All the young nobles attending this salon knew that the matches held in the fighting arena at Unit 155 King's Avenue occasionally featured some miraculous abilities. However, the arena's explanation for this was that it was merely smoke and mirrors.
Few had ever doubted this, as everyone knew the matches there placed greater emphasis on spectacle.
Only now did it occur to some that there was a chance of there being actual Beyonders among those fighters... But they quickly dismissed the thought. After all, why would mysterious Beyonders participate in such matches for others' entertainment?
The young nobles present were still under their families' protection. They could only guess at the existence of the supernatural and Beyonders through scattered clues. They had little understanding of the Beyonder community and had not yet been exposed to Backlund's dark side...
The discussion about the Extraordinary case on Riverbay Avenue continued.
Theodore answered Joels' question, "Lelouch is very likely a Beyonder."
Then he smiled and added, "This week's matches will be extremely exciting because the opponents my cousin arranged for Lelouch are the two good friends of that deceased veteran fighter."
Edith, the daughter of Viscount Thomas, asked, "Won't the police arrest this fighter, Lelouch?"
"The arena and the police have always had a tacit understanding," Theodore explained, "When a criminal is found among the fighters, and that criminal still participates in the match as scheduled, the police will allow the fighter to compete once more if they are present. If the fighter dies in the arena, however, that would be counted as committing suicide to avoid punishment..."
"...If they win the match, the fighter will receive a large commission, and this money will be delivered to the person they designate. After that, they will be taken away by the police to stand trial for the case. Moreover, the arena occasionally bails out particularly promising fighters. The specific arrangements depend on the fighter's abilities and their choices."
Theodore paused for a moment, then added with a smile, "So if Lelouch appears on Sunday, this week's matches will definitely be extremely exciting!"
Joels, the initiator of this salon, said, "Are there any seats left? I want to go watch this week's matches."
"Me too!"
Several young nobles expressed their desire to attend the matches, including Audrey. At this moment, her feelings were somewhat complicated... she very much wanted to observe Lelouch again to see if he was actually a murderous demon.
Theodore said, "No problem, leave it to me."
...
~Afternoon, 51 Henry Street, Gale's Herbal Shop~
Odis was in the backyard continuing to write the 'Outline of Combat' when Max, a captain of the Machinery Hivemind, suddenly paid a visit...
Odis poured tea while asking a question he already knew the answer to, "What brings you here?"
"Captain Ikanser sent me to warn you that he can pretend to know nothing about the case on Riverbay Avenue, but he doesn't want similar incidents to happen again," Max said seriously.
Back when Odis was operating from Unit 176 Riverbay Avenue, he was still under strict surveillance by the Machinery Hivemind. They certainly knew he had some arrangements there. But what exactly those arrangements were, they had no clue.
This was the attitude of the Machinery Hivemind, and even the entire Church of the God of Steam and Machinery, towards Odis's research. They considered them just little gadgets made using Spirituality and didn't pay much attention to them.
Max had once provided some of Odis's research to the Church, wanting to see if Odis was researching how to resurrect his family. The Church's scholars gave a negative answer, so Max stopped paying attention to this line of Odis's research.
At that time, both the Church's scholars and Max felt that Odis's research was overly novel, but also somewhat absurd and impossible to realize.
Little did they know, that was only the theoretical part of Odis's research, and a very small part at that...
Late last night, after the incident on Riverbay Avenue occurred, the Machinery Hivemind remembered that it had once been one of Odis's bases. That's why they speculated that the perpetrator of last night's incident was likely Odis.
However, because Odis had provided information related to the 3N Party a long time ago, and they were well aware of what kind of scum the organization was, so Ikanser chose to turn a blind eye.
Odis smiled and said, "They suddenly showed up at my door. I didn't have time to seek your help, so I had no choice but to handle it this way." After this brief explanation, he asked, "Which official Beyonder organization took on this case?"
"The Nighthawks," Max did not hide it.
"I see," Odis said, "The character Lelouch will disappear very soon then." Then he changed the subject, "I contacted the Temperance Faction of the Rose School of Thought through some channels. It wasn't them who sent to alert us to that Werewolf's address."
Max pinched his forehead, sat down on a chair, and then asked, "Is the information reliable?"
"It's reliable," Odis believed Sharron had no reason to deceive the Queen Mystic.
Max sighed, "The lead is a dud..."
"Don't rush," Odis sat opposite Max and said with a smile, "We can always start from the motive. This is very likely a wild Beyonder who has a grudge against the Rose School of Thought, or simply a Beyonder who has a grudge with that 'Werewolf'. Knowing they weren't a match, they used this method to inform the official Beyonders about that Werewolf."
