Her expression at that moment made Roselle's heart stir uncontrollably.
He glanced toward the washroom behind him, his mind already wandering toward certain "possibilities."
Just then, a sudden burst of commotion erupted outside, accompanied by several shrill screams from women.
Roselle's face changed instantly. He quickly pulled the disappointed Matilda along and rushed out. When they arrived at the ballroom, they saw a crowd gathered in a circle—two clearly drunken nobles were brawling at the centre.
One was shouting that the other had stolen his wife, while the other yelled back that his opponent was impotent and that he'd merely been doing him a favour.
Both were the sort of pampered aristocrats who'd never done a day of real fighting in their lives; their flailing resembled that of quarrelling women more than any proper duel.
Aside from the woman who had screamed earlier, the rest of the guests stood around gleefully watching, secretly hoping the fight would get even more intense.
And this was precisely the scene that greeted Edward as he emerged from the washroom. He stood there, expressionless, and muttered to himself, "Uh…this really can't be blamed on my 'Chaos Banquet Physique,' right?"
In the end, Roselle's grand celebration party—meant to commemorate his return from a long sea voyage—concluded in farce.
As the guests gradually dispersed, Edward, the last to remain, approached Roselle and his wife to bid them farewell.
"Hmph!"
Bernadette turned her head away, arms crossed, her little face puffed in mock anger.
"Let's go."
Edward was just about to turn when Roselle casually asked, "Klein, I didn't get a chance to ask earlier—why didn't Dubois come tonight? Don't tell me you actually dismissed him?"
Edward replied evenly, "Oh, he had some important matters to attend to this evening."
Roselle raised an eyebrow.
"As a butler, what could possibly be more important than serving his employer? That's gross negligence! Someone like that should be fired!"
Heh. You two-faced old rascal.
If I really did fire Dubois, you'd be the first one to plead for him to stay.
"I'll take your suggestion into careful consideration," Edward said dryly. "Good night, Roselle, Matilda, and…the Most Dazzling Gem of Trier."
Bernadette's cheeks flushed crimson. The last time he'd privately called her that, she'd complained about it; but now, hearing the same title spoken aloud in front of her parents and the remaining guests, she couldn't help feeling shy.
Roselle planted his hands on his hips and burst out laughing. "Hahaha! 'The Most Dazzling Gem of Trier'? I like that! Starting tomorrow, I'll make sure everyone in Trier knows that title!"
"Ah! Daddy!"
Matilda simply clung to her husband's arm, laughing along.
Edward waved and turned to leave.
What a wonderful thing—a family together like this.
He glanced up at the crimson moon overhead, his mind swirling with thoughts.
How long will it be before I can reunite with Lilith and Audrey again…?
His gaze deepened as fragments of concern flashed through his mind:
—Was Lilith doing well in the Mirror World? Would she be able to return on schedule?
—Would his plan to hunt down Zaratul proceed as expected?
—And what of the "commissions" he had received, one from the Russian Priest and another from the Evernight Goddess?
The Russian Priest had asked him to pray to the True Creator.
The Goddess had asked him to go to the Forsaken Land of the Gods.
If, in essence, both pointed toward the same matter—then what kind of matter could possibly concern both of those supreme existences?
And that mysterious being who had taken the River of Eternal Darkness—the one who was supposedly the true owner of the Door Pathway's uniqueness—what exactly had He left behind in the Forsaken Land?
And how did all of this tie back to him?
"Perhaps," Edward murmured, "after all this delay…it's finally time to pay a visit to the True Creator of this era."
He smiled faintly.
"I'll wait until the day Lilith agreed upon with Krismona—that should coincide with the next full moon. Perfect timing to also contact Mr. Door again…hopefully, I can finish digesting the Deconstruction Scholar potion in one go."
Three days left!
———
Year 1360 – The Future
Monday Morning, Empress Borough
In the small villa Edward had rented.
Audrey had arrived early with Susie in tow. Using a series of cleaning spells, she thoroughly tidied the house inside and out, then carefully arranged the food and drinks she'd brought from home on the dining table—ready to host Klein.
This was Edward's home, and since he wasn't here, it naturally fell to her, the lady of the house, to take full charge.
After realising that her impulse to meet Klein as a fellow "compatriot" from another world was likely the result of someone's psychological cue, Audrey had felt a lingering sense of fear and uncertainty.
Yet after long deliberation, she still chose to keep their appointment—and meet Klein as promised.
She didn't necessarily have to "acknowledge" Klein as kin, but she could still test whether he truly came from Edward's world.
Around ten o'clock, Klein arrived, having changed out of his detective outfit and back into his usual appearance.
"Long time no see, Klein."
"Long time no see, Miss Justice."
Audrey greeted him warmly and gestured for him to sit down at the table. She poured him a glass of sweet iced tea, and after exchanging a few polite words, Klein went straight to the point.
"Miss—ah, Audrey, did you ask to meet because there's something important?"
She shook her head lightly and spoke the line she had prepared in advance, "Not exactly. I just wanted to ask you to help me pass a message to Mr. Fool—ask Him to…help look for Edward and Lilith again. After all, you're one of His Blessed."
Klein's hand, which was holding the cup, froze for a moment. He shook his head slowly and said, "Mr. Fool has been doing His utmost to find them, but…for now, we can only confirm that they're safe. Oh, and—Edward is also considered one of Mr. Fool's Blessed."
