

As he locked the door, a heavy sigh left his being. Taking off his glasses, he rubbed his forehead briefly before looking at his reflection in the mirror.

In the time he had been in Azshara as a 'mere' detective, he had solved a few cases. None that involved anything serious or very dangerous, they could even be considered more 'mundane'.

Investigating whether a husband had been unfaithful to his wife. If there was a lover in the place where his wife worked. Or his favorite and strangest, the search for a child's pet, a black cat called Dolly...

But despite the variety and frequency of the jobs, Klein knew he was still far from the money he needed to buy the ingredients to become a Magician.

The rate at which he was solving cases was barely enough to pay the rent on his house and his food and expenses for the month, let alone the question of his ingredients. It would take him months to save up enough to buy his ingredients.

'And at the rate the Tarot Club is growing. I don't have much time...'

Calmly, the detective pulled a simple coin from his pocket, a cuprum.

Although he knew anything to do with Chariot and divination would be bugged, Klein still had to try.

Not trying to prove if it was safe was against his acting as a Seer!

A simple divination would be more than enough.

'I should take this job... I should take this job...' Repeating 7 times in his mind, he tossed the coin into the air, which spun several times.

He opened his palm to receive it, and the coin fell but went through the man's fingers and hit the wooden floor with a silent thud.

'Failure' Klein was not depressed by the result; it was something he was looking forward to.

As he left the bathroom and returned to his guest, the detective said, "I'll take your boss's case."

Maintaining his professionalism, Eleanor nodded and pulled a thick envelope from his vest. "Mr Wayne told me to give you this if you agreed. Read it; everything you need to investigate is in."

With that, the man pulled out a few bills; "This is payment for your time. Thank you for seeing me, Detective Moriarty. May knowledge be with you."

Klein smiled, took the money, and after counting to make sure it was complete, returned his attention to the man and gave a slight nod, "May knowledge be with you as well, Mr. Eleanor."

The clown returned to the bathroom after dismissing the man from his living room/mystery office.

Locking the door and forming a wall of spirituality, and after a brief divination about the safety of opening the letter - which again failed - the man opened the envelope.

Inside was another smaller envelope, a letter, and a thick wad of bills.

The second thing he noticed was the neatness of the handwriting, followed by the red color of the ink.

<> 

Greetings, Detective~

I have a little job for you, don't worry, for someone with your skills I doubt it will be difficult for you to complete it.

Well, I'll get straight to the point, I don't want to waste your precious time.

I was hoping you could investigate the whereabouts of the former owner of my beloved firm, Dieter Smicht, and the former receptionist, Mr William.

In the small envelope that came with this letter, you will find some of their belongings and some information about them on the back of this letter.

This should be enough for you to start investigating.

Honestly, this is more of a confirmation for me than a necessity.

There is probably a gang involved; it should be a normal one. At most, they might have a few low-sequence Beyonders. Considering that I've heard nothing from above, they're few and far between and have a profile that's not interesting at all.

I just want you to see how they behave and what they have done. Since I bought the guy's company, he's been pretty quiet, and as the current owner, I can't help but worry about the underdog. You know what I mean, right?

Well, I don't have a lot of demands on this, to be honest. Just confirmation of his status.

Just to emphasize: don't put yourself at risk for these guys.

I couldn't care less about their lives, so if they end up dumped in the sewers, it's not my problem.

But yours?

Oh, Detective, your life is very important to me.

I've left the first payment for this job in the envelope. It's 1/3 of what I plan to give you if you can complete it, so consider it an incentive.

By the way... There is a Beyonder party on the 7th of September. If you want, I can take you there, what do you think? I'll wait for your answer until Wednesday; please don't be late.

That would be all, so...

Catch them if you can, Mr Moriarty~

<> 

'This has to be a reference of some kind.' The Clown looked at the last line with mixed feelings, confusion at the strangeness and some embarrassment at the way it was written.

Compared to the rest of the letter, the last line had been written with much more delicacy and grace. He was even inclined to say it had a bit of... flirtatiousness?

Unconsciously, he wiped the palms of his hands with a nearby towel, which were covered in sweat from the letter.

'Why did Chariot decide to use one of his men to deliver the letter instead of his messenger? As far as I know, his messenger is extremely fast...' Klein was confused; this detail didn't make much sense to him.

Was there a reason for his decision?

'Sure, it's not like this job contains sensitive information or anything. Besides, if someone else got hold of this letter and reported it as suspicious activity, what would happen? It's the police reporting the police!' Klein frowned a little and could only take his mind off the subject momentarily.

'Gathering...' Thinking about the invitation, it didn't take the clown long to decide.

'This guy is going with me. What have I got to fear?' If there were any problems, he was sure that Chariot would solve them with ease.

Turning his attention back to the work at hand, Klein looked over the materials provided.

The smaller envelope contained some fountain pens and a small notebook. The wad of bills contained 100 Sassem.

'But how much money does this guy have?' Ignoring his grin, the detective put the money away.

'If this is the first payment for the job, then the final payment will be 300 sassem!' Feeling his cheeks ache, the clown patted the money a little, extremely happy.

Then, an idea struck him, and he returned to reading the letter. A possibility formed in his mind, and the man couldn't help but feel hopeful.

Not long ago, Chariot bought his company from this guy. That means he has deep pockets at the moment!

Controlling his excitement, the man sighed softly and gave a slow nod.

If the target turns out to be a bad person, and if stealing from him doesn't turn out to be dangerous, Klein is willing to take the risk.

'I hope he's a bastard, then I won't feel bad when I bleed him dry.' He would never steal from an innocent; it was against his nature.

He had to have a line that was not to be crossed. That was his line.

Never hurt the innocent.

Patting his pocket once more and with the evidence dealt with, he finally grabbed the documents relating to his two targets. The motivation to complete this case burned brightly in his chest.

The names of his targets shone golden like treasure.

William Cartwright and Dieter Smicht.