Monday, October 1, 1349
Kiyotaka and Klein arrived above the Grey Fog ahead of time.
Since Kiyotaka had fallen really sick for the past few days, he and Klein did not do any meetings and instead focused on their personal lives. Since he had recovered by quite a lot today, Kiyotaka expressed his desire to attend today.
Sitting across from Klein, he explained the entire ordeal with the Black Dog.
"We can assume that this Dog is the source of those serial murders recently. From what little mystical knowledge I have, it seems like some kind of demonic ritual." Kiyotaka presented his point.
"You are right, but something is bothering me." Klein shifted in his seat.
"That there should definitely be a master to this dog, right?"
"Yeah... I find it quite hard that someone turned a Dog into a mid-Sequence Beyonder without himself or herself being the same. Hell, it's even possible that the owner is a high Sequence Beyonder. If that's the case..." Klein shivered. "Yeah, you are done for."
"Me?"
"Yes. You are the one who was there. If the Dog really is a mid-Sequence Beyonder, I am sure they have already found you. They are just waiting for the right moment to strike. Perhaps there is something at your place that is keeping the Devil Dog at bay." Klein hypothesized.
Instead of replying to his miserable state, Kiyotaka quipped. "So, you've given it a name."
"It fits, doesn't it?"
"Kind of."
The two of them discussed quite a lot who could be behind it. One of the culprits that came to mind was the Blood Sanctify Sect. Klein explained that in the ancient Fourth Epoch, the human faction that worshiped devils formed a scattered alliance known as the Blood Sanctify Sect.
The three great Devil families of Nois, Andariel, and Beria was a tripartite balance of forces. Their ancestors once received the bestowment of the Abyss, and they worship an evil god by the name 'Dark Side of the Universe.'
This organization was internally divided quite drastically. In their bid to proselytize faith in the devil, they committed many murders.
The Beria and Andariel families began to gradually weaken since the beginning of the Fifth Epoch to the point of becoming vassals of the Nois family in recent decades. This was the information Klein had gained as a Nighthawk in Tingen.
The philosophy of this Blood Sanctify Sect was that they believe that their god, the Dark Side of the Universe, is the ruler of the Abyss and that 'He' is the devastator of the world who would corrupt and degenerate the real world's entire universe.
"Anyways, with that out of the way, should we start today's meeting? It should've been 100 heartbeats for Little Sun by now." Klein spoke casually as a little bit of Grey Fog engulfed Kiyotaka as well. It was not as thick as before, as Klein had been thinning every time a new Tarot Club gathering started.
"Sure."
With that said, Klein waved his hand and three red beams flashed as three figures with garbled facial features and somewhat distorted voice arrived inside the residence of giants. However, at the same time, right beside Klein, appeared another man. The man did not arrive via a brilliant flash of light.
Kiyotaka frowned a little as he looked at the man who moved stiffly at first but then looked to get a hang of himself. Kiyotaka removed his eyes from the strange man and focused his attention of the three familiar figures—Hanged man, Justice and Sun. Unlike Klein, Kiyotaka did not feel affectionate enough to call him "little" Sun.
There was also the matter that he was heads taller than him so calling him little felt awkward to him.
"Good afternoon, Mr. Fool~ Good afternoon, Mr. Emperor~ Good afternoon...." Audrey was about to greet every member of the Tarot Club when her gaze suddenly fell upon the figure seated at right beside Mr. Fool.
It was a stranger wearing a hooded black robe. He was also illusory and hazy.
"This is?" Audrey looked at Mr. Fool with both puzzlement and delight.
'Has the Tarot Club grown bigger again? Is it Fors or Xio? No, the height doesn't match. Is it someone else?'
While Audrey was deep in thought, Klein leisurely leaned back and said, "This is a new member, Mr. World."
At the same time, through his gray fog-augmented Spirit Vision, he discovered that the surface color of The Sun's Astral Projection had become a little purer, but it had yet to reach the standards of Sequence 8. His initial judgment was that The Sun had completely digested the Bard potion.
"Hello," Audrey greeted politely, curiously scrutinizing the new member.
She quickly "read" some of the corresponding details through the hazy fog.
