6300 words
"That's the gist of it." Astrid finished debriefing and licked her finger as she finished one of the chicken-and-mushroom pies while sitting on the couch across from him.
Kiyotaka, meanwhile, sipped on his black tea and nodded solemnly.
"Finish the food. We have to leave before the clock strikes twelve." He instructed as he savoured the sweetness. His portion of food was untouched, except the apple tart.
"You really have no sense of occasion." Astrid sighed, reaching for Kiyotaka's pie and bit into it. "I went through the trouble of making myself comfortable in your clothes, and now you're asking me to get out of them."
"Preferably into something warmer," Kiyotaka replied, not giving in to her. "It's getting quite cold outside."
Astrid rolled her eyes. Kiyotaka picked his long-coat and wore it before going down and retrieving Guilt from the safe-box downstairs, in his office. Once he did that, he picked up a few Sun-domain charms which he had made with Scourge before giving it over to Hyde.
"Uuugghhh." Astrid let out a long, exaggerated groan, throwing her head back against the couch. "What a miserable way to end the year."
Nevertheless, she took another generous bite of the pie, chewing loudly. After finishing the last morsel, she licked the crumbs from her fingers and reluctantly rose to her feet before wiping her hands off of the sweater she was wearing.
By this time, Kiyotaka had returned as he closed the door of his room.
Astrid, without the slightest hesitation, grabbed the hem of the oversized sweater and pulled it over her head while raising both arms, before tossing it carelessly on the bed.
"Fucking duty calls! Maybe I should go back to Feysac!" She grunted. "I was really hoping to spend the evening doing something thoroughly irresponsible, you know, like—"
"In a casket, maybe." Before she could say anything, Kiyotaka took a sip of his now-cold tea. "Getting dressed would be a good start."
Astrid clicked her tongue and slipped out of his pants as well before dressing up into clothes her size.
*****
By the time Kiyotaka and Astrid reached the Backlund Bridge district, the streets had grown noticeably quieter.
Shops that normally stayed open until late at night had lowered their shutters, while the few pedestrians they encountered were hurrying in the opposite direction, towards the Tussock River.
Somewhere beyond the rooftops, a band was playing, although the wind carried little more than the occasional note of a trumpet.
The two had abandoned their hired carriage several streets earlier and were continuing on foot.
Both of them were wearing heavy but cheap winter coats, with scarves wrapped around the lower halves of their faces.
Kiyotaka had also added quite a bit of wrinkles to his face with some makeup, while Astrid had concealed her distinctive red hair by tying them in a bun and wearing a dark bonnet over it.
"Seems rather deserted," Kiyotaka remarked, glancing at the closed shops.
"Most people are gathering around Backlund Bridge," Astrid answered. "George has arranged a fireworks display to welcome the New Year." She looked at the sky and a nostalgic look appeared in them.
"Back in Feysac, we used to joke that Loenese officers spend more time polishing their boots than aiming their guns. I suppose Georgie has finally found them a target big enough to compensate for that bad aim. The sky, I mean."
"Quite thoughtful." Kiyotaka replied dryly.
"Isn't it? They're even distributing bread and hot soup near the bridge. The newspapers will probably call it an unprecedented display of royal compassion tomorrow." Astrid scoffed before turning into a narrower street. "Personally, I think a few thousand pounds in compensation would have been more appreciated."
Kiyotaka did not offer her a reply.
After all, he could hardly imagine the royal family being unaware of the circumstances surrounding the Great Smog, particularly given the interests King George III had been pursuing.
Whether the festivities were an attempt to improve public morale or merely a convenient distraction, however, was of little importance to him tonight.
'At least they've made our work easier.' Kiyotaka remarked internally.
They soon arrived at a street branching off Iron Gate Street where Astrid slowed her pace and motioned towards the buildings ahead.
"There. The third one from the corner."
Kiyotaka narrowed his eyes as he followed her gaze.
The third building was a narrow structure with a pawnshop occupying its ground floor. Its faded signboard was hanging crookedly over the entrance, while the upper windows were almost completely dark.
His eyes widened for a fraction of an inch as he recognised it immediately.
It was the very building where the original Williams had rented a room. The place where Kiyotaka had first opened his eyes after transmigrating into this world.
For a moment, he recalled the cramped room with its thin mattress, the little shelf containing a hand mirror and a pair of keys, and the lingering smell of Half-and-Half.
He could even remember the crimson moonlight falling through the window as he struggled to make sense of the unfamiliar memories flooding his head.
He hadn't expected to see the place again, much less under these circumstances. And at the same time, a strange sense of paranoia washed over him while various thoughts suddenly exploded in his mind.
"Which room?" he asked, taking control of his mind.
"Above the pawnshop. The one with the window facing the street." Astrid pointed towards the upper floor. "Why?"
Kiyotaka's expression remained unchanged, although his eyes narrowed a little further. The room Astrid had indicated was precisely the one in which he had awakened.
"What is it?" Astrid asked, noticing his prolonged silence.
"I used to live here."
She turned towards him in surprise. "You? Here?"
Kiyotaka shrugged, "I was not born with money. Let's go.."
Astrid looked between him and the building before letting out a quiet chuckle. "Well, isn't that quite the coincidence?"
Kiyotaka almost shivered at the word. 'Coincidence... The modus-operandi is quite different and revealing. It is a possibility that this might be the work of 0-08, but the signs are absent. I shouldn't totally disregard the possibility.'
There was also the fact that the masked gunman who had attacked him in public had loudly announced that 'Duke' had sent his regards. That was not how 0-08 used to work, or well, at least how the wielder of 0-08 operated.
Was he trying to contact Kiyotaka now? But there could have been better methods to do that than blow a hole in his head.
There was also the possibility that perhaps the man had simply rented an inexpensive room without knowing anything about its previous occupant. After all, the place was hardly expensive, and Backlund was full of people who could barely afford a roof over their heads.
Nevertheless, the possibility that someone had deliberately chosen this location was considerably more troubling.
And if the possibility that someone who had been deeply investigating Williams was true, there was a chance the room had been selected specifically to draw him here.
"Coincidence or not, we'll find out soon enough," Kiyotaka replied, withdrawing his gaze from the window. "What happened after he entered?"
Astrid stared at Kiyotaka for a moment before turning her attention back to the building. She knew when to press someone for answers and when to leave them alone, and although she found his sudden familiarity with the place rather intriguing, she decided to satisfy her curiosity another time.
"He went straight upstairs, as far as I could tell. I watched from across the street until a light appeared in that window. Nobody came looking for him, and he didn't make another appearance."
"How long did you wait?"
"About twenty minutes. I would've stayed longer, but I figured you'd appreciate knowing where our mysterious friend had gone. Besides, I made a few preparations before leaving."
Kiyotaka raised a brow as Astrid shook her hands.
"Nothing that would hurt anyone, unfortunately." She smirked. "A few threads and some sealing wax. I placed them on the door and window. If either was opened after I left, I should be able to tell."
Kiyotaka nodded thoughtfully. 'A simple method, but quite effective against ordinary people. Although, if he's a Beyonder, there are numerous ways to circumvent such precautions.'
"Did you notice anything unusual about his behaviour?"
"Other than trying to murder someone and then returning to his rented room and calling it a day?" Astrid shrugged. "Not particularly."
"I see."
Astrid frowned. "Something wrong?"
"Several things."
Astrid raised an eyebrow, evidently waiting for an explanation. Kiyotaka, however, had already begun walking towards the pawnshop, forcing her to follow.
"Where are we going?" she asked.
"Inside."
"Huh? Through the front? That's unlike you."
"There's a staircase beside the pawnshop. It leads directly to the rooms upstairs."
"I know that much. I was asking whether you'd prefer something less obvious."
Kiyotaka glanced towards the narrow passage separating the pawnshop from the neighbouring building.
He remembered that it led to a small courtyard, although the entrance had been obstructed by rubbish when he last lived there.
"There's another way through the courtyard," he replied. "It should connect to the staircase near the back of the building, assuming the owner hasn't made any changes."
"You really do know the place."
"I lived here."
"Yes, yes. You've mentioned that already." She waved her hand dismissively. "Lead the way, then, Mr. Pawnshop dweller."
They entered the passage, where the snow had turned into a mixture of muddy water and coal dust. Several wooden crates were stacked against one of the walls, while a foul smell emanated from the rubbish bins near the courtyard.
