Elias slowly opened his eyes.
The room was shrouded in darkness, and the mansion had fallen completely silent.
For a moment, he held his head, then sat up on the bed and rubbed his eyes.
"My head…"
He rubbed his eyes again, then looked up and glanced around.
"I think I was at the Royal Arsenal…"
The only light in the room came from a Blood Moon shining through the drawn curtains.
Elias slowly sat on the edge of his bed and glanced at the clock.
He stared at it for a moment, smirked, then lowered his head.
"It's two in the morning. Even the dogs are asleep. Why am I awake?"
He suddenly looked up, glanced at the ceiling, then at the desk across from him.
"I feel like I'm worse than a dog."
He pressed his hands against the bed and stood up, stretched his arms, yawned, and walked toward his desk.
"Frederick always opened the curtains…"
He was only a few steps away from the desk when he stopped.
"Wait a second."
He hurriedly raised his right hand and looked at it, then changed direction toward the mirror in his room.
He stood in front of it and looked at himself.
It was completely normal. Nothing had changed.
He let out a breath and placed a hand over his heart, a relieved smile appearing on his face.
"I thought something had happened to me, but I'm perfectly fine."
He raised a hand to his head and murmured,
"Except for this mild headache."
This time, he walked toward the curtains and pulled one of them aside.
The crimson light of the Blood Moon flooded the room, painting the floor and walls red.
Elias slowly stood beside the window, yawned again, and said,
"I should go for a walk. This silence is getting on my nerves."
He hurried to the coat rack, quickly put on his coat and hat, opened the door, and rushed out.
He skipped every other step down the stairs and reached the second floor.
He walked toward the second staircase. He was still several steps away when Elias heard the voices of several women.
He quickened his pace and reached the staircase.
He went down a few steps, but before reaching the landing between the two staircases, a woman suddenly spoke from behind him.
"Who are you, sir?"
"Shouldn't we report this to the Housekeeper?"
Elias swallowed.
"Think. Think, think, think… Damn it, what am I supposed to say?"
The woman turned to the others and said,
"Go report it to the Housekeeper. We saw a suspicious man on the second-floor staircase heading toward the first floor."
Elias suddenly turned toward them and said in an absurdly exaggerated voice,
"Greetings to the hardworking and beautiful servants of the mansion. I… I'm the Senior Counsel!"
One of the women immediately replied,
"Disgusting…"
They continued on their way.
Elias gripped the Banister tightly, bent over, and took a few hurried breaths.
"I didn't know the female servants did night patrols… Wasn't that supposed to be the men's job?"
He raised his head and straightened himself.
"But she called me disgusting…"
He clenched his fists.
"I'd really like to know if they'd still call me disgusting if I told them I was Elias Montagu. Or would they kneel in front of me?"
He let out a breath and stepped onto the landing.
"Whatever. I just hope I don't cause Leonard any trouble."
Elias finally left the mansion.
He was about to descend the stairs outside when he noticed two guards.
He slowly walked down and stood beside them.
At first, neither guard noticed him. They turned their heads slightly, and upon seeing Elias, turned toward him to pay their respects.
Elias suddenly whispered,
"Shhh…"
He hurriedly searched the inner pocket of his coat but found nothing. He gave up and checked his trouser pockets instead.
Still nothing.
He looked at both guards.
"If you don't tell the Head Butler or the Senior Advisor anything, I'll add five pounds to your salary this month."
Both guards bowed their heads.
"Yes, Your Grace."
Elias calmly walked past them and continued straight ahead.
Leonard calmly watched Elias leave from the second-floor window.
"Going for a walk at this hour? I'd better follow him."
He turned to leave, but suddenly ran into three female servants.
All three stared at Leonard for a moment, then looked behind them.
"Y-you! What are you doing here?"
Leonard looked at them in confusion.
"Me? My room is right here."
"Then who was that man who introduced himself as Leonard?"
"A man?"
"Yes… We should go sound the mansion alarm!"
Leonard suddenly placed a hand on one of their shoulders.
"I think I know who introduced himself as me. There's nothing to worry about. You can go."
"Really?"
"Yes."
"Thank you very much, Senior Counsel."
The women moved away from Leonard.
Leonard calmly placed a hand over his face.
"What was that, Your Grace…"
A few minutes later.
Elias stood directly in front of Westminster Bridge and looked around.
"How badly damaged everything is…"
He placed one foot on a large piece of stone that had fallen from the clock tower, then folded his hands over his thigh and closed his eyes slightly.
A few seconds passed.
Elias took his foot off the stone and stomped on the ground.
"I came outside so it wouldn't be quiet… It's even quieter here than at the mansion."
He continued along the road and stopped before Westminster Bridge.
He looked around and murmured,
"Why is no one around?"
He then began walking across Westminster Bridge.
He had barely reached the middle of the bridge when he suddenly stopped and looked toward the City of London.
He slowly walked toward the stone railing.
When he reached it, he placed both hands on it and stared at the river and the City of London.
He gave a faint smirk.
"Why am I thinking of this song right now?"
He quietly sang under his breath,
"London Bridge is Falling Down, Falling Down, Falling Down…"
He paused for a moment, then continued softly,
"London Bridge is Falling Down, My Fair Lady."