'Mr. World is a person who is reserved. He seldom moves and always wears a straight face. I wonder where he's from. Loen? Intis? Or a place as mysterious as the City of Silver?' Audrey nodded thoughtfully.
Her eyes fell on Mr. Emperor who was seated at the foot of the long, mottled bronze table. Suddenly, her eyes went a little wide. She could "read" Mr. Emperor, just a little. The aura of concealment and secrecy had drifted away from him, even if it was a little.
'Mr. Emperor is also very reserved. "He" doesn't have any particular reaction to anything. "He" seems to have blonde hair and blue eyes. Unlike Mr. World, "He" feels more alive and... dangerous. It was established earlier that "He" was an Angel under Mr. Fool, but lately it does not give the same feel as before.
Did something happen?
Mr. Emperor still sits arrogantly and gives off the aura of someone who is in control, but if he is an Angel, why would he act as such in front of a being as loft as honorable Mr. Fool?
Could it be that that "He" as well is a lofty existence but compared to Mr. Fool, "He" does not compare? Or maybe it is because "He" is currently injured from a battle hundreds of thousands of years ago?'
Audrey's mind was going in overdrive from overthinking and also, mild excitement.
On the other side, little Sun stared cluelessly. Mr. Hanged Man, who was more experienced than Little Sun, caught on to the matter. He could also feel Mr. Emperor's presence not as tyrannical and dominating as before. However, he made a mental note to never provoke "Him" or say something out of line that will result in severe punishments and retribution.
After The Hanged Man, Alger, and The Sun, Derrick, greeted The Emperor and The World respectively, to which the newcomer gave a rather cold response, Klein looked at Justice and said, "The two candidates you have nominated are still under examination.
"I'll give you a simple task. You can entrust it to them in your name. This is part of the examination."
It should be this strict... Not only was Audrey not disappointed, she even felt that it was only necessary.
The members of the Tarot Club must be strictly selected; not just anyone can become one! She thought proudly before adding in a somewhat guilty tone, And for me to be pulled in by Mr. Fool at the very beginning shows that I was lucky, and luck is a unique quality as well!
"Alright, please issue the mission," Audrey gave an affirmative answer.
Klein stretched out his right hand and placed it on the table, showing a picture of Lanevus and his dressing.
"Investigate the man in the painting. He's in Backlund." Klein had the portrait appear in front of Miss Justice.
Out of curiosity, Klein also passed a painting to Kiyotaka. Kiyotaka looked down at it and frowned.
'This is the man Xio asked me to find on the first day of my transmigration. He had done quite a huge scam, swindling investments from a lot of people and then running away. He was involved in something else as well which Xio didn't tell me.
Hmm, come to think of it, Xio had accidently recited Fool's honorific name. Xio and Fors get commissions from that banker's daughter, Audrey Hall. In one of the previous meetings, I did not pay much attention to it, but Miss Justice said that she wants to recruit two people.
It can't be a coincidence that Xio and Fors are the two people she is always issuing commissions to... which means, that the honorific name of The Fool reached Xio from Miss Justice, who in real life is Audrey Hall, the blonde-haired and green-eyed girl that I saw while talking to Viscount Glaint in the Hall Estate.
Come to think of it, at that time I did make an assumption and joked about it to myself that it would be funny if Audrey Hall was Miss Justice, since how many women have golden hair and green eyes? It just felt like a combination a noble or a royal family would have...
...and it had stayed true.
While knowing her real life information is somewhat nice, it does not prove useful to me currently, so I should not be too happy. There is also this minor caveat that Xio receives missions and tips of information from a lot of people. It can't be necessarily Audrey Hall, but there is a higher probability of Justice and Audrey Hall being the same person.'
Kiyotaka made some quick mental remarks. Klein noticed that and made a mental note to ask him once the meeting was over.
In the meantime, Kiyotaka turned his attention back to The World, staring at him intently. Klein felt a little uneasy as he made The World clear his throat and speak in a hoarse voice. "Mr. Fool told me that I can issue missions and gather ingredients here, is that so?"
"Yes," Audrey elegantly nodded and spoke. "However, you need to wait patiently. What's going to happen next is Mr. Fool and Mr. Emperor's reading time."
