"???"
Klein frowned. "Your Excellency, are you trying to insult me with this kind of phrasing?"
"Hey, so what if I am insulting you?"
The man across from him stretched his neck forward and patted his own cheeks lightly. "Come on then, hit me! Hit me!"
"Hahaha, you know, I've realised you actually have quite a strong sense of conviction. The moment you sit on that chair, no matter how terrified you are inside, you naturally become calm and profound."
"…"
Klein clenched his fingers, forcing himself to remain composed.
Right now, the situation was arguably the most dangerous he had faced since transmigrating into this world. Amon had previously used Little Sun to nearly enter above the grey fog, but had ultimately been expelled by Klein himself. Yet these two unknown individuals had bypassed him entirely and infiltrated this place—didn't that imply they might be stronger than Amon?
I have to calm down. Only then can I find even the slightest chance of escaping this predicament!
Maybe…I could try abandoning the space above the grey fog and return to reality?
As he was considering this, the man opposite him spoke again. "Zhou…I'll just call you Mr. Fool for simplicity. The next series of questions concerns the crimes you've been sentenced for. I expect you to answer truthfully."
"The first question: Every time you impersonated a deity to convene the Tarot Club, what was your mood like? Seeing those people—some of them with higher status or higher Sequences than you—treat you with such reverence…wasn't that particularly satisfying? Didn't you really enjoy that feeling?"
The question left Klein utterly stunned.
What kind of absurd question is this?
"Please answer truthfully, Mr. Fool." The man took out a small, exquisite box and placed it on the table. "This is the latest lie detector in the universe. No lie can hide from it!"
"Why…why are you asking me this sort of question?!"
"Hey, are you the one asking questions, or am I? Hurry up!!"
After half a minute of silence, Klein gritted his teeth and said, "…Yes."
"Yes, what? Please repeat my question in full."
"I…Every time I convened the Tarot gathering as Mr. Fool, my mood…would become very pleasant. I would feel very satisfied. I…I enjoyed that feeling very much!"
With every sentence he spoke, Klein's sense of shame multiplied. By the time he finished, he was practically slumped in the chair.
"Very good. Because you answered truthfully, your sentence will be reduced by ten thousand years!" The man paused, then raised two fingers. "Second question: When members of the gathering asked questions that exceeded your knowledge or capabilities, how did you respond?"
Scenes from his past flashed across Klein's mind. He answered, "…I would—I would pretend to be profound and give ambiguous answers that sounded meaningful, letting them interpret things on their own…"
"Oh~ interesting. Another ten thousand years off your sentence. Third question: When the members of your gathering—your so-called believers—began speculating about you, projecting all kinds of things onto you and attributing actions to you that you never did, how did you handle it, and what were your feelings at the time?"
Perhaps he had already resigned himself to humiliation, for Klein didn't think long this time. "I…I wouldn't clarify anything. I'd let them continue imagining whatever they wanted…And—and when they projected things onto me like that, my—my mood…would also feel very good."
"Oh, oh, just like Momonga, right? No, wait—at least the Overlord actually has real strength."
Klein: "…"
"Now then, fourth question: Since you transmigrated here, have you ever had thoughts about any woman? List their names. And among them, was there anyone from the gathering? Have you ever considered using your identity as Mr. Fool to take advantage of your female followers, coercing them into offering themselves to you and—messing around with them? Answer honestly!!!"
"If someone offered you one million gold pounds to buy your identity as the Fool, would you agree, considering you're practically the God of Poverty? If a rich woman wanted to sponsor you for a high price, would you accept?"
"In addition, as the leader of the Tarot Club, you yourself only just advanced to demigod. Yet that member called 'Tower' has long since left you in the dust and is already close to advancing to Sequence 1—and he even managed to pick up the prettiest and richest girl in the Tarot Club. Aren't you jealous and resentful?"
"Faced with such an unstable element threatening your position, wouldn't you just…" The man made a throat-slitting gesture.
Klein: "???"
"Ahem."
"Answer!"
Before he could ask more, the man sitting on one side of the long table coughed lightly. "That's enough, Roselle."
"Hey! Shut it, you!"
Roselle slapped the table. "Hurry up, answer honestly! Otherwise, I'm not reducing your sentence!"
Klein froze.
A name echoed repeatedly in his mind—Roselle? Did that man just say Roselle? Was this Roselle the same Emperor Roselle he knew of?
Edward said helplessly, "If you keep going, he'll lose control right here. The title 'Cowardly Klein' wasn't earned for nothing."
"You…"
Roselle pointed at him in an energetic husky-like pose. "We agreed to socially destroy him. We've barely even started."
It was clearly you who dragged me into this!
"He's already socially dead enough—especially since you just recorded your entire conversation with that tape recorder."
As Edward spoke, he snapped his fingers lightly. The "high-tech suits" covering both himself and Roselle dissipated into mist, revealing their true appearances. Only then did he turn toward Klein and say, "Mr. Fool, long time no see."
"…"
"Mr. Fool" Klein was completely dumbfounded. When Edward dispersed the fog, he of course, recognised the two at a glance: Edward needed no introduction, and Roselle—with his black armour, cloak, and crown—looked exactly like the depiction on the Black Emperor card. Since it was the card Klein used most frequently, he naturally could not be mistaken.
Roselle?
Was this really Emperor Roselle?!
