I was still holding the 'The Star' tarot card in one hand, my green eyes staring seriously at the card, trying to observe it in as much detail as possible.
"Could this be what I think it is?" A possibility immediately sprang to mind since this "The Star" card depicted Emperor Roselle, while the other cards seemed like ordinary tarot cards with a rather old design, yet strangely, they weren't damaged or looked peculiar. I just didn't understand.
But setting the other cards aside, this 'The Star' card seemed to be... a Blasphemy Card! Yes, I remember that Klein once obtained a Blasphemy Card after reading Roselle's diary about them, and Blasphemy Cards are the godhood-ascension cards created by Roselle. But which Blasphemy Card is this 'The Star'? I completely forgot the names of the cards; 'The Emperor' represents the Black Emperor pathway, but I don't recall, or perhaps Roselle never mentioned this 'The Star' card in his diary before. From the name, Star is... a star, maybe some pathway related to outer space? The Moon pathway? Wait, isn't there The Moon in tarot? If I follow Roselle's logic, he would choose cards that fit their pathways, so maybe the Moon pathway is The Moon? I furrowed my brow, frustrated at not knowing which pathway this card belonged to.
Hah! This is exactly why I should have paid more attention to the details. I felt utterly stupid for forgetting the contents of Roselle's diaries, even though remembering them should have been easier than remembering specific dates of events, given that the diaries were only read in the pages concerning the Tarot Gathering. It's really annoying that I forgot this!
"Hmm..." I unconsciously frowned, straining too hard to remember. "But this is so important!" I justified my intense effort, reminding myself that Blasphemy Cards involve incredibly powerful Beyonder forces and could get me killed very quickly.
Just thinking about it made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. After all, who wouldn't be afraid upon finding an object that could make one a 'god'?
I felt grateful that my memories about the Blasphemy Cards weren't erased like the names of important figures, gods, or other forcibly removed information. At least this way, I knew I was holding an artifact of god-level and could act more carefully.
But wait! Why does Mr. Hobert have a Blasphemy Card? Blasphemy Cards aren't items one can just find randomly or pick up off the street. I unconsciously stared at the 'The Star' card with its illustration of Emperor Roselle and the wolf, even though it gave off no strange sensation and felt completely normal.
Hey, actually, things like finding a Blasphemy Card on the road could totally happen. After all, Emperor Roselle was someone who genuinely enjoyed random acts, so I wouldn't be surprised if one or two cards were found and picked up by a merchant or a random person. Thinking about this absurd notion almost made me smile wryly, but thankfully, I managed to control myself.
But seriously, how could this card have ended up with Mr. Hobert? Could it be that he is a high-sequence Beyonder? Is he an angel? A member of some secret organization? A secret antagonist from the novel?
I tried to find the most logical conclusion for why such a powerful item would be in Mr. Hobert's possession. I did suspect he was a Beyonder, but I never thought he'd be an angel-level Beyonder!
While my head was spinning with all these possibilities, Mr. Hobert suddenly touched my shoulder.
"Is something wrong, Mr. Lynch?" Hobert's gaze, coupled with the touch on my shoulder, was so sharp it made the atmosphere in the room feel more ominous.
I involuntarily shuddered, startled back to reality after being lost in thought. I then realized that Hobert had probably said something to me.
"It's nothing, Mr. Hobert. It's just that while looking at this tarot deck, I somehow feel it's less mystical compared to the other items. Even though tarot cards are used for divination," I immediately lied, looking at Hobert with the best smile I could muster in John's entire life.
After all, it would be dangerous if he knew I recognized this as a Blasphemy Card! He would definitely kill me; he could easily kill me, considering he might be an angel or at least possess a sequence powerful enough to eliminate me in an instant.
I immediately got chills thinking about being killed by this red-eyed, strangely tattooed old man in front of me, and I pressed my temples to calm myself down from that thought.
"Is that so...?" Mr. Hobert looked at me, then his hand went to his chin, and he seemed to be thinking very seriously, making the room fall silent.
I'm doomed! He's going to kill me! He must be a Beyonder from a pathway that can read minds, and he's realized that I know he possesses a Blasphemy Card. Damn it! I've only been in this damned world for a few hours! I scratched my wrist slightly as the atmosphere in the room grew increasingly uncomfortable.
Mr. Hobert lowered his hand from his chin, his expression suddenly turning neutral. Then he smiled and looked at me with his red eyes.
"That's just an ordinary tarot deck, Mr. Lynch. I keep it in the mystical section because tarot cards are synonymous with mysticism," he suddenly declared, while staring at me very intently and observing me in great detail.
The air felt heavy under Hobert's gaze. I felt the hairs on my neck stand on end, and I was shivering. That stare wasn't just uncomfortable; it felt threatening. It felt like I was a mouse being observed, its every move watched, waiting to be killed if it stole a piece of cheese. It was a truly unpleasant feeling, even worse than when I first arrived in this world.
"Hoo... Is that so? Of... of course, this card must be involved with mysticism, right. Haha." I tried to smile nonchalantly as best I could, even though my heart was pounding fiercely and my hands were sweating.
"However, do you know why this tarot deck still looks so well-preserved? Shouldn't it be old given its age?" I continued my line of questioning, trying to gather as much information about the tarot cards as possible, even though I was afraid Hobert might take offense or find it strange and then kill me!
"There's a myth that it was used for a specific ritual, which caused the cards to remain preserved until now," Hobert answered my question, his sharp red eyes observing my behavior.
"That's really interesting. What kind of ritual was used on these cards?" I asked and promptly placed the 'The Star' card back onto the disordered deck.
"You don't need to know that," Hobert said with a relaxed smile on his face. He didn't seem to be staring as intensely as before, and his eyes began to look at the cards themselves.
I didn't understand why he averted his gaze from me! But hey, at least I had done something that made him think he had simply misunderstood. At least I managed to escape a potential murder attempt by an angel. A truly joyous achievement.
But... it would be incredibly stupid to leave a Blasphemy Card in this man's hands! That would be truly foolish because this person could become a 'god' with it, and perhaps because of my interaction today, he might become Klein's great enemy!
I mean, I really don't know if Hobert is actually a character from the novel or not, but if he is and his behavior changes because of me, leading to Klein's death and this world's destruction, that would be chaotic. No, I'm not even sure he's truly a villain, considering there are almost no hints of a character like this in the novel.
Hey, wait! Don't Blasphemy Cards have some kind of password created by Roselle before someone can use them? Does that mean this man knows the password to activate the Blasphemy Card?
Could it be that this is just my paranoia, and I'm mistakenly assuming this man is an angel... Unconsciously, I looked at Hobert, and he just smiled at me with his red eyes, making the hairs on my neck stand up again.
"He is an Angel!" I'm sure of it! Otherwise, how could his strange red eyes intimidate me so much?
But from which pathway is he? Red eyes? I never really knew of a pathway that caused its users to become contaminated and have red eyes... or does such a pathway actually exist?
No, it's not really important to determine his pathway, because the only important thing is that he can kill me easily if he wants to. So what I really need to think about is "how to take the Blasphemy Card" from him, or at least find a reason I can use to buy it!
Even though keeping it wouldn't be very useful since I don't know the card's password, at least it prevents a potential story derailment from losing one. So it's worth a try. May the God of Steam and Machinery, the Evernight Goddess, and Mr. Fool bless me!
"Uhm... Mr. Hobert, are these tarot cards for sale as well? Even though you say they are ordinary, I'm quite curious, and once my curiosity is satisfied, I might resell them..." I said this, looking at Hobert's face with my green eyes, wearing an expression of interest in the item.
"You want to buy that?" Mr. Hobert looked at me with a surprised expression, then he gave a slight smile again.
"Yes. I'm personally interested in it, so I want that item," I replied in a nonchalant tone while glancing at the tarot cards.
"Hmm..." He observed me carefully again. "Yes. It's for sale," he said with a neutral and relaxed face.
Wait! Just like that? Huh? Didn't he earlier indicate that these cards were involved in some specific ritual? And now when I ask for them, he just agrees? What's the meaning of this?
I thought I would be involved in some fierce debate to obtain these cards. But this completely defied my expectations!
Is this... some kind of trap...? Honestly, that was my only thought. Maybe Hobert wants me to use it as some kind of experimental tool and will spy on me afterward! Hah! I've figured out your way of thinking, Hobert. Don't worry, just like you, I don't know how to activate the Blasphemy Card, so there's no point in spying on me.
I immediately smirked at the thought that it was some kind of trap and that I could most likely counter it. I'm truly brilliant!
"So... how much for all the items I want to buy?" I immediately asked Mr. Hobert for the price, since with his agreement to sell the Blasphemy Card, my mission was technically complete. After all, my initial mission was protective gear, and I had already gotten that.
"Ah, right, I also want mystical bullets," I quickly added this because I had forgotten to ask for them from the start, and there had been so many things to think about that my brain felt completely full, but thankfully I remembered now.
"Alright then... Mr. Lynch. You requested this revolver, correct?" Mr. Hobert indicated the strange red revolver he had found in Intis.
"Correct," I answered and nodded regarding the item Hobert pointed to.
"And you requested that shapeless mask, right?" Hobert continued.
"Yes," I nodded indifferently at Hobert.
"And lastly, you requested the tarot cards and bullets, correct?" He picked up the final items.
"Yes. And Mr. Hobert, do you know how to activate these mystical items? I just remembered my client also requested to know the method," I promptly hurried to ask Mr. Hobert.
"Of course, I will tell you," his answer was brief...
....
"So, what's the total price for all these items?" I asked Mr. Hobert. I had been given the items I ordered from him.
"The price for all this is 1400 gold Pounds," Hobert said to me in a nonchalant tone.
"1400... Pounds?" I repeated the words in shock.
So expensive! For the relatively few items I bought, that's really expensive! Even for someone like me who can easily make money, spending 1400 gold Pounds just for this still feels like a waste.
Heh, Klein or any poor person would probably cry hearing this price! After all, it's even more expensive than the living expenses of a middle-class family in Backlund for 10 years. Is this guy trying to scam me or what?
I tried to recall the prices of Beyonder items Klein bought before, and I managed to remember one. If I recall correctly, the price of an axe that Klein bought for Derrick was around 600 gold Pounds. Okay, okay... it seems the price is somewhat reasonable, so I better not protest anything...
"Alright," I replied briefly and paid it directly to Mr. Hobert...
…
I had returned to my moving carriage, carrying all the items bought from Mr. Hobert's shop. It felt really relieving that nothing happened there to get me killed or injured... and it felt great that I had a god-level weapon in my pocket!
That means... my only remaining problem is getting
through the event involving that prince, huh... heh? I just remembered that the prince's name is Edessak Augustus. What a hassle