"Uh, Your Excellency Sparrow? Are you okay?"
Moon City's High Priest, Nim, was concerned about Gehrman Sparrow's current state. After all, Gehrman had been unconscious for a while, and when he woke up, he looked as if he had seen a ghost.
That was Amon, right?! What the hell is Amon doing? Why was he there?
"Y-yes, I'm fine. I just received a revelation from Mr. Fool. Don't be worried," Klein said, trying to ease the concerns of the High Priest.
In reality, Klein's mind was racing so fast that it would even cause smoke to come out of his head.
Amon… Backlund… The party… Audrey… Audrey?... Audrey!
Klein's pupils dilated as he had a realization.
He hurriedly took four steps counter-clockwise and entered Sefirah Castle.
Seated in the tall chair belonging to The Fool, Klein extended his arm and peeked into the red star representing Justice.
A familiar view appeared before his eyes. A lush garden bathed in the crimson moonlight filled his vision. In the middle, there stood Audrey Hall with a saddened expression.
Klein could empathize with Audrey's emotions as he also didn't want to leave her alone, but he currently had other problems to worry about.
Where is this bastard?
Klein spent over an hour looking around using the star representing Justice to try to find Amon. Not a single clue showed up. It was as though Amon never attended in the first place.
Was I just seeing things? No, that can't be
I wasn't able to locate "Him," but I'll still keep an eye on Audrey until I can make sure she's safe
Klein retracted his vision from the star and lay back on his high-back chair. His blood was boiling.
If anything happens to Audrey… He looked at the crimson star representing Justice. Sigh, I need to advance. I can't protect her if I'm just Sequence 3. It's better not to tell her about Amon's possible encounter at the party. She would just panic. Even if I warned her, she would be powerless against a King of Angels...
He remained inside Sefirah Castle for a few more minutes to think about his future plans.
For now, I need more answers. I'll head back to Chernobyl to try to learn as much as possible—there's still so much I don't know… Hopefully, I don't run into "Him"
...
After Klein's Historical Projection disappeared, Audrey headed back inside, with sadness in her heart.
One moment, Klein was there, and the next, he had simply faded away. She had been conscious of the steady drain on her spirituality and knew their time was limited, but the sheer finality of his disappearance stole her breath. Their beautiful confession now felt like a dream that had been abruptly cut short.
As she walked inside the mansion, she couldn't help but be stopped and interrogated by others. Perhaps it was because Klein was no longer by her side, but there was now a larger crowd slowly forming around her.
They were asking the same questions as before: "Where is Mr. Moretti? Are you two really getting married? When is the wedding?" and other similar questions.
Klein…
She lifted her head and, using the Spectator pathway's ability to control her emotions, she met everyone's attention with the usual smile she wore.
...
Forsaken Land of the Gods, Chernobyl.
Klein, who was standing before Amon, was shocked by the information that came out of the Angel of Time's mouth.
"... I like to refer to that level as 'Above the Sequences.' There are also a number of true deities who refer to it by other names. Some call it 'Great Old Ones,' others refer to it as 'Outer Deities' or 'Cosmos.'"
Klein, who had been hiding in the Historical Void, remembered the warning from the ascetic leader of the Church of Evernight, Arianna, had told him before that unless he became an angel, he shouldn't attempt to understand the cosmos. Otherwise, just having knowledge of it would bring him great danger!
He instantly stopped maintaining the Historical Projection. He stood up from the skyscraper he was sitting on, and began to chant the luck-enhancement ritual as he took four steps counter-clockwise.
A surge of madness, pain, and indescribable information flooded his senses. His skin began to boil with mutated Worms of Spirit.
"... The Celestial Worthy of Heaven and Earth for Blessings."
His Spirit Body entered Sefirah castle and was quickly enveloped by the gray fog, melting away all the impurities and restoring his mind.
Klein sat on his chair, exhausted out of his mind.
The information he had obtained from Amon proved to be truthful, but it came at the cost of Klein's life. If he returned to the material world, he would lose control and turn into a horrifying monster.
I… I need Audrey.
Klein, posing as The Fool, sent a prayer to Justice and informed her of The World wanting an urgent meeting.
A few minutes later, he summoned her.
Mr. Fool was quietly sitting on his chair, as usual, and so was Mr. World. Miss Justice appeared on her usual seat too.
"Kle—Mr. World? Are you okay?" She almost used The World's name in front of Mr. Fool, how careless!
Is he feeling lonely after he had to leave because my spirituality was running out? That's kinda cute—
"No. Miss Justice, I need to forget something, now," Klein urged.
After explaining the matter he needed to forget, talking about it with Audrey, and being hypnotized, he and Audrey remained in silence.
Is this the stuff Klein has to deal with daily as a blessed of Mr. Fool? That's…
"Miss Justice, I know you're concerned, but I'll be fine thanks to y—."
"Mr. World, let me help you. Let me offer you support."
"Support? What do you mean?..." Klein's words trailed off as he saw Audrey stand up from her seat and walk over to him.
She bent over a little and hugged him, enveloping his head in her chest.
"Miss Ju—"
"It's tough, isn't it? I know from the Tarot Club that you've been on dangerous missions, but this… thing about Above the Sequences and the apocalypse is too much for you to handle alone."
Her words were on the edge of blasphemy. The idea that Mr. Fool would give "His" blessed a task too great to handle was a thought few believers would dare to voice. But at this moment, Audrey did not care—Klein's wellbeing was her only priority.
Klein was stunned, not entirely sure how to react to being hugged.
You damn fake bastard, being hugged by Audrey. It should've been me, not you! Mr. Fool joked inwardly. Klein could see and partially feel through both Mr. Fool and The World, but it didn't feel right to have his mind split in two as a beauty like Miss Justice hugged him—for him, this was a moment to be enjoyed with all his being.
The World tried to look up, but Audrey pushed him further into her chest, tightening her hug. He ultimately gave in and let her do as she wished.
They remained like this for a few minutes; not a single word was spoken.
"I'm worried about you. I may not be able to assist you in person, but I can assist in other ways."
"Thank you, but there's no need to worry about. I have Mr. Fool's full support. I swear that everything will be fine, okay?" Klein said. He felt greatly moved by her statement, but he didn't want her to worry too much about it. Stressing out Audrey was the last thing he wanted. "You remember what I said in the garden, right? Let's schedule a date for sometime later, okay?"
Audrey's face flushed bright red as she recalled their mutual confession just a few hours ago—she also thought of Mr. Fool hearing about this "date," which further reddened her face. Her figure was still shrouded by fog, but Klein had an inkling of what she was feeling.
"Ah, yes, I'd love that~" she happily answered.