As he spoke, guilt welled up within Klein. Edward had helped him countless times—both him personally and Mr. Fool. Yet when Edward was the one in trouble, he hadn't been able to help at all…he couldn't even find them.
Alongside that guilt, a flicker of doubt stirred within him. Audrey had gone out of her way to arrange several meetings—just to say this? Was it really necessary to hide something like this from Mr. Fool?
Hmm…maybe she felt that asking for help like this was "pulling strings," and she didn't want Mr. Fool to know?
Alright then. I already understand.
Klein's instincts told him that this wasn't Audrey's true reason for meeting him. The problem was—why had she suddenly changed her mind and stopped talking about it?
Should I take the initiative and ask her?
Audrey took a small sip of tea before asking, "Klein, about that girl you've been trying to find through the Tarot Club—have there been any new developments?"
"No." Klein shook his head. "I haven't seen her again since then. I've been putting all my focus on advancing to Sequence 5 lately."
"You said before that you were looking for her because she might be from your hometown?"
"Yes."
"But…aren't you from Tingen? I don't recall anyone from there wearing that kind of clothing style."
Klein's heart skipped a beat, but his face remained completely calm—this was what it meant to be a professional Faceless.
Wait, hold on. The one sitting across from me is also a professional—a Spectator!
Ah…I never should've blurted out the truth in that moment of panic.
Edward, oh Edward, look what your wife's asking me—it's almost enough to make even Mr. Fool break into a sweat!
"Before we moved to Tingen, we lived in a small town for quite some time," Klein said smoothly, making up the story as he went. "The people there dressed in that style. Later, when I returned, the town was already abandoned, and the residents were gone without a trace. So when I suddenly saw someone wearing the same clothes, I just got a little…emotional."
He spoke with practised ease, but inwardly he was thinking, I need to find a chance to go back and make sure Benson and the others can back this up.
"Oh." Audrey nodded in seeming understanding. "So that's how it is."
He's lying.
Melissa said that the Moretti family had always lived in Tingen—there was never any small town like the one he described.
Then…Klein really might be a transmigrator too?
But Melissa also said that Klein was indeed her biological brother.
So either Melissa didn't know the full truth, or there's something else about Klein that I still don't understand.
If Klein truly came from Edward's world, though…then everything makes sense.
That's why Edward treats him differently.
That's why Mr. Fool made both Edward and Klein His Blessed.
That's why He's so interested in Emperor Roselle's diary—
Because they all come from the same place!
As this thought struck her, Audrey suddenly realised something else—Could it be that the one who placed that mental suggestion on her, the one who wanted her to "acknowledge" Klein as kin…was actually Mr. Fool Himself?
But…how would "acknowledging" Klein as kin possibly affect Mr. Fool?
———
At three o'clock sharp that afternoon—well, three minutes before it, to be precise—Klein had already taken four steps backwards and entered above the grey fog.
He sat upon the Fool's bronze chair, gazing at the countless crimson stars deep within the grey mist. His mind replayed his morning conversation with "Miss Justice" Audrey over and over.
Had Audrey…noticed something?
Did she realise that I was lying? That there was no such small town?
But even if she did—so what? She couldn't possibly deduce from that alone that I'm not from this world…that I'm a transmigrator!
Impossible.
Absolutely impossible.
No one could possibly know something beyond the limits of their own cognition!
Still, Klein couldn't figure out why she'd suddenly shown such interest in his search for that girl—why she'd gone so far as to arrange a private meeting just to ask him about it.
Taking a deep breath, he wrote on the parchment he'd manifested:
"Audrey knows that I am a transmigrator."
Leaning back in the chair, he silently recited the divination statement seven times, then let the yellow crystal pendulum drop.
Moments later, the crystal began to turn counterclockwise—A negative answer.
"Phew…"
Klein exhaled in relief. "As expected, I was just scaring myself."
He shook off the lingering tension, focused his mind, and extended his spirituality to connect with each of the crimson stars representing the members of the Tarot Club, pulling them one by one into the grey fog.
But this time, he felt an odd resistance in his spirituality—
Strange. Why does it feel so much harder this time? Almost like that time I tried to forcibly summon Queen Mystic…
Fortunately, the strain didn't last long. Klein quickly slipped into the Fool's profound and inscrutable persona and looked toward the silhouettes that appeared one after another before him:
Justice, the Hanged Man, the Sun, the Magician, Death, Strength, the Moon, and—
Klein's heart suddenly skipped a beat.
The crimson star representing Lilith shone brilliantly—And so did the one representing…the Empress!
Within the ancient, mysterious palace,
Audrey followed her usual routine, greeting everyone with a bright smile, "Good afternoon, Mr. Fool~ Good afternoon, Mr. Hanged Man…"
This time, however, she didn't follow the order of the Tarot cards. Instead, she greeted according to the order of initiation, her gaze sweeping over each person in turn.
"Good afternoon, Miss Strength~ Good afternoon, Miss Empress—"
"!!!"
Audrey froze.
Her eyes widened as she stared blankly at the small, petite figure sitting in the Empress's seat.
Lilith…had returned?
———
[Note]: Don't forget to VOTE. It keeps me motivated.