Kiyotaka walked ahead, carefully avoiding a shallow puddle concealed beneath the snow.
'There used to be a broken water pipe somewhere around here.'
He looked towards the adjoining wall and noticed a dark stain stretching from the second-floor window down to the ground.
After reaching the courtyard, he found that very little had changed.
The same rusty water pump was still standing near the wall, although the wooden shed beside it had a new roof. The rear entrance was also where he remembered it, partially concealed beneath a short flight of exterior steps.
Astrid suddenly took a few quick strides and approached the door first.
"Wait." She crouched and examined a thin piece of thread stretched across the lower part of the frame. "Still intact," she whispered.
"Yours?"
"Mhm." She carefully detached the thread before slipping a slender piece of metal into the lock. After a few moments, a faint click sounded, and the door opened. "Ladies first." Astrid smiled at him and Kiyotaka entered without hesitation.
The familiar smell of damp wood and cooking grease greeted him almost immediately.
A narrow passage led towards the staircase, illuminated by a gas lamp whose glass cover had become cloudy with soot.
He remembered descending these stairs on the morning following his transmigration, puking in the process.
A torrent of memories flooded his mind at the same time. At that time, he was confused and sick, malnourished, and weak enough that if he had transmigrated in winters, he'd probably be dead by now.
Now, just a few months later, he had become a Sequence 6 Beyonder, established a business, and had involved himself in politics. 'Time flies....'
"What's so interesting?" Astrid whispered.
"Nothing."
Astrid glanced at the peeling wallpaper and the damp stains covering the ceiling. "If you are feeling nostalgic by coming to this place, you have terrible taste."
Kiyotaka ignored her and began ascending the stairs.
As they approached the first floor, he deliberately stepped over the fourth wooden step. It had been loose when he lived here, and he doubted that the landlord had invested any money in repairing it.
Astrid, who had been following closely behind, noticed his movement and copied him. A few moments later, she glanced down at the step. "Does it make noise?"
"Quite a bit."
Nodding, Astrid followed him upstairs as they passed two closed doors.
Muffled voices could be heard from one of the rooms, accompanied by occasional laughter.
The other was silent, although a pair of worn boots had been placed outside.
However, he did not pay any of this any mind as his thoughts were occupied by the possibility that the assassin's presence here had been deliberately arranged.
As they were thinking, the two of them soon reached the upper landing. Once they did, the saw three doors standing along the corridor, with the last one situated near the window overlooking the street.
Astrid approached the door and examined the upper corner of its frame. A tiny piece of folded paper had been wedged between the door and the wood, almost completely hidden from view.
After inspecting it, she turned towards Kiyotaka. "Still there."
"And the window?"
"I checked it from the neighbouring roof before we entered. Nothing has been disturbed."
"Maybe he noticed your traps."
"Or someone carried him through a wall." Astrid shrugged. "At this point, I wouldn't rule anything out."
Kiyotaka looked at her and then at the door. The brass number attached near its upper edge was crooked and rusted, just as he remembered. There was also a shallow indentation near the handle, which he recalled having noticed on his first day in this world.
For some reason, seeing those familiar imperfections made the situation considerably more unpleasant. He slowly raised his right hand and placed it on the handle.
Astrid stepped away from the door. "Are we going in?"
"Not yet." Kiyotaka lowered his gaze towards the narrow gap beneath the door.
There was no light coming from inside. Placing his ear on the door, he listened carefully for several seconds, but heard nothing resembling movement, conversation, or even a person sleeping.
He turned towards Astrid. He knew that a real Hunter's senses were keen enough to parse a person's weight just by hearing to their footfalls. Hence a Sequence 6 of that same pathway should be able to tell if someone was sleeping.
"Can you hear anything?"
Astrid closed her eyes for a few seconds but then shrugged. "Nope."
Kiyotaka was becoming increasingly convinced that something was wrong.
"Open the door." He motioned with his head and stood a few paces away from it.
Astrid rolled her eyes and sighed. Her hand touched the handle gently and she closed her eyes, taking in a deep breath at the same time. Then, as if mustering all of her strength, she moved the handle and barged inside.
