Lord of Mysteries

Chapter 89 Simple Task

Klein nodded and said:

"Okay, but I still don't know what my mission is."

"It's not a dangerous mission, at least there are no signs of danger yet." Dunn emphasized the key point before saying, "This case was transferred from the Golden Phoenix District Police Station. The famous philanthropist Sir Deville has been subjected to strange harassment for a month, but neither his bodyguards, the security personnel he hired, nor the police can find the culprit. Inspector Toller, who is in charge of this case, highly suspects that it is related to supernatural forces, so he submitted it to us."

I saw Sir Deville in the library earlier and noticed he was in a very bad mood and looked weak. It turns out it was because he had been harassed… Klein frowned slightly and said:

"What kind of harassment is it?"

This incident has not yet caused any real harm and cannot be considered dangerous.

"Sir Deville hears weeping and groaning every night, no matter where he sleeps or whether he is in Tingen or not, which makes his sleep very poor," Dunn said, flipping through the documents at hand. "He has seen a psychiatrist and consulted his butler and servants, and confirmed that it is not a hallucination, so he suspects that someone is harassing him."

As Dunn closed the file, he looked up at Klein:

"Go to the lounge and change into your trainee inspector uniform. Then meet Inspector Toller in the shooting club lobby. He will give you more details."

"Trainee inspector's uniform?" Klein asked instinctively.

Dunn rubbed his forehead and smiled, saying:

"Half of our salaries are paid by the police department, and the title of probationary inspector doesn't just exist on paper. When you first met Leonard and me, we were both wearing uniforms, which is a perk that every official team member has, um, the kind of perk that Emperor Rosell was talking about."

It's a pity I can't wear it normally, otherwise I would have an extra set of clothes to change into... Klein picked up his cane, bowed and took his leave, and left the captain's office.

He went to the lounge diagonally opposite and saw a black and white checkered uniform, including leather boots, with a soft cap inlaid with the emblem of "two crossed swords surrounding a crown" and a badge on the shoulder with a black and white background and a shining silver star.

"This is the trainee inspector?" Klein glanced at it and noticed a string of inconspicuous numbers below the silver star on the epaulettes: "06-254".

He has now gained a basic understanding of the police hierarchy in the Kingdom of Rune, knowing that at the top are the Minister of Police and the Chief Police Secretary, below them are the directors, deputy directors, and assistant directors of various police departments, in the middle are the superintendents and inspectors, and at the bottom are the police chiefs and officers.

After closing the door, Klein took off his formal attire, removed his hat, and changed into the uniform.

After hanging up his original clothes, he pushed open the door and went into the clerical office, where he looked at himself in the full-length mirror that Rosanne had managed to get.

The young man in the mirror had a full head of black hair, gentle brown eyes, and a uniform that made him look more dashing than usual.

"Not bad." Klein said narcissistically with a pleased mood, leaving his cane in the office and turning to leave Blackthorn Security Company.

In his pocket, he had both his police ID and his full range of weapons usage permits.

…………

Inside the lobby of the shooting club.

Klein spotted Inspector Toller, as he was the only person there wearing a police uniform.

"Of course, now I have to be included..." Klein added silently.

Inspector Toller had two silver stars on his epaulets, his clothes were bulging from his belly, he had a thick brown beard, and he was tall but not imposing, or perhaps he used to be imposing.

"Moretti? Klein Moretti?" Toller looked him up and down a few times, then greeted him with a smile.

"Hello, Inspector Toller, I think you haven't mistaken me for someone else," Klein replied jokingly, and based on his memory, raised his right hand, put his five fingers together, and gave a salute.

Ptole chuckled:

"I can tell you're an easy-going young man, which puts my mind at ease. Shall we head to Sir Deville's house now?"

Although his police rank was higher than Klein's, his tone carried a clear questioning tone.

"No problem," Klein said after a moment's thought. "You can give me a detailed explanation in the carriage."

"Okay." Toller stroked his thick, brown beard and led Klein out of the shooting club and into a carriage parked across the street.

The carriage was decorated with a coat of arms featuring crossed swords surrounding a crown, and was driven by a dedicated coachman.

"Sir Deville is a devotee of the goddess, so we have transferred the case to you," Toller said hastily as soon as he sat down.

"I know, Sir, you're a regular in newspaper articles and magazine covers," Klein said with a gentle smile.

Toller picked up the file folder next to him, untied it, pulled out the documents, and said as he flipped through it:

"Whether you know it or not, I need to give you a detailed explanation."

"Sir Deville is one of the wealthiest men in Tingen. His business started with lead and porcelain factories and now extends to steel, coal, shipping, banking and securities. He is also a great philanthropist praised by the King, who established the Deville Charitable Foundation, the Deville Trust, the Deville Library and more. He was knighted five years ago. If he were to run for mayor, I think no one in Tingen would be his match."

