"Bernadette has finally left Backlund, so I can begin preparing to steal the Black Emperor card."
Inside the Hall of Stars, Hastur had not left yet.
He was pondering how to retrieve the Black Emperor card from the Roselle Memorial Exhibition after Bernadette's departure from Backlund.
He hadn't acted before because his strength wasn't enough. But now, after advancing to Sequence 7, he believed he had the ability to take it.
While Bernadette was still in Backlund, he refrained from trying in order to avoid discovery. Now was the perfect chance.
Sequence 9 Lawyer, Sequence 8 Barbarian, Sequence 7 Briber…
Hastur considered the Beyonder abilities those three sequences had granted him.
A direct robbery was impossible. Stealing it secretly was the only way that fit his needs.
After some thought, a simple plan came to mind.
He could use the Beyonder power of the Briber to recruit a criminal as a subordinate. As long as that person could touch the Black Emperor card, he would have them immediately sacrifice it to the Hall of Stars.
Then, have them kill themself, cutting off any trail of investigation.
But after considering it for a moment, Hastur rejected the idea. Something this thrilling, of course, he had to do himself.
Though he was already a Sequence 7 Briber, he'd had very few opportunities to truly use his powers and was seriously lacking in practical experience.
This was the perfect chance to learn how to use all his abilities.
For example, he could study Klein's experience stealing the Black Emperor card, using the connection between spirit body and the Hall of Stars to obtain it.
For him, this wasn't difficult, after all, with Klein's precedent, he only needed to imitate.
Still, he wanted to try handling it on his own first. If it didn't work, then he would fall back on Klein's method.
At present, his three Chains of Order granted him three kinds of Beyonder abilities, authorities?
Preserving his life in any situation from the first Chain of Order; the ability to influence Fate from the second Chain of Order; and the authority of Secrecy from the third Chain of Order.
Combined with the Lawyer pathway's ability to distort rules within a certain range…
If he could use all of that well, sneaking into the Roselle Memorial Exhibition to steal the Black Emperor card shouldn't be too difficult.
The next day, Hastur deliberately rose early.
He changed into new trousers, a shirt, and a formal tailcoat, put on a silk soft hat, selected a golden pocket watch, and a gold-inlaid wooden cane.
Before leaving, he even applied a bit of subtle cologne.
Butler Neil was very pleased with Hastur's attire today, instructing the maids to make sure he looked handsome and dashing.
If Neil knew Hastur was only going to the Roselle Memorial Exhibition rather than on a date, he'd surely be disappointed.
Hastur chuckled, then left by carriage.
No. 2 Emperor's Street, the Kingdom Museum.
Though it wasn't the weekend, many had come to visit the Roselle Memorial Exhibition, and a long line had already formed at the entrance.
Hastur waited patiently, reflecting on Roselle's brilliant public image that still held such influence even now. No wonder he had been able to resist the corruption of the Mother Goddess of Depravity for so long.
Soon, Hastur followed the crowd into the Museum, joining a female guide who was explaining Roselle's history as she led them into the Memorial Exhibition.
Entering the first hall, the attractive guide cheerfully introduced: "Here are the everyday items used by Emperor Roselle."
Hastur also spotted the golden toilet that had once shocked and envied Mr. Fool.
Inwardly, he cursed, Corruption!
So much gold, yet it was used to make a toilet. Truly treating money as waste.
After the daily-life exhibition came the hall showcasing Roselle's drafts, manuscripts, and even priceless historical artifacts like the Civil Code.
Taking advantage of the guide flipping through Roselle's diary, Hastur peeked at the contents.
Aside from complaints and grumblings, there was little of real value.
"This is one of his love poems. This is a bracelet he crafted himself. This is the manuscript of one of his novels… This is a toy he made for his children. These are the building blocks he invented…"
The guide spoke with eyes full of reverence and obsession as she described the items.
Hastur simply kept a polite distance, quietly listening.
When she read aloud one of Roselle's love poems, a few affectionate gazes were directed at him.
