Lord of Mysteries 2: Circle of Inevitability

In the basement of 19 Rue Scheer, Lumian encountered Mr. K.

If he hadn't witnessed Mr. K transform into flesh and blood to envelop Moran Avigny and subsequently suffer holy light damage from the Purifiers, Lumian wouldn't have believed that the energetic, black-hooded man before him had recently infiltrated the Intis Republic's Minister of Industry's residence and carried out an assassination.

"You're back from the Southern Continent?" Mr. K's voice was as deep and raspy as ever.

Instead of sitting in the red armchair, he stood directly in front of Lumian, in the shadows projected by the crystal chandelier.

Lumian didn't hide anything and smiled. "I'm back to do a favor for a friend. I'll be leaving again in the future. As you know, I can teleport."

Mr. K's expansive hood swayed gently, as if nodding.

He said with relief, "The fact that you still remember to come here and praise the Lord's glory after returning to Trier proves I didn't misjudge you."

Lumian, having just completed the prayer process with Mr. K, felt guilty and ashamed.

He cut to the chase.

"I saw you assassinate Moran Avigny."

Under his hood, Mr. K's gaze suddenly took on a tangible quality, and the shadows around him flickered.

After a few seconds, the Aurora Order Oracle asked in a hoarse voice, "You were there?"

Lumian maintained a relaxed demeanor as he replied, "Yes. Your assassination method bore the hallmarks of a Rose Bishop and was suspected of using Grazing to teleport. Even with just the Purifiers' information, it wouldn't be hard for me to guess it was you. But I admit, I was indeed present."

"Where were you hiding?" Mr. K inquired.

Lumian replied with a smile, "In the mirror Moran Avigny fled into."

At this, Mr. K's black robe fluttered despite the still air, as if countless flesh and blood were cheering beneath.

Unable to hide his excitement, he asked, "And now? Have you captured Moran Avigny?"

"Yes." Lumian nodded solemnly.

"Hahaha! Hahaha!" Mr. K half-raised his body, revealing his thin chin, and erupted into maniacal laughter.

His laughter made Lumian's ears ring. Light and shadows danced in the basement, the stench of blood permeating the air.

Finally, Mr. K stopped laughing and spoke with unnerving fanaticism,

"Just as the Lord arranged. Piousness is indeed the only way out!"

He began tracing a cross on his chest.

"Praise you for creating all. Praise you for bearing the world's sins!"

Lumian also praised the Aurora Order's True Creator.

Mr. K smiled and sighed.

"I had planned to assassinate Moran Avigny in the coming days, but hadn't set a date. However, when I saw him at the window this evening, gazing at the distant scenery, I sensed something off about his emotional state.

"Fearing something might go wrong, I hastily launched the operation and failed.

"I was about to repent to the Lord and shoulder my sins when you arrived and told me you had captured Moran Avigny.

"What does this signify?

"It means the Lord has prearranged everything. We need only pray, act, and do things with devotion. Nothing else matters.

"With piousness, failure is a stepping stone to success. Without it, even success leads to failure."

In previous conversations with Mr. K, Lumian had always felt a language barrier. He understood the words but couldn't truly grasp the fanatical state.

But this time, his heart raced and a chill ran down his spine.

Could the Under the Table transaction I initiated through the Authority Holder's Under-the-table Transaction be connected to the Aurora Order's Lord?

Is that why Moran Avigny suddenly risked leaving through the study mirror? Why he came to the study to assess the environment, weighing the risks as he feigned reading…

So, after I compelled Moran Avigny's fate, Mr. K hurried to the study to assassinate him, forcing him to flee to the nearest mirror—the full-body one we hid in…

During the transaction, we paid with the Blood Gold ring, derived from the Beyonder characteristic of a Sequence 6 Rose Bishop of the Secrets Suppliant pathway…

Lumian chose to share his feelings with Mr. K but concealed his fear and the power of Compelling Fate. He attributed all the developments to the Authority Holder's Under-the-table Transaction.

Despite his frenzied laughter, Mr. K remained composed. Solemnly and fanatically, he said, "The Lord watches, the Lord listens, and the Lord knows."

Lumian had heard Madam Magician say similar words before but hadn't felt their weight. He hadn't even been troubled, knowing it was futile. But now, every hair on his body stood on end, a chill running down his spine.

