Monday, 3 pm Backlund time.
The Tarot Club inside Sefirah Castle began smoothly.
"Mr. Fool, I have one page of Roselle's Diary," said The Hanged Man.
After The Hanged Man finished conjuring the text, Mr. Fool began to read it in silence.
"I've been exchanging letters with a supposed ambassador of West Balam. At first, it was formal letters, but then they started getting more casual.
"Today I met up with them, and it turns out it was an old fart all along! This old man was writing like an elegant lady. I feel scammed!"
Emperor... why would you get your hopes up? This is the third diary entry of this happening Klein silently lampooned, holding back the chuckle that almost came out of his mouth.
This reminded him of his daily secret conversations with Miss Justice inside Sefirah Castle. He had seen her face for the first time when she used Dream Divination and sought the help of Mr. Fool.
Unlike you, Emperor, I'm not getting catfished!
Klein dismissed the diary entry and said, "You may begin."
None of the Tarot Club members required any ingredients this time, so the meeting quickly moved on.
Audrey took a glance at Mr. World, but quickly retracted her gaze. She then turned toward The Fool and asked him a question.
"Mr. World, may I have a private conversation with you?"
"Yes, you may."
Mr. World looked at Mr. Fool and received a nod of approval.
Another private conversation? All of the Tarot Club members asked themselves this question.
I've seen her take small glances at Mr. World in a lot of the previous gatherings. Was she building up the courage to ask Mr. World something? Could this be related to the private meeting Miss Justice had with Mr. World over a month ago? Could she... Alger quietly analyzed the scene.
Justice is on the Spectator pathway and has the incredible ability to analyze the small mannerisms of people and can discern a great deal of information just from that, but that doesn't mean that other members can't do the same. In the eyes of an experienced man like The Hanged Man, she was easily read like a book.
Before The Hanged Man could continue his train of thought, the gray fog deafened the senses of the Tarot Club members.
"Mr. World, did you get the items I sent your way? Did you enjoy them?" She looked at him with sparkles on her eyes. She had spent a great amount of time gathering information and filling out the notebook, after all.
Klein called back the content of the notebook filled with reports on the new trends of Backlund.
"Yes, thank you, Miss Justice. I haven't had the luxury of knowing about the state of Backlund's trends. Your conversations did convey a lot, but this notebook was a perfect summary, thank you. It felt like I was using social me— cough, like I was attending a social meeting."
Audrey's lips unconsciously curved up into a pleasant and content smile. It seemed like her hard work paid off. She also noticed the very noticeable change in his voice. His rough and intimidating voice was nowhere to be found. This voice was the voice he used with her during private conversations. It was much sweeter and calmer—it reminded her of Dwayne Dantes.
Klein was oblivious to this change. He was doing this subconsciously, after all—a direct result of the time he had spent with Miss Justice inside Sefirah Castle.
"Yes, th-that's great! I'm very glad you liked it... Also, uhm... I..." Her words trailed off, her gaze turning lower and lower.
Justice's hands grabbed the hem of her dress tightly, slowly lifted her gaze, and with trembling lips asked Mr. World a question:
"I-I also sent an invitation. You received it too... right?"
The party invitation?
"Yes, I also received it. Did you mean to send this alongside the notebook?" Klein asked, but internally he thought, Obviously it's not for me. She probably wanted me to know about her acti vi ties, just like how she tells me all the stuff she does throughout the day
"Uhm, y-yes, I meant to send it too. I wanted to ask if you'd...", her eyes darted around Mr. World, not focusing on him, "...If you'd like to attend with me?"
"..."
"..."
Why is Mr. World not saying anything?! Should I not have said that? Oh no… what have I done!
Justice suddenly felt embarrassed beyond belief. Why would she ask that of the feared pirate hunter Gehrman Sparrow?!
"...Miss Justice, did you forget something? I'm stuck inside the Forsaken Land of the Gods, and the party starts in two hours ."
"Ah, don't worry about that!" Her expression instantly lit up. "I plan to borrow Leymano's Travels from Miss Magician to summon you in Backlund~"
"But that will only last thirty minutes at most with your Sequence 4 demigod spirituality."
"That's plenty of time! I will summon your Historical Projection when the party is at its highest point in order not to waste precious time."
Justice was set on having Mr. World accompany her. The time they've spent talking with each other was great enough for her to want Mr. World to attend the ball with her. She also secretly wanted to see how he would perform on the dance floor. Hehehe, how will a Gehrman Sparrow dance? I can't wait!
"In that case, then I accept the invitation." The World bowed slightly.
The private conversation ended, and The Fool returned their senses to the rest of the Tarot Club.
Alger quietly analyzed the situation.
Mr. World looks as calm as ever, but Miss Justice… Is she smiling? I can't really tell…
Without any hesitation, Justice asked, "Miss Magician, can I rent Leymano's Travels for a day?"
...
Backlund, Empress Borough, 7 pm, inside Duke Milton's mansion
The ballroom shimmered under the glow of expensive chandeliers, their light embracing the dancers below. Long rectangular tables stood neatly along the edges, each adorned with white and lavender flowers and a mouthwatering variety of dishes.
At the center rose a wide staircase that led to the gallery that circled the hall. From there, guests could look down on the dance floor below, as well as take in a quieter atmosphere.
Near the edge of the dance floor, a small group of middle-aged nobleswomen approached a young woman whose looks shone with youthful radiance, her green dress adding a striking contrast to her beauty. Her golden hair framed a fair, delicate white face, and her emerald eyes carried a brilliance that made her stand out even amid all the nobles at the party.
"Long time no see, Audrey. Have you been doing well?"
Audrey took a slight bow, never breaking her elegant image.
"Hello, Aunt Cas—Countess Cassandra. Yes, I've been doing well. How is the Count doing?
"He's doing his best supporting the war efforts, but never mind him, what about you? Have you found a man yet? I talked to your mother the other day, and I wanted to introduce you to a potential husband for you!—he's the son of a friend of mine. Wait, don't tell me you already found someone?! Did you come alone to this party?"
Countess Cassandra bombarded Audrey Hall with countless questions. Audrey may have been accustomed to her Aunt's antics, but the mention of a husband caught her slightly off guard. Nevertheless, as a Spectator, she quickly regained her composure.
"Actually...I have someone coming. They'll be here soon."