Much to her surprise, the door offered no resistance and she suddenly stumbled inside. Using her excellent coordination, she steadied herself as Kiyotaka peeked inside.
Suddenly, the smell of rotten onion mixed with the smell of gutter hit their noses. Then the stench of a combination of spoiled meat, blood, and the sickeningly sweet fragrance of flowers that had been left to decay in stagnant water hit them, causing bile to rise to the back of Astrid's throat.
Astrid instinctively covered her nose. "What the fuck..."
The room itself was almost exactly as Kiyotaka remembered it.
The narrow mattress was pushed against the wall with a little wooden table occupying the space underneath the window, and an old wardrobe leaned slightly towards one side.
There were a few unfamiliar belongings scattered about, including a travelling bag and an empty bottle of liquor.
And right in the middle of the room, sitting on a wooden chair, was the masked gunman. Or well... what remained of him.
His head was hanging backwards at an unnatural angle, his neck supported by the top of the chair.
His mouth was stretched so wide that the corners had split all the way towards his ears, exposing two rows of teeth that had seemingly been forced apart by force.
A swollen, purplish lump was protruding from between them, its surface covered in tiny wrinkles that made it resemble an infant's tongue.
His left eye had burst inside its socket, leaving behind a thick, dark substance that had trickled down his cheek and hardened beside his jaw.
The right eye was open, although the eyeball had turned completely white and was bulging with so much pus that it seemed like even a breeze would cause it to burst outwards.
The man's jacket was torn open, as if a beast had been let loose on him, revealing a chest that had swollen to nearly twice its original size.
His ribs were bent outwards and its sharp outlines were visible through the discoloured flesh. In several places, the bones had pierced through, leaving small, jagged protrusions surrounded by blackened blood.
The skin around them was covered with thick veins that looked like tapeworms crawling beneath a semi-translucent membrane. And growing from that hideously swollen torso were six human faces.
Kiyotaka's eyes narrowed.
Two of the faces were situated beneath the man's collarbones and their cheeks had merged into the surrounding flesh. Another one had formed directly over his sternum, while a fourth one was protruding from his abdomen, its lower jaw disappearing into the folds of his trousers.
The remaining two were growing from either side of his neck, pressing against the remnants of his torn collar.
Each one of these heads had its own eyes, nose, and mouth.
One had these faces had no eyelids, leaving its bloodshot eyes permanently exposed. Another one had a snake-like nose, with only slits visible. The face on his abdomen had a set of disturbingly large teeth, several of which had grown through its lips and embedded themselves in the surrounding skin.
And all of these faces had different, very human-like expressions on their faces that seemed to have been frozen in agony.
One looked like it was laughing, the other weeping, with a viscous yellow liquid running from its eyes. Two were frozen in expressions of indescribable terror, their mouths stretched open as though they had died while screaming.
The remaining faces wore expressions of such intense agony that their features had twisted beyond recognition.
These were not normal deformities.
The gunman's hands were hanging limply beside the chair. His fingers had curled backwards until several of the joints appeared to be protruding through the skin, while his fingernails turned black and loosened from their beds.
Beneath his boots, a thick pool of dark liquid had collected on the wooden floor, although there was no obvious wound large enough to explain the quantity.
A few pale, threadlike things floated on its surface. Astrid took another look at the corpse before turning her head away.
"Fuck me..." she muttered, swallowing hard. "I've seen men blown apart by cannonballs, but this..."
She did not finish her sentence and looked away. Kiyotaka's expression remained relatively calm, although the sight before him was certainly beyond anything he had encountered thus far.
"Are you able to channel his spirit?" He asked calmly.
"Eh? No. I can only do basic ritualistic magic. Complicated things like dream divination and spirit channeling are outside my area of expertise." She shrugged. "Where's the skeleton when you need her."
Disregarding the nickname which would have Freya enraged to no end, Kiyotaka returned his gaze towards the six faces once more. There was something particular about their arrangement.
Despite growing from different parts of the corpse, all six had their mouths directed towards the entrance, as though they were waiting for someone to come through the door.
Suddenly, a theory formed in his mind. However, he did not have time to think deeply as a soft, wet sound interrupted his thoughts.
Kiyotaka's eyes immediately shifted towards the corpse.
