Everyone instinctively turned their gaze toward Miss Death.
As expected, she was staring at the new arrival with sparkling eyes, as if she had found a kindred spirit—someone who understood her, perhaps even a fellow 'Gatekeeper'.
Fors, on the other hand, couldn't stop a strange, almost blasphemous thought from popping into her head: Could it be that Mr. Fool has a penchant for collecting tiny people? If that's the case, Xio would be perfect for the Tarot Club…Compared to these two little ones, she's practically microscopic.
The Hanged Man, Alger, furrowed his brows ever so slightly. Has the Tarot Club been expanding a little too quickly lately? Or…is this a sign that Mr. Fool's power is recovering further, and he's about to make a move?
He silently speculated on the identities of the two new members. But even with the Empress being a child, he dared not underestimate her—not after the last "little one" turned out to be accompanied by three angel-level evil spirits. Who could say what this child might be hiding?
As the group finished their greetings and silence settled over the grand hall once more, Klein resisted the urge to quip, "Report if you have matters to discuss, otherwise be dismissed."
Instead, he offered a calm smile and said, "First of all, let's congratulate Mr. Tower on his successful return from the Forsaken Land."
Edward gave a bow and replied respectfully, "I owe it all to Mr. Fool."
This revelation stirred immediate astonishment among the members.
Mr. Tower made it back?
Then offering a sacrifice to Mr. Fool really worked?!
The Sun Derrick's heart surged with hope.
"Mr. Tower, did you leave the Forsaken Land of the Gods by offering a sacrifice?"
"That's right," Edward confirmed.
Derrick leaned forward eagerly.
"Then…could we also—?"
"But at present," Edward interrupted gently, "only members of the Tarot Club can use this method to make offerings to Mr. Fool's divine kingdom."
After a brief pause, he added, "So if you wish, Mr. Sun, you can ask Mr. Fool to help you leave the Forsaken Land."
Derrick froze. The burning hope that had just flared in his chest extinguished in an instant. He did want to leave that bleak, despairing place…
But only if he could do so with all of City of Silver, not just by himself.
His reaction was entirely within everyone's expectations. Though they felt a pang of regret, there was little they could do.
As the group settled once more into silence, Audrey suddenly chimed in sweetly, "Honourable Mr. Fool, I've recently obtained three more pages of Emperor Roselle's diary."
She couldn't resist giving Edward a smug glance as she said this—Hmph! You always got the diary pages and wouldn't let me read them. Now it's my turn!
She had received these pages during her latest session with the "new" Psychology Alchemists. It was said they were part of a legacy left by former members. There had been quite a few pages, but she had only managed to memorise a portion for now.
Bernadette immediately turned her head to look, her expression showing a trace of surprise.
Mr. Fool is collecting my father's diary? And…he can read Rosellean?
Her eyes then shifted toward Edward, a subtle gleam of rebuke in her gaze.
Such an important matter, and you didn't tell me?
Edward sensed the look and gave a helpless sigh inwardly.
How was I supposed to know Klein would bring Bernadette into the Tarot Club?
Last time, she was only able to attend because of a reversal triggered by [Madman to the Right]. This time there was no such reversal…Klein's spirituality shouldn't have been able to support her presence at all…
Klein, meanwhile, asked with a smile, "What do you want in exchange?"
Audrey turned her eyes to the white bone staff lying beside Mr. Fool's right hand.
"Mr. Fool, I'd like to know—what is that white bone sceptre?"
Now that she'd mentioned it, everyone's curiosity was piqued.
They realised that another object had appeared where the Cards of Blasphemy were usually placed—a staff surrounded by countless starlike lights.
Anything displayed beside the Cards of Blasphemy must be extraordinary.
Klein nodded casually.
"Very well."
Audrey promptly manifested the three pages of yellow-brown parchment and passed them to Mr. Fool.
She added with a bright smile, "I should be able to acquire more diary pages in the future. Consider these as payment for the protection you've granted me."
Klein nodded and took the pages.
He looked down and began to read the first one:
"January 13th—
I have established stable communication with Mr. 'Door'."
Before he could process more, Bernadette spoke up, "Mr. Fool, I also have a few pages of Roselle's diary. How should I hand them over to you?"
Audrey smiled and explained, "You just need to visualise the diary pages clearly in your mind. Then, with Mr. Fool's power, they will manifest."
"I see. Thank you."
Bernadette gave a slight nod.
Moments later, four more diary pages materialised before her, then vanished into Mr. Fool's hand.
Her natural ease in reacting stunned some of the original members—who had secretly hoped to see her surprised.
Did she already know that Roselle's so-called "notes" were actually personal diaries?
Did she find out on her own, or did Mr. Fool tell her?
Either way, it was becoming increasingly clear—this Lady Strength was no ordinary newcomer.
"And what would you like in exchange, Lady Strength?" Klein asked, feeling unusually uneasy.
The emperor's daughter, no less…For the sake of our shared hometown, please go easy on me.
Bernadette considered for a moment before replying, "I'd like to know what these diary pages say."
