Chapter 8: The Secret Room
"As for this partnership plan, let's put it on hold for a while. Otherwise, as Emperor Roselle once said, the Adrian Law Firm will become 'a target for many arrows,' which wouldn't be ideal for future development. However, if you plan to become a judge or if any unforeseen changes occur at the firm, this plan could come in handy."
Roselle, you're everywhere, aren't you! No wonder Klein rants about you so much. You've used up every possible opportunity for a transmigrator to show off. What's left for the rest of us?
"Understood." Rolls could only agree. It seemed this plan would have to wait until he formally stepped into the Beyonder world and no longer had the energy to manage the firm. Though, come to think of it, he had never really managed the place anyway!
"Alright, that's all for today." Edmund picked up his walnut cane leaning against the wall, stood up, and headed for the door.
"Let me see you out." Rolls stood up quickly. Being around such a formal old gentleman and elder made him feel restless every second.
"No need," Edmund replied at the door, turning back. "During your time off, remember to socialize more with other law firms and maintain good relationships with the senior solicitors in your own firm. You can't expect a sixty-year-old man like me to handle everything for you!"
"Right, okay..." What else could Rolls say? He could only nod in compliance.
"And another thing—attend more balls, banquets, and salons. The Adrian family depends on you for its lineage!"
Seeing Rolls's awkward grin, Edmund tapped his cane in exasperation. "I'm leaving! Go back inside!"
Rolls watched Edmund depart. If he walked him any further, who knew what else the old man might lecture him about?
...
Rolls hired a two-wheeled hansom cab nearby and returned to his residence on Gatton Street in the West District. It was a two-story garden villa with over a dozen rooms, complete with stables and servant quarters.
Perhaps because Mason had spent his early years sleeping on rented floors, he had a deep obsession with property, preferring to buy rather than rent. Even when Rolls rebelliously moved to Tingen for school—a stay that would last seven years at most—Mason had purchased a small villa there worth about 1,500 pounds.
Since Rolls's return from Tingen, that villa, along with two other properties the Adrian family owned in Backlund, had been rented out. After taxes, these three properties brought in an annual income of roughly 800 pounds.
The garden villa Rolls currently occupied was worth nearly 7,000 pounds. However, Rolls lived there alone. After Mason's death, Rolls's predecessor had dismissed the butler and servants before returning to Tingen for six months to finish his studies. Since returning to Backlund, he had been entirely absorbed in work, often sleeping in the firm's lounge and only hiring cleaners periodically for the villa.
Rolls had no intention of rehiring servants. He carried too many secrets and was a Beyonder; the Law of Beyonder Characteristic Convergence could attract other Beyonders of neighboring pathways at any time. Moreover, this was the border between Backlund's wealthy and aristocratic districts; Beyonders of the "Arbiter" pathway were practically everywhere here.
If he ended up like the protagonist in The Return of Mr. Fool and hired a bunch of problematic servants... well, he wasn't Klein. Klein was the Evernight Goddess's favored "cat" and possessed Sefirah Castle. Rolls, on the other hand, might just drop dead in an instant.
Rolls suspected Mason had lived here to gather intelligence. The West District housed many wealthy elites, and Empress Borough—where the nobles resided—was only a street away. Just past the adjacent Williams Street lay Empress Borough. Given the exorbitant housing prices, Mason's status hadn't quite fit the neighborhood.
However, since Mason had lived here for nearly thirty years, his identity must have been verified by the local "Nighthawks" squad. It was unclear whether Byrd Mastang, the "Viscount of Fear," had helped cover for him or if Mason had done it himself.
In the original story, Loughty Pound, a descendant of the Tudor family, had managed to deceive Klein's spirit channeling and hypnosis. Though Klein was only a Sequence 8 "Clown" at the time, he was still of the "Seer" pathway. Had Klein not possessed Sefirah Castle as a trump card, he would have been completely fooled.
But Mason was a "Lawyer"! Lawyers were experts at finding linguistic loopholes and telling the truth in a way that avoided the main issues. Every word a lawyer says might be true, but that doesn't mean they are being honest; constructing a lie using only truths is a lawyer's specialty.
With a creak, Rolls opened a storage room inside the villa. Inside was a discarded basement cellar discovered by his predecessor, which had since become his secret room.
Cough, cough...
Rolls burst into a coughing fit. This secret room hadn't been opened in nearly a year. Combined with the lack of ventilation, the air inside was practically stagnant.
After waiting a few minutes for the air to clear, Rolls stepped inside. He turned on the gas lamp, and the warm yellow glow immediately spilled down the long stairs, illuminating the gloomy basement.
The room wasn't large. An oak bookshelf stood against one wall, next to a dark red desk cluttered with books. Dust coated the table, the books, and the glass of the bookshelf.
"Looks like there will be no studying today."
Rolls sighed, but a surge of secret joy rose in his heart. After all, studying was mentally taxing. Furthermore, because his predecessor hadn't taken these studies seriously, Rolls couldn't take any shortcuts; he had to learn everything from scratch.
Wait... when did I start thinking like this?
Rolls frowned. This wasn't consistent with his personality. In his past life, if something wasn't urgent, he might procrastinate for a few days, but never for long. When it came to important matters—especially those concerning his survival—he never delayed.
The same thing had happened at noon while he was planning his future. Despite knowing things might get difficult, he had felt perfectly justified lying on the sofa for hours. If Uncle Robert hadn't arrived, he might still be lying in his office.
Is it the influence of the potion? But both his predecessor and he had almost completely digested it. He only needed a proper opportunity to advance to Sequence 8.
Or is it an effect of the transmigration? But he didn't feel anything wrong with himself! It was a pity Lawyers didn't have Spirit Vision; they could only sense emotions through actions and expressions.
Could it be the reason my predecessor lost control, or perhaps the reason I transmigrated?
"How long has it been since you last came here?"
A man's voice suddenly rang out!
Rolls whipped his head around, looking toward the entrance of the secret room at the top of the stairs in horror.
Who is it?!