The face growing from the man's abdomen had moved and locked its pus filled eyes with Kiyotaka!
Its lips trembled slightly, and a thin line of black saliva escaped from one corner of its mouth. Then, with a disgusting sucking noise, its lower jaw began to descend, stretching the surrounding skin until several tiny tears appeared along its cheeks.
At the same time, the other heads began to turn towards both Kiyotaka and Astrid and their mouths moved up and down.
"Get down!" Astrid bellowed and snapped her fingers as two ravens plowed through the roof and rammed into the masked man's body.
Wood splintered and flew everywhere as Kiyotaka jumped back, holding his scarf in place with one hand over his mouth. He immediately reached into his coat and his fingers closed around one of the Sun-domain charms he had prepared earlier.
However, his body stiffened as he heard the words: """"""Slow!""""""
The six heads simultaneously said, causing both Astrid and Kiyotaka to freeze in place. Their body had stiffened so much, due to six heads applying the Language of Foulness on them that their bones seemed to lose all lubrication and were grinding painfully against each other.
Slimy black tentacles erupted out of the man and it caught Kiyotaka by his legs, arms and neck. At the same time, terrifying ravings entered Kiyotaka's head, clobbering at his psyche while the tentacles themselves seemed to be ripping his legs, neck and arms from his torso.
As he felt his body's muscles strain, the effects of Language of Foulness seemed to recede, further supplemented by the Sun Charms in his pocket, one of which had activated during the brief moment that Kiyotaka had the moment to slip his hand into his pocket.
And while it dispelled a lot of the corruption on him, Astrid did not seem to be doing well. Blood was spilling out of her eyes as the tentacles wrapped around, twisting her like a cloth being wrung out.
Just as her spine twisted, another Fire Raven blasted into the tentacle, severing it half-way. The tentacle seemed to recede and then a slimy black liquid oozed out of the masked man, aiding in regenerating the maddening appendage.
Seeing as how Kiyotaka had broken free, all heads turned around and locked eyes with him once more. Their mouths moved, but Kiyotaka had already analysed their activation sequence.
Using distortion, he distorted the intent of 'use Language of Foulness at once' to 'use Language of Foulness in succession.' Before the first head could mouth the word "Death," Kiyotaka raised his gloved hand and declared: "Use of verbal spells is forbidden here!"
The demonic mouth moved regardless and then, thick green pus and rancid black blood erupted from it.
At the same time, Astrid leaped forward and punched through the man's chest that had the biggest mouth on it. Incandescent white flames erupted out of her as Kiyotaka took out two Sun Charms and threw them inside the masked man's mouth while also imparting Bribe-Weaken on them.
White flames erupted out of every crevice of its body as Astrid jumped back while a small column of holy light descended on it, disintegrating the body and evaporating the black blood.
Kiyotaka raised one hand to shield his eyes from the glow while Astrid crawled back, lifting her scarf to cover her head.
The holy light disappeared as quickly as it had descended, leaving behind a scorched wooden floor and a rather unpleasant smell of burnt flesh.
The remnants of the corpse had been reduced to a thin layer of black ash, while the chair on which it had been sitting was now reduced to several charred pieces of wood.
Kiyotaka lowered his hand and took a deep breath. His muscles were still aching, particularly around his neck and shoulders, where the tentacles had nearly torn him apart.
Nevertheless, the influence of the Language of Foulness had been completely purified, allowing him to move without any further restrictions.
Astrid, meanwhile, slowly rose to her feet while supporting herself against the wall. Blood was still trickling from the corners of her eyes, although the bleeding had considerably slowed down.
She spat a mouthful of blood onto the floor before examining her arms and legs.
"Fuck... That was close." She groaned, rotating her shoulders with some difficulty. "Another few seconds and I might've ended up looking like that bastard."
When Kiyotaka didn't reply, Astrid groaned and rubbed her wrists. Kiyotaka turned his attention towards the ruined ceiling.
As a matter of fact, had Astrid not reacted when she did, the situation might have turned out considerably differently. As a Sequence 6 Conspirer, she was naturally inclined to anticipate unfavourable developments and prepare countermeasures beforehand.