He lowered his head.
His red reflection shimmered in the water.
He took his hands off the stone railing and looked toward the sky.
The sky was clear and cloudless, adorned by the Blood Moon.
Its crimson moonlight was stronger than ever, perhaps because it was a full moon.
Elias started walking again.
Then, suddenly, he began singing.
"Westminster Bridge is Falling Down, Falling Down… Falling Down!"
He started snapping his fingers, quietly singing his own improvised version of the song.
He continued until he crossed Westminster Bridge.
He stopped for a moment and looked behind him.
He let out a breath and murmured,
"I'm glad no one was here to hear that… They probably would've laughed at me."
He started walking again.
Leonard emerged from behind one of the trees beside the river.
He glanced at Westminster Bridge and quietly murmured,
"Why is no one here… Why does the city feel so strange tonight?"
He hurriedly started running in the direction Elias had gone.
"I hope I can catch up with His Grace!"
Elias entered a completely unfamiliar dead-end alley and looked around in confusion.
"I have flawless navigation skills… I really wish they'd improve."
He turned around to leave.
But then his eyes caught sight of a half-open door.
He was about to ignore it and leave when a familiar voice suddenly echoed from inside.
"Deception, Deception… ception, Deception."
Elias dropped to one knee, grabbed his head with one hand, closed one eye, and struggled to look through the door with the other.
The voice disappeared.
Elias frowned, his hand still resting on his head.
"If those strange statues with their bizarre names in the churches of this world really are gods… then may God damn that voice."
He stood up and slowly walked toward the door.
His hand tightened around the doorknob.
He slowly pushed it inward.
The door opened completely.
Elias stepped one foot past the doorway.
Something glimmered in the darkness.
Elias fell inside.
The door slammed shut.
Leonard took one step forward into the alley.
The flame of one of the lamps flickered.
Leonard stopped and clenched his fist.
"I have to protect my lord…"
Another lamp flickered.
"I understand!"
Leonard turned and began running straight down the main street.
───────────────────────────
Evening.
John Smith glanced at the fountain pen floating in front of him.
"Either way, Mystiquire has been found guilty…"
The fountain pen replied,
"It's time to leave."
John gave a faint smile.
"Don't rush, Legend of Idris… There's still something I need to do."
The fountain pen fell silent.
A gray-haired man sitting across from John calmly spoke.
"If this conversation is going to take long… we should complete our deal now."
John let out a breath and released the fountain pen, allowing it to hover above the armrest of the sofa.
"Nobles are so impatient and unimaginative."
The gray-haired man smiled calmly, slowly swirling the wine in his glass.
"No noble wants to stay in the same room as a Divine Gift thief. Do you even know that the High Court has secretly ordered a search for the thief?"
John lazily looked at the ceiling.
"I expected things to be happening beyond what the newspapers are reporting. It's nothing surprising."
The gray-haired man took a sip of his wine, then continued.
"According to our agreement, I'll open London's eastern gate for you and dismiss its guards. In return, you'll give me something valuable."
John stared at the man across from him.
"From one to four in the morning…"
The gray-haired man stopped swirling his glass.
There was a moment of silence.
Then he laughed.
"One to four? Don't be ridiculous. Thirty minutes at most!"
John narrowed his eyes.
"You know I'm doing you a favor, and I'm giving you something in exchange for letting me leave."
The gray-haired man stared into John's eyes with his amber-colored eyes.
"Then do it yourself. What does that have to do with me?"
He slowly stood up.
John suddenly grabbed his arm.
"Fine, you damn noble… 1:45 to 2:15."
The gray-haired man sat back down on the sofa.
"Now that's a deal. Can you tell me what you're giving me in return?"
John crossed one leg over the other.
"It'll be worth it. Don't worry."
The man across from him placed both feet on the table.
"Sure… I suppose you're going to give me some sand from the Silver Shore of the Northern Continent. Let me be honest with you… Either show me what you're giving me, or I have other business to attend to."
John closed his eyes.
"So the rumors about the Duke of Somerset being an experienced merchant are true."
The gray-haired man smiled faintly.
"Don't flatter me. I only make deals when there's a good one to be made."
John pulled a bag out from beneath the table and placed it on top.
"Exactly fifty stones from around the roots of the Spirit Tree."
The man suddenly slammed his wine glass onto the table, pulled the bag toward himself, and opened it.
His eyes widened in surprise.
"Interesting… No, really interesting. Fine. From 1:45 to 2:15, the eastern gate will be completely open and unguarded. If it's 2:15 and you're still there for even sixteen minutes… I make no guarantees."
John smiled faintly.
"Rest assured, I'll be through by then."
The gray-haired man slowly stood up, picked up his coat, and said,
"Understood. It's a good deal… Leave this bag near one of the trees after you've passed through."
John lowered his head slightly.
The gray-haired man calmly left John's house.
The fountain pen spoke.
"You're really giving him those stones?"
John looked at the ceiling again.
"They have no particular value to me. I have no use for them. But that scheming noble? He probably needs them badly."
The fountain pen fell silent.
John spoke again.
"By the way, Legend of Idris… I want you to do something."
The fountain pen moved in front of John.
"After this request, are we leaving this country?"
John's eyes glimmered slightly.
"Without a doubt."