The Puppet and the Commision

In Rosago's impression, that little detective was actually quite sensible. If not for the ambassador's orders to kill him, Rosago wouldn't have bothered with such an insignificant figure.

"Blame your own bad luck for getting involved in something this big at such a low Sequence…"

Disguised as Inspector Fassing, Rosago muttered to himself as he hurriedly approached the house at 15 Minsk Street.

After a quick divination, he reached out and pressed the doorbell.

The ding-dong of the bell echoed through the silent night. Inside, Klein's entire body tensed. His hands slipped into his pockets, touching both his deck of Tarot cards and the Word of the Foul symbol.

He slowly approached the door, and with his Clown ability, he got a glimpse of what awaited him: the crimson moon looming in the sky, elegant gas lamps glowing nearby, and an officer in a black-and-white checkered uniform, bearing three V-shaped stripes, impatiently waiting at the doorstep.

With his tan and brown short beard, he was unmistakably Inspector Fassing, who had been in charge of investigating Klein's "self-defense case." Klein had a decent impression of him, as Fassing had kindly advised him before Miss Judgment's questioning, giving him a bit of mental preparation.

However, Klein didn't open the door blindly…

Each week, Mr. Tower had sent up a "Clown Mask" that allowed for complete disguise, a Diviner pathway item. That nearly confirmed foar Klein that mid-sequence Diviners had similar abilities!

Muttering to himself, Klein thought, My visitor poses a danger, and then flipped a copper penny. It landed heads-up.

No… Klein thought, though he didn't let his guard down. After all, the ambassador has a mid-Sequence Diviner who could interfere with my own divination.

If it's him, then getting a wrong answer wouldn't be surprising…

Unfortunately, I don't have the time or opportunity to confirm this in the gray fog… not even to respond to the recent prayer.

Using Spirit Vision through the wooden door, Klein scanned for abnormalities. Finding none, he opened the door and took two steps back.

…

Meanwhile, Ebner, after reporting "the ambassador is dead" to Mr. Fool, took out the Book of the Dead from his storeroom and used it to activate the pre-set Concealment ritual throughout the villa.

It was worth noting that shortly after using "Dream Traversal" to leave the embassy, Ebner had re-entered it in his bear form, stealthily returning to the abandoned prison underground. He had then dismantled the ritual altar he'd set up there and reclaimed his "Hand of Wisdom" chainmail gloves without alerting anyone.

Reviewing his previous actions to ensure he'd left no loose ends, Ebner confirmed that the villa was safely concealed. Only then did he open the "Bloodstained Jewelry Box" and remove the "Puppet's Head" he had taken from Bakerland, activating his Pure White Eye to begin the preliminary analysis.

"Name: Stringed Puppet

"Appearance: A puppet's head with black eyes.

"Function: Shares a puppet's unique vision, allowing the user to see the 'spiritual strings' within a 100-meter radius. It can manipulate spiritual strings within a 5-meter radius, controlling a target like a puppet, making them mentally sluggish, bodily stiff, and physically delayed… The process takes at least twenty seconds.

"Precautions: When not in use, cover the puppet's eyes to prevent continuous spiritual energy consumption.

"This item can still be used for two more years."

Reading the Pure White Eye's analysis, Ebner hesitated before extending his spirituality to make contact with the black-eyed puppet's head, establishing a connection with it.

Immediately, his vision filled with strange sights.

Countless black, ethereal strings emerged from his body, spreading from every part of him, stretching into the void, and extending infinitely far.

Ebner knew that these were "spiritual strings," the foundation of a Marionettist's power.

"No wonder the original story's Rosago called control over spiritual strings one of the hardest abilities to counter below high Sequence…"

"These invisible, unbreakable strings would be impossible for most Beyonders to resist. Unless an outsider interrupts the control, or the Marionettist willingly lets go, only a sufficiently powerful spirit could break free. That would require at least a demigod's level of strength…"

"Unfortunately, this 'Stringed Puppet' wasn't crafted using a Marionettist's Extraordinary characteristics, making it considerably weaker. It only allows basic control, rendering targets sluggish and stiff… True mastery to the point of making someone a complete puppet isn't possible…"

"But there's an upside to this item not being made from Extraordinary characteristics: no intense mental pollution, so it can be safely carried long-term."

With this, Ebner withdrew his spirituality, covered the puppet's head with a handkerchief, and his vision returned to normal.

He placed the puppet head back into the jewelry box and lifted the ritual, letting the villa return to its usual state. He was about to head downstairs to ask Mrs. Scard for a midnight snack when Mr. Scard came to his room first, knocking on the door.

"Is something wrong?" Ebner asked, opening the door.

"Detective Brain… Miss Fanny has come to visit." Mr. Scard gave Ebner a complex look before gathering himself and saying with great composure.

Hey, hey, don't think I didn't see that… But what could Fanny want at this hour? She's not here to share a midnight snack, is she…?

Ebner glanced at the clock and saw it was well past ten, puzzling over her visit.

Curious yet calm, he went downstairs to greet the always-enthusiastic Intis lady.

Once seated, Fanny anxiously said, "Ebner, I have a matter I'd like to ask you to take on as a case."

"What is it? Don't worry, speak slowly," Ebner replied cautiously, sipping the tea Mrs. Scard had brought him.

"I want you to find the true culprit who assassinated Intis Ambassador to Loen, Bakerland Jean Madan, and clear my grandfather's name," Fanny said, gripping the edge of her skirt tightly, her expression both tense and serious. She emphasized earnestly, "Please! Out of everyone I can think of, you're the only one I can rely on for help…"

It took all of Ebner's willpower to keep himself from spitting out his tea at the request.

He steadied himself, then asked in a surprised tone, "The Intis ambassador was assassinated? When did this happen?"

"This evening…" Fanny went on to outline the events of the incident.

By now, Ebner was quite sure that this young lady was here for genuine help, not to test him. Given her character, she wouldn't be fit for that kind of covert work anyway. Pretending to ponder, he carefully asked, "Are there any suspects? Who is your grandfather, and how is he involved?"

"Yes… My grandfather is the embassy's chief military officer, and some of the embassy staff believe that A from the Aurora Order is the prime suspect!

"My grandfather originally wanted to thoroughly examine the ritual's records to confirm this…

"But a Sauron family officer accused him of involvement in the assassination… He refused to let him near the records and reported it to the Intis authorities.

"Because of the Sauron family's influence, the other officers didn't oppose him… So my grandfather is currently under temporary detainment…"

…

Inside the townhouse at 15 Minsk Street,

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

As the five gunshots echoed, Klein lowered his revolver, panting with a triumphant grin.

In front of him, Rosago's headless corpse swayed for a moment before collapsing beside the sofa, blood, brain matter, and shadows spilling across the floor...

(End of Chapter)