What kind of question is this… Klein's fingers, pressed lightly against his forehead, subtly tapped his brow twice.
From the shifting hues, he quickly discerned that Audrey was flustered—nervous, embarrassed, ashamed.
Could it be she had done something foolish again? Klein thought in mild astonishment, though not without resignation. After two prior gatherings, he was fairly certain Miss "Justice" had a knack for such things.
His imagination, constrained by poverty, couldn't quite grasp what sort of person would feed a dog with a mystical potion.
Wasn't this on his own level? The great Fool sharing meals with dogs?
The "Hanged Man," Alger, was equally stunned, needing a while before he said:"Ordinary animals lack human intellect. They can't immediately learn meditation, so most likely they would either die on the spot or collapse into monsters. But if they somehow endure, they should become extraordinary beings. And if the potion enhances cognition, they might even grow intelligent."
Audrey's cheeks paled—her slip with the potion exposed in a single sentence. She was just about to make an excuse when Sairuis cut her off.
"Raising an extraordinary pet isn't a bad thing at all. If it's something like a cat or dog along the Spectator pathway, that's actually quite fitting." He stroked his chin.
"After all, they've already spent years acting as Spectators in their own right. So long as your pet didn't drink five or six doses, it's likely digested the potion by now."
"Ah! It… it's digested it already?" Audrey's mouth opened slightly, stunned at the idea that Susie had left her far behind.
"Susie… she's outpaced me," she murmured.
Exhaling a long breath, Audrey cheered herself up inwardly.
"Come on, Audrey. Don't lose heart. You're the best."
She smiled again, voice bright as she faced Sairuis:
"Mr. Devil, the task you gave me has been completed." After a pause, she added, "That makeup brand, COLORS—the quality is outstanding, better even than the inventions of Emperor Roselle. Even without my guidance, they likely would've invested."
Sairuis only smiled silently. Of course the quality was superb—it was developed by the "Family" of Penacony, endorsed by the Robin. Even a counterfeit printed through Aether Editing couldn't compare to a ten-thousandth of the original. Certainly not to the primitive products of Earth.
"Excellent." Sairuis clapped his hands. "Then according to our deal, I owe you a potion formula."
With the Fool's assistance, he manifested a sheet of paper inscribed with the recipe and slid it toward Audrey.
She seized it eagerly, reading:
Extraordinary Materials: Full pituitary gland of an adult Rainbow-scaled Lizard; 10ml spinal fluid of a Falsman Rabbit.
Auxiliary Materials: 5g chestnut buds, 8g dragon-tooth grass powder, 3 petals of pure-white elf flower, 100ml pure water.
She memorized the list quickly. Since becoming Extraordinary, her memory had improved drastically—one glance was enough to engrave it in her mind. Still, she checked it several more times, just to be safe.
"All right." Audrey set the paper down. "I'm fine."
Alger and Sairuis likewise confirmed they had no further issues.
"I do have something," Klein spoke at last. "A new experiment."
"You may try a ritual magic in your spare time. It doesn't need to be formal—just somewhere private, undisturbed. Place four new candles at the four corners of an altar, ideally sandalwood-scented. At the top left, put a piece of white bread. At the top right, Feynapotter noodles. Bottom left, Paella. Bottom right, a Desi pie. Use a silver knife to seal the environment in spirituality."
He described a ritual magic adapted from the "Luck Enhancement Ritual," freely teaching Miss Justice how to construct a spiritual environment.
Truthfully, since the target was himself, Klein believed the sacrificial offerings—the part meant to draw a being's attention—could be skipped. Still, he wanted it to look authentic, even if it didn't match Old Neil's rule of "god is two, add oneself for three."
Compared to elaborate rituals, what Klein really preferred as offerings were heavy gold pounds.
"Distill moonflower, gold mint, slumber flower, fragnant citron, and rockrose into essential oil, then drip one drop onto each candle," he continued.
Though, the Fool would probably rather have iced sweet tea.
Audrey listened with fascination, diligently jotting everything down. Finally she asked:"And the incantation, Mr. Fool? What words should we use?"
Alger and Sairuis, playing along, set down their pens and turned toward the Fool as well.
Shrouded in gray mist, Klein tapped the long table and calmly intoned in Hermes:
"The Fool that doesn't belong to this era;
The Mysterious Ruler above the gray fog;
The King of Yellow and Black who wields good luck."
The ignorant know no fear—but Alger, who knew more than most, and Audrey, the budding beyonder, were far from ignorant.
Repeating the Fool's threefold honorifics, they felt a shiver of awe. Such titles belonged to true gods.
Audrey was still reeling, but Alger Wilson, who understood even deeper, trembled from the heart:
"If this ritual truly connects to the Fool, letting him hear our pleas, then he must be addressed so—using the third-person reverence reserved for gods and beings of their kind."
"How fortunate. How wise of me. I've always cooperated, never acted rashly. Even my tests were within reason…"
"Could he be an ancient, hidden, terrible existence? A Primordial Demoness? Hidden Sage? Or the True Creator worshipped by several secret cults?"
He glanced at the unruffled Sairuis."So he already knew. Then what exactly is this Masked Fool organization?"
Alger realized the Fool before them might not be his true form at all—perhaps not even human, perhaps genderless, perhaps beyond all familiar shape.
And just like that, Klein was stripped of his human identity, entirely unaware of what had just happened.
Ignoring Audrey and Alger's gazes, he pretended everything was under control and went on:
"I pray for your help.
I pray for your loving grace.
I pray for you to give me a good dream.
Moon flower, a herb that belongs to the red moon, please bestow your powers to my incantation.
Fingered citron, a herb that belongs to the sun, please bestow your powers to my incantation."
Praying for good dreams? So that's it—at one in the morning, they'd be offering fervent prayers to Mr. Fool.
Once he'd given his instructions, Klein left them to digest the revelation. The Tarot meeting was declared over.
As for Tingen… there wasn't much worth narrating. Either it would be swiftly skimmed over, or side arcs would fill the gaps.
(End of Chapter)