Chapter 30: His Intentions

It took him a few long minutes to get up from the floor, suddenly finding it quite comfortable. Taking a seat in his chair, his hand had already moved, and he began to tap the edge of his desk a little.

After a while, Klein made a simple divination and wrote the formulas for Magician, Faceless, and Marionettist on paper.

That done, he stared at the potion formulas with a blank expression. All his worries about obtaining the formulas had been resolved, but now new and far more troubling concerns occurred.

'The Scarlet Monarch is aware of my status as a Transmigrator...' The detective thought as he patted his back.

While that information terrified him and made him extremely nervous, the latest information revealed by the God took everything out of him.

'At this moment, there is someone like you walking the world...' Repeating 'His' words, Klein pursed his lips.

The God's words gave birth to two possibilities: familiar and unfamiliar. Honestly, Klein didn't know which one to choose as the right one because they were both too good!

'Not only did 'He' use 'is' but also added 'at this moment'. No one has seen Roselle in over 100 years, but he is likely still alive. If the Monarch is referring to him, it would simply confirm that he is still alive...'

Knowing that Emperor Roselle was alive, a fellow countryman, warmed and tightened the Detective's heart. If this possibility was correct, as usual, it raised more doubts.

What had happened to him? Why didn't he reappear if he was supposed to be alive? What is his condition? Did he manage to find the way back to Earth?

Knowing that he would only cause himself a giant headache if he thought about it more and adding that he still lacked many contexts, the clown decided to leave the state of the Great Emperor of Intis to his future self.

Now, only the second possibility remained.

'A transmigrator is moving at the same time as me... I am not alone...' Klein frowned slightly.

While he had considered this fact some time ago, he had not expected confirmation to come in such a form.

'Is he also a friend from home? So far, the only other transmigrator I know is from China; counting me, there are two. I have no idea where the transmigrator before Roselle came from. Maybe I'll get some clue in the Emperor's diary, but for now, it's safest to assume they're from another country.

'With that in mind, the chances of this transmigrator being from China is quite high... 75/25. But that doesn't mean I have to believe they're from China... Yes, even if they're not from there, we come from the same planet, so we'd still be fellow countrymen!'

Klein couldn't help but smile a little, a warm feeling in his chest as he thought about it, a question formed in his mind.

Were they a normal person or a Beyonder?

Biting his lip, his finger once again tapped the table.

If they were a normal person, he would have to protect them.

'I acquired Beyonder powers due to the specialness and strangeness of my "death" that was investigated by the Nighthawks. Is it possible that this new friend from home is similar?

'If they still are a normal person, then how do I find them? I don't have the strength or resources to go around the world asking anyone who crosses me if they know what Bluetooth is!'

Gritting his teeth, Klein could only grunt in frustration.

'So close but so far...'

'...Wait!'

Rising abruptly from his chair, knocking it over, Klein looked straight ahead with an enlightened gaze.

''Why do I assume that person is normal?!''

All the people who transmigrated, in one way or another, have gone far and left their mark on the world!

Emperor Roselle, with his scientific breakthroughs, brought about the Industrial Revolution.

The mysterious transmigrator who made a Tower somewhere in the world that even the Emperor himself finds frustrating.

Even he, Klein Moretti, is making his own mark on the world. Acting as an Old God and stopping the descent of an Evil God.

No transmigrated person was normal!

'That means that it is very likely that this one is also making their mark on the world! If they are like me or the Emperor, they will likely do something to prove their status as Travellers!'

All he had to do now was to look for that, the mark they were leaving!

It could be in the form of a modern idea brought here, as in Roselle's case, or something more discreet, like what he was doing with his name, Sherlock Moriarty-

Klein's smile froze, and his expression tensed. A fleeting thought crossed his mind, raising his eyebrows second by second.

He had already met someone like this...

Feeling his legs losing strength, Klein leaned back against his desk.

"Nononono! It's impossible..." the man muttered in denial.

The name formed in his mind again, and the detective found himself grabbing his hair, stretching it with such force that he was sure some were pulled out, but even that didn't stop his mind.

The more he thought about it, the more it made sense, which made the clown even more understandable.

'Not only was his name already ridiculous, but his appearance was identical to the actor's. There's no way it's just a coincidence!!!'

Thud!

His head lay against the table, already surrendering to the grim truth he could no longer ignore.

'No matter how I look at it, Adryan Kenway is the transmigrator!'

'That's why the Scarlet Monarch was smiling...' Lamenting, Klein raised his chair dejectedly and slumped into it like a sack of potatoes.

Like God, like Blessed.

Tap! Tap!

Patting his cheeks, Klein frowned and let out a shaky sigh.

'This is good. This is good. Mr. Chariot is already strong. Maybe if I ask him, he'll be willing to take care of me?

'We're both from the same world. We're practically brothers!'

'But why didn't he contact me when he read my name? Sherlock Moriarty must have caught his eye. Even if he's not someone who reads books, at least the name should have been enough to get his attention and get him to investigate!'

Finding a problem, the detective frowned.