As if on cue, Alger quickly and humbly bowed to the two and said, "This time, there are still six pages. The final page will be given to you next time."
"Sure." Klein nodded.
The Hanged Man quickly focused his mind, recalled the contents, and expressed them with his mind. He quickly finished "writing" six pages of the diary and saw them suddenly vanish and appear in Klein and Kiyotaka's hands.
They looked down and swept through the contents of the first page.
It was about Roselle reflecting on his children and Beyonder Characteristics.
Bernadette, his eldest daughter, was born when both parents were still low-level Beyonders, allowing her freedom to choose her own path. A secret divination by Zaratul foretold that she will one day hate Roselle, sever ties with him, and become a significant figure in the mysterious world.
However, it was something Roselle found himself impossible to believe.
Ciel, his eldest son, was considered to be the most unfortunate. Though he inherited only a tiny fragment of Beyonder characteristics, he is forced to follow Roselle's path, with a grim future where death seems inevitable.
Bornova, the second son, was born already possessing Beyonder characteristics equivalent to Sequence 5, easing Roselle's own advancement and showing Astromancer traits from birth. Zaratul praised him but refused to predict his future.
Roselle expressed frustration at the vagueness and cruelty of divinations, dismissing Zaratul's predictions despite being unsettled by them, calling them as merely a soothsayer's ramblings.
'Important figure in what sense? As in she'll be rich and famous? Or become a high-Sequence Beyonder? Hmm, well it seems like the first one is less likely since I haven't read about her much. Or maybe I am just ignorant.'
The next diary entry recorded Roselle's anger and wounded pride after Floren of the Sauron family attempted to recruit him as a subordinate. Roselle felt deeply insulted, rejected the idea outright, and vowed revenge for the arrogance shown toward him.
Despite his fury, he admitted that some of what Floren said was intriguing and worth serious consideration, hinting that this encounter may influence his future choices.
Floren had boasted that the Sauron family had a history spanning over two thousand years, older even than the Church of the God of Craftsmanship. They had survived the Fourth Epoch, the Epoch of the Gods, a time when deities openly walked the world and miracles were commonplace.
While other once-mighty families like Antigonus and Zaratul had either vanished or been reduced to hiding in the shadows, the Saurons remained powerful and publicly dominant, rivaled only by a few royal bloodlines.
Floren framed servitude to the Sauron family as a gift, which enraged Roselle to the point of violent hatred. However, beneath his fury, Roselle was forced to acknowledge the truth. The truth was that a family that survived the chaos of the Fourth Epoch must possess terrifying secrets, likely including powerful and dangerous Sealed Artifacts.
Kiyotaka and Klein kept reading, reaching to the third page.
In the early days of becoming Consul of the Intis Republic, Roselle had drafted a new Civil Code that promoted inventions, trade, and industrial development.
This wasn't mere ego or role-playing as a conqueror, rather it aligned perfectly with the Church of the Eternal Blazing Sun, whose authority includes deeds, commerce, and prosperity. As Intis grew wealthier and more modern, Roselle's relationship with the Church improved, explaining how he later dared to proclaim himself Emperor with apparent ecclesiastical backing.
However, this led to a question. 'If Roselle was so closely supported by the Church, how come he was assassinated?'
Another entry showed Roselle mocking Floren Sauron, who boasted of being destined for High-Sequence advancement due to his resemblance to an ancestor. Roselle dismissed "talent" as overrated, emphasizing that acting methods, time, ingredients, and rituals matter far more.
Later, Roselle describes attending gatherings of an ancient secret organization. They believe individuality erodes until people "sleep," and that salvation lies in constant self-observation.
They worship the Original Creator, believe the dusk is inevitable, and expect the Creator to awaken and reclaim everything. They possess the second Blasphemy Slate, control multiple divine pathways, and restrict which members may use them.
Roselle listed several pathways such as Bard, Sailor, Reader, Spectator.
However, the real shocker came at the very end.
In the final entry, Roselle revealed his greatest discovery. It was the existence of a Sequence above Sequence 1, a Sequence 0! There was a Sequence 0 for each Pathway and a corresponding Potion and Ritual!
