Undoubtedly, Mr. Door was a good person with a normal moral compass. So, despite his wariness toward Alaric, an unknown entity, after Alaric genuinely helped suppress part of the Outer Deity's pollution, Mr. Door's goodwill toward him rose honestly to nearly thirty points.
Alaric was confident that once Mr. Door fully confirmed he harbored no ill intentions toward the world, that goodwill would climb even higher without any further effort.
In any case, as an King of Angel just a step away from godhood, Mr. Door's nearly thirty points of goodwill granted Alaric the ability to borrow the Traveler's powers, finally allowing him to use the coveted travel ability.
"I officially declare Mr. Door one of my favorite angels." Alaric announced solemnly, then patted his chest without a hint of guilt. "Of course, I won't deny my heart's a bit like a durian."
"Hahaha…"
After amusing himself, Alaric tested his new travel ability, arriving in Backlund to place the letter he'd written at the agreed-upon spot.
He then used the ability to zip around a bit more, and once the novelty wore off, he returned to Tingen to begin his studies for the day.
As evening approached, Alaric paused his studies and took a horseless carriage to Daffodil Street.
Given Jack Jones' personality, it was only natural he'd seek out Klein, a fellow provisional Tarot Club member, after joining. It was all about staying true to character.
Plus, Alaric really wanted to tease Mr. Fool in person.
That night, when Klein returned home after handling an unnatural death on Lower Street with Leonard, weary from a supernatural battle, he found an extra guest alongside his brother Benson and sister Melissa.
"Evening, Klein! You're finally back?" Alaric greeted enthusiastically.
"Good evening, Teacher Jack." Klein replied, not entirely surprised. He'd guessed Jack's excitable nature would drive him to visit after joining the Tarot Club, so he returned the smile.
"Mr. Jack's been waiting for you for quite a while. I didn't expect you'd be back so late." Benson said, looking at Klein with concern rather than reproach. "Seems a high salary always comes with a cost."
"Everything in this world demands a price for what you gain." Klein said, shrugging off his coat just as his stomach growled.
It was no surprise... he hadn't eaten dinner due to the unexpected supernatural incident.
"Look, I knew you'd be starving after working late. I prepared a snack for you... surprise!" Alaric said, as if he'd anticipated this, handing Klein a box containing a Desi pie.
"Thanks." Klein said, accepting the pie with a smile.
Melissa, who'd been doing homework nearby, looked up and pointed to the kitchen. "Klein, I left some food for you there too."
And so, Klein, who'd thought he'd go to bed hungry, was suddenly pampered like a well-fed cat by his loved ones.
After eating, Klein led Alaric to his room and asked casually, "What brings you here today?"
Then he noticed Alaric staring at him with an accusing look, making Mr. Fool feel a twinge of guilt. He coughed lightly. "What's wrong?"
"Klein, you knew Mr. Fool wasn't an evil god, didn't you?" Alaric said, somehow producing a pair of glasses to perch on his nose, striking a detective-like pose. "No wonder you were so confident when you reassured me and told me to stop investigating Mr. Fool. Hmph, you were already a provisional Tarot Club member back then, weren't you?"
Mr. Jack, has it occurred to you that the Fool explicitly told you not to reveal the Tarot Club to others? Klein thought, exasperated, but he understood why Jack was so blunt. In Jack's mind, Klein, as a provisional member, wasn't "others."
Quickly formulating a response, Klein adopted an apologetic expression. "Sorry, Teacher. I only recently became a provisional member by chance. Since Mr. Fool didn't want others to know, I couldn't tell you. I'm really sorry... can you forgive me?"
"Depends on your sincerity." Alaric said, lifting his chin smugly.
"And what kind of sincerity would you like to see?" Klein asked, playing along.
Alaric put on a thoughtful expression, then his eyes lit up. "I want to hear you meow like a cat."
Klein's cat impression was a classic in Lord of Mysteries, and Alaric wasn't about to miss it.
"Huh?" Klein froze, clearly not expecting this.
"What, you can't? Or were you lying to me?" Alaric said, feigning a "my child has betrayed me" look.
"Ahem, it's not impossible…" Though embarrassed, Klein, who could play the Fool without blinking, steeled himself. After a quick mental prep, he said, "Meow!"
It came out a bit too forceful, sounding hoarse.
"Yikes, are you a feral cat?" Alaric exaggeratedly gasped.
Klein shot him an exasperated look, coughed, cleared his throat, and said expressionlessly, "Meow~"
This one was much better.
"Shame there's no phone to record this…" Alaric muttered regretfully but quickly perked up. "That'll do!"
Then, with a puzzled look, he turned to Klein. "But Klein, if you knew Mr. Fool was a good god, why did you…?"
He was clearly referring to Klein's freakout over the Celestial Worthy.
"Mr. Fool might be a good god…" Klein said, glancing at Alaric, his expression turning serious. "But what if the Celestial Worthy isn't Mr. Fool?"
"Huh?" Alaric looked confused, then seemed to realize something. "So, the one messing with your fate was the Celestial Worthy, not Mr. Fool, right?"
"Maybe." Klein said, not giving a straight answer. His life was a tangled mess... Mr. Azik had said multiple entities had meddled with his fate, and who knew how many were involved?
"I see." Alaric said, stroking his chin thoughtfully for a few seconds before looking at Klein. "Then why don't we ask Mr. Fool for help? His honorific name is so similar to the Celestial Worthy's... maybe they're connected?"
***
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