'Or maybe he was expecting me to make contact first? Are you aware that the Detective who visited you today is also a transmigrator?'

It would be too ridiculous for someone like Mr. Chariot not to have noticed the 'signal,' so it's very likely he has other reasons for not making contact.

'Or maybe it's not safe to talk about our home? He just gave the crumbs to signal that he was from the same place but didn't say anything to avoid attracting the attraction of something, or maybe alerting someone?

'I don't know how a Demigod thinks, but this is enough to make me tread carefully... I have no idea if the Scarlet Monarch told him that, but considering 'He' isn't afraid to withhold information from 'His' Blessed One...'

He would have to slowly approach the man and give clues to his condition. Perhaps then he might know a little more and be able to ask for his help.

'After all. Finding a way home will be much quicker if we work together.'

Maybe the Scarlet Monarch would help them with that or perhaps even make trouble. But Klein couldn't do anything about that now, so he could only shut his mouth and eat his cake.

'I can't contact him in the physical world; that might draw the attention of whoever Chariot wants to avoid. It has to be somewhere else, like the space where the Scarlet Monarch dwells or the Space above the Gray Fog.

'If I want to talk to him, then I can simply ask the Scarlet Monarch to arrange a meeting... But I prefer it to be somewhere where I control the media...'

The ability to create a Smurf account had just taken top priority!

'I already have a good knowledge of mirror divination. Maybe it'll work now; I felt like I came close last time... But if it fails, I'll have no choice but to try it when I advance to Sequence 7...'

Trying to cheer himself up more, he tried to look on the bright side.

'The Clown potion has been digested. Now I have to find the ingredients for Magician to test my theory...' Clutching the paper with the formulas, the clown couldn't help but purse his lips a little.

He preferred the name Shapeshifter to Faceless.

...

On the outskirts of a city covered with yellowish smoke.

The figure in the papal red robe looked at the place where Klein Moretti had been. The Scarlet Monarch, no longer able to stand it, began to tremble visibly and burst out laughing.

"Hahahahaha!!!"

Falling backward onto the yellowish ground, the papal robe and armor covering his body faded to a simple white shirt and black trousers.

"Hahahahahaha!!!" Adryan Kenway laughed, unable to stop himself. Clear streams trickled down his cheeks.

Huff huff huff huff

Finally calming down, the red-haired man sighed contentedly as he looked up at the yellow sky from where he lay.

"Ahhh, Oh, dear Klein! You have my respect; I don't know how you can do this every Monday and not explode with laughter." Smiling sideways, he calmly picked himself up off the ground, still shaking a little from the recent events.

His performance had been a knockout; Klein swallowed him whole and now thought that the Scarlet Monarch existed!

'I'm sure that last 'clue' is driving him crazy. I wish I could see his reaction when he connected me to it. I bet it was wonderful~'

It was too obvious, it would be impossible for Klein not to make 1+1 with his Harvey Wayne identity and his last words before taking him out of the City of Calamities.

'Ha...' The smile on his face slowly faded until his lips were pressed together—a deep look on his face.

"So... The Captain didn't make it, eh?" Mumbling, Adryan sighed a little.

It seemed his attempt to save him had failed...

'It was obvious. He was a fundamental 'character' in the Useless Writer's story; there was no way he would let him live standing between his target and him...'

The redhead couldn't help but wonder if someone else had died. Or if someone who wasn't supposed to die died.

He could not know unless he asked the only witness he knew. But how do you approach him with that?

Looking around at the smoke that covered everything, he just nodded softly. He sat down, a simple white beach chair materializing beneath him.

If Klein was here, that meant the Useless Writer was here too.

If the Useless Writer was in Lenburg, that also meant that something would happen here. 

Considering the scale of the Great Smog of Backlund in the original story, which the writer helped happen, then Azshara was in danger.

Even the entirety of Lenburg!

Now, it only remains to be seen if Hunter Hallow can hide him from the sight of that feather. If a Snake of Mercury of Sequence 1 could not see his destiny, Adryan hoped that meant the same for the Author.

And he couldn't forget the most important thing, if the Useless Writer was here....

The Three Flavoured Soup was here too.

'I have no reason to believe that Rotten Soup isn't sealed in those ruins, but it would be complete suicide to think it still is. I have to take it as a given that it's here.' His scarlet eyes cooled and gained an edge.

'I have to be careful. I made one mistake, and I'll be the pot of that soup...'

Leaning back a little, he just sighed.

In the recent event, two of his theories had been confirmed.

'While Klein has Sephira Castle, he does not own it. He only has permission to enter, that's why when he was trapped in the Puppet House, he couldn't access the Castle. So there is no problem in bringing him here.

'Of course, my case is different. My connection to the City of Calamities is much stronger than his connection to Sephira Castle.'

This was obvious, even though Backlund was in a similar state to the Puppet House, both sealed off from the outside world. He had no problem entering and taking things out of the City of Calamities.

Shaking his head, the red-haired man snapped his fingers. The smoke that covered the outskirts disappeared like a mirage showing the City in the distance.

But, unlike the previous times, he was not alone.

