Inside the captain’s cabin, Cattleya slowly got up from the floor and walked in silence to the full-length mirror next to the bookcase.
In the mirror, the skin on her face was fair and smooth, without a single crack. Her ears were small and normal, showing no signs of expanding. Her deep purple eyes were calm, as if nothing had happened.
However, she could see more with her eyes that carried a sense of mystery.
Hidden beneath her skin were eye-like flesh and blood that hadn’t fully dissolved; her Soul Body, whose pain and madness were rapidly dispersing; innumerable illusory objects with ineffable forms that roamed about; sailors who were cleaning the deck several rooms away…
Everything within a range of a few dozen meters was revealed to her in an unobscured but unusually chaotic manner.
From the day she had become a Sequence 5 Constellations Master, her Mystery Pryer powers had been greatly enhanced. She could faintly see that there were thick curtains around her that resembled shadows, and behind the curtains, something seemed to be watching her and all living beings.
It was inevitable that she had some predictions about Mr. Fool’s identity, but this was only guesswork without any evidence.
She put the thick glasses on her nose, hiding her deep purple eyes. Everything that didn’t appear under a normal person’s vision quickly disappeared from her sight.
Cattleya stood there, thinking again about the influence Mr. Fool and the so-called “Tarot Club” would have on her.
Unknowingly, a tall figure surfaced in her mind. The words that she would never forget had once again echoed in her ears.
…
In the ancient and majestic palace above the gray fog.
Klein’s fingers tapped the edge of the long, mottled table as he made all the tarot cards on the table disappear.
He was thinking about what the subsequent developments would be after the Admiral of Stars joined the Tarot Club.
Klein exhaled as he vanished from above the gray fog.
…
Backlund. Beneath Saint Samuel Cathedral.
A red-gloved Nighthawk entered the temporary office assigned to them, with a telegraph in hand.
“Captain, something happened at Enmat Harbor,” he said to Soul Assurer Soest with some excitement.
Soest touched the right side of his hair and asked, “What happened?”
“There’s a new development from The Fool, the one the Aurora Order is seeking.” The member holding the telegraph handed the piece of paper over.
His answer immediately attracted the attention of several Red Gloves who were present, including the man with black hair and green eyes who was taking an afternoon nap with his chair lifted up and his feet on the table. He had covered his face with his hat.
Soest took over the telegraph and scanned it before immediately laughing.
“Someone lied by claiming to be his Blessed in an attempt to scam others, but after chanting his name, he was smote to death on the spot by a bolt of lightning.
“There really is a hidden existence known as The Fool…”
The files relating to the Tarot ritual and The Fool had been handed over to Soest’s Red Gloves team. They were in charge of the investigations, but there were no leads, and they didn’t put much emphasis on it because they had other missions on hand.
“The Fool has powers in the lightning domain?” Leonard Mitchell removed the black hat from his face.
“Who knows? If he’s the embodiment of some old friend of ours, it’s possible to do something similar by preparing a corresponding mystical item. It’s not without precedent. This is especially so for the fake gods in the Southern Continent and the colonial islands. Holy Lord of Storms, those cheats claim that The Fool is another manifestation of the Lord of Storms. This might also be why he was smitten to death.” Soest leisurely threw the telegraph aside.
Leonard glanced at it, lowered his feet, half turned, and chuckled.
“Aren’t we going to perform some investigations?”
“How? Are you going to feign ignorance and recite his honorific name?” Soest sneered.
“But he could just as easily not respond.” Soest shook his head.
“We can start from the two cases that involved the tarot rituals. I’m more and more convinced that it has something to do with The Fool. Firstly, The Fool is one of the Major Arcana tarot cards. Secondly, the organization that is seeking or cracking down on his Blessed is the Aurora Order. And the first case that involved the tarot ritual is the Lanevus case. As such, the Aurora Order’s attempt to allow the True Creator’s descent was foiled.” Lanevus pulled at his black vest and got up.
Soest thought about it seriously and said, “The clues from the other cases happen to have been cut off as well. For now, we have nothing else to do. You can try to investigate the two tarot ritual cases.”
“Sure.” Leonard smiled back.
This was exactly what he wanted. With a case that no one cared about being handed to him, he had won a certain amount of time to act freely.
…
At 2:50 p.m., Fors returned from the cold streets to her residence while trembling.
It wasn’t that she wanted to go out in this damp, cold weather, but it was that she had run out of food at home. As for Xio, she had gone all the way to Pritz Harbor to capture a fugitive and collect the bounty. It was unknown when she would be able to return home.
She entered the house, put the food away, and took off her thick coat that tightly clung to her body. Fors began to look through the letters.
Suddenly, her eyes lit up. There was a letter from her teacher, Dorian Gray.
After she advanced to Trickmaster, the first thing she did was to write about it in her letter and mail it to Dorian Gray, hoping to receive her teacher’s praise and subsequent guidance. However, days had passed without her receiving a reply. For a moment, she wondered if she should visit Pritz Harbor out of concern.
Fors quickly opened the envelope and began to read through it.
“… I’m sorry that I have only replied now. I previously left Pritz Harbor for some time for a relative’s funeral.
“… Your talent leaves me gratified. Perhaps the stories hidden in your heart have helped you in acting. After you digest the Trickmaster potion, I’ll provide you with the Sequence 7 Astrologer formula and some ingredients, as well as a gift…
“… The crux when it comes to acting as a Trickmaster lies in ‘performing’ and ‘hoodwinking.’ Hoodwinking can also be replaced with deceit. This has been verified by generations of Beyonders… You can take into consideration other pathways like Swindler and Magician. The meaning behind their names is, in some sense, similar…”
Fors heaved a sigh of relief, glanced up at the wall clock, and hurried back to her bedroom before locking the door behind her.
The weekly Tarot Gathering was beginning.
Not long after, a crimson light flooded her eyes, drowning everything.
In the ancient and mysterious palace, just as Fors was about to look at Mr. Fool, she suddenly saw a figure beside her.
That seat had always been empty!
While feeling puzzled and expectant, she discovered a problem. The women were on one side of the table, while the men were on the other side.
“Good afternoon, Mr. Fool~”
