"There might be danger there."
Silas Londor gave him a warning.
"It's fine. Didn't you say your messenger already has the situation under control?"
Klein smiled, looking as though he had complete confidence in Silas's messenger.
In reality, he already knew exactly what was happening on the other battlefield.
After killing Mr. X, Klein had received a prayer from Fors, The Magician. She hoped that Mr. Fool would bestow his grace and free her teacher from the torment of the curse.
Klein had been both surprised and delighted.
He had been wondering how he could establish contact with the Abraham family, only for them to come knocking on his door themselves!
Thus, he quickly responded to Fors's prayer. He then used the powers of the gray fog to shield her teacher, Dorian Gray, from the influence of that voice.
At the same time, through the spirituality generated by their prayers, his gaze extended to the battlefield and allowed him to see what was happening there.
Silas's messenger, Fors, Dorian, a badly disintegrated corpse, and some highly spiritual object...
It appeared that Silas's powerful messenger had already dealt with the enemy.
So Klein wasn't worried at all.
"All right, then."
Silas nodded and gave Klein a set of coordinates.
Some time earlier, along the banks of the Tussock River.
"Teacher..."
Fors looked at Dorian with concern.
After reciting The Fool's honorific name, he had fallen into a daze. Although he was no longer writhing in pain, he hadn't immediately awakened either, remaining in that state the entire time.
Two or three minutes later, Dorian drew a long breath and opened his eyes as though awakening from a dream.
"Teacher, are you all right now?"
Fors asked in delight.
"...Mm."
Dorian gave her a long look, his expression somewhat complicated.
He truly hadn't expected something like this to happen.
The moment he finished reciting the prayer, his pain had vanished. As though in a dream, his consciousness had entered an endless expanse of gray fog. At the other end of that fog, a great existence had calmly bestowed protection upon him.
That existence had seemed so lofty, profound, and serene.
That was a True God!
His student was actually able to communicate directly with a True God and even have that True God personally grant him protection!
That existence was called... The Fool...
Hmm. The Aurora Order had previously spread that honorific name around. They seemed to be searching for Him and His Blessed...
Could that mean The Fool was capable of opposing the ancient and powerful True Creator?
And his student was actually one of The Fool's Blessed?
At that thought, Dorian instinctively turned his gaze toward Fors.
Her slightly curled brown hair, languid demeanor, ink stains on her cuffs, coffee stains on her fingers... Although she could certainly be called beautiful, she always seemed to carry the faint air of a hopeless layabout.
"Heh heh..."
Sensing his stare, Fors shrank her neck slightly and gave him an embarrassed smile.
Seen like this, she didn't resemble a True God's Blessed in the slightest...
Dorian closed his eyes.
He quickly regained his composure, opened them again, and looked seriously at Fors.
"Explain whatever you're able to tell me."
Fors clearly had many secrets, but regardless of everything else, she had just saved his life.
Dorian still remembered the result of his astrology from years ago. Fors would bring new hope to the Abraham family.
Could that hope actually refer to the protection of a True God...?
"Teacher, just as you have your secrets, I have mine."
Fors thought carefully before choosing her words. "There's an organization behind me. Some of its members helped me, which is what made today's hunt for Lewis Wien possible... But I don't know why Botis suddenly discovered us. Something may have gone wrong with the operation."
The organization she speaks of must be made up of Blessed who worship The Fool...
A True God having angels serving under Him would make perfect sense.
Dorian analyzed the situation inwardly and glanced at the woman in the black dress beside them.
"What do we do now?" he asked Fors.
Fors hesitated before respectfully turning toward Antia.
"Your Excellency Messenger, what should we do next?"
"Wait here."
Antia was idly examining the jewelry box and answered without much thought.
After speaking, however, she seemed to remember something. She suddenly raised her head and fixed Fors with her clear, glass-like red eyes.
"Is something wrong?"
Fors inexplicably felt a little guilty.
"You're going to write a novel about him, aren't you?"
Fors hadn't expected Antia to ask such a strange question.
Write a novel?
Oh, she means the story Mr. Temperance wants me to spread for him?
Fors quickly understood and nodded.
"Uh, yes."
"Then you'd better write it properly."
Antia spoke sternly. "Absolutely do not turn it into some gaudy, trashy story. And especially make sure you portray his flagship as noble and elegant. Understand?"
"If I'm not satisfied with what you write... you'll regret it!"
As she spoke, a faint trace of her aura as an angel leaked out.
"Y-Yes!"
Fors nearly suffocated under the pressure and could only shout her agreement.
Why does Miss Messenger have demands about the novel too?!
And she looks completely serious...
Does that mean if I don't write it well enough, not only will Mr. Temperance come after me, but an angel will too?!
Fors, who loved putting off her writing and possessed an extreme lack of motivation, felt as though an invisible whip had cracked viciously across her back. She immediately straightened up.
Now she had absolutely no excuse not to start the new book...
Because if she didn't start writing soon, she really was going to be finished!
The oppressive atmosphere continued for another few minutes before ripples finally spread through the air beside the Tussock River.
Creak...
An illusory door rapidly took shape and swung open, outlining two figures.
One was thin and cold.
The other was handsome and gloomy.
Gehrman Sparrow and Alexander Gascoigne.
Since Silas had no intention of exposing his identity within the Church for the time being, he had chosen to use his second alias this time.
"Temper... Uh, you two."
Seeing her companions from the Tarot Club, Fors finally breathed a sigh of relief. She was about to greet them normally when she remembered that her teacher was standing beside her and hurriedly changed her wording.
As for Dorian, the moment he clearly saw their faces, he was immediately stunned.
The Blood Reverend and the Craziest Hunter!
They were both believers of The Fool?!
"Where's that guy?"
The moment Silas arrived, he swept his gaze across the scene before turning toward the angel who had approached him.
"Dead. That's him on the ground."
Antia pointed toward the remains of Botis's corpse.
"You attacked him?"
Silas frowned. "Didn't I tell you not to use your powers too much?"
That would make her condition unstable...
"I didn't deal the killing blow. He died on his own."
Antia answered casually and pointed toward the jewelry box on the ground.
The box lay quietly among the remains, glowing faintly.