'If I'd shown him this, Klein would have thought he'd walked into an office.' Adryan grumbled in boredom as he watched the fire soldiers move back and forth, responding to the orange flames.

Now, surrounding the corner where he stored his money, ingredients, and Beyonder characteristics were several small orange flames, some pulsing a little.

These were separated into groups, some huge and some much smaller. The difference in size was equal to that of a tower to a person.

There were easily hundreds or even thousands of them. Adryan wasn't counting as each time he entered, there were even more.

'And this little guy here just keeps getting bigger.' Smiling in satisfaction, the red-haired man looked at the larger group surrounded by a few smaller ones.

That group as a whole was Backlund.

A flame would pulse every few seconds, and a fire soldier would approach it.

The largest in that group corresponded to all the prayers from East Borough. The rest were some from Cherwood Borough and a very few from Empress Borough.

At that moment, one of the soldiers came towards him, carrying a notebook and pencil, and handed them over with a bow.

Taking it with a simple nod and manifesting simple reading glasses, Adryan reviewed the sentences he had.

<Please, Scarlet Monarch, give me the strength to work another day...< p>

<Scarlet Monarch, I have been feeling very ill lately. ask you to please heal me so that can continue work and take care of my daughter; am all she has....< p>

<I ask for the wisdom to make right decision tomorrow...< p>

After quickly reading the 10+ pages of prayers, the redhead closed the book and handed it to the fire soldier.

'Simple things.'

Summoning some of the city's power, Adryan extended some of his spirituality to the flames corresponding to these prayers.

The smoke around him boiled a little before it mingled with his spirituality, surrounded and entered the flames.

Ignoring the headache caused by pouring a good amount of spirituality all at once, he only sank deeper into the beach chair with another night's work accomplished.

The things asked for were things he could give. Strength and wisdom went into his powers, so he just had to 'extend' those to these people.

The healing was more complicated but just as simple to solve. He just had to strengthen the speaker's body; if the evil wasn't too severe, it would deal with it independently. If it was too powerful for it, he would just use Tauk Millenium to purify it.

'Everything is working fine. The 'Voicemail' is a total success.'

This way, he wouldn't confuse his teammates with other people.

This whole system was how he dealt with prayers from various parts of the world. While most came from East Borough thanks to his actions there, there were still the odd council who were curious and tried their luck.

There were the fire soldiers, whom the red-headed man very kindly used to separate and ignore the prayers.

'This is pretty good. In time, the people of East Borough will convert to my religion, and I'll have a good anchor base...

'I wonder how the Annoying Pigeon, Miss Evernight, and the Unimportant One are getting on? The last one won't care much, but the other two lost a decent number of believers.'

He had yet to work on a suitable nickname for the God of Steam and Machinery, but for now, Unimportant would do.

Sighing, Adryan turned and looked behind him, where five flames floated quietly.

With a thought, another flame joined them, making them six.

Those were Flora's, Charlotte's, Serena's, Hazel's, Klein's, and his own.

Looking at the Tarot Club leader's flame, a warm smile formed on his lips.

"At least this time, your sacrifice was not in vain, Klein," Adryan said gently, his gaze softening.

Ever since he had read the original story on his world, one of the things that had hurt him the most was that Klein was alone. 

Even though he was surrounded by friends and loved ones, that fact remained—a fact that only grew larger every time he reread it.

Klein Moretti was a lonely existence that could never really open up to anyone. An existence that conveyed that loneliness through hundreds of pages that squeezed his heart and made him cry for it.

Now that he was here, Adryan planned to change that. He would not allow Klein to be alone anymore.

That is why he decided to reveal his status to the Detective and have him pray to him, to give him something in return for his efforts, and to form a relationship that would ensure his future well-being.

Also, for his and Klein's safety.

With the things he knew had changed, and the millions that were still hidden. It was best for the transmigrators to be together.

Honestly, he already considered the clown a good friend, one who was exceedingly easy to annoy, of course.

'Now all that's left is for him to see me the same way... Which might be a bit tricky. Haha.'

Knowing Klein, he would not contact him until The World was online and could use that mask to talk in the Sefira Castle.

'He didn't even realize it, but he acted like Gherman for a second there. Truly a Fool~' Remembering their first meeting and how he could see the shadow of the crazy hunter, he couldn't but fangirl a bit.

"I can't wait to meet that persona. I wonder how long it would take me to break that mask, Fufu~" Adryan said mischievously.

The Crazy Hunter barely lost his cool; being on that really short list would be an honor.

Laughing softly at the end, he shook his head and feigned the sensation of falling.

He would have a busy few days; after all, not only did he have to start expanding...

He also had to plan to kill someone.

And for that, he needed the help of a particular Spectator.

Just before he fell, a sudden thought crossed his mind.

'If Evernight was his 'Sugar Mommy' in the original story... I might as well be considered the 'Sugar Daddy'?

In his mind, it made sense; he fulfilled all the requirements to be one.

"..." A flat expression was born on his face.

His expression began to crack every time he thought about it again, and he became agonized for holding it so tightly.

Not being able to bear it, he let go.

"HAHAHAHAHA!!!"