The moment they had arrived at the building, she had sensed that something was amiss. The assassin's decision to remain inside his room after such a conspicuous attack was suspicious enough, but what particularly bothered her was the absence of any attempt to conceal his whereabouts.
However, instead of voicing her suspicions, she had quietly prepared two Fire Ravens outside the building and manipulated them to remain hovering above the roof, hidden from the pedestrians below.
They already had a command to descend the moment her control suffered fluctuations. .
That was also why the Fire Ravens had smashed through the roof rather than materialising directly inside the room. Astrid had deliberately positioned them where an unsuspecting enemy would be less likely to notice their presence.
Kiyotaka noticed her preparation and hummed. His own survival, on the other hand, had depended on something different entirely.
Unlike a Seer or a Monster or a Hunter, Kiyotaka had no reliable means of foreseeing danger. His spirituality could occasionally warn him of immediate threats, but it was not an ability he could consciously depend on to predict an ambush.
What he had instead was the ability to analyse a situation quickly, identify its underlying rules, and exploit whatever weaknesses he discovered in them.
The six grotesque faces had initially appeared to be independent entities, each possessing its own mouth and capable of using the Language of Foulness. However, on closer observation, Kiyotaka had noticed that the spirituality gathering within them originated from the same source.
Even their activation followed an identical pattern, with the mystical energy accumulating in their throats before being released simultaneously and that was the weakness that he had exploited.
As a Baron of Corruption, Kiyotaka could distort the execution of certain actions and processes. Rather than attempting to alter the meaning of the Language of Foulness itself, which would have been exceedingly difficult — impossible even — he had targeted the mechanism responsible for synchronising the six mouths.
Under ordinary circumstances, such a minuscule difference would have been inconsequential but Distortion coupled with Guilt's Prohibition was precisely the opening he needed.
Nevertheless, it was a dangerous gamble. Had the six curses activated simultaneously, or had the creature possessed another method of invoking the Language of Foulness, the outcome might have been considerably worse.
Kiyotaka made a mental note of getting a Mystical Item which could grant him Danger Premonition without turning him into a mad monster and then turned towards Astrid. "Can you move?"
"Unfortunately for you, yes." Astrid wiped the blood from her cheek. "Although I think I've pulled something in my back."
"We don't have much time."
As if responding to his words, a muffled shout came from somewhere beneath them.
The sound of the Fire Ravens smashing through the roof, followed by the subsequent explosions and the descent of holy light, had undoubtedly attracted attention.
Even with most of the neighbourhood gathered around Backlund Bridge, there were still several tenants living inside the building. And it was only a matter of time before one of them came upstairs to investigate.
Astrid clicked her tongue and moved towards the wardrobe while Kiyotaka approached the wooden table beneath the window, wordlessly looking for clues.
The table was covered with several ordinary belongings, including an empty liquor bottle, a cheap fountain pen, and a small notebook whose cover had become stained with grease.
Beside them was a leather-bound diary and several envelopes arranged in a rather peculiar manner. Kiyotaka picked up the diary and began flipping through it.
Most of the earlier entries appeared unremarkable. However, as he approached the latter half, he noticed something strange as several pages had been torn out. The edges of the remaining pages were clean, suggesting that they had been removed fairly recently. One of the pages had a few words written on them.
'Interesting...'
Kiyotaka thought and glanced towards the envelopes lying beside it. There were five in total and all of them were empty, however, when he picked the packet beside it, he hummed in understanding.
Kiyotaka examined the torn edges of the diary once more and then looked at the envelopes. He immediately closed the diary and placed it back on the table. "I've seen enough. We're leaving."
Astrid, who had been examining the contents of the wardrobe, turned towards him. "Already? I haven't even finished—" As she looked at the envelopes and the diary, she suddenly understood what was happening. Taking a fleeting look at the diary, she quickly nodded. "...Fuck."
Astrid immediately abandoned her search and hurried towards the door.
Kiyotaka was already waiting near the entrance as they began to take quick strides, taking the back exit.
Another shout came from downstairs, followed by the sound of hurried footsteps. Kiyotaka did not look back and kept walking hurriedly as Astrid suddenly stopped.
"Not that way," Astrid whispered. "The neighbouring building has a courtyard entrance. We can reach it through that window." She motioned towards one of the windows overlooking the outside.
