That question caught Edward off guard for a moment—but soon, a theory began to take shape in his mind.
As a member of the Tarot Club, he had to attend meetings at Sefirah Castle once every week. On the surface, this seemed entirely harmless. But then again, Medici had been tainted just from brushing against the City of Calamity, and even the powerful Evernight Goddess dared not personally draw water from the River of Eternal Darkness.
Which meant…
They had all been contaminated by Sefirah Castle from the very beginning.
Or rather, because of Klein's presence, this "contamination" might have been beneficial—like being branded by the Castle as "one of its own."
Given the current situation, the logic became clearer: during the sacrificial ritual, Sefirah Castle would initiate a verification process. For inanimate objects or sealed artifacts, passage was granted directly. But for living beings, there was a second level of verification. If the subject bore the Castle's "mark," entry was allowed. Without it? Instant rejection.
If this reasoning was correct, then to allow Bernadette and Lilith to pass through the ritual and leave the Forsaken Land, they would first need to pray to The Fool and be accepted—branded—by Sefirah Castle.
Lilith wasn't a problem—she was just a tiny shrimp at Sequence 8.
But Bernadette…she was Sequence 3. Klein's current spirituality couldn't possibly withstand that, could it? Besides, with how cautious Klein was, would he really be willing to bring a Sequence 3 powerhouse into the Tarot Club?
Noticing the changing expressions on Edward's face, Bernadette asked calmly, "You seem to have come to a conclusion."
"I think so." Edward nodded, then added, "Perhaps…only by becoming a believer of my Lord can one set foot in "His" kingdom—and thus leave this place."
Bernadette blinked in surprise. She hadn't expected that. Originally, she had intended for Cattleya to become a believer of this mysterious Fool after they escaped the Forsaken Land.
Now it seemed…she would have to take that step herself?
It wasn't entirely unacceptable. After all, Edward believed in "Him", and there didn't seem to be any problems.
With that thought, Bernadette made up her mind. "I am willing to believe in "Him"."
Edward let out a dry laugh. "The question now isn't whether you're willing to believe in "Him"—it's whether "He's" willing to accept your belief."
And another thing…this kind of secret involving the Fool's divine kingdom—surely it wasn't appropriate for a believer like himself to be the one reminding the deity about it, right?
"…"
Bernadette fell silent.
He was right. This was a god they were speaking of. To such an existence, Sequence 3 might as well be Sequence 9—or even just an ordinary human.
"I'll…pray to "Him" again."
With that, she sensibly stepped out of the tent.
"Whew—"
Edward exhaled slowly, brought his hands together, and whispered:
"The Fool that doesn't belong to this era…"
Bathed in a wave of grey mist and crimson glow, Edward once again arrived in the grand, solemn palace atop the fog.
Klein lounged upon the bronze chair that symbolised The Fool, looking rather at ease. A faint smile played on his lips as he asked, "Mr. Tower, why do you think your friend and your cat were unable to arrive at my palace through the sacrificial ritual as you did?"
Well done, Klein!
You're starting to master the first secret of leadership: when you don't know something, toss it back to your subordinates like a test question—just make it look like you're assessing them!
Without hesitation, Edward replied, "I have a theory. I'm not sure if it's correct."
"Speak."
"I suspect it's because I had already been to "Your" palace before the sacrifice—as a member of the Tarot Club. That's why I was able to enter via sacrifice. But my friend and my cat are not…and were rejected as a result."
Klein nodded slightly. "Hmm. Your reasoning is sound."
—Oh? So that really is the case?
But wait…doesn't that mean I'll have to bring Queen Mystic onto the grey fog as well?
Suddenly, Klein felt a wave of disorientation.
How long has it been since this all started? And now I'm about to bring "My Dearest Daughter" mentioned in Emperor Roselle's diary—the one who later became a major player in the mystical world—above the grey fog?
How should he even greet her?
"Hello, I'm your father's old pen pal. From now on, you may call me Uncle Zhou."
Wait—if she joins the grey fog, wouldn't Roselle's diary entries become abundant from now on?
No no…that might actually be a bad thing. If Bernadette bartered powerful items for diary pages—how's a fake god like me supposed to pay for that stuff?
Then again, Queen Mystic was at least a demigod—possibly stronger. If he brought her above the grey fog, could his spiritual body even withstand the strain?
Should I…make an excuse and reject her?
No, that wouldn't do.
Under normal circumstances, maybe he could decline. But right now, they were trapped in the Forsaken Land, constantly at risk of being hunted down by Amon, the King of Angels. Refusing to help would essentially be abandoning them to die.
Not to mention—Edward might've gotten dragged into all this because of him.
Besides, the guy had just given him a generous donation of 5,000 pounds!
I can't say no.
Klein was suffering a headache. And so was Edward.
Bernadette had entered the Forsaken Land for his sake. There was no way Edward could just take Lilith and escape, leaving her behind.
But Klein's spirituality couldn't support a Sequence 3…and that was an objective limitation. The situation was going in circles.
Wait a minute—could I use[Madman to the Right] to forcibly reverse the outcome?
But this was Sefirah Castle they were dealing with…even divination wouldn't work here.
After a long silence, Klein finally spoke in a calm tone, "Go back and have your friend try praying to me."
Then, choosing to "reveal" just enough, he added, "However, as you might already understand, I'm still limited in how much I can influence the real world. There's no guarantee I'll be able to bring her here."
"Understood," Edward replied gratefully, seizing the excuse without hesitation.