He kept smiling without shifting his eyes in the slightest.
Only when those heated gazes faded did he let out a tiny sigh of relief.
Crowds, this was the problem with them.
Come to think of it, when Klein first visited the Roselle Memorial Exhibition, he had run into Bernadette. Could it be that he too would… And indeed, there she was!
Before a display case stood a tall, slender woman, at least 1.7 meters, with long chestnut hair falling to her waist. She wore a bright, pale-red tiered dress, a delicate soft hat with fine veil shading her beautiful face.
There was no mistaking Bernadette. One glance was enough before Hastur quickly looked away, pretending not to notice, with no thought of greeting her.
She must have come today to take one last look at her father's relics before leaving Backlund.
Hastur followed the crowd onward. Bernadette did not approach him either, simply staying in the group, silently listening as the guide passionately narrated her father's life.
When they reached Roselle's study exhibit, Hastur grew serious.
Here was the book containing the Black Emperor card as a bookmark. With Bernadette right behind him, he could not afford the slightest abnormality.
Feigning deep interest in each book and manuscript, his gaze carefully swept across them, quickly spotting the card disguised as an ordinary bookmark.
But he only glanced, memorizing its location, then turned his attention elsewhere.
Bernadette seemed lost in thought, eyes misty, recalling her family's happy times when Roselle was still alive.
Come to think of it, this little Miss should be over a hundred years old by now, shouldn't she?
The guide was now explaining how Roselle cherished his children and wrote fanciful fairy tales for them.
With Roselle's eldest daughter standing here now, it really felt like a dislocation of time.
Hastur kept pace with the guide and left the study exhibit. This time, Bernadette did not follow.
After finishing the Memorial Exhibition, Hastur toured other areas of the museum.
Partly to familiarize himself with the layout, partly to avoid drawing Bernadette's attention.
He couldn't let her suspect that he had come specifically for the Roselle exhibit today.
By noon, around twelve, Hastur left the museum and chose a nearby restaurant for lunch.
He ordered a meal for himself, and another more refined dish.
If nothing unexpected happened, Bernadette should appear.
And sure enough, after only five minutes of enjoying his meal, she sat opposite him, picked up knife and fork, and began eating the dish he had ordered for her.
"You're interested in Roselle's diaries?" Her sudden question didn't catch Hastur off guard, he had been expecting her to probe.
"Diaries? You mean those manuscripts?" He showed just the right amount of curiosity.
"Yes. If you want to know more, I can tell you."
"You can read that mysterious script?"
"No, but I can tell you the secrets you want to uncover."
"I was only idly browsing. I had no intention of digging into any secrets."
Bernadette paused, smiling softly: "Your fondness for collecting Roselle's diaries isn't much of a secret."
"I'm merely curious about what Emperor Roselle left behind, so I buy some manuscripts."
"Have you discovered anything?"
"No. That script is far too difficult to learn. There's no way to reverse-engineer its meaning."
Hastur answered calmly, giving her no chance to set a trap.
"If you ever do manage to decode it, I hope you'll tell me."
"If I ever have such luck and wisdom." He maintained his polite smile.
"I have here the potion formula for Sequence 6 of the Black Emperor pathway, the Baron of Corruption. Do you want it?"
"Of course I do." Hastur's face lit up with joy, but in his heart he cursed: Miss Bernadette, you really chose the worst time!
If only he waited until he had already obtained the Black Emperor card, he wouldn't need to waste money on an extra formula.
But at this exact moment, this Bernadette, Roselle's dear daughter, had to sell him the Sequence 6 Baron of Corruption formula!
And he couldn't refuse. He even had to look delighted.
The frustration, the grievance, it was unbearable!
A Sequence 6 potion formula was worth around 2,000 gold pounds!
Ah, if only he had waited a while longer before visiting the Roselle Exhibition, he wouldn't have run into Bernadette.
'I really am foolish, truly… I only realized that Bernadette leaving Backlund was my chance to seize the Black Emperor card, but I never thought she might come to the Memorial one last time before departing…'