85. Tarot Club
"Good afternoon, Mr. Fool."
Following Justice, the other three—Hanged Man, Sun, and World—also bowed before Mr. Fool. A moment later, the two newcomers, Tower and Magician, hastily followed suit.
Mr. Fool gave a small gesture of acknowledgment and invited them to sit. Without wasting another moment, he continued.
"These are our new members—Miss Magician and Mr. Tower," Mr. Fool introduced them to the rest, and in turn, the others were introduced as well.
With each name spoken, a polite nod followed, confirming their identities to one another. Once everyone had been acquainted, Mr. Fool lapsed into silence, as he so often did, as though nothing at all were out of the ordinary.
Meanwhile, Audrey's keen observation was in full swing. Her gaze first fell upon Miss Magician—the very one who had recommended new members to Mr. Fool, even going so far as to leave his epithet in a place easy for others to discover. To be honest, Audrey was very, very curious about who they truly were.
Dissecting Miss Magician's silhouette and voice, Audrey quickly narrowed the possibilities. There were only two people she had ever recommended; unless it was a sheer coincidence—or some elaborate prank—she was more or less certain of the woman's identity.
'Miss Fors', she concluded, a sweet smile tugging at her lips. This was her very first organization, and it was already deeper, more enigmatic, than any society she had ever heard of—especially with someone like Mr. Fool presiding at the top.
Her eyes then shifted to the second newcomer—Mr. Tower.
'Blonde hair, young man still in his prime, dressed in Backlund fashion…' She mentally ticked off the details one by one. His voice, too, carried a familiarity she could not ignore. Audrey realized, with growing certainty, that she knew this person as well.
The final nail that confirmed her suspicion was Miss Magician's gaze—her eyes lingered on Mr. Tower, staring as if trying to pierce through the gray fog that concealed their true appearances from one another.
'…Fors. I'm sure you recognize me, but you don't need to look at me like that. Or perhaps… it's because you're still uncertain?' I sighed inwardly, a trace of regret in my thoughts.
With that single action, Justice had already deduced the true identities of both Magician and Tower. On the other hand, Hanged Man also noticed the subtle exchange and realized that Magician and Tower were acquainted—though to what extent their relationship reached, he remained unsure.
As for Sun, he was simply being the Sun, as usual.
Once everything had settled down, World spoke for the first time.
"I need information about the Devil and the Guardian."
The rest of the members immediately began recalling what knowledge they possessed on the matter. Magician and Tower, however, remained mostly in observation, holding back. Even if they did know something, it wasn't yet their place to speak—they first needed to understand the club's workings and etiquette.
It didn't take long before Sun responded.
"I am quite knowledgeable about those two," he said. "As payment, I want information about the Fallen Creator." Then, after a pause, he added with a smile, "Of course, Mr. Fool will decide the value of the exchange."
Fallen Creator. That was the name used within the Club, but in the outside world He was known as the True Creator—the unquestioned god of a powerful organization.
Even Magician, despite her rather modest background, knew of Him.
' Just what kind of gathering is this?! They're casually exchanging information about a god'! she thought, terrified, doing everything in her power to keep her outward composure.
Tower, meanwhile, was silently lampooning the situation. After all, he alone knew that Fool and World were merely two faces of the same coin.
' You have my condolences', he thought, casting a fleeting look of pity at Sun.
'—Crap!' The instant he felt a gaze settle on him, Tower quickly schooled his expression back into a poker face. He did his best to avoid meeting Justice's eyes—thankfully, she wasn't seated directly across from him.
When Sun requested a private exchange, Justice once again felt the sting of poverty. She had spent too much of her wealth on others and couldn't afford to pay the price to listen in this time.
' But I wanted to know… 'she sighed softly, then turned her gaze toward the newcomers. That was when she noticed it—Fors clearly knew nothing about the Fallen Creator, but… Tower was different.
' How does he know?' Her curiosity flared once more.
When the transaction concluded, World and Sun reappeared before the group. To the rest, it seemed almost magical—like voices that had been muted suddenly returned, weaving back into the solemn fog of the gathering.
Witnessing the sheer, almost absurd level of information being traded at this gathering, Magician couldn't help but grow hopeful.
"I wish to obtain the Trickmaster formula. I'm willing to pay in cash," she said at last.
But the only response came from World.
"I will look for it…"
It wasn't the answer she had been hoping for. True, Magician felt dejected—but she was used to disappointment and quick to shift her emotions.
Sun lacked both the knowledge and the wisdom to be of help, but Hanged Man was different. He understood that the newcomers were still at the lower Sequences. With that in mind, he turned his attention to Tower, silently waiting to see whether he would step forward.
'I'm certain now—she's Miss Fors'. If it had been ninety percent before, it was now one hundred. And with that realization, Justice also became completely sure of Tower's identity.
'Should I reveal my own?' The thought flickered through her mind, but she quickly dismissed it. There was neither gain nor loss in doing so.
"Miss Magician, do you know of the acting method?" Justice asked once more.
"Acting… method?" Fors echoed in confusion.
After receiving Mr. Fool's silent permission, Justice patiently explained the rules she herself had been taught, finally bestowing the knowledge of the Acting Method upon her.
Having been spoon-fed such an invaluable secret, Magician couldn't help but glance toward Tower.
' He hinted at this before…!' She suddenly remembered the peculiar way he had spoken to Xio.
'Mr. World and Mr. Tower… they already knew it beforehand'. Justice reached the conclusion silently.
'I'll ask later', Magician thought. She then turned to Justice. "Where should I send the money?" she asked, expecting a simple address.
Instead, she received a prayer.
"You can simply perform a sacrificial ritual to Mr. Fool to send the payment."
Alright. In Magician's eyes, Mr. Fool had already ascended to godlike status; there was no need to question the method.
Finally, it was Tower's moment. There was no official order, but it felt like the perfect time to speak.
"I'm not sure if this will help," he began, "but I once met a Devil in Backlund."