"However, his goal is in Backlund. He wants to become a member of the Kingdom's upper house. We suspected that the harassment he was subjected to was related to this matter, but we couldn't find any clues."

Klein nodded slightly and said:

"I can't rule out that possibility, but I can't be sure of anything right now."

Ptole didn't dwell on the issue further and continued:

"Since the 6th of last month, every night when Sir Deville goes to sleep, he hears a chilling groan, like a dying patient struggling. He has checked the surrounding rooms but found nothing unusual. The butler and servants also confirmed that there are indeed similar sounds, but they hear very faint noises."

"At first, Sir Deville thought things would pass quickly and didn't pay much attention. But the painful groans became more and more frequent, even during the day, and there were also heart-wrenching cries."

"This caused Sir Deville to suffer from insomnia time and time again, and he had to leave Tingen and go to his country villa, but it did nothing. Groans and weeping still plagued him. Similarly, even when he went to Backlund, things did not calm down, only became less serious."

"He asked security personnel to search the surrounding area, but they found no clues. Our preliminary investigation also yielded little result."

"This torment, which lasted for more than a month, brought Sir Deville to the brink of a mental breakdown. He visited a psychiatrist time and time again, but he was still unable to get rid of the problem. He told us that if the problem could not be resolved within this week, he would move away from Tingen to Backlund, where he believed that there would be someone who could help him."

After listening to Toller's description, Klein quickly analyzed the various possibilities:

Who did I offend, and who cursed me?

No, if it were a curse, the butler and the servants couldn't have heard the same thing...

Is there an extraordinary individual lurking among the servants and bodyguards, whose purpose remains unknown?

The problem is that, in the past month or so, no one has made a request to Sir Deville...

Perhaps Sir Deville has inadvertently become tainted by "dirty things" like vengeful spirits and evil spirits?

This reason cannot be ruled out...

As Klein's thoughts wandered, the carriage entered the Golden Phoenix District and stopped in front of Sir Deville's house.

Here you'll find a lush garden enclosed by iron railings, an openwork iron gate with two statues standing tall, a fountain that constantly gushes forth to bathe the marble statues, a sprawling two-story house, and a road wide enough for three carriages to travel abreast.

"The knight's house only has two floors... The newspaper says Backlund is trying to build an apartment building that's ten stories high..." Klein stepped down from the carriage and saw a police officer with three Vs on his epaulets hurrying over to greet him.

He glanced at Klein, raised his hand in a salute, and said:

Good morning, sir!

"Good morning." Klein smiled and nodded.

Ptole laughed from the side:

"This is Sheriff Gates. You can ask him for anything."

"This is Inspector Moretti, a history and psychology expert for the county police department," Toller added to Gates's introduction.

...I can't accept that...Klein felt a pang of shame.

After exchanging pleasantries, Gates pointed to the two-story house behind the fountain and said:

"Sir Deville is waiting for us."

"Okay." Klein reached out and touched the revolver at his waist.

This is his greatest asset in dealing with the enemy.

—Because he had changed into a police uniform, he could openly place the gun holster on his waist, making it easier to draw.

As they spoke, the three of them walked along the wide road, around the fountain, and arrived outside the main gate.

At this moment, a servant had already opened the door and was waiting respectfully.

Taking advantage of the opportunity before entering the house, Klein pretended to adjust his hat, pinched his brow twice, and activated "Spirit Vision".

In the bright living room, Sir Deville, with his square face, was rubbing his forehead, looking quite unwell. His dark gold hair and azure eyes were either dry or dull, making him appear as if he had aged five years.

"Good morning, Sir," Klein, Toller, and Gates greeted in unison.

Sir Deville rose and forced a smile in response:

"Good morning, officers. I hope you can help me resolve my troubles."

At this moment, Klein narrowed his eyes and frowned slightly.

Aside from his poor mental state, he found no other problems with Sir Deville.

This is very strange… He thought for a moment and said:

"Sir, in which room did you first hear groans?"

"My bedroom." Sir Deville shook his head.

"Can we go take a look?" Klein asked.

"Haven't you checked it several times already?" the middle-aged butler next to him asked, frowning.

Clearly, he did not recognize Klein as the companion of the "honest and kind" man who returned the lost money.

Klein smiled gently:

"That's my colleague, not me."

"Sir, this is an expert sent by the police department," Toller said, seizing the opportunity to introduce him.

Deville gave the young expert a deep look and said:

"Okay, Karen, take them to my bedroom."

"Sir, I hope you will come with us," Klein said earnestly.

Deville hesitated for a few seconds before saying:

"If this helps solve the problem..."

As he spoke, he picked up his cane and walked unsteadily toward the stairs, with his butler Karen and several bodyguards surrounding him, ready to support him at any moment.

Klein glanced around, then followed silently but calmly.

One step, two steps, three steps... They arrived on the second floor and entered the master bedroom.

Before he could even assess his surroundings, Klein's hair stood on end.

This is feedback from his inspiration!

(End of this chapter)