He sensed eyes watching him from every shadow.

The more he experienced and learned, the more acutely he felt the terror and oppression of those three short sentences.

After a few seconds, Lumian praised the True Creator again and asked, "Mr. K, why did you assassinate Moran Avigny? My friends and I dealt with him because the real Moran Avigny is dead. The active one is a Mirror Person. What about you?"

"Mirror Person? No wonder he has Mirror Substitution. That's precisely what I didn't anticipate—causing the assassination to fail," Mr. K sighed with realization.

Pacing back and forth, he told Lumian,

"Recent cases in Intis have led to an organization called the School of Truth. They used degenerates from cults and official organizations to achieve certain goals. For example, a descendant of Poli vanished mysteriously, and closely monitored pages from Roselle's diary disappeared."

Poli? One of Emperor Roselle's Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse? A descendant of his has vanished? Lumian's eyelids twitched at the thought.

Jebus Lata had mentioned the School of Truth's three goals: finding clues about the fallen heaven, Emperor Roselle's final mausoleum, and 0-05, the Magic Wishing Lamp.

The Fourth Epoch Trier's seal had just been breached. For now, Intis's official organizations were unlikely to overlook anything. As for 0-05, Emperor Roselle's eldest daughter Bernadette held it. The School of Truth admitted they couldn't handle the Element Dawn leader yet. They wanted more boons before trying.

In other words, two of the three targets required long-term planning from the School of Truth. That left clues about Emperor Roselle's final mausoleum. Jebus mentioned having no relevant clues himself. Whether the Overseer did was uncertain.

Combined with Mr. K's account, Lumian had a bad feeling.

Could the School of Truth already possess crucial clues about Emperor Roselle's final mausoleum?

Mr. K continued, "We're investigating these matters, as is Element Dawn.

"We recently discovered Moran Avigny's involvement in some cases. He seemed to be a key figure in the School of Truth."

"Then why assassinate him instead of capturing him?" Lumian felt Mr. K's previous actions aimed to kill Moran Avigny.

Mr. K chuckled raspily.

"Killing him is simpler than capture. And after his death, an abnormality will undoubtedly occur. The official Beyonders will find a way to communicate with his spirit. Then, the authorities will investigate the School of Truth to thwart their plan.

"Isn't that our goal?

"Plus, we can shadow the authorities to track down School of Truth members."

You, an Aurora Order Oracle, have also learned to "report" and exploit the authorities? Lumian found it amusing.

If not for needing more information about the Mirror People, he, Franca, and the others could have simply forced Moran Avigny to show signs of abnormality, avoiding so much trouble.

Lumian delved into more details with Mr. K, increasingly sensing the School of Truth was close to locating Emperor Roselle's final mausoleum.

Without delay, he expressed his urgency to return and interrogate Moran Avigny to prevent mishaps.

"Do you need my help?" Mr. K inquired.

Lumian responded with a smile, "Not for now. We have a Hypnotist, the Bliss Society's truth serum, and a Demoness skilled in spirit channeling."

He didn't mention also having Fate Appropriator abilities.

During Fate Appropriation, Lumian could "see" all of Moran Avigny's past and present fates, and most fate tributaries. But the duration was limited, only allowing extraction of the most pertinent information.

"Alright, let me know if you need anything." Mr. K sized up Lumian with admiration.

…

Finding a secluded spot to teleport back to the safe house, Lumian surveyed the area and said to Franca, "Use Mirror Cufflink's ability to take us back to the underground quarry cave."

This would prevent accidents from affecting the neighborhood.

Lumian had already teleported multiple times that day and even altered Moran Avigny's fate. Previously, he had played the Symphony of Hatred and triggered a series of weakness assaults. The immense expenditure left him with spirituality for only seven to eight more teleports and no further accumulation.

In this situation, using Beyonder items when possible was only natural.

Understanding Lumian's state, Franca didn't hold back on the Mirror Cufflink's charges. She only asked Lumian to carry the colossal dog and keep it from touching her.

She then made the glass cufflink on her blouse glow, leading Lumian and the others into the room's mirror. Through the dark, empty tunnel, they appeared in the quarry cave with a fixed entrance to the mirror world.

Franca took out the truth serum and tossed it to Anthony Reid with a friendly smile. "Feed some to Moran Avigny and have a good chat with him."