'His emotions are turbulent--excitement, worry, exhilaration, and a trace of wariness...' Klein quietly activated Spirit Vision, judging the young man's mental state through his aura.
On the other side of the bronze long table, Snow reacted quickly. Using the humble tone he had learned from the Aurora Order, he spoke:
"Praise be to You, Great and Merciful Being. Snow von Pandrax sends his greetings."
'Snow? That's the suspect from earlier today!' Klein finally remembered where he had heard the name Pandrax. However, he perfectly suppressed his surprise, speaking in a leisurely and relaxed tone:
"There is no need for such formality. You may call me... The Fool."
The moment the words left his mouth, Klein noticed the young man's expression become even more humble. He bowed his waist deeply, his head lowering further.
'Why is he reacting like this? Before, his tone was humble, but it was the polite respect of a weak man facing a strong one. Now, he has completely placed himself in a subordinate position... Does the title "The Fool" have some special meaning?' For a moment, Klein even forgot the real reason he had pulled the man up here. But he quickly suppressed his confusion.
Compared to questions about his title, the safety of Tingen was far more important!
He carefully weighed his words, then spoke in a somewhat playful tone:
"Relax. I find your previous prayer rather interesting. Tell me about it."
"Please forgive my rudeness in speaking so loosely during my prayer..." Snow placed a hand over his chest and bowed again before looking up.
"Respected Mr. Fool, I come from a secret and ancient family. Though the family has declined, it left behind many precious books and fragments of hidden history. In my quest to pursue the glory of my ancestors, I unexpectedly encountered the Aurora Order. To save my life, I had no choice but to join them."
"They forced me to drink a Secret Supplicant potion--those lunatics don't care about a member's loyalty at all. To digest a Secret Supplicant potion, one must pray to a hidden existence. But as You likely know, the True Creator has long since fallen into madness. Once one prays to Him, their mind will inevitably be twisted."
"Although I rely on a Beyonder item inherited from my family to forge an illusion of devout prayer, the Aurora Order's convention dictates that if one does not digest the Secret Supplicant potion within two months, they will be executed for disloyalty. Therefore, I wish to pray to You in secret to digest my potion."
'The Aurora Order? The organization that worships the True Creator and only appeared in the last century or two?'
'And the incantations Hanass Vincent used did indeed point toward the True Creator. But... the True Creator has already fallen into madness? This Snow... or rather, the Pandrax family he comes from, seems to know many secrets!'
'He risked using a family ritual to pray to a hidden existence just to 'act' as a Secret Supplicant and digest his potion?'
'Also, that Beyonder item he mentioned--is it that white horse I saw earlier?'
As these thoughts flashed through Klein's mind, he asked in a casual tone, as if discussing trivial street gossip:
"You mentioned earlier that... an evil god is descending?"
"Yes, Respected Mr. Fool," Snow nodded, his respectful tone carrying a hint of anxiety.
"The members of the Aurora Order are a group of lunatics. They are constantly planning for the True Creator's descent. I was sent to Tingen City half a month ago, and shortly after, I learned from another Secret Supplicant about their plan to facilitate the descent of an evil god."
"I killed the two Secret Supplicants who were presiding over the plan through a surprise attack and reported it under the pretense that they had attracted the attention of the official Beyonders. However, according to what those two said, they had already planted a 'seed' in Tingen. Even though I killed them, it only delayed the inevitable. If that seed cannot be found, when it erupts, the entire city... perhaps even the entire Kingdom of Loen will be destroyed."
'This!' Klein felt the hair on his arms stand on end as he heard Snow's words. At the same time, he began to think of a counter-strategy.
Report Snow to the Church?
Klein discarded the thought as soon as it appeared. Setting aside the fact that he had no reason to report someone the Captain had already cleared, even if he did, it would only confirm that Tingen was facing a crisis.
On the contrary, if Snow continued to lurk within the Aurora Order, he might be able to uncover even more intelligence.
Furthermore, the man seemed to possess a wealth of hidden knowledge. If he joined the Tarot Club, Klein might be able to extract quite a bit of information from him.
Most importantly, this person seemed to have a strong bottom line.
But... how should he put it?
Tell him directly to investigate related intelligence?
Would that be inconsistent with the image of 'The Fool'?
Or should he simply say he allowed the prayer?
But what excuse would he use?
Or... should he just let him join the Tarot Club?
Seeing Mr. Fool at the head of the table stroking the edge of the bronze table in a relaxed posture, Snow knew the gentleman was likely struggling with how to phrase his response. Just as he was wondering if he should give Mr. Fool a way out, Mr. Fool suddenly let out a light chuckle:
"I am a Fool who enjoys equivalent exchange. To obtain something, one must pay the corresponding price. What, then, can you offer?"
"My everything! My soul! My flesh! Anything You desire can be dedicated to You!" Snow's answer came without a moment's hesitation. However, Mr. Fool shook his head with a light laugh:
"I have no interest in the flesh and souls of mortals."
Saying this, Klein glanced at the man's emotional aura--which was sliding toward despair--and said leisurely:
"But I can give you an opportunity!"
"You can use whatever you can obtain to get what you want from Me--and from others like you. Note that the value must be equivalent..."
"By the way, I am also interested in the intelligence you have regarding the evil god's descent. As a reward, I allow you to pray to Me to digest your potion. Additionally, the gathering time is every Monday at 3 PM. Remember to ensure you are in a solitary environment. Naturally, before that, you need to choose your code name."
While suggesting that Snow could continue to exchange intelligence for benefits, Mr. Fool pulled out a deck of Tarot cards and spread them across the bronze table.
"The members of this gathering have chosen the names of Tarot cards as their code names. However, 'Justice' and 'The Hanged Man' already have owners and cannot be chosen..."
"The Devil." Snow looked calmly at Mr. Fool. Without much hesitation, he announced the code name he had decided upon by rolling a twenty-sided die before coming here.
"Currently, I am merely a prisoner bound by chains. But I hope that one day, I can become the reversed version--the one who breaks free from those bonds."
"Remember your choice. Do not yield to temptation."
[Translated and Rewritten by Shika Kagura]