3 o'clock sharp.
Inside the ancient palace above the gray fog.
As the illusory crimson light surged, Audrey Hall appeared beside her seat at the long table.
She glanced around and immediately noticed that the long-absent "Tower" had finally returned to the gathering after three weeks.
When she first heard the news of Duke Negan's assassination, she had Suzie eavesdrop on her father, Earl Hall, and obtained some crucial information... for instance, the mysterious disappearance of Baron Larry; and how the one who intercepted the "Desire Apostle" was a high-sequence powerhouse riding a dragon, who even left a "Tower" card right in front of the Nighthawks...
Last night, she had confirmed this again through the Psychological Alchemy Society.
Based on all of this, she had reached the same conclusion as "The Hanged Man" Alger — Mr. Tower must have been carrying out the ritual to advance to the demigod during those three weeks!
Though she felt a little puzzled about Mr. Tower's motivation in intercepting the "Desire Apostle," she didn't think he had been the mastermind behind the duke's assassination.
As her thoughts flashed by, "Justice" Audrey stood up as usual, lifted her skirt slightly, and led the others on both sides in greeting. "Good afternoon, Mr. Fool~"
Klein, who had just been promoted to "Faceless Man" and was in a rather good mood, nodded lightly in response to the Tarot Club members' greetings.
As she sat back down and exchanged greetings with the others, Audrey relied on her abilities to capture everyone's expressions and behavior.
Mr. "Hanged Man" stole a glance at Mr. Fool with subtle curiosity, then looked toward Mr. Tower, his emotions tinged with envy... That meant, as a member of the Church of the Lord of Storms, he likely knew the full details of Duke Negan's assassination and had some guesses about Mr. Tower's current Sequence. Moreover, he must be quite eager to uncover the truth behind it...
Mr. Tower feels more and more unfathomable... He seems to naturally exude 'dragon might,' yet upon close observation, I can't detect anything... Is it just my imagination? Or are demigods inherently this terrifying? She also noticed that his mood was still quite good.
"Sun" seemed emotionally stable, with a hint of ease — which meant he believed the surveillance from the City of Silver had already been lifted...
She still couldn't read Mr. "World" clearly, nor Miss "Temperance"... Perhaps I'll need to reach a higher Sequence before I can sense what they're truly thinking.
Fors seemed relaxed but carried a trace of depression... Did becoming an apprentice of the Abraham family force her into something unfavorable?
Miss "Judgment" appeared even more authoritative than before... but why had her figure changed from before? Did she pad something beneath her clothes?
No, that's not right. The figure here is merely an astral projection — the appearance is largely based on one's self-perception... No need for physical alterations.
Huh? Mr. Tower seems to have noticed the small change in Miss Judgment's figure too... His emotions feel a little complicated... but mostly happy...
Hmm, Mr. Fool is still as mysterious, powerful, and impossible to read as ever.
As all these thoughts flashed through her mind, "Justice" Audrey looked toward the figure shrouded in gray fog and said, "Respected Mr. Fool, I've acquired four new pages of Roselle's diary."
These were copies she had obtained from the Psychological Alchemy Society. Since she had only brought it up last night, time was short — Islant had only managed to get her three pages, and the remaining one had been delivered that morning by Mr. Hilbert Alucard, who had introduced her into the Society.
"What reward do you want?" Klein asked with a smile.
Audrey thought for a moment, then cautiously asked, "I have a question... In the case of Duke Negan's assassination, was the person who intercepted the 'Desire Apostle' one of your Blessed? If so, I'd like to understand the reason behind it."
As she spoke, she glanced at Mr. Tower seated diagonally across from her.
Miss 'Justice'... no, Audrey Hall... why did she look toward Mr. Tower? Could it be that Mr. Tower was the one who killed Duke Negan? But didn't the newspapers say it was a serial killer disguised as a banker?
Hmm, Xio's been really busy lately. She'll finally be home tonight — I'll have to ask her for intel when she gets back.
Also, I should write to my teacher and ask if he has any of Roselle's diary pages... no, I'll call them 'notebooks' publicly... "Magician" Fors, despite her confusion, now felt both longing and motivation.
"The Hanged Man" Alger also turned his gaze over at this time, clearly very interested.
The reason? It's probably that Mr. Tower was helping his teacher eliminate hidden dangers... It really isn't that complicated...
While thinking that, Klein casually shook his head and smiled. "You'll have to ask Mr. Tower about that. If he agrees, you can transfer the reward for the diary pages to him."
As expected! both "Justice" and "The Hanged Man" thought to themselves.
With Mr. Fool's personal confirmation, their earlier speculation was undeniably verified.
"Justice" Audrey leaned forward and looked toward Tower with anticipation. "Is that okay?"
As she asked, the others also turned their attention toward him.
"Sure," Ebner replied with a relaxed smile. He then manifested two more diary pages and respectfully looked at Mr. Fool seated at the head of the table. "Together with my two pages, please count them toward my 'contribution.'"
Ever since he had used "Prophecy" to deduce that he might soon invite "World" and Edwina to explore Groselle's Travels, he had started saving up contributions — to make it harder for Klein to refuse.
After all, if the prophecy had led to that result, it meant the exploration likely couldn't proceed without "World."
As for Roselle's diary? That was something he had purchased from "Lion" Leon while in the City of Generosity, Bayam. It consisted of twenty pages, all containing content that the latter had personally witnessed while following the Emperor.
Excluding the parts that overlapped with the pages he had already handed over to Klein, and the few pages he had given to Xio before the two Tarot Meetings he hadn't attended, he now had six pages left in his possession...
