After hearing Macht's answer and combining it with what he knew, Klein determined that the rat in the manor in the suburbs was likely the Marauder demigod who had previously been by Hazel's side. As for why it had gone mad and bitten Hazel, it was temporarily unknown.
He nodded slightly and tapped his chest four times in a clockwise fashion.
"May the Goddess bless her."
With that said, he walked past his master and entered the hall, waiting for the ball to begin.
…
In a particular bedroom on the third floor, Hazel was sitting in a reclining chair, looking a little dispirited. Her feet were curled up.
Her left hand was wrapped in thick bandages, and there wasn't much blood seeping out. Her expression was heavy, without her usual arrogance.
In the manor in the suburbs, she had been in a similar state ever since she was bitten by her teacher who had transformed into a rat. She appeared muddle-headed and wasn't lucid enough. It was as though what had been bitten wasn't her mouth, but her soul.
To Hazel, although her arrogance stemmed from the education she received from a young age, her talent in learning that exceeded ordinary people, her rather outstanding looks, her upper-class family background, and her way of thinking that was more mature than her peers, such a state of mind was still considered normal before coming into contact with supernatural powers. It didn't make her feel that she was completely different from others, or that she was intrinsically superior to ordinary people.
Therefore, the teacher who sustained her arrogance, represented her fortuitous encounters, and symbolized the source of her strength, had suddenly become like a real rat. Not only had his speech become unclear, but he had also bitten her without reason. It dealt her a huge blow, and she couldn't help but wonder if supernatural powers represented something that exceeded mortals or was close to a monster.
Amidst her thoughts, Hazel subconsciously tucked a wisp of her long, dark-green hair behind her ear as she felt vexed by the melodious music coming from downstairs.
At this moment, she heard the creaking sound of the door opening. She turned her head in a rather slow manner.
The person who entered was a gray rat with glossy fur. Its eyes were darker than its peers, close to a dark red.
"Hazel," the rat said in a deep voice.
Hazel was first taken aback before she turned delighted. She hurriedly stood up and blurted out, "Teacher, y-you've recovered?
Y-you've recovered? "
As soon as she finished speaking, she suddenly saw gray rats crawling out from the corners of the bedroom, the balcony entrance, and the bottom of the bed. They all had dark red eyes, but they could only squeak.
Hazel was so frightened that she took a step back and tripped over the edge of the reclining chair. Her body swayed and she nearly fell. It took her a great deal of effort to regain her balance.
At this time, she discovered that the red-eyed mice had all disappeared, and the door was tightly shut.
Everything that had just happened seemed to be her illusion, or a nightmare caused by her worries!
After a moment of silence, Hazel pursed her lips and sighed.
She sat down again and raised her hands to pinch her temples.
As she pinched it, her brows furrowed slightly. Somehow, she felt that she was in a trance and that it wasn't real enough.
Hazel's dark brown eyes moved slightly as she pulled out the necklace from her neck and held it in her palm.
The necklace's main body was made up of seven translucent emerald-green stones. Embedded around them was a ring of tiny diamonds, and the distance between them was identical.
At this moment, one of the stones slowly lit up, emitting an emerald-green glow. It illuminated Hazel's face in an extremely lustrous manner, making strange and mysterious symbols appear in her eyes.
All the scenes from before surfaced in the girl's mind once again. They went from a blurry, dreamy state to clear up one after another.
As she scrutinized the scenes, Hazel noticed something amiss. She confirmed that she hadn't been dreaming, nor was it a temporary hallucination in her trance. Instead, she had been in an illusion that lasted nearly ten seconds.
Cryptologist!
"This …" Hazel's dark brown eyes widened as she subconsciously muttered a word that was filled with horror.
She stood up and looked around in a hurry, but she didn't discover anything.
However, the more she did so, the more she panicked. This was because she didn't know what she would encounter next. She didn't know what the person who created the illusion was up to!
The only thing she was certain of was that the person's level and strength in the supernatural domain far exceeded hers!
This shattered the last bit of pride in her heart.
A few minutes later, the entire bedroom remained silent. The melody downstairs was brisk, making one think of lively dance steps.
Hazel finally calmed down. She felt that there shouldn't be anything else that would happen.
Only then did she have the spare energy and mood to consider why the person in the dark had created the illusion.
Amidst all sorts of thoughts, Hazel suddenly had a guess.
The person from before was here for my teacher!
Through the illusion, he had confirmed my teacher's current state!
Is he my teacher's friend or enemy? He must have already gone to look for my teacher. What do I do? He probably doesn't know where my teacher is hiding … No, the neighbors all know that I was bitten by a crazy rat in the manor in the suburbs … Hazel felt flustered as she tightened her grip on the necklace.
She couldn't determine if the person from before was good or bad, nor did she know what to do.
