"Of course." Klein replied, naturally not refusing. He briefly explained the Tarot Club's rules to Alaric, then conjured a stack of cards. "You can choose one as your codename."
Alaric's gaze swept over the Tarot cards, excluding the Fool, Justice, and Hanged Man. His eyes lingered on the World card, tempted by a mischievous urge to pick it, but he ultimately decided to let Klein play his double act. Instead, he drew another card.
It was the Emperor!
"Emperor. I'll take the Emperor card."
Alaric had initially considered the Lovers, given its tie to the Seer pathway, but as a single man, it felt a bit too ironic. So, he settled on his second choice, the Emperor.
"Very well." Klein said, having no objections. He nodded, making the conjured cards vanish. "Without my permission, do not reveal my existence or the Tarot Club's to anyone."
Klein felt compelled to stress this, genuinely worried that Alaric might inadvertently make the Fool and the Tarot Club common knowledge.
"Huh? Not even my teacher?" Alaric asked, seemingly caught off guard, his tone cautious.
"No." Klein said with a smile, shaking his head.
"…Alright." Alaric replied, sounding a bit aggrieved. Then, as if struck by a thought, he looked at Klein with curiosity. "Mr. Fool, is Klein also a member of the Tarot Club?"
"He's a provisional member." Klein answered smoothly. Though he hadn't yet figured out how to use an alternate identity, the Fool had long planned for one. The Fool's lofty status limited the questions he could ask directly, so this was a precaution for when he eventually introduced "Klein" To the Tarot Club.
"Oh, so I joined the Tarot Club before Klein? Guess I'm the better one after all…" Alaric grinned like a goofy student who'd outdone a friend in some trivial way.
Klein could hardly bear to watch, though his mood lightened. Interacting with Alaric, a fellow transmigrator, brought out a refreshing simplicity that reminded Klein of life before his transmigration.
"Now, I just need to wait for the next Tarot Club meeting. I wonder if Sun is about to join too. Hope I didn't steal his spot." Alaric mused after leaving the gray fog. Confirming Klein was no longer watching, he stretched, feeling his nearly depleted spirituality. He decided to nap to recover.
When he woke refreshed at noon the next day, Alaric began reviewing the previous day's events.
Summoning Mr. Door had been planned for a while, and the process went remarkably smoothly. Not only did Alaric strike a deal with Mr. Door, but he also confirmed a suspicion: Nyarlathotep's power was indeed of a higher order than the Outer Deities', capable of covering and erasing their influence.
The only issue was that the madness within Nyarlathotep's power was clearly too much for Mr. Door to handle, meaning the cleansing process would take time.
Alaric was fine with that. If he saved someone in one go, he'd lose his leverage, wouldn't he?
"To be fair, is Nyarlathotep's madness really that hard to handle? I think it's fine. Sure, consuming the potion required anchoring with this world's brand of madness, but Mr. Door shouldn't lack that, right? …Or maybe I'm the weird one." Alaric said, spreading his hands. He wasn't entirely oblivious to his own anomalies.
For instance, his exceptional Shadow of Time ability, or how he faced deities like Nyarlathotep and Yog-Sothoth without issue... unlike others who, regardless of their abilities, went mad without exception upon seeing a deity's true form.
Alaric didn't dwell on it. Whether he was a mortal or something strange, it didn't matter to him.
"Alaric is just Alaric... a mortal, a trickster." He said, chuckling as he defined himself. He pulled out some stationery, wrote down the materials Mr. Door had mentioned, added a few extra items, and sealed the letter in an envelope.
The letter was for Mr. A of the Aurora Order. Alaric had no qualms about fleecing resources, as he wouldn't take them for free... he'd offer something the True Creator wanted in return.
"They'd probably love it if I asked for more." Alaric said, shaking his head with a smile, already looking forward to the outcome. "I hope Mr. Door finishes my commission soon. Then the Joker Club can officially take shape."
"But the membership's still a bit thin…" Alaric mused, stroking his chin. His eyes suddenly lit up. "Should I recruit Leonard too? And drag Klein in? It'd be hilarious... they'd part ways as Nightwatchers, only to run into each other at the same gathering!"
Alaric thought that would be quite the spectacle.
But he wasn't in a rush. He continued reviewing his gains.
"I should visit Pallez again. The old man just saw an old friend and must be itching to learn more. That'll help solidify my cover. Sure, I slipped up with Mr. Door, but…" Alaric shook his head, chuckling. He could tell what Bethel was thinking.
A bold mortal pretending to be a deity? (X)
A wicked trickster god masquerading as a human, toying with a poor angel? (√)
"Bethel's not exactly wrong…" Alaric laughed, shaking his head. He sensed the digestion progress of his Actor potion... after his performance with Mr. Door, it had advanced significantly.
"Playing a persona isn't enough. As an Actor, I need to put on real performances. Otherwise, with Mr. Door's caliber, I should've fully digested the potion by now." Alaric mused, unsurprised by the result.
He reached out, pulling at the air. A figure emerged, swiftly merging into him.
"Finally…" Alaric's smile was brighter than ever. He had at last obtained the Traveler ability he'd been longing for.
***
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