Max nodded slowly, then said, "I will continue to investigate the area around the Werewolf's residence and keep looking into that man named Bernie to see if I can find any new leads." Then he pointed out, "Have you considered that the other party might also be targeting you?"
"Yes, I did consider that possibility," Odis nodded, "But... but I'm just an informant for the Machinery Hivemind. Besides this house full of herbs, I don't have anything valuable. There's no reason for them to test me in such a meticulous manner."
Max nodded, thinking that it made sense. The two fell silent for a moment before Max said, "Let's both focus on gathering leads on this case."
From his experience, Max new that Bernie might never be found. Fortunately, this case has already eliminated one member of the Rose School of Thought. Even if the case were closed just like that, no one would say anything.
After discussing the case, Odis added, "Help me look into someone. He's a subordinate of Danesi from MI9."
As he spoke, he took out a portrait. It was a man in his thirties, with short hair and a very prominent Adam's apple, as if he had an egg stuck in his throat.
When Odis was negotiating with Danesi before, he noticed this subordinate looking at him with a somewhat strange expression. But it would be very dangerous for Odis to investigate someone from MI9 himself. It was better to entrust a member of the Machinery Hivemind to find an excuse to pull the files and take a look.
Max asked, "Why investigate him?"
"No specific reason, I just have a feeling something's off about him."
Max nodded, "I'll help you look into it, but I need a good excuse."
"Okay, I understand."
The two chatted for a while longer before Max took his leave...
Odis had just sat down when, unsurprisingly, he was visited by Simon.
The matter to be discussed today involved some confidential content, so the two talked directly in the backyard lounge.
Simon, who always had a fierce look on his face, now smiled somewhat flatteringly and said, "Your plan was really thorough and perfect. Just a couple of days ago, I was still worrying about offending the 3N Party. It wasn't until today that I realized you must have deliberately provoked them."
Odis smiled slightly and did not offer any comment on Simon's speculation.
Simon seemed to feel immensely encouraged. He continued, "I should have realized it sooner. If you could investigate my background, of course you could investigate the 3N Party's background. You must have known that the organization has a rule: whoever manages to kill a leader could take their place. That's why you provoked them and had me reveal the address in the South Borough. You set up an ambush there and killed one of the 3N Party's leaders."
Simon continued with a cheerful laugh, "I've been hiding since last night. The police couldn't find me, and they certainly won't find their way to you here. However, I still went to the fighting arena on King's Avenue to check if you had any matches scheduled this week. The arena's manager, Mr. Bishop, actually received me personally..."
"...He told me the police will also be at the arena on Sunday. As long as you are willing to become a leader of the 3N Party, he will step forward as a guarantor and would absolutely not let the police arrest you. But that day, you will have two matches, both in the evening. One around past seven, and one around past nine. The first match is a pure combat match. The second match is completely rule-free. You can use any weapon. Even if you kill someone inside, you won't have to worry about bearing any criminal responsibility."
Then Simon exclaimed, "It was only at that moment that I understood your goal was to become the leader of the 3N Party all along! Although I've heard the 3N Party doesn't have a great reputation, they can serve the nobility and get to know many upper-class figures in Backlund. In a few years, you could also become someone who holds great sway in Backlund."
Odis maintained his smile and still offered no evaluation. He suddenly took out his wallet, counted out six 10-pound notes, and handed them to Simon, "Lay low these next couple of days. By Sunday, you won't need to hide anymore."
"Thank you, Mr. Lelouch." Simon took the money with a smile, "Yes, yes, by Sunday, the police won't be investigating you anymore, so there will be no need to hide."
Odis suddenly said seriously, "At least half of these 60 pounds must go to your wife. Don't let them live under someone else's roof anymore."
"Thank you for your concern, Mr. Lelouch. I'll give her 30 pounds... no, all 60 pounds," Simon said with a laugh, "Once I become your subordinate, I'm sure to earn a lot of money. They won't have to live such a hard life anymore."
Odis merely nodded. Then after exchanging a few more words, he saw Simon out. He watched until the man got into a rental carriage and left, then coldly laughed, saying, "If I wanted to gain the favor of the nobility, why would I need to go through all this trouble?"
After saying this, he signaled to another rental carriage on the street.
That rental carriage quickly followed. The driver and the person in that carriage were subordinates of Enoch. Odis had stationed them there in the morning to wait for Simon...