A few days later, Klein was thrown into yet another of Garrison's tortures. All for the sake of purification, his head was shoved into a bucket of water and held under for several minutes. Aren and Garrison were surprised that Klein could hold his breath for so long.
While Klein suffered, Garrison and Aren discussed his ability to pass for a fish, and Garrison even decided that the next purification ceremony would be held in a fish tank. Unable to take it anymore, Klein yelled at Garrison, scolding him for extending the purification time that day. Garrison explained that it was because he had felt a strange, ominous energy coming out of Klein's room earlier. That only infuriated Klein further, since he could not believe he had been tortured over a hunch.
Just then Dunkel arrived with an invitation for Klein from Dalton, who claimed he wanted to apologize for his disrespect on the training grounds. Remembering how Dalton had behaved there, Klein smelled something fishy in the apology. He read the invitation and learned that it was for a hunting contest, and he found it suspicious that Dalton was inviting him over so soon after acting like a rabid dog.
Klein guessed that it must be a trap, but he still told Dunkel that he would honour the invitation. He glanced at the sword, knowing that with his new skill he could go there without worrying about being ambushed.
After his success in replicating the meteor sword technique, Klein had replayed it in his head countless times over the past few days. Thanks to that, he had realized he could perfectly mimic any technique he had seen even once. What he could not understand was how he had come to have this ability at all.
Dunkel quietly observed Klein for a while before agreeing to get the carriage ready for the journey to the hunting contest. Garrison offered to tag along, and Klein immediately declined, suspecting the priest was cooking up some new scheme to torture him. Garrison refused to back down, claiming that he had a bad feeling about the day.
Shortly after, they set out for Dalton's estate. Aren fell asleep on Garrison's leg not long after their departure. Klein was busy scolding Garrison for tagging along, but Garrison ignored the complaints and offered him a pillow for comfort. Klein turned it down, telling Garrison that the trip through the western forest was rough, and that he would feel better after getting some sleep. Garrison was touched that Klein was being so considerate, and Klein promptly shattered his hopes by explaining that he meant the pillow should be given to Aren.
After emotionally damaging the priest, Klein looked out of the carriage window and noted that the forest had really changed. Back in his time as Archmond, this same place had been covered with snow and corpses. Two hundred years later, that field of ice and bodies had become a lush forest. Klein guessed that all of this change must be Berkel's doing.
A few moments later, Dunkel informed Klein that they had arrived at the Conwell estate, Dalton's home. As soon as he stepped out of the carriage, Klein was met with a magnificent castle, a hundred times more lavish than even the Rheinland estate. Worse, the guests were enjoying a lavish feast for what was merely a young man's hunting contest.
While Klein was still scanning the place, Dalton arrived holding a bunch of large dogs and asked what he was staring at so intently. He then boasted about the estate, proudly letting Klein know that it had been built with money scammed off the main line of the Rheinland family.
While Dalton was busy mouthing off, Klein noticed that the dogs in his care were severely malnourished. Fed up with the entire display of vanity, Klein asked why the hunting contest had turned into a social gathering.
Sensing Klein's growing impatience, Dalton finally decided to begin the so-called hunt. With a smug grin he released the dogs, sending them charging into the forest. According to Dalton, bait had been scattered throughout the woods to give the animals a scent to track. He then revealed that the dogs had been deliberately starved, claiming that their hunger sharpened their sense of smell far beyond that of any human. Once they caught the scent and began pursuing the bait, he explained, the real hunt would begin.
Without warning, Dalton drew his bow, and before the dogs could get far he fired several arrows, effortlessly bringing down a few of them. Pleased with himself, he boasted about the kills and presented them as an example of what a successful hunt should look like.
At that moment Aren, who had been asleep in the carriage, wandered over while rubbing her eyes, still groggy from her nap. Dalton stopped her midway and patted her head, calling her Klein's pet maid. He even remarked that he did not know why Klein carried around such a tiny piece of dead weight.
Just as he was about to get more handsy, Klein grabbed Dalton's wrist and twisted it, warning him to back off. Klein glared at him, threatening to break his hand, and after twisting it for a moment, he let go.
Furious, Dalton bumped into Klein and told him to stop acting tough. Then he mounted a horse and mischievously invited Klein to follow him for the hunt.
Without hesitation Klein mounted another horse and told Dunkel to stay back with Aren. Dunkel warned that it was dangerous for him to go alone and offered to follow him in case of trouble. Klein refused, and told Dunkel to stay behind to monitor Garrison instead. He explained that if Garrison suddenly disappeared, it would mean something had gone wrong.
Klein then handed Dunkel a magic scroll and told him to tear it immediately the moment Garrison vanished. Once the scroll was torn, Klein explained, the linked crest would appear on the back of his hand. After dishing out his instructions, Klein rode off before Dunkel could protest, while Garrison quietly observed the whole exchange from a distance.