"Praise The Fool. Thank you, Mr. Fool."
Klein then severed the connection, causing Edward's figure to vanish from above the grey fog.
Sigh…if I were thinking purely pragmatically and with maximum caution, this kind of 'self-exposure' would definitely be unwise.
But…I suppose this is my way of repaying Edward for everything he's done for me.
——
Back inside the tent, Edward immediately called out, "Your Majesty, my Lord has granted you permission to pray to "Him" now."
Then he turned to Lilith. "You too, Lilith."
Bernadette stepped inside. "What do I need to do?"
Lilith tilted her head, puzzled. "Eh? What does Miss Lilith need to do?"
Edward gently patted her head. "Lilith, just repeat after me. Then you'll go to a palace full of grey fog. Remember to be very polite to the gentleman you meet there."
"Got it~!"
Lilith blinked in curiosity. "Is that the place Edward usually goes to?"
"That's right."
"I understand now!"
"Close your eyes."
Edward gave Bernadette a glance, then said seriously, "I've only secured you the opportunity to pray to my Lord. Whether "He" responds or not depends entirely on "His" will."
She nodded. "Understood."
"Then…"
Edward began chanting softly:
"The Fool that doesn't belong to this era—"
Lilith echoed sweetly:
"The Fool that doesn't belong to this era—"
"The Mysterious Ruler above the Grey Fog."
"The Mysterious Ruler above the Grey Fog."
"The King of Yellow and Black who wields good luck…"
Lilith and Bernadette chanted in unison:
"The King of Yellow and Black who wields good luck…"
At that moment, Edward tossed a coin into the air and murmured silently, "May Bernadette be brought above the grey fog by Mr. Fool."
The coin spun through the air—and, unsurprisingly, landed just out of reach of his palm.
As expected.
How could a divination involving Sefirah Castle—an actual Sefirot—possibly succeed?
Just as the coin was about to fall to the floor, a swirl of grey-white mist surged in front of Edward's eyes. In the next moment, he found himself inside the grand, mist-shrouded palace of Sefirah Castle—but the bronze throne that symbolised Mr. Fool stood empty.
This was…
He suddenly recalled: this was exactly what he had seen last time, when he recited the Four-Lined Luck Enhancement Ritual at the barrier and arrived at Sefirah Castle.
Am I…back again?
Before he could think further, everything around him vanished.
Edward remained seated in the tent. Everything just now felt like a dream—but the coin, which had clearly slipped from his hand, was now quietly resting in his palm.
It showed the negative side facing up.
A "No."
The divination…succeeded?
A divination involving Sefirah Castle—and it actually succeeded?
Could it be that what he'd seen just now wasn't a hallucination after all?
Did I…just borrow Sefirah Castle's power for a moment without realising it?
Edward stared intently at the coin…
Then activated [Madman to the Right].
——
Above the grey fog.
Klein sat tensely upon the bronze throne. Even though he'd already agreed to "give it a try," even though he'd given Edward ample disclaimers and tried to convince himself to relax…
He still couldn't suppress the nervousness in his heart.
This was simply too risky!
That Queen Mystic was a well-known demigod—an actual Saint. If his spiritual strength couldn't sustain her presence and she saw through the illusion of his "divinity," wouldn't everything he'd spent so long building collapse instantly?
What then?
How would I face Edward? Or the rest of the Tarot Club?
He even began to think, If only…my spiritual power weren't enough to bring her up here at all. That would avoid any risk of exposure, and I already told Edward it might not work.
At that moment, two crimson stars flared deep within the grey fog, gleaming steadily.
Klein shook off his thoughts and extended his spirituality toward one of the stars. Through the mist, he saw a small black cat, eyes closed, sincerely offering a prayer to him.
Raising a Beyonder pet really does have its perks, Klein thought, feeling a tinge of envy.
But then he remembered: this cat belonged to the Witch pathway. Her advancement would inevitably bring about disaster and misfortune—just like that high-Sequence witch in Backlund. A single act of "roleplaying" from her could cost thousands—or even tens of thousands—of lives.
Was Edward planning to keep her at Sequence 7 forever for…ahem, "certain well-known reasons," or did he have other plans?
I'll find a chance to ask him later.
Klein's spirituality surged, pouring into the flowing crimson light.
A moment later, the black cat appeared within the grand palace, seated beside the long bronze table in a chair that did not belong to any current Tarot Club member.
She was still sitting upright, eyes shut, praying solemnly—utterly adorable.
Klein spoke in a calm tone, "You may open your eyes now."
"Eh? Oh."
Lilith carefully opened her eyes, curiously glancing around before settling her gaze on the figure seated at the head of the table.
"Hello, Mr. Fool."
Klein nodded. "Hello, little one."
After the greetings, both sides fell briefly silent.
Lilith was doing her best to remember Edward's instructions, while Klein…didn't know what to say.
When new members joined in the past, he usually asked about their circumstances, invited them to join the Tarot Club, and had them select a tarot card as their representative symbol.
But with this cat…should he really go through the same formalities?
A moment later, he shook his head and chuckled softly to himself.
Right, I almost forgot. Bringing Edward's cat and Bernadette here isn't about inducting them into the Tarot Club—it's just to let the grey fog "familiarise" itself with them, so that they can be properly transferred later via sacrificial ritual. No need to overthink it.
That said…
Up till now, each proper member had chosen a card, which then engraved a matching symbol behind their chair. Only then did they truly become members of the Tarot Club.
So just "dropping by" like this…Was that enough?
———
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