At the opulent room of Château de Rosé, where antique furnishings are displayed, Caine stood at the door, asking the sixth female servant he had encountered today. The young servant wore a period-appropriate black-and-white maid's dress, with a pleasing appearance, full of youthful vitality, her brown hair naturally wavy and carrying a touch of charm. "When Mr. Tallym visits, whom does he usually meet?" Caine repeated his question with a neutral expression. The servant answered without pause: "Mr. Tallym typically seeks out the Prince, or accompanies him on horseback, or discusses matters with him. If the Prince is unavailable, he meets with that young lady—they are close friends, and have been granted permission by the housekeeper." Are Tallym and Prince Edsack fond of the same commoner lady? Do they meet privately from time to time? He must have been trying to persuade the other person to leave, so as not to tarnish the prince's reputation... Cline nodded thoughtfully: "They, I mean, Mr. Tallym and the lady—what would they be talking about?" As he posed the question, Cline found himself recalling Tallym's recent infatuation, vividly imagining a deeply dramatic, clichéd romance scene, drawn from his rich, information-age experience. The maid, unafraid of the detective, smiled and shook her head: "At such times, we're always asked to step out of the room." Oh, Cline found himself increasingly unable to resist forming associations, even wondering whether the prince's hat and helmet might need a fresh coat of paint. Before he could ask further, the maid chuckled lightly: "Moriati Detective, if you'd like to know exactly what the lady and Mr. Tallym discussed, you're welcome to ask her directly." "The old housekeeper doesn't allow it." Klein proudly raised the shield to deflect the arrows. He then smiled and said, "It seems you know more than the others, and even know to call me Detective Moriaty." The maid glanced around, maintaining a smile. "Since I've been serving that lady, she's always wanted to meet you, Detective Moriaty. After all, she's a close friend of Mr. Talim and deeply concerned about his passing." "Unfortunately, she always misses you." "Always?" Klein was particularly sensitive to words like "always," "just," and "missed." The maid nodded seriously. "When Your Highness first invited you to visit, she deliberately grew upset, hoping to meet you during her walk downstairs. But you had already hurried off. Later, she volunteered to go in your place to pay her respects at Mr. Talim's grave, though she didn't know your appearance and thus couldn't find you." "And today, she just happened to have gone to the back golf course to ride horseback and unwind—otherwise, even if the butler objected, she would have found a way to see you." What a coincidence! As克莱恩 was just about to remark, he suddenly grasped a crucial point: On the day of Prince Talim's funeral, it was his favorite commoner woman who had stepped in to offer the tribute in his place! That very day, what particularly concerned克莱恩 was the lady wearing a black veil and a sapphire ring on her hand—she might very well possess a 'Level 0' seal artifact, or perhaps even be a powerful presence at the same level! In an instant, the scene from that day flashed vividly in克莱恩's mind: The woman with the sapphire ring wore a heavy black gown, accompanied by two maids, and gradually moved away. One of the maids had naturally wavy brown hair. The image of that maid instantly overlapped with the one of the maid currently standing before克莱恩—remarkably well-matched!" Klein's body tensed suddenly, his sweat dripping from his shirt, yet his expression remained unchanged. Using the abilities of the Clown, he feigned memory and smiled, asking, "On the day of Talim's funeral, did you accompany that young lady?" The maid responded casually, "Yes." ...Damn, it really was her! Klein maintained his smile and said, "Excellent. Next question." He acted as though nothing had happened, proceeding methodically with further inquiries, then shifting to another servant. Yet beneath the surface, Klein was streamlining the process, accelerating the pace. He needed to leave Red Rose Manor before the young lady returned on horseback! At four in the afternoon, before the sky had darkened, Klein departed far earlier than expected, returning to the city by the carriage dispatched by the head housekeeper. Leaning against the compartment wall wrapped in silk and fabric, with his back pressed against the window, he finally exhaled, finding the strength to reflect on the entire matter: The one who cast the curse upon Talim was the beloved commoner woman of Prince Edsack—why would she target a fallen noble descendant to avenge Talim’s efforts to break up her relationship with the prince? Yet, she needn’t have personally intervened at all; she could simply have seized the opportunity to reveal the affair during an intimate moment, and Prince Edsack would have ample means to ensure Talim vanished without a trace. Talim had been utterly in love at the time of his death—indeed, the earliest signs emerged after he successfully persuaded the commoner to leave Prince Edsack’s side; they had been secretly involved, hadn’t they? So, upon being recalled back to the manor, the commoner had sought to eliminate the threat and thus cast the curse upon Talim? Logically sound, yet the question remained: How could a seasoned figure—either possessing a "Level 0" seal object or of comparable strength—have been so effectively constrained by Prince Edsack? Even if Augustus belonged to the angelic lineage and had sufficient accumulated strength, he would still need to summon