"I feel like we're being watched by something..."
A young woman, clad in iron armor with a broadsword at her waist, felt the presence of something. Something within the darkness.
"You're just imagining things. The first patrol team cleared out all the creatures just a few minutes ago."
Her teammate lifted the lantern he was carrying and made a shooing motion to show her it was all fine.
"By the time other creatures come out of the darkness, we will already be back—"
Rustle Rustle
The duo froze on the spot and quickly drew their weapons, or at least tried to. They seemed to be weakened and lacked the necessary force.
They looked towards the source of the rustling sound and saw light emanating from the nearby tall grass.
"Wh-what is that?!"
"Is that... a person?
Who could possibly be out this far from the city? All other patrol teams should already be back The young woman thought.
The sounds of footsteps got louder and louder.
A man wearing strange clothes and carrying an interesting-looking lantern appeared out of the bushes.
"Wh-who are y-you?!" The young man asked, fear clearly building up inside him as time slowly passed by.
The stranger looked around, cleared his throat, and spoke.
"The name's Gehrman Sparrow. Have you heard of the saviour of this land, Mr. Fool?"
...
Days passed by, and Klein and Justice continued with their usual daily conversations.
"This isn't helping my mental health," Klein muttered.
Audrey tilted her head. "Talking?"
"No," Klein said, eyes fixed on the fog between them. "Wanting to keep talking."
Audrey's lips parted, but no words came out.
"That," Klein said, softer now, "is the most dangerous thing for me."
Klein felt conflicted. He was starting to get closer to someone else, but he feared he would put them in danger. After the revelation of Chornobyl, Klein made up his mind—this is his home and he will protect it, which means ascending the sequences at all costs. With more power came greater threats and he couldn't afford to get attached to someone or else they would be put in the line of fire. Klein would be devastated if anything were to happen to them, and he wouldn't be able to forgive himself.
...
A few more days went by.
"Say, Miss Justice... do you mind if we meet outside the confession box? I think we're past due for a face-to-face conversation, even if we can't see each other past the thick fog."
"I agree," Miss Justice said. She then looked up and asked, "Mr. Fool, could you please help us?"
Without a reply, the confession box disappeared, and a small tea table appeared in front of them.
"Thank you, Mr. Fool~"
There was no reply.
Truth be told, Miss Justice also looked forward to these meetings with Mr. World. She learned so much from his stories and came to enjoy his company. The fear that once existed was now gone, and a bit of affection bloomed.
They both sat at the table.
"Continuing our previous conversation... I've actually been collecting a lot of information about Backlund in the past few weeks. I will pray to Mr. Fool and send over the items. I believe you will enjoy them~" Justice said with a bright smile forming on her face.
"Information? Items? What do you mean?"
Mr. World's voice sounded much softer than the voice he normally uses when he speaks in the Tarot Club gatherings. This was a direct result of spending time and familiarizing himself with Miss Justice. It was a detail that Miss Justice clearly picked up on, but he was totally unaware of it. Miss Justice found this behavior cute.
"You'll understand once we get back. For now, let's talk about fashion! Yes, yes fashion. I recently bought a new dress for a ball that's happening in..."
Klein could "travel" to the outside world via Miss Magician's mystical item, Leymano's Travels, by using the recorded Historical Void Summoning. Since the Historical Projection of Gehrman Sparrow only lasted fifteen minutes, Klein had to spend this time wisely to finish all of his important tasks.
Listening to Justice talk about the most mundane things was a soothing experience for Klein. He felt like there was nothing to worry about whenever they talked.
They spent two hours talking.
...
After dismissing Justice, Klein remained in Sefirah Castle to receive the items that Justice said she'd sacrifice.
Just a few minutes later, a door opened in Sefirah Castle, and a notebook alongside a small pamphlet came through.
Klein sat in the tall, high hair belonging to The Fool and began to sort through the items that Justice sacrificed.
" Report of trends among Backlund residents:
"January: Residents have been obsessing over bicycles, and social circles, especially in the middle class, have formed. Those who have the most expensive bicycles are at the very top of these circles.
"...
"May: Magic shows have popped up at night recently, and many people seem to enjoy them, especially the rich nobles. It's become somewhat of a tradition to go to the plaza and watch these magicians perform incredible feats. Some nobles swear that their coins and wallets disappeared without a trace, but this just seems to fuel the craze for these magic shows!
"...
"July: A new fashion trend in West Borough swept the population. Lady hats with a red flower are in style. This is usually matched with a thin red dress, usually worn by the teenage noble girls.
"...
"September: Monocles are the new trend! Everywhere you look, you will see at least one person wearing a monocle. I even saw a dog wearing a monocle, how cute!"
"...
...
What? Monocles? This has to be the work of Amon, but if it is, then why is he being so obvious? This doesn't fit the style of the God of Deceit. Could this be a message? To who? To me? But he should know that I'm in the Forsaken Land of the Gods...
Miss Justice is always screened whenever she enters Sefirah Castle, so there is no danger there... I'll send a warning as The Fool to make sure she's aware that Amon is making moves in Backlund
Klein quickly sent a warning to Miss Justice and then continued reading the notebook report. There was a lot of information regarding the trends of Backlund, the new restaurants that popped up, and the new magic shows that randomly showed up every night.
Klein chuckled. This feels like I'm reading a teenage girl's social media page Believe it or not, Klein was enjoying this just as much as he enjoyed the company of Miss Justice. It was as though he had Miss Justice next to him, telling him about everything she saw and heard throughout the year. Unbeknownst to Klein, a small smile found its way up his face.
Klein finished reading the notebook and put it aside. He then reached for the second item. It was a small pamphlet decorated with real gold. This... looks really expensive...
He opened the pamphlet and read the inside.
"Wilfred's Engagement Celebration Party
"You are hereby invited to attend the ball hosted by Duke Milton in honor of his son's engagement
"Time: Monday 5:00 pm to 1:00 am
"Location: ..."
...
Klein stared at the pamphlet for a little while.
An invitation? Why would Miss Justice send this to Mr. World? And the event starts right after next week's Tarot Club meeting? Is she telling me she's going to attend this? Why didn't she say that during our talk just a few minutes ago?
Well, knowing Miss Justice, she probably forgot about it, and she remembered last second as she was about to sacrifice the notebook! Klein lampooned.