She wanted to head to the manor in the suburbs to inform her teacher, but she was afraid of encountering danger and becoming a sacrifice.
Furthermore, her teacher seemed to have lost most of his ability to communicate. Even if he received a warning, he might not be able to understand the exact meaning.
Hazel stood up without realizing it as she paced back and forth in the bedroom. Finally, she made up her mind as she pursed her lips and walked to the door.
She said to her personal maidservant outside, "I'm a little tired. I plan on sleeping now. Don't let anyone disturb me."
"Yes, Miss," the maidservant immediately replied.
After closing the door, Hazel began changing into clothes that made it easier for her to move around. Her expression was heavy as she bit her lips.
She finally decided to head to the manor in the suburbs to warn her teacher.
She didn't wish to become someone who looked arrogant but was actually cowardly, someone who would lose all her principles at the slightest danger!
That would only make her look down on her!
While the bodyguards were focused on the guests at the ball, Hazel entered the garden through the balcony's water pipe and left 39 Böklund Street. Klein was holding a glass of sparkling wine that had a rather sweet taste. He was discussing the Southern Continent's business with a few men.
He turned his head slightly and glanced at the garden. With his intuition, he had discovered Hazel's actions.
… Although she's not a girl with a likable character, she still has a conscience … Klein nodded indiscernibly as he praised inwardly.
He wasn't worried about Hazel's actions at all. This was because going from North Borough's Böklund Street to the Macht family's manor in the northwestern suburbs of Baekeland would take three to five hours, even by carriage. And before that, he could find an excuse to leave the ball and directly teleport over to confirm the situation.
Although the Macht family's manor was in the northwestern suburbs, it was on the other side of the Tussock River. Therefore, if he wanted to reach it, he needed to take a detour to a place with a bridge. If it was still fine during the day, he could use the steam subway to head south of the bridge from the bottom of the river. But at night, he could only consider one of the three long bridges. It was inevitable that it would take him five hours.
Of course, as Klein had used Tinder before and had read the information on 2-105 blood vessel thief, he had a certain understanding of the Marauder pathway's powers. Therefore, he suspected that Hazel, who had an item of a higher level, could "steal" a bird's flight ability and use that short period of time to cross the river. This way, she might only need three hours to reach her destination.
But regardless, I'm faster than her … Klein retracted his gaze and considered who he should invite to be his dance partner.
…
Ten at night, in the Moose Manor in the northwestern suburbs of Baekeland.
It originally belonged to a viscount and had a history of more than a hundred years. Member of Parliament Macht had bought it after his marriage, and he would spend a sum of money to renovate it every year so that he could invite his friends over for a vacation during the weekends in autumn and winter.
At this moment, the manor steward was arranging for the servants to check the various areas and close the doors and windows. This was something they did before bed every day.
After a few maidservants came out of the wine cellar, they headed straight for the kitchen to confirm that all the flames that needed to be extinguished had been extinguished.
Just as they arrived, they heard a squeaking sound. When they focused their gazes, they discovered a grayish-white rat gnawing at the leg of a long table.
The rat seemed to sense their attention as it didn't run away. Instead, it turned its head and stared at them with slightly reddened eyes.
At the same time, more squeaking sounds were heard. On the roof beams, beside the lockers, in the storeroom, and beside the stove that was boiling hot water, rats with reddened eyes crawled out one after another.
The maidservants jumped in fright and nearly screamed.
As members of the lower echelons of society, they were no strangers to rats. They had even killed some in the past, but this was the first time they had encountered so many at once. It left them feeling an intense mental blow.
"Let's find Geder. Geder and the rest will handle it," a maidservant suggested in fear as she retreated from the kitchen.
Another maidservant nodded immediately.
"Miss Hazel was bitten by a crazy rat … This doesn't look normal either!"
As they spoke, they retreated further and further away from the kitchen.
At this moment, a figure quickly outlined itself on the long table in the kitchen. He was wearing a white shirt, a black vest, a dark formal suit, a half top hat, and a pair of shiny leather boots.
The figure pressed down on his hat and slowly raised his head. He surveyed his surroundings, revealing his black hair, brown eyes, thin face, and sharp features. He was none other than the German Sparrow.
After leaving the ball early, Klein returned to Dawn Dantès's residence, entered his bedroom, and teleported over with Enuni.
Of course, the latter had been placed outside the manor so that he could switch locations at any time.
As rats entered his sight, Klein tugged at the human-skinned glove on his left hand and cast his gaze at the area where the manor's flowers were planted.
Almost at the same time, all the rats in the kitchen jolted as their movements turned sluggish. However, it didn't take long for them to return to normal.
They had already become the marionettes of a Bizarro Sorcerer.
As for Klein, the limit of marionettes he could control was fifty. Once he finished digesting the potion, there would still be an increase!
PS: Seeking monthly recommendation votes on Monday ~
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