Sudden Attack

"The great pirate Qilangos was killed by the Duke's bodyguard in Backlund!"

"Standing alone with a hundred-pound chandelier, the great detective, Bryan, is once again a hero."

"A detective and a pirate, the fine disguises are no match for a detective's keen eyes."

…

On Thursday morning, Fors and Xio walked along the streets in their veiled hats, preparing to head to the nearest branch of the Varvat Bank.

Fors's new royalties for Stormwind Mountain Villa, as well as the bonuses and reimbursements for Xio's previous operation, had finally been disbursed.

He heard the paperboy's clear voice.

Ah? What? Qilangos is dead? He even fought against Ebner? A chandelier weighing hundreds of pounds… Ebner doesn't seem capable of that.

Xio and Fors looked at each other in confusion.

Only when the paperboy approached them from afar and repeated a few times did they suddenly realize what was happening.

The two of them had moved house because they were afraid that Qilangos would find them. Now, they were surprised to hear the news of his death.

"Do you have any inside information?" Fors asked Xio.

Xio shook her head and said, "I haven't been to find Ebner in the past few days… nor have I received any missions from MI9…"

At the same time, she came to a realization. It was no wonder the officials created such a huge commotion last night. It was because of Qilangos.

Seeing that her friend had no clue, Fors walked to the paperboy and bought a copy of the Tussock Times.

This was one of the three most distributed newspapers in the Loen Kingdom.

"Hmm… Qilangos is indeed dead. He was killed by Duke Negan's bodyguards… He disguised himself as Baron Gramir before the assassination, but Ebner saw through his disguise, so the duke was prepared." Xio scanned the papers and summarized the contents.

Fors held the second page of the newspaper and tsked. She smiled at her friend and said,

This entire page depicts how Ebner caught the chandelier, how he lit up the lights again, and how he inspired the masses. This prevented a huge mess from happening at the ball…

"After this incident, his reputation has grown! No, let's go to Kingster Street now. We have to get him to treat us."

"If we go over now, are you trying to provide material to the tabloids to increase the amount of gossip about Ebner?" Xio lampooned before continuing, "Instead of getting Ebner to treat you, why don't you look forward to how much Miss Audrey will pay us… To her, a few hundred pounds isn't a lot, but we haven't actually completed our mission…"

Be it Miss Justice or Mr. Hanged Man's request, I wasn't able to participate…

"If I don't go now, am I to climb up the wall and climb through the bedroom window like you did in the middle of the night?" Fors muttered softly before consoling herself.

"At the very least, Qilangos appeared on his own accord so quickly. He was in such a hurry to take action and fall into an ambush because of you and me… Besides, the person who saw through him is our friend! With Miss Audrey's generosity, she would've paid at least half of the reward even if she hadn't paid him."

I hope so… Xio snapped back to her senses and took a deep breath. She sighed inwardly. So this is the Tarot Club! To let a powerful pirate admiral die for no reason… How terrifying!

I wonder if I'll be able to issue a request through the police station after Ebner tells me the truth, or if I can solve the problem with Mr. Fool bearing witness…

On the other hand, Fors reminded the bouncers who might receive a reward worth tens of thousands of pounds, "Xio, let's not look for Miss Audrey for the time being. Wait for her to contact us. There are too many details about Qilangos's death that we don't know about. If we rashly look for Miss Audrey, we might end up in danger."

Of course, if there's really something urgent, I can inform him through Mr. Fool… But that would expose my identity.

With this in mind, Xio nodded in agreement with Fors. She originally wanted to say something, but at this moment, she suddenly saw a figure appear in the glass of the stores by the side of the road. It was a figure wearing a complicated black regal dress and a small bonnet.

The figure disappeared in a flash, but as an Interrogator, Xio was able to memorize the person's appearance once she saw him. She could even sense him at a supernatural level.

Therefore, she instantly recognized that it was Miss Sharron who had protected her last night until Jane informed her that the operation had been canceled.

Miss Sharron deliberately exposed herself to me… Is there something?

Xio's heart stirred. After some thought, she said to Fors, "I saw the signal left behind by MI9… Head back first. I'll go see that golden mask."

Ever since Xio became a spy in MI9, similar situations had happened many times. Fors didn't think too much about it as she exhorted her before taking out the royalties and walking towards her rented apartment.

But halfway there, Fors realized that something was amiss. This was because Xio's MI9 superior seldom chose to meet in the morning even if he had left a secret signal. It usually happened after dark… Unless it was very urgent!

But Xio didn't look nervous when she spoke. Instead, she looked like she was pretending to be calm…

Could it be that… she's hiding something dangerous from me again?

With this in mind, Fors hurriedly returned to the spot where they had parted, but she didn't see Xio.

She searched the surroundings for a while, but she still found nothing.

Xio might not really be doing anything dangerous. Perhaps it's just my imagination… Hmm, maybe I should ask Ebner…

Fors took a deep breath and forced herself to calm down. Following that, she got her bearings and walked towards Gunsted Street.

Just like the rainy night last week.

…

Elsewhere, Xio followed the figures that kept flashing through the glass on both sides of the street. They arrived at a restaurant that looked simple but was actually very stylish.

As there weren't many people in the restaurant at this time, she immediately saw Jane sitting in the middle.

And at that moment, sitting beside Jane was a woman in a black robe with a "glasses." However, Xio couldn't see her face because of the hood of the robe.

Although the operation yesterday had been canceled, the main members of the team had met each other once. Xio didn't know who the lady was, but she was certain that she was a powerful helper that Jane had hired.

Xio sat opposite Jane and greeted her simply before asking, "Have there been new changes?"

"Yes, an important figure has decided to provide us with some help. This has allowed us to confirm the baron's location, and we plan on launching a surprise attack immediately… However, we still need you to lure him to a specific location." Jane didn't make any small talk. She directly told Xio and Sharron, who was listening in the mirror, about her modified plan.

"Immediately launch a surprise attack? In the day?" Xio jumped in fright when she heard that, but she quickly reacted and calmly asked, "That important figure provided a concealed space for the battlefield? That's why he needed me to lure him over?"

"That's right." Jane looked approvingly at Xio, thinking that it was no wonder that Ebner valued her. This Miss Xio was indeed very intelligent.

Xio thought for a moment and felt that she wasn't in much danger. After all, Miss Sharron could take her away at any time…

But she still looked at Jane and said seriously, "I need to redo the 'Notary' contract."

"No problem. It's only right." Jane happily took out a goatskin parchment that emitted the luster of the Sun domain.

…

After signing the agreement, they didn't delay any further and took a carriage to a library near North Borough.

On the way, Xio secretly wrote down Mr. Fool's honorific name in ancient Hermes.

This is the best "insurance" she can think of… Since the baron has been pursuing Mr. Fool's aura, the mysterious existence that's like a deity might be interested.

…

In Tingen City, Klein, who had just finished reading the Tingen Morning Post and learned of Qilangos's death, lampooned himself.

As the boss behind the scenes, I actually only learned of the outcome from the newspapers…