Hadn't he been dead for over a hundred years?
How was he still alive?
And how in the world did he appear above the grey fog?
Could someone tell me what on earth is happening?!
One question after another piled up, making Klein's mind grind to a halt.
"Alright, alright, the joke ends here."
Roselle leaned back and grinned. "Yo, Klein…oh, Zhou Mingrui. I've heard plenty about you for a long time. Now that I finally get to meet you—impressive, very impressive."
Klein's mind was still mush. He stared at Roselle for quite a while before rasping, "You…you really are Emperor Roselle?"
"Of course."
Roselle looked directly at him. "So? How's the surprise your fellow transmigrators prepared for you, Zhou Mingrui? Not bad, right?" He lifted the recorder and shook it lightly. "Everything you just said is recorded here. From now on, I'll play it for you every now and then."
Klein: "…"
Roselle chuckled softly. "Today is a rare occasion—our transmigrator squad is finally gathering in full. A moment worth celebrating."
He tapped his forehead gently. "Ah, right, I forgot. There's also the Evernigh Goddess. But She's currently busy fusing the Uniqueness of Death—no time, and frankly, no interest in joining our little meetup."
"Edward thought a simple reveal in person would be enough, but I found that too boring. Doing the unmasking in the Fool's divine kingdom while watching the Fool himself put on a show—that's far more entertaining."
Roselle huffed with dissatisfaction. "Shame, I hadn't even gotten started." Then he waggled his brows. "You didn't answer my last question. Edward said you've had quite a few romantic prospects, huh? Miss Salted Fish, Miss Shorty, Miss Bodyguard, Miss Headless—so many types. Isn't that right?"
"…"
Klein finally managed to sort out his thoughts. The fog in his mind gradually cleared, and the tension that had stretched inside him for so long loosened slightly.
He drew in a deep breath, stared at Roselle for a moment, then let his gaze fall on Edward. In a daze, he asked, "Edward…you're also…a transmigrator?"
Edward nodded. "Yes."
"You…from the beginning, you already knew that I…that Klein was the Fool?"
"From the very start."
Klein clutched his chest in despair.
From the start?
That meant everything he had ever done while pompously role-playing as Mr. Fool—all his pretentious words and mysterious airs—had been witnessed by Edward in full. Edward had always known that the supposedly aloof, unfathomable Mr. Fool was actually just a low-sequence…mid-sequence weakling?
No!
No!
Klein screamed internally with the agony of social death: No!!!!
A few seconds later, a thought suddenly struck him. Stammering, he asked, "Then…Miss Justice? Does Audrey know?"
"Of course not."
Hoo—
Klein instantly felt a little better. If Audrey had also known from the start that he was a counterfeit deity, yet still cooperated with him, cheered for him, and silently watched him pose and pretend to be deep and unfathomable—Klein would rather smash his head against the bronze chair and die on the spot!
But even so, this whole situation was shameful enough to kill me!
Especially that cursed recorder…
How can a person be this shameless?
After rubbing his temples for a while, Klein finally looked toward Roselle again and asked, "You truly are Roselle…Huang Tao?"
Roselle crossed his arms. "Absolutely. The genuine article."
Klein scratched his forehead and tentatively said, "Then…the taste of demoness ain't bad, wasn't it?"
"…"
Smiles never disappear—they only transfer from one person's face to another.
Roselle's smile smoothly shifted onto Edward's face.
Roselle's eye twitched, but his tone remained very calm. "Mm. That's indeed a true statement. Demonesses are wonderful. If you have the chance, you should try it too."
"But most of them were originally men. Don't you think that's…odd?"
"Hmph. And you call yourself a Sequence 4 demigod? Your understanding of the Beyonder world is still that shallow? After advancing past Sequence 7, the Witch pathway undergoes a complete transformation from body to soul—they become authentic women. Witches are women."
"And they're more open than ordinary women, and far better at making men feel good. Heh. You and Edward are still fledglings, right? No idea what real enjoyment is!"
Alright, alright.
We get it. You really enjoy sharing a bed with witches.
Klein let out an "Oh," then said, "Does Lady Strength—your daughter Bernadette—know about this? Does she have any opinions? Does she know her father has…such particular hobbies?"
Roselle: "…"
Seeing Roselle's pained expression made Klein feel instantly refreshed.
Embarrassment, after all, was far less agonising when someone else shared it with you. If you suffered alone, it was unbearable. But if someone was dragged down into humiliation with you…well, that wasn't so bad.
And if a third person—Edward—could be dragged down as well? Even better.
—Clearly, Roselle had thought of the same thing, because both he and Klein turned their gazes toward Edward simultaneously.
Edward hurriedly said, "Um—Klein…shouldn't you have a lot of questions that require us to answer?"
Klein's expression tightened again. In truth, he had never fully relaxed. Even though the two in front of him were Edward and Roselle—two fellow transmigrators—that did not automatically guarantee his safety.
After all, two tigers could not share one mountain. Multiple transmigrators in the same world might very well end up competing or even eliminating each other—especially when he himself possessed the treasure-like domain above the grey fog. Everyone knew the principle of a man's wealth being his own doom.
Klein thought seriously for a moment, then asked, "About transmigration—what exactly is going on? Why are there so many of us—me, you, Emperor Roselle, the Evernight Goddess…And what about the cocoons hanging on the light door deep within the grey fog? What are those?"
———
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