Ebner planned to submit them in batches. After all, he didn't know whether it was deliberate on the Emperor's part, but almost all of the content in those twenty pages seen by "Lion" Leon consisted of rather indecent material...
Of course, it was also possible that the Emperor simply hadn't minded the lion's presence when writing his diary after engaging in those shameful acts.
While recalling the eye-burning contents of the diary, Ebner saw that Mr. Fool nodded in approval. He then looked at "Justice" Audrey and asked:
"Would you prefer to speak privately?"
Audrey glanced around the long table and smiled. "No need. Please go ahead and speak."
Ebner took a moment to organize his thoughts before speaking at a calm and steady pace:
"The mastermind behind the assassination of Duke Negan is still that same organization I mentioned previously… the one with the motto, 'Whatever is spoken shall be known!'
"They once again used a Blasphemy Card as payment, luring the 'Desire Apostle' of the Blood Sanctify Sect into assassinating Duke Negan."
"That mysterious organization with the motto, 'Whatever is spoken shall be known'? Isn't that Intis and the Secret Order?" Audrey exclaimed in surprise.
She had previously considered that organization, especially since Mr. Tower had speculated that Zilingus's previous attempt to assassinate the Duke had likely been backed by them.
But the involvement of Baron Larry, along with the reasonable inferences drawn by the churches and the military, had caused her to shift her suspicions elsewhere.
After all, at the end of the day, she knew nothing about that organization—not even its name.
The same applied to "The Hanged Man" Alger.
"Baron Larry was merely used as a scapegoat to frame Intis. He might not have even been conscious at the time," Ebner said, shaking his head in explanation.
Had it been a few days earlier, he wouldn't have been so clear about Larry's role in the incident… But after meeting with Xio yesterday, she had conveyed to him Princess Vera's evasive remarks. That made him realize that this affair might also involve internal struggles within the Twilight Hermit Order...
And that Princess Vera had taken the opportunity to make her move!
After helping him with the fake identity, Closfia also mentioned that "Pride" had suffered a setback at the hands of the Princess, and that Larry had been taken away by her as well.
"Framed? Who did the framing? Is there a third-party organization involved in the scheme? Or could it be that the 'Whatever is spoken shall be known' group is trying to provoke a war between Intis and Loen?"
Audrey found this organization far too terrifying—because it was impossible to predict what they were trying to achieve… and yet they had the means to accomplish so many things.
"Maybe…" Ebner gave a vague reply after thinking for a moment.
After all, the Twilight Hermit Order was indeed fanning the flames of conflict, trying to trigger a war… but the scale of the war they desired was far greater.
"But why would they do that?" Audrey voiced the question that was on everyone's mind. Such a mysterious and elusive organization couldn't possibly be like the Aurora Order, full of nothing but destructive lunatics, right?
Of course, she didn't expect Mr. Tower to have the answer. After all, he hadn't been sure about the previous questions either, and this one likely exceeded the value of four diary pages...
If he really answered it fully, wouldn't he have to reveal Adam's background? Ebner grumbled internally. He was just about to bring up a few hints when he suddenly heard a tap tap tap knocking sound from nearby.
Everyone immediately straightened up and looked toward the seat of honor—this was a sign that Mr. Fool was about to speak.
Klein raised a finger and spoke in a seemingly casual tone:
"Their core purpose is resurrection—or rather, to awaken the true Creator.
"They interfere with the progress of history, molding it to suit their needs, so that at a certain point, their goal will be achieved.
"If the tide of the times diverges from their expectations, they will do everything they can to correct its course.
"Beyond that, they merely observe silently, indifferently. Perhaps for decades or even centuries, they won't take a single action or issue a single commission…"
This was the information extracted from the spirit of the "Desire Apostle."
All of this… just to ensure the so-called progress of history? And that's why they arranged for Duke Negan to be assassinated? That sounded absurd… but it was Mr. Fool who had said it, so it had to be true…
Perhaps Duke Negan—or rather, the Conservative Party—was an obstacle to the history they envisioned?
As expected, this organization is too dangerous… I think they're even harder to comprehend than the Aurora Order! At least nobody knows what kind of historical development they want to create…
Audrey, Alger, Xio—even Derrick and the newly joined Sharon—were all deep in thought.
Only Fors looked somewhat confused. "Desire Apostle"? Baron Larry? The "Whatever is spoken shall be known" organization? Historical progression? None of it matched what she had read in the newspapers.
After Mr. Fool finished speaking and said no more, Audrey stood up with some regret and bowed. "Thank you for your answer, Mr. Fool."
Then she turned to Ebner and added, "And thank you as well, Mr. Tower."
After completing the formalities, Audrey handed over the four pages of yellowish-brown diary pages she had materialized to Mr. Fool.
Ebner did the same after returning the gesture.
Klein accepted all six pages and first picked up the one Miss Justice had submitted. On it was written:
"October 16th — After another exchange with Mr. Door, I finally learned something that had puzzled me for a long time.
"That is, why Rhine Kalendia, as a vampire duke, chose to support the Black Emperor and became a noble under Solomon's rule.
"Mr. Door told me that there were many reasons… For example, Rhine was more favored by the progenitor Lilith than other vampires, which greatly displeased the higher-ups in the race—especially Blood Moon Queen Auernia—who subtly ostracized him… After all, Rhine was not a born vampire. He had been rejected by his kind from the start.
"Another reason was that Rhine apparently had a grudge against the Eternal Blazing Sun and was unwilling to serve under the Night Emperor, whom that deity supported.
"But the main reason was that Trunsoest had killed the Orderly Hand of the Tamara family and taken her characteristic… Rhine had only managed to rescue her maddened, corrupted spirit.
"She was his friend."
(End of Chapter)