"Mr. A arrived in Tingen this quickly?!" Klein didn't hide his shock, mirrored by the others, stunned that a "legendary" Sequence 5 had descended on Tingen.
In a small place like Tingen, the highest-ranking Beyonder anyone had seen was the Captain, a Sequence 7. Only a rare few had glimpsed passing Red Glove members, catching a taste of high-sequence prowess.
But even among Red Gloves, Sequence 5 was captain-level!
Such a powerful Beyonder in Tingen?
And a deranged cultist, no less?
Fear, unease, anxiety…
Negative emotions surged, but a calming force soon spread through the room.
Leonard used this power before… It's the Captain? So Nightmares can wield abilities without reciting poetry? Klein stifled a yawn as Dunn spoke gravely,
"No need to panic. With proper preparation, low-sequence Beyonders can challenge mid-sequences. Even a Sequence 5 can, in theory, be killed with demon-hunting bullets. The news of the Aurora Order emissary has been reported to Backlund, and reinforcements should arrive soon. Until then, we must protect Tingen! We're not alone—Punishers and the Machinary Hivemind will assist in the investigation…"
Dunn read from a script, his tone somewhat mechanical. But then, Klein raised his hand—
"Captain, speaking of the Aurora Order, I just remembered something."
"Go on," Dunn said, pausing. Klein, slightly hesitant, continued,
"It's about Hanass Vincent. An informant of mine found he had dealings with Lanevus…"
"Hanass Vincent?" Dunn rubbed his increasingly exposed forehead, taking a long moment before recalling, "The diviner who leaked a secret incantation pointing to the True Creator? The one who died mysteriously? He was connected to Lanevus?"
Lanevus was just a conman, not worth mentioning now, but ties to a suspected True Creator devotee changed everything.
The Aurora Order worshipped the True Creator. Could Mr. A, their so-called emissary, coming to Tingen be linked to this fraudster?
"What else did your informant say?" Dunn didn't ask for the informant's identity. Klein, dropping the pretense, said solemnly,
"Nothing more. But about Lanevus, I did encounter something yesterday. A woman, supposedly pregnant with his child, visited the Divination Club. I meant to use Spirit Vision but inexplicably forgot. I didn't think much of it then, but now, it might've been my spirituality warning me!"
"Your spirituality made you forget Spirit Vision? 'Do not gaze upon a god'?"
Old Neil, Klein's occult mentor, reacted first. Dunn's expression shifted dramatically.
"So, Tingen might harbor an evil god's heir? And Mr. A, the Aurora Order emissary, is here for this pregnant woman? No, a mortal shouldn't be able… Never mind, that's irrelevant! We must alert the Red Gloves immediately…"
Dunn turned toward the door, then paused, looking back.
"One more thing. Effective immediately, everyone is to collect a full kit from the armory, including signal flares. No one goes out alone—minimum three per team. All leave is canceled, and all Sequence 8 and above are relieved of Chanis Gate duty…"
…
"Oh, poor Ince Zangwill. By using official Beyonders to stop Mr. A, he inadvertently led them to Megose. With their actions, Megose will soon be captured, and his plan is doomed to fail. What a pitiful fellow…"
In the red-chimneyed house, the quill danced again, gleefully mocking Ince Zangwill's shoddy scripting skills.
Ince Zangwill's scalp tingled with rage.
Pacing in frustration, he racked his brain for a strategy.
His past as an archbishop flashed before him—official Beyonder protocols, considerations for interacting with various factions—all surfaced in his mind.
Gradually, an idea formed. After a moment's thought, he seized the quill and wrote in the open notebook,
"Due to the Nighthawks discovering Megose, the evil god's heir grew wary. To protect itself, it granted part of its power to its host. The heir's divine power, ever mysterious, allowed Megose to evade pursuit—a reasonable development."
"Megose's disappearance heightened the Nighthawks' focus, reinforcing their belief it was tied to Mr. A's purpose in Tingen, drawing the attention of all Tingen's official Beyonders."
"To capture Megose and Mr. A and avert disaster, the Nighthawks mobilized nearly their entire force, patrolling Tingen meticulously, greatly straining their resources."
"To protect Megose's unborn heir, Mr. A ordered Aurora Order members in Tingen and Backlund to create numerous incidents, diverting Backlund's official Beyonders' energy. Fanatics are always blind—this is reasonable developmen."
"Overwhelmed by the Aurora Order, official Beyonders faced criticism from Backlund's nobles and royals, forcing them to shift focus to Backlund."
"Tingen cannot receive Backlund's support in the short term, placing immense pressure on its Beyonders. Prolonged tension began affecting their mental state, with some showing signs of losing control—a reasonable development."
"With official Beyonder forces significantly weakened, the opportunity Ince Zangwill awaited would soon arrive. He will surely obtain all he desires!"
…
Writing the final line, Ince Zangwill slumped back, exhausted, as if drained. At this moment, he felt no one could thwart his plan!
Such a flawless script, perfectly aligned with all factions' logic—no one could outmaneuver his calculations!
"I'll make you regret abandoning me!"
(End of Chapter)
--
Author's Note: I may have been unclear. Ince Zangwill's scriptwriting and Mr. A's Red Gloves encounter weren't simultaneous.
Timeline: Early morning, Snow wakes Klein around 5-6 AM. Klein goes to work, Mr. A searches for Megose, the quill writes, and Ince Zangwill revises the script—all concurrent.
Then, after Ince revises, Mr. A struggles to find Megose, taking time for multiple divinations to pinpoint her. At this point, the Red Gloves intercept him.
Per the original novel, a train from Tingen to Backlund takes an afternoon (noted when Klein travels). Red Gloves likely have special trains (for Sealed Artifacts), so they're faster. Three to four hours from Backlund to Tingen is reasonable.
Thus, Ince's new script takes effect around 6:30 AM. Red Gloves notice Mr. A's trail, arriving by 10:30 AM after four hours. At this time, Klein is still studying occultism.