For example, Sequence 0 Sun!
'Hmmm, so basically Eternal Blazing Sun is a Sequence 0: Sun. I wonder which Pathway's Sequence 0 is it? Wait... Bard Pathway has Sun related powers and purification abilities. So, Bard's Sequence 0 is called Sun? Hmm... that makes sense, kind of.
There are 22 Pathways of Divine, and Emperor said to sort them in Major Arcana Cards, which are also 22. Sun is a Major Arcana Tarot Card. This could mean that Pathways' Sequence 0 could be named after Major Arcana Tarot Cards.
If he knew about Sequence 0, that would also explain why Emperor wanted to pick Seer, Apprentice or Marauder. It is highly likely that the Sequence 0 spot is empty, since there can only be one True God, or else the term True God loses it meaning.'
Kiyotaka, who was inept in mystical things, was having a hard time keeping up. However, Klein reached a similar conclusion.
Once the reading was done, it was time for the free exchange. The new member of the Tarot Club, Mr. World, presented a lot of demands. One of the requests that somewhat felt strange to Kiyotaka was the demand for Sequence 6 ingredients. After all, from his knowledge, Klein was Sequence 7. It was entirely possible that the ingredients were not for the Seer Pathway so he ended up not doubting him.
In the meantime, he pondered over something else.
'I wonder what the Sequence 0 for Lawyer Pathway is... Sigh, I need to find out what the Sequence 8 is first. Should I ask the Tarot Club about Sequence 8 name? Hmm... that would be ideal for me, but not for Sherlock. He will most likely suffer a hit in his image and reputation. I should find some other way then.
That said, I am not sure if I even want to become Sequence 0. I can live a pretty good life being around Sequence 6 or 5. At that level, not many people can stand up to me, and if I don't do some really outrageous things, I won't be targeted by the Churches either.'
Kiyotaka dreamed about a peaceful life, however, the lack of control over his current features made him scoff minutely. Miss Justice, Mr. Hanged Man, Mr. Sun and even Mr. Fool's head snapped up towards him. In response, Kiyotaka simply waved his hand towards the Tarot Club members. "Please, continue. I was lost in thought." He said simply, in a gravely tone.
'W-What...?! Lost?!'
The word stuck to Alger's mind like burrs to cloth.
'"He" is not distracted, "He" is not thinking ahead, but rather "He" is... lost? For someone like "Him," this feels... wrong. Or rather, important. If Mr. Emperor could be lost in thought during a Tarot gathering while being in the presence of Mr. Fool, then the thought itself must have been too heavy, too unpleasant and too dangerous for our feeble, human minds.
The wave of the hand was dismissive, as if he had brushed something tangible away. Could it be that Mr. Emperor is reliving a ridiculous or a painful memory from the history shared with Mr. Fool?! I should not pry too much into it...'
Alger shuddered and removed his eyes from Mr. Emperor. Audrey and Little Derrick did the same, not wanting to pry into "His" matters. All but Mr. World showed some kind of reaction. The reason why he had scoffed was that he had just realized his own hypocrisy.
It was never about a peaceful life, and it never will be. He thought it was quite funny how he had convinced himself that it was about being liberated from chains and living as an ordinary person. It made him scoff.
After a few other exchanges between Mr. World and Miss Justice where he told her about different pathways such as the Assassin Pathway and the Demoness Sect, the meeting finally came to an end. Klein sent everyone back.
Just as the crimson starlight covered Kiyotaka, he noticed that the same phenomenon did not happen to Mr. World. 'Interesting.' He mused.
He waited for his spirit body to descend back into the real world, however, before he could blink, he saw the sight of the mysterious space appear inside his eyes, mottled in places by the bright crimson light that was receding. From the corner of his eye, he saw Mr. World melt into a slush of nothingness before disappearing.
Kiyotaka instinctively fixed his eyes on Klein, not wanting to show Klein that he just saw that. Letting out a tired breath, he sat straight. He did not speak and waited for Klein to say his piece. After all, if he cancelled the "de-summoning," midway, there must be a reason behind it.
"You look troubled. Do you know about the man in the portrait?"