With a quick movement, she opened the latch of the window and Kiyotaka followed immediately. Using the water pipe stuck to the wall, they climbed their way up to the roof.
Cold winter air greeted them as they appeared on the snow-covered roof.
In the distance, the first bursts of fireworks illuminated the sky above the Tussock River, accompanied by the faint cheers of thousands of people celebrating the arrival of a new year.
Neither Kiyotaka nor Astrid paid any attention to it as the two figures hurried across the rooftops, disappearing into the darkness between the neighbouring buildings.
Behind them, the diary remained on the table, its missing pages fluttering slightly in the cold wind entering through the shattered ceiling.
*****
By the time Kiyotaka and Astrid returned to Unit 17, Sørlund Street, the New Year had already arrived.
The streets had been considerably livelier on their return journey, with drunken pedestrians singing beneath the gas lamps and distant church bells ringing throughout Backlund.
Even the lingering cold seemed insufficient to discourage the celebrations, although the occasional patrol of policemen served as a reminder that the city had not entirely recovered from the disaster.
Neither of them spoke much during the journey. Astrid was still recovering from her injuries, while Kiyotaka was occupied with his own thoughts.
Once they entered his bedroom, Astrid immediately threw herself onto the couch.
"Ughhh... I'm tired to death!" she groaned, spreading her arms across the cushions. "And I mean that quite literally."
Kiyotaka glanced at her before taking off his long coat and hanging it beside the wardrobe. "You seem rather lively for someone who's tired to death."
"Fuck you." Astrid raised her head and glared at him before collapsing onto the cushions once more.
Kiyotaka paid her little attention and approached the window. Beyond the rooftops of the neighbouring buildings, colourful fireworks were illuminating the night sky.
Red, golden, and blue sparks scattered across the darkness, occasionally accompanied by larger bursts that briefly illuminated the distant silhouettes of Backlund's churches and buildings.
He stood there watching them without saying anything.
Meanwhile, Astrid reluctantly got up from the couch and began removing her outer clothing. She took off her bonnet, allowing her long auburn hair to fall freely over her shoulders, before unwrapping the scarf around her neck.
"Give me yours as well," she said, extending her hand.
Kiyotaka turned around and looked at her for a moment before removing his scarf and handing it over.
Astrid walked towards the hearth and casually tossed both scarves and then their cheap jackets into the flames. As the fabric began to blacken, she snapped her fingers, causing a small burst of incandescent white flames to erupt around them.
Within seconds, the fabrics had been reduced to ashes.
"I burned my blood back there too, by the way," she remarked, dusting her hands. "Along with whatever else I could find. There shouldn't be any problems with someone tracking us through it."
"Thank you."
Astrid nodded and Kiyotaka turned back towards the window.
Although Astrid had taken care of the more obvious traces, there was no guarantee that someone sufficiently skilled in mysticism couldn't discover their identities through other means.
However, the death of the assassin and the destruction of the corpse had at least eliminated the most immediate danger. As for the things they had discovered inside his former room were quite disturbing.
His eyes followed a particularly large golden firework as it rose above the rooftops and exploded into hundreds of smaller sparks.
Meanwhile, Astrid, noticing his lack of response, stared at him for a few moments. She appeared to consider saying something, but eventually decided against it.
Instead, she walked towards the dressing table and retrieved a small leather-bound diary from the inner pocket of her coat. She seated herself in front of the mirror, opened it to a blank page, and began writing.
The address she had noticed on one of the envelopes was still fresh in her memory After a little consideration, she wrote:
[No. 26, White Gull Street, Port Elden, Desi Bay]
Beneath it, she added a few observations concerning the envelope's handwriting, the condition of its seal, and the missing pages of the dead man's diary. She then underlined the address twice.
Closing the diary, she placed it inside the drawer of the dressing table before rising from her seat.
Kiyotaka was still standing by the window.
Astrid approached him and looked outside, where another series of fireworks had begun illuminating the sky.
The celebrations were distant enough that the shouting of the crowds could barely be heard from Sørlund Street. Nevertheless, the colourful explosions continued without interruption, accompanied by the ringing of bells.
"Quite pretty, aren't they?" Astrid remarked.
"Mhm."
