Chapter 2: Tarot Club
July 9, 1349
L̸o̸e̵n̵ ̴K̵i̶n̵g̷d̸o̸m̷,̵ ̵B̴a̶c̶k̶l̶u̸n̷d̴,̸ ̶E̸m̸p̷r̴e̷s̶s̸ ̸B̷o̷r̷o̶u̴g̵h̵,̴ ̷H̵a̸l̸l̵ ̴F̵a̵m̴i̸l̶y̵ ̷M̵a̶n̵o̸r̶ Sefirah Castle, Above the Spirit World
-Miss Justice (Audrey Hall)-
It was another Monday afternoon. That meant, for the third time now, Audrey found herself seated within the Divine Kingdom of Mr. Fool—the Mysterious Space Above the Grey Fog—for another gathering of the Tarot Club.
For the past three weeks, Monday had firmly become her favorite day of the week, filling her with restless anticipation and excitement. Each gathering promised new knowledge of the supernatural, whether from Mr. Hanged Man's worldly experience or, if she was truly fortunate, from the great Mr. Fool Himself.
After all, as a deity, Mr. Fool surely knew profound secrets. Things like the creation of the world, or the true name of the Evernight Goddess
There was no way Mr. Fool could be a fraud… right?
So, just like the past couple of Mondays, she was brimming with excitement. Yet, beneath it all, she also felt a prickle of worry and an inexplicable tinge of shame.
It's all Susie's fault! the noble girl grumbled inwardly.
She had been so worried and thinking about her partner that she was delayed in greeting Mr. Fool before Mr. Hanged Man!
That was totally unacceptable!
Flashes of memory surfaced.
….
"Susie, where did the test tube go?"
"Little Audrey, I'm just a dog. How would I know?"
"How could you not know? Forget it, we'll get you a checkup."
"Little Audrey?"
"How many times do I have to tell you to stop calling me Little Audrey! So, what is it, Susie?"
"Little Audrey, you wouldn't want me to spread a rumor about that little dance you do when you're happy, would you? Ahem. I mean, Little Audrey, it's time to start your mysticism lessons."
"Susie! You! Why do you keep bullying me?!"
"Bullying? What's that, Little Audrey? I'm just a dog; I don't understand some human concepts."
"Grrr…"
"Little Audrey, did you know that growling like that is a sign of asking to be mates amongst dogs?"
"What?! Ah, forget it! Forget it! What were you saying about mysticism lessons, Susie?"
"Mystical languages. They're essential for any Beyonder. Jotun, Dragonese, Elvish, Hermes, they're languages that stir the natural forces and are used in rituals."
"How do you know them, Susie?"
"Little Audrey, how would I—"
"—'You're just a dog,' right?"
"Exactly. Since you get it, there's something else, Audrey."
"What is it, Susie?"
"Can I get the next Sequence potion? I've already digested my current one."
"How do you—no, there's no point asking that. A better question is, do you even know the next Sequence potion formula, Susie?"
"What makes you think I know it, Little Audrey? I'm just a dog."
"…"
"Ah, I was just teasing you, Audrey. Sorry if I took it too far. As for the next sequence, it's called Telepathist. The formula is…"
….
Recalling the various mind-bending discoveries and conversations with her partner over the past week, Audrey felt the distinct onset of a headache. She was far too young to be dealing with this much stress!
She couldn't even call Susie her pet with a straight face anymore! After all, if Susie was just a pet, what did that make her, the human who felt somehow lacking in comparison to a dog?
Before she could spiral further into mental complaint, an indistinct yet gentle voice sounded from the head of the long table.
"My apologies, I was too absorbed in reading them." Mr. Fool said, the smile in his tone unmistakable.
Audrey steadied her tumultuous thoughts, slipping back into her Spectator state as she addressed the great existence. "I can understand. I hope to one day be able to exchange information about the diary's contents with you."
As she spoke, the blonde girl couldn't help but wander into idle speculation: Could Susie actually read Emperor Roselle's diaries?
Given the way spontaneous knowledge seemed to pour into the golden retriever ever since she'd consumed the Spectator potion, Audrey had to wonder if—alongside all mystical and modern languages—Susie had somehow picked up the Emperor's mysterious script as well.
"That will require a price," Mr. Fool replied, drawing her gently from her thoughts once more.
"Naturally." Audrey nodded, fully aware that this great existence upheld the principle of equivalent exchange. "Mr. Fool, Mr. Hanged Man, I have a question to ask. If you feel the answer warrants a high price, please tell me what you want. I will do my best to seek it."
"No problem," Mr. Hanged Man answered simply.
Mr. Fool gave a faint nod, leaning back into his high-backed chair. Even though she couldn't see his eyes, Audrey had the distinct impression that he already knew exactly what she was about to ask.
The young Spectator took a deep breath, trying to hold onto her detached state, but the thought of what she was going to say made composure impossible. So, she just blurted it out, hoping it didn't sound too obvious or frantic:
"If—and I'm only saying if—a normal animal drank a Sequence 9 potion… is it normal for it to gain all kinds of knowledge? Things like understanding every mystical and modern language, grasping advanced mysticism principles, and… even knowing the names of the higher Sequences?"
….
