I think? If I knew the answer, how could I be here? I would have found a way to indirectly pass the information! Leonard muttered silently, mulling over his words.
During this process, he discovered that although he was standing upright and looking down at Dwayne Dantès, the wealthy gentleman lounging leisurely in his armchair actually had the upper hand in presence, like a high-ranking figure casually listening to a subordinate's report.
This made Leonard somewhat uncomfortable. He glanced around, pulled over a chair, and half-habitually, half-deliberately leaned back as he sat down, saying:
"I think he, or rather you, are looking for something.
"When he was in Tingen, he infiltrated the Nighthawks to look for something. In Backlund, he sneaked through the Chanis Gate also to look for that same thing!
"The first time, he found nothing, so he used Ince Zangwill's attack to fake his death and escape.
"The second time, he still didn't find what he sought, and thus took nothing, leaving the Chanis Gate directly!"
In these few sentences, Leonard used a confident tone to reveal that he already knew Gehrman Sparrow was Sherlock Moriarty was Klein Moretti, aiming to create a sense of pressure and keep Dwayne Dantès from staying calm or trying to prevaricate.
So he did dig up my grave... Klein sighed inwardly, picked up his glass of red wine, and gently swirled it as he said:
"Do you think we would make two reckless attempts without definite intelligence? Keep in mind, there's only one chance for this kind of thing. Once you fail, it means no possibility of success.
"So who would rely on actions to test hypotheses when the target isn't even certain?"
He tacitly admitted to my claim: Klein Moretti is Gehrman Sparrow, a member of the secret organization that believes in "The Fool," the "Black Emperor" of the chivalrous thieves... Leonard tried not to frown, crossing his right leg over his left as he said:
"So, it wasn't that he didn't find it, but other factors led to failure?
"In those two stages, the only things common between Tingen's Saint Selena Cathedral and Backlund's Saint Samuel Cathedral were two items: the sealed artefact '2-049' and the Antigonus family notebook.
"The Antigonus family notebook... Is it that? Klein Moretti joined the Nighthawks precisely because of that notebook!"
Although the reasoning process is flawed, the answer is correct... Klein chuckled and said:
"Our minds aren't meant to be decorations.
"If his goal was the Antigonus family notebook, there would have been no need for him to join the Nighthawks at all. He had plenty of opportunities before you obtained it.
"And even after you acquired it, he wasn't lacking in possibilities to get his hands on it. You should understand the situation at that time better than I do.
"Moreover, if his target was the Antigonus family notebook, why didn't he take it this time?"
Thus rebutted by Dwayne Dantès's sneer, Leonard Mitchell realized that this sudden thought was full of logical contradictions. He felt embarrassed and a little annoyed.
He quietly took a breath and said:
"Then why did he use different methods to infiltrate the Chanis Gate twice? And this time, he not only took nothing but also left nothing and entered a strange state himself."
As Leonard finished, he saw the graying-at-the-temples Dwayne Dantès reveal a meaningful smile:
"As for the latter, I don't know the reason either. Perhaps you should ask the Goddess of the Night."
Goddess? What does he mean? Leonard was startled and suspicious, unable to imagine what exactly had happened behind the Chanis Gate in Saint Samuel Cathedral.
Then he heard Dwayne Dantès chuckle deeply and say:
"As for your first question, I think you may have misunderstood something.
"Our organization's members come from different places and join for different purposes, choosing to change their faith. Before that, their lives still belong to themselves.
"Just like me: I have a past and a present. The reason I came here is because of the surname I chose for myself."
Dantès... "The Return of the Count"... He joined the secret organization that believes in "The Fool" for revenge and came to Backlund? Leonard nodded thoughtfully.
Klein paused for a few seconds, casually sipped his red wine, smiled, and continued:
"Similarly, he, who came back to life due to the curse of the Antigonus family notebook, also came to exact revenge."
Klein deliberately mentioned his current surname — "Dantès" — and the word revenge, to proactively distinguish himself from Gehrman Sparrow/Klein Moretti, to prevent Leonard from later thinking that the two had similar goals and commonalities, and perhaps suspecting a deeper connection.
—Bringing this up on his own could form a mindset in the listener, making them unconsciously follow the logic of the words and treat Dwayne Dantès and Klein Moretti as two completely different people, whose only common point was a desire for revenge. And in this world, there are certainly more than just these two avengers.
Leonard unconsciously lowered his crossed leg and leaned forward slightly:
"Revenge?
"Against whom does he want revenge?"
After asking, the elegant and handsome middle-aged gentleman in his eyes slightly curled his lips:
"Lanevus, and...
"Ince Zangwill."
"Ince Zangwill..." Leonard repeated, his expression involuntarily shifting several times before finally calming down.
His green eyes gazed forward, briefly losing focus, lost in thought.
Hoo... After a long silence, Leonard exhaled and unclenched his instinctually tightened hands.
His voice slightly hoarse, he asked:
"Was Lanevus really killed by him?"
"Of course." Klein sighed inwardly and responded calmly.
Leonard opened his mouth as if wanting to say something, but failed to speak and tightly pressed his lips together.