"Back in Feysac, we had celebrations like this too. Although ours usually involved considerably more drinking and sex."
"Interesting tradition."
"It's not a tradition, you idiot." She scoffed. "It's what happens when you combine fireworks, alcohol, and Feysacian blood!"
Kiyotaka did not respond as she moved a little closer and gently reached for his hand. Her fingers had barely intertwined with his when Kiyotaka withdrew his hand.
It was not a forceful action but he did it with enough deliberation that it got the message across. Kiyotaka continued watching the fireworks and said: "You should rest. Your injuries haven't fully recovered."
Astrid stared at his face for a few more seconds before shaking her head. "Whatever. You've ruined my mood."
She turned away from the window and walked towards the bed, where the oversized woolen sweater she had borrowed earlier was still lying. Picking it up, she draped it over one arm. "I'm taking this, by the way."
"Be my guest."
With that said, Astrid walked towards the door. "Happy New Year, Williams," she called over her shoulder.
"Happy New Year."
She gave him one final glance before leaving, closing the door behind her.
Kiyotaka remained by the window for a little while longer. Then, after making certain that Astrid's footsteps had faded down the corridor, he approached the door and turned the lock.
He glanced towards the hearth, where the remaining logs were burning steadily, before taking a seat beside it. He pulled another chair and placed his legs over it.
Closing his eyes, Kiyotaka lowered his head slightly and began chanting in a quiet voice.
"The Fool that doesn't belong to this era;
"The Mysterious Ruler above the gray fog;
"The King of Yellow and Black who wields good luck."
As the final words left his lips, the familiar sensation of an unseen existence directing its attention towards him appeared. Grayish-white fog gathered into a small vortex before an envelope slowly materialised from within it and descended on his lap, causing Kiyotaka's eyes to open.
The envelope was rather peculiar.
It was made from thick, cream-coloured paper resembling traditional Japanese washi, with its edges folded neatly into an elegant rectangular shape.
A small decorative paper crane had been attached to one corner, while a few delicate brushstrokes depicting pine branches were drawn on its surface. Written across the front were four Japanese characters.
"謹賀新年... Kingashinnen... A respectful New Year's greeting."
Kiyotaka raised an eyebrow. The characters were legible, although certain strokes were quite awkward. He opened the envelope carefully, making sure not to damage the paper, and withdrew a small card.
Only a few lines were written in neat Loenese inside.
"May you live every day of your life. Happy New Year!
— From your Senior."
Kiyotaka read the message twice.
It was a peculiar blessing but carried quite depth to it. He leaned back in his chair and looked at the card with a strange expression.
He placed the Japanese greeting card on the dressing table before opening one of his drawers. From inside, he retrieved an envelope.
Unlike the one Klein had sent him, this envelope was bright red, with golden patterns decorating its edges. At the centre was a single Chinese character, carefully drawn in golden ink which read: "福 Fu. Fortune and blessings."
It was modelled after the traditional Chinese red envelopes that people exchanged during the Lunar New Year.
'How peculiar. We thought about the same thing.'
Kiyotaka had prepared it earlier, although acquiring the appropriate materials in Backlund had required a little improvisation. Inside the envelope were two five-pound notes, amounting to ten pounds in total.
Alongside the money, Kiyotaka had placed a small folded card with his own New Year's greeting, being in line with traditional Chinese new year customs.
The line that Kiyotaka had written inside said "May the coming year bring you more peaceful days than troublesome ones. Happy New Year."
Kiyotaka examined the card once more before slipping it back into the envelope.
Strictly speaking, the timing was rather inappropriate. The Chinese Lunar New Year was not celebrated on the same date as the New Year in Loen, and red envelopes were traditionally given by elders to younger relatives and children.
However, he was not particularly concerned about either detail.
In the end, he wrote: "From your senior" and then used a simplified ritual to sacrifice the letter to The Fool.
As he did, he sat back on his chair and stared into the distance at the fireworks.
'All roads lead to Desi Bay huh?'
He thought. The information on the torn paper from the diary had a few simple words. "Baron of Corruption." The packet of six envelopes had only five in them, which meant that one letter had already been dispatched to its intended location.
Kiyotaka sighed and bent forward as he poured himself an amber liquid.