Kiyotaka hummed and then tapped his index finger on the bronze, mottled table. "I do not know him, per-se, however, I have seen him. One of my friends asked me about this person, saying he had involvement in a serious case in Tingen. Intelligence says that he is hiding in Backlund."
Klein's lips pursed. Something about the "serious case" really ticked him off and for a second, Kiyotaka felt like he could hear his teeth grinding. Still, wearing a calm face and demeanor, Klein lifted his chin. "I see. Well, I would really appreciate it if you could provide any kind of intel. I will take out as much as I can from the money required to get the Mystical Item made."
"Sure, I will be on the lookout." A moment of silence later, Kiyotaka tried to probe for something. "How are the new potential recruits looking? Is there any redeeming quality to them?"
Klein slumped in his chair. The action felt wrong, given how he was posing to be a God, however, around Kiyotaka he had started to be a little less cautious. He was still very wary of him, yes, that had not changed, however, he realized that there was no point in putting on airs in front of him. Feeling a little relaxed, he parted his lips to speak.
"Both of them are ladies of good qualities." Klein affirmed. "Since Miss Justice recommended them, I am keeping an eye out. But so far, I do not see any reason to recruit them."
Kiyotaka's eyes brightened. Two ladies, he thought. Not an iron-clad possibility but there is a high probability that they are Xio and Fors. Hmm... he has been hiding me behind the Grey Fog, so even if they join it won't be an issue... I think.
"Yes, unless they can bring actual benefit to the table, I am not sure if you should recruit them."
Klein nodded. Then he looked at the Beyonder Characteristic in front of him before sighing. "Well then, I shall take my leave. If you have any other leads on the Devil Dog, let me know. If we can collaborate together, it can save your life, and well... it will help me out as well. I am a detective, after all."
Kiyotaka understood that Klein's benefit was monetary. And that was enough to trust him, after all, money and pussy were the most lethal driving factors for men in any era. He nodded once in agreement.
"Alright then, bye for now."
"Goodbye." Kiyotaka greeted as a flush of crimson light enveloped him.
Back inside his small, but lavishly decorated room, Kiyotaka's pale blue eyes opened. He looked up at the ceiling and then heaved a deep breath. He felt like someone was sitting on top of his chest.
Painfully, he sat, throwing his legs to the side of the bed. Touching the back of his hand to his forehead, he realized that he was severely sick.
He did not curse his bad luck. Instead, he stood up, walked over to the table in the living room and picked up a paper and a pen. He began to write a letter:
[Dear Xio,
May this letter find you in good health, beneath clear skies and in good stead.
I write to you during a difficult time. I have fallen seriously ill, and after repeated absences from the Company, I was dismissed from my position. As I now look for work, I wished to ask you about the commission you entrusted to me a few weeks ago, the matter concerning the man who swindled a great deal of money from the people of Tingen.
I would be grateful if you could let me know whether that commission remains open, as I am ready to take it up should it still stand.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Your good friend,
Williams]
Kiyotaka used a formal tone to write the letter before walking out of his house and submitting it to the mailman who was passing by just now. The mailman looked at the letter, tipped his hat and smiled broadly before leaving.
Not having the energy to focus on it, he walked back home. Sitting by the couch, he suddenly felt his knees go soft. His breath came out in ragged gasps and his body burned like lava. The sickness that gotten hold of him suddenly got even more severe.
A little concerned, he tried to stand up but failed as he fell to the ground and lost consciousness.
*****
A/n A wee filler. Well, it's not technically a filler since it contributes to the plot, but nothing much happened.
Ok, on to something troubling. The thing is, I have been a little conflicted about romance. I liked LOTM the way it was, devoid of romance, but a part of me wants to integrate romance into it, no matter how little.
Even if its unrequited, or even if it's just a mutual respect gone a little too far, I want to incorporate into it. Though I am not sure, since a lot of characters are 3-dimensional in LOTM, which means they have clear goals and have defined do's and don'ts's.
Well, anyways, as always, if you liked the chapter, leave a comment and Star it if you are reading on Wattpad, and leave a power-stone if you're on Web-Novel. Assuming I am gone, unfortunately I won't be able to know about what the major consensus about the romance is.
But eh, anyways.
Thanks for reading, bis-später