Chapter 480: Cats, Dogs, and Mice
Late at night, at 39 Buckland Street, in the home of Member of Parliament Macht.
Heryl got out of bed and, using her night vision, changed into clothes suitable for action.
She climbed down from the balcony of her bedroom, carefully avoiding the house's bodyguards, and stealthily made her way through the garden to the middle of Buckland Street. Familiar with the process, she moved the manhole cover aside and climbed in, closing it behind her.
"Teacher, teacher, are you still there?"
In the pitch-black sewer, Heryl's soft calls echoed.
After a while, a pair of red eyes appeared in the darkness, followed by the body of a red-eyed mouse.
This red-eyed mouse looked unwell, trembling all over as if struggling against some force.
"Teacher, are you alright?"
Heryl looked at the mouse with concern, affectionately calling it her teacher.
"My condition is getting worse. This environment is too suitable for mice. If I stay here any longer, I will eventually become a real mouse and completely lose my sanity."
"Teacher, you can come back home with me and find a place to hide. I can take care of you."
"Alright, but I can't maintain my sanity all the time. When I am about to lose it, you must remind me."
"Okay, teacher."
Heryl opened her pocket, signaling her teacher to go inside for a while.
"You don't have a cat at home, do you?"
"No."
"That's good."
Soon, the manhole cover was lifted again. Heryl carefully observed the surroundings and, seeing nothing unusual, climbed out of the sewer.
After closing the manhole cover, she returned home the same way she had come.
On the same Buckland Street, Klein stood by the window of his second-floor bedroom, watching Heryl's every move.
Such an elegant and beautiful lady liked to enter the sewer late at night and was quite skilled at it, as if she was hiding some secret.
However, he did not expose her, merely marveling at how lively Beckland's nights were.
The next day.
At dawn, Klein finished washing up, went downstairs for breakfast, and then, holding a gold-inlaid cane, took a carriage out.
Since the last gathering when Hastur warned him that Amon would come to Beckland, he had rarely gone out.
It had been a while since he had gone to St. Samuel's Cathedral for prayers. If this continued, the bishop there might suspect his faith in the Goddess.
In the prayer hall, he met Leonard again, feeling puzzled about what trouble Leonard had gotten into this time.
After the prayer, Leonard hurriedly left, looking uneasy.
If he told Leonard that Amon was coming to Beckland, it would probably scare him again.
Hmm, he would talk to him tonight. Will's mood seemed quite good lately.
Late at night, Leonard was sleeping at home when he had another dream.
This time, it was not the familiar sea but Beckland, in the square in front of St. Samuel's Cathedral. Klein finally appeared in his dream in a complete form.
It wasn't easy.
Leonard was moved to tears. He had always dreamt of Klein in a fragmented, terrifying form, almost forgetting Klein's true appearance.
"Tell me, what do you need my help with this time?"
Leonard, familiar with the process, interrupted Klein before he could speak, to save some sleep time.
He wasn't a fool. After several dreams and the old man's guidance, he had guessed that Klein was not dead but hiding.
After all, a dead person couldn't keep appearing in his dreams, as he was a Requiem Master of the Night Goddess's pathway.
Klein suppressed a smile and said calmly, "I'm here to thank you for taking care of Benson and Melissa."
"It's what I should do. If you really want to thank me, appear in my dreams less."
"A warning."
"What warning?"
"Amon the Blasphemer is coming to Beckland." Klein added, "When you leave the dream, try not to mention Amon's name in reality."
"I think I've heard that name before."
"Hopefully, you can avoid him."
Klein didn't stay long. He just wanted to warn Leonard through the dream, or more accurately, inform the old man inside Leonard.
As an angel of the Thief pathway, he would be very familiar with Amon the Blasphemer, as they were mortal enemies.
Klein didn't want Leonard to get involved because of this.
After the dream ended, Leonard informed the old man of the news.
"Amon is coming to Beckland!"
"Old man, I've never seen you so panicked."
"Heh, how many can stay calm in front of Amon?" The old man seemed to mock himself. "He is the great enemy I've always mentioned. He forced me to stay inside you in this way."
"No wonder the name sounded familiar!" Leonard was shocked and quickly asked the old man for the next steps.
"Stay in St. Samuel's Cathedral as much as possible."
"Will that help?"
"He won't approach the Night's church."
"Alright."
Leonard nodded solemnly.
...
"Meow?"
"Woof?"
"Meow."
"Woof."
"Meow!"
"Woof?"
Late at night, under the starry sky, a unique confrontation.
A green-eyed black cat and a golden retriever.
Aisala still stood on the crown of the beech tree, while Susie lay by the window of Audrey's bedroom.
Unlike last time, Audrey woke up from the noise, her sleep light.
Seeing Susie chatting with Aisala through the window, she couldn't hide her curiosity. When did Aisala and Susie become so close?
Had they become friends?
That was nice.
Audrey quietly watched without interrupting. Although she couldn't understand their friendly conversation, she thought they were exchanging greetings and chatting.
No, this was not nice at all!
If Aisala could hear Audrey's thoughts, she would definitely jump up in protest.
She had come for three consecutive nights, but the golden retriever refused to come out of the room.
Hmph, brave enough to steal the owner but not brave enough to open the window?
Despise it!
Aisala's eyes were full of disdain. She snorted a few times and was about to leave triumphantly when the window of Audrey's bedroom opened with a creak, and Susie jumped out.
Hmph, finally coming out?
Aisala's eyes grew serious. She crouched slightly, ready to attack.
But Susie just wagged her tail and looked up at her curiously.
Deciding to teach Susie a lesson, Aisala waved her little paw, and several ice spikes fell from the sky, piercing the ground near Susie's feet.
This was an extraordinary ability from a witch's control of ice.
"Woof?"
Susie easily dodged the ice spikes, treating it as a fun dodging game.
Seeing this, Aisala was about to show more colors when the patrolling guards, hearing the noise, approached with lanterns.
"Meow!"
Aisala issued a challenge for tomorrow night and disappeared into the night.
Susie returned to Audrey's bedroom through the window and thoughtfully closed it again.
"Susie, what did you and Aisala talk about?" Audrey asked curiously, her hands resting on the quilt.
Susie wagged her tail and said, "She said she would come again tomorrow night."
On the rooftop of Buckland Street, Aisala was gracefully returning under the night sky.
When she reached 39 Buckland Street, she saw from a distance a green-haired, gray-brown-eyed girl talking to a mouse on the second-floor balcony.
Aisala curiously watched the mouse from the rooftop.
The palm-sized black-furred mouse was quite plump, with shiny black fur, short and sharp claws, and a long, thin tail, clearly a sewer rat.
Whenever she went out at night, she would crush their skulls with a paw.
After all, cats and mice are natural enemies. A cat that can't catch mice is as clumsy as a human who can't swim.
Aisala wanted to crush it but refrained, seeing it had an owner. She silently left the rooftop.
"Teacher, what's wrong?"
On the balcony, Heryl anxiously watched her trembling teacher, who made pitiful squeaks, eyes full of fear of encountering a natural enemy.
...
In the early morning, before the sun fully rose, shrouding Beckland in thick fog.
"Ring, ring, ring."
On the street, the crisp sound of a bicycle seemed to wake the sleeping people.
A bicycle appeared from nowhere, carrying a young man with a monocle, smiling, with a small gray bag on his right shoulder. The bag hung to his waist, filled with fresh newspapers from the press, as he rode through the streets, shouting to sell newspapers.