immense power and employ special methods to contain him—something no prince could achieve. How could such a figure possibly regard Talem? Why has she been eager to see me? Has she noticed my use of the gray mist to observe her? No—if she had, I would have been buried with her at the time of her funeral. Moreover, when she first expressed a desire to meet me, I had not yet obtained her flesh, hair, or personal belongings, nor had I made any divinations at all. Kline found himself puzzled, and ultimately decided to bury the question deep within his heart, choosing not to investigate or pursue it further. He hoped that the "Mechanical Heart," guided by his earlier insights, would recognize the royal family's unusually profound attention to this matter—yes, their concern might not stem solely from the reputation of Prince Edsack, but rather from some other, deeper reason. I hope the royal family will continue to carefully contain that lady, preventing her from visiting me... Soon, when the time is right, I will hand over this task, signaling my inability, and then use the excuse of taking a vacation in the south to change my identity and retreat for a while! Klein's mood gradually calmed. ... The evenings in Beckland are always replaced by overcast skies and a steady, light drizzle. With both body and spirit weary, Klein pressed his hand against his half-high silk hat, slightly bent his posture, and hurried through the wet streets, reaching home at 15 Minsk Street under the glow of gas streetlamps. After a brief rest, taking advantage of the dimming light, he reversed his steps and stepped into the gray mist. Since becoming a "Faceless One" in the Sixth Rank of the promotion sequence, he has always wanted to check whether that mysterious space has changed—yet, due to being too exhausted last night and not waking up until midnight, and having been busy outside during the day, he had only now found the opportunity. Additionally, Klein needs to eliminate distractions and make a divination regarding a matter. That was the first time since his promotion that he hadn't heard the dream-like murmuring—"Hornachis... Freglah... Hornachis... Freglah"—faint and elusive. He wanted to determine whether this change was a natural evolution following his advancement to Sequence 6, or if there was some other cause. Within the majestic palace, the weathered bronze long table and twenty-two high-backed chairs, each bearing distinct symbols, stood still and silent, as if unchanged since time immemorial. The gray mist beneath them and the vast, unending emptiness around them remained equally still. Yet as soon as Caine entered, his spiritual intuition immediately sensed subtle differences in this mysterious space compared to before. Without rushing to explore or experiment, he calmed himself, settled into the highest seat, materialized a sheet of paper and pen, and wrote a divinatory phrase: "The reason I have not heard the murmuring since my promotion." Holding the paper, he softly recited the words, leaning back against the chair, and, through meditation, swiftly entered a dream state. In the hazy sky and land, a series of scenes flickered, eventually settling on one. It was Klein, still covered in pale, flesh-like growths on his face and body, surrounded by a translucent, thin gray mist that others could not perceive. His dream shattered, and he opened his eyes, gaining a general understanding: "The gray mist interweaves with reality, shielding me from a stream of murmurs I can't quite trace. Since my promotion to Rank 6, my connection to this mysterious space above the mist has grown stronger, bringing about certain changes—and allowing me to naturally draw upon a modest amount of its power. That seems to be the case now. 'Hmm. Let me explore the surroundings and see what specific changes have occurred.' Slowly rising, Klein followed his intuition, heading toward a certain direction beyond the ancient palace, his feet stepping through a gray mist that spread out like the sea. He walked for an indeterminate length of time, until he reached the point where he intended to stop and abandon his exploration—when suddenly, a flash of light appeared at the far end of the path. Klein was delighted and quickened his pace, drawing closer. A few seconds later, he spotted a staircase—staircase to heaven! Made of pure light, it was sacred, transparent, and pure, capable of touching every soul. Rising into the void, it had only four levels, each quite lofty, as if designed for beings even larger than giants. Looking up in the direction of the staircase, Klein saw a layer of grayish mist suspended in midair, as though supporting something, yet still some distance away from the light staircase. Four levels—did that mean he had now finished the potions of Sequence 9, 8, 7, and 6? What lay above that layer of mist? With cautious steps, Klein approached the light staircase and stepped onto the first step. The steps were unremarkable, solid, and stone-like. Klein climbed up the stairs, flipping and scrambling to reach the fourth level, then tried to gaze upward through the gray-white mist. Unfortunately, his line of sight couldn't penetrate it at all. He stepped forward two paces and jumped upward with effort. However, as soon as he stepped off the stairway of light, he lost his upward momentum and his instinct for ethereal flight, plummeting straight down and landing upon the base layer of gray mist. It seemed he still needed to advance by two or three sequences more. If Sequence 4 truly marked a qualitative shift, then after becoming half-god, half-human, he should be ready. Klein looked upward, forming his judgment.