-Mr. Fool (Klein Moretti)-
What kind of question is that? Hearing Miss Justice's inquiry, Klein finally grasped what had been troubling her since the Tarot Club meeting began.
With his Spirit Vision, he could clearly see the emotions reflected in her Astral Projection: agitation, nervousness, shame, and, most of all, worry.
As expected, Miss Justice does have airhead tendencies…Mr. Fool nodded inwardly, not entirely surprised by the situation.
He glanced toward Mr. Hanged Man, noting the flash of shock in his Astral Projection. To the sailor's credit, it lasted only a moment.
Mr. Hanged Man then turned toward him, The Fool, a God, who would undoubtedly know the answer—
Know the answer, my ass! What kind of pet do you have, Miss Justice? Scooby-Doo? In this matter, Mr. Fool—a mere Sequence 9: Seer—is just as clueless as you are. Mr. Fool —cough! Fraud—of course couldn't say that aloud. So he did his best to look disinterested, while hoping Mr. Hanged Man had some insight. Otherwise, the social suicide he had long prepared for might arrive sooner than expected.
Then again… perhaps he could fall back on his rule of equivalent exchange and tell Miss Justice she wasn't ready for this knowledge? That it was a high-Sequence topic?
Yes, that might actually work…Klein turned over what Miss Justice had described: an animal drinking a potion—undoubtedly Spectator, since that was the only formula she'd gotten from Hanged Man—and gaining not only fluency in all languages, but knowledge of the subsequent Sequence names and advanced mysticism principles…
Could he perhaps shift the blame toward the God of Knowledge and Wisdom? Not by naming Him directly, but by hinting vaguely. Whatever conclusion they drew, even if wrong, what did that have to do with Mr. Fool?
They could only blame themselves for trying to comprehend the thoughts of a God.
Realizing this, a weight lifted from Klein's chest. Beneath the Gray Fog, his lips curled upward, and he felt his air of detached indifference strengthen several times over with this newfound confidence.
Mr. Hanged Man, having noted that The Fool seemed disinclined to speak, turned back to Miss Justice, who appeared slightly downtrodden at not receiving divine insight.
After gathering his thoughts for a moment, the sailor spoke up. "To spontaneously gain knowledge… it may be connected to the Spirit World."
Hearing a new mysticism term, Klein's attention sharpened, his interest in the blue-haired man's words growing. But then he noticed a flicker of confusion in the Hanged Man's Astral Projection, quickly replaced by realization.
"Did… the Beyonder Creature explain the concept of the Spirit World to you?"
Miss Justice tilted her head, then nodded after a brief pause, suddenly reciting what sounded like a textbook passage: "The Spirit World is a higher-dimensional plane inhabited by spirits, both positive and negative, along with various spiritual manifestations. It is the source location encompassing all Contracted Creatures and the convergence point of all information.
It overlaps with the Physical World, which is why even ordinary people can sometimes obtain revelations. The Spirit World does not distinguish between directions, nor between past, present, or future. Every person is connected to it because their Astral Projection resides there. It can receive all kinds of abstract information, which is why divination can yield revelations."
After finishing, Miss Justice glanced at Mr. Hanged Man. "Was that accurate?"
Accurate? Miss Justice, I'm fairly sure you just taught Mr. Hanged Man something new, how could he dare say you're wrong? Mr. Fool lampooned silently, satisfied to have mooched a bit of fresh knowledge himself.
Hanged Man shook his head, his tone wry. "I couldn't have explained it so concisely myself, but the majority matches what I know." He spoke honestly, then asked curiously, "You were seeking a second opinion, verifying the accuracy of the information, and whether your hypothesis about the animal gaining knowledge from the Spirit World holds?"
"That's right." Miss Justice nodded, unsurprised the astute Hanged Man had guessed.
"I'm not aware of any other source such knowledge could come from—" The blue-haired Beyonder paused mid-sentence, then added ominously, "Unless the animal is no longer the one you remember."
What is this? Ring Grandpa Evil Edition? Klein mused internally at the sudden horror twist.
Miss Justice, however, only stilled for a moment before shaking her head. A smile was evident in her voice. "No, she's still the same—lazy as always. And even though she's gained sentience, she still listens when I ask."
Mr. Hanged Man merely nodded, then glanced back toward him once more, as if awaiting any divine commentary.
Klein smiled beneath the Gray Fog. He hummed thoughtfully, then answered slowly, adding a touch of nostalgia to his tone. "If I recall… Knowledge should also be within His domain."
With those words, The Fool's air of mystery deepened several levels in the eyes of both Mr. Hanged Man and Miss Justice.
….
-Susie (Dog Almighty)-
"Susie! Susie!"
"Did you meet the God of Knowledge and Wisdom?"
"????"
Hearing Audrey's first question the moment she returned from the Tarot Club, the great Susie's mind flooded with question marks. She didn't recall any point in the original gatherings where that nerdy Dragon had been mentioned, so where had this come from?
Mr. Fool, are you out there deceiving minors again?
+++
A/N: Mr. Fraud once again displaying his fraudulent ways. And look at Susie being considerate of her owner, not outright mind breaking her by directly saying she needs a Sequence 6 potion instead and is working her way up. As for the spare potions being thrown in the Chaos Sea, maybe Susie will find a competent lackey and give it to them.