The atmosphere in Tingen grew increasingly heavy. Even civilians who knew nothing began to gradually sense that something was not quite right.
The number of police detectives patrolling the streets seemed to increase every day, and the nobles began to curtail their beloved balls.
The gang members in the city's underground started restraining their subordinates, and even the errand boys responsible for "taking out the trash" became increasingly diligent.
Amidst this tense atmosphere, Snow led a rather leisurely life, one that was not at all different from the past half-month.
Mr. A was currently busy searching for the whereabouts of the Son of God and had no intention of contacting him. Klein also had no plans to come and collect his Clown potion formula yet.
This made him somewhat anxious.
Although it would still be a full month before the original Klein's advancement, compared to obtaining a potion formula from an enemy's corpse, if Klein obtained the formