Without afternoon tea, Caine decided at the last minute to go to Saint Samuel's Church for prayer, to demonstrate his piety. Of course, he didn't forget to pause and admire the white doves on the square, to appear relaxed and composed. Entering the church and passing through the murals bathed in sunlight high above, Caine reached the dim, deep prayer hall. Unlike other churches that are adorned with elaborate, dazzling decorations and create a powerful visual impact, this one is gentle and serene, evoking a deep sense of inner calm. The radiant, star-like purity of light at the front adds a strong sense of sacred solemnity. Caine removed his hat and handed it, along with his cane, to his personal servant Richard. Then he walked down the aisle toward the front. At that moment, two figures in the front row rose and turned toward the exit. One had dark hair and bright eyes, moving with grace and an unruly hairstyle—none other than Leonard Mitchell. At the same time, Leonard Mitchell spotted the middle-aged man with white hair and deep blue eyes—Dowon Tangthas. His spirit tightened instantly, and a barely perceptible stiffness settled over his body. Crane watched Leonard, smiled warmly, and nodded with a friendly, relaxed demeanor. ...Leonard managed a slight smile, hesitated slightly, and gave a gentle nod. Then he leaned slightly to the side, making room, and passed by Tangthas. This allowed Crane to see clearly who was behind him—another familiar face, Daili, dressed in the attire of a seer. The woman still wore her signature blue eyeshadow and blush, exuding an otherworldly beauty. Daili glanced at the passing gentleman, her expression momentarily hazy, then turned away and moved silently toward the exit. Could that be? I only imitated the depth of the captain's gaze—different in hue altogether—and yet Daili could still sense a familiarity? A woman's intuition is truly terrifying... Klein noticed Dail's brief anomaly and had a vague sense of what might be unfolding. Long before, in his straight-laced perception, Dail had been quietly infatuated with the captain—otherwise, she wouldn't have taken the risk to travel to Tingen, arranging for Klein to present himself as a legal instructor to Dunn Smith. As for the captain's feelings in this regard, Klein couldn't be certain, since during that period, Dunn Smith often struggled to distinguish between reality and dreams, and his memory lapses were particularly noticeable. Perhaps, unconsciously, he had forgotten certain things deep within his heart. Yet, the captain frequently mentions Miss Dailie, always using her as an example to educate us. He knows the exact number of years it took her to advance, the specific talents she possesses, so thoroughly that he seems able to recite them by heart—something that contrasts somewhat with his otherwise forgetful condition... Ah, when speaking about her, the captain occasionally adds his own nine-year journey from "The Midnight Poet" to "The Nightmare." Does he, then, feel a bit inferior when facing Miss Dailie? Inferior... Inferior. Klein's recollections suddenly grew somber. He realized he actually knew very little about Denne Smith, not knowing how many hidden things lay within this man. Moreover, Miss Dailie was considerably younger than him, and she seemed so open-minded and unconcerned about marriage. Klein sighed silently, gathered his thoughts, settled into a corner seat, lowered his head, and closed his eyes in prayer. Outside the Great Hall, Leonard had settled into his rhythm and joined Dely, meeting with the members of his red-gloved team. They waited a while, and then Sorst, now a Spirit-Witch, emerged from the other side, surveying the group and saying: "Our mission is to identify the formal members of the Spirit Order currently hidden within Beckland, based on various clues uncovered during the previous explosion at the Black Skeleton Party's headquarters. Dely, as a Spirit-Witch of the 'Reaper' path, has deep familiarity with the Order, so the Count has entrusted her with assisting us." "...In the evening, after sending away his personal servant Richard, Klein reversed his steps four times, stepping into the gray mist, and manifested 'The World' Germaine Spaulo, who then blurred into a form of prayer: '...Please inform the 'Magician' Miss that she must reserve a hotel room in the East District by Friday evening, preferably away from the location where Mr. X convenes his gatherings... '...Bring me the stone and the magic book in advance, as I need to make certain preparations... '...On Friday evening, she must prevent the friend attending Mr. X's gathering from presenting me with the specific appearance of the person dressed in disguise... '...Should there be any further matters, I will inform her promptly.' With only two days left before the assassination of Mr. X, Klein undoubtedly needed to prepare in advance, and among these tasks, Doun. Dantès was simply too busy to manage them all, relying instead on the 'Magician' Miss to carry them forward." His initial plan was to leverage the "Faceless Man's" abilities, posing as a friend of the host attending Mr. X's gatherings to gain access to the code, enter directly, and then implement different contingency plans depending on the situation. Based on his experience in combat and manipulating mannequins over this period, Caine increasingly felt that the "Master of Secret Mannequins" should adhere to the principle of "staying behind the scenes and subtly directing a theatrical performance." Unless absolutely necessary, the "Master of Secret Mannequins" should avoid engaging in direct combat with others. "The most troublesome point at the moment is that Mr. X's gathering begins at eight o'clock, and by then, Daven Thomsen is clearly awake and unable to escape the constant attention of the butler and servants, making it difficult for him to quietly make his way to the eastern wing. Of course, this situation could serve as evidence of alibi, but the real challenge lies in how to conceal his presence from everyone within the house. There's only one person who could help—someone who appears faceless, someone who could impersonate Daven Thomsen. The pendant from Miss Justice would make that possible, but she is not currently in Beckett. Kent leaned back against the chair, reaching up to rub his temple. He even considered summoning himself directly, responding to himself as the daring rogue 'Black Emperor,' but doing so would mean losing his ability to transform his physical form and assume the guise of others—particularly the magician, his friend, Firth—making it difficult for him to attend Mr. X's gathering in disguise." Unless the friend of the "Magician" lady joins forces with me and allows me to take over her body—this won't work either. First, it would reveal part of the Tarot Circle's secrets, and second, Mr. X might very well have already discovered the method of the "ghostly spirit." Of course, the traces could be concealed through a series of seals—gold coins, paper angels, iron cigarette boxes—and so on. After some thought, Caine decided on a method he had used with great proficiency in a previous life: feign illness. Starting tomorrow, he would begin to feel unwell, eat very little, and go to bed before eight o'clock—this way, the housekeeper and servants would not disturb him. But what if there were urgent matters here, and Walter and the others came to knock? The illusions created by the "Magician" could only deceive the eyes—not artificial intelligence! Artificial intelligence! Ah—what if I anchored the illusion to the mirror, making it appear as if it were D'Artagnan, and then had the "Mirror" Arados remotely control the conversations! As he thought about it, Caine's mind suddenly cleared. No denying it, Arudess is actually quite useful at times... Caine murmured, returned to the real world, walked over to his desk, pulled out paper and pen, and sketched a blended symbol combining secrecy and observation. As he finished the last stroke, the light in the room suddenly dimmed slightly. The full-length mirror first darkened, then glowed with a silver-white radiance, outlining one after another Rune words: "Great Lord, your humble, small, faithful servant Arudess has heard your call. I—I have not arrived late, have I?" Each time, something new appeared... Caine chuckled, shook his head. "No." "This is your kindness, Great Lord. You may now ask your questions." The Rune words appeared neatly and in order on the mirror's surface. Caine thought for a moment, then said, "I intend to remove Mr. X, the divine envoy of the Aurora Society. What suggestions do you have?" The words on the full-length mirror surface froze for several seconds, then flowed and shifted: "You'd better delay your plans until after Thursday." Consistent with my earlier divination... there may be either Ulroth, the Angel of Fate, or one of the saints from the Aurora Circle near Mr. X on Thursday and tonight... Klein smiled and said, "Arodos, I have a task that needs your help." "That's my privilege! It's your opportunity!" The words burst forth rapidly, vividly conveying excitement and enthusiasm. "What task is it?" Klein nodded. "On Friday evening this week, I'll use a mirror as a magic prop to transform it into the appearance of my identity. Should anything urgent arise, you'll take charge of manipulating the mirror, conducting the dialogue, so that no one notices anything unusual. Can you manage that?" The air around the full-length mirror suddenly stirred, and a voice belonging to Dautin Thénardier—yet unusually deferential—resounded: "My great master, as long as you command, I will do my utmost. Though this may not last long and falls short of my accustomed manner, it is sufficient to meet the needs of everyone here. If you wish, I can simulate any voice!" More versatile than I imagined... It must be quite challenging these days to simply make a mirror. Nevertheless, that last sentence still feels a bit off. Cléen's facial muscles twitched slightly. "When you're handling the situation, mask the essence of the Q&A game so that no one notices." Immediately, Arôdès manifested new words on the surface of the full-length mirror: "I will embody your role perfectly!" "Excellent," Cléen nodded gently. He was indeed worried that Arordes would pose embarrassing questions to the housekeeper Walter and the personal valet Richardson—questions like, when facing a lady who should not be so impulsive, had he ever harbored fantasies, and when alone at night, solving his own problems, who exactly did he imagine? He believed that, given Arordes’ impeccable standards—had it not been for a prior warning, it might very well have done so, just as Daniz had nearly broken under the pressure. Without further ado, Caine said: "Today's session ends. I'll reach out to you on Friday evening." "Yes, Most Noble Lord, my humble servant is eager to serve you!" Arordes first materialized a line of words, then made a simple sketch with a wave of his hand. ps: Doubled, please support with a monthly subscription!