The rest of the Tarot members were taken aback.
This was the first time someone had ever asked Mr. Fool about the contents of Roselle's diary.
It wasn't that they weren't curious—they just instinctively felt it would be disrespectful, maybe even blasphemous, to pry into a god's secrets.
But Bernadette's request…made sense.
Klein exhaled quietly in relief. It was perfectly reasonable—of course the emperor's daughter would want to know what her father wrote in his diary.
He nodded.
"All right."
Bernadette's eyes flashed with insight.
As I thought…Mr. Fool doesn't know that Edward can read Rosellean too.
On the side, Edward had originally planned to offer Klein the pages he had seen on the White Agate, but upon seeing Bernadette manifest four of them, he decided against it—better not to risk any redundancy.
Seeing that no one else was speaking, Klein lowered his head and began reading. Since he had already skimmed the beginning of the diary pages from Miss Justice, he continued right from there:
"January 13th—
I've successfully established stable contact with 'Mr. Door'. This powerful Beyonder, who is lost in the depths of darkness and trapped within the storm, didn't press me to perform the complex and difficult ritual required to help him return to the real world..."
This page described some of Emperor Roselle's early communications with Mr. Door, particularly the part where Mr. Door claimed that if he had to assign a Tarot card to the Evernight Goddess, he would choose The Star rather than The Moon.
Klein was slightly puzzled by this but didn't dwell too deeply on it—gods like these were far too distant from his current understanding or reach.
He read on:
"'Mr. Door' told me that during the Tudor Empire, there were five great noble families: Abraham, Antigonus, Amon, Tamara, and Jacob. Each of these families could be called 'Angel Families'..."
"...Although some gods did fall in the Fourth Epoch, their numbers must have been very few. This reminds me of something I once read online, which I'll paraphrase here: 'Fail to ascend as a true god, and you'll end up as ashes!'"
The moment he saw the name Amon, Klein's eyes twitched ever so slightly.
That guy in the wizard robe and monocle—the one who seems obsessed with the grey fog..."He" has a family?
But why have I never come across anything about them in history books? Is it like the other ancient families—cut off from history? That doesn't make sense. With such a powerful King of Angels backing them, who could possibly erase their line?
With questions swirling in his mind, he turned to the next page:
"June 2nd—
Bernadette gave me a back massage today! Having a daughter really is great—she actually cares about her old man..."
Klein glanced up at Bernadette, feeling a strange sense of wonder.
To think, someone I once only knew through diaries and legends is now right here in front of me...and a follower of mine. It's surreal.
Bernadette, meanwhile, was quietly observing Mr. Fool's reaction. She knew one should never directly gaze upon a god, but at this moment, she couldn't help it.
He really can read Rosellean!
Was it because this mysterious deity had independently deciphered the structure of the language and its grammar?
Or was it…that "He" came from the same "hometown" as her father and Edward?
Suddenly, she saw Mr. Fool glance at her. Through the layers of grey fog, she caught a trace of strange emotion in his gaze.
She paused, quickly guessing: Could it be…my name is mentioned in one of those diary pages?
Klein turned to the next entry:
"June 5th—
I acquired an ancient tome today. It actually mentioned the 'Primordial Demoness'—not her honorific name, but her actual name! She's called 'Cheek'. That's a male name. This book must be fake, right?"
Cheek?
Could the Primordial Demoness have originally been a man?!
Klein's eyelid twitched.
He had long suspected that the reason the Assassin pathway transformed Beyonders into women starting at Sequence 7 was due to the influence of the Primordial Demoness, the evil god who anchored that pathway. But he had never imagined that—according to Roselle's diary—the Primordial Demoness might also have originally been male.
This confirmed two things:
The Primordial Demoness was not a god by birth, but someone who reached Sequence 0 through potions.
The shift toward femininity in this pathway was an effect embedded deeply within the characteristics of the Beyonder pathway itself.
What a revelation…
After finishing the three pages from Miss Justice, Klein turned to the four pages contributed by Lady Strength.
The very first line left him momentarily stunned:
"Today, I met a woman. She seemed strange and wouldn't stop following me. I got so annoyed that I beat her up."
Wait a second...haven't I read this before?
He quickly flipped through the pages:
"Ugh, I've been stuck here for days. It's so boring—even worse than before. The food's bad too. I hate this place!"
Yes, I've definitely seen this!
The memory came flooding back—these were the pages Edward had shown him earlier, likely from the diary of another transmigrator.
But how did they end up in the hands of Queen Mystic?
Tch...and you say there's nothing between you two?
Klein shot a sharp glance toward Edward.
Then his eyes scanned ahead, skipping quickly through the familiar entries until he reached the last one he remembered:
"Today, that woman finally spoke. I thought she was mute. She told me her name..."
Right, I remember—it stopped here last time, and I even mocked it for being a cliffhanger.
Wait—there's more?
Klein flipped to the next line:
"She's called Cheek."
"???"
———
[Note]: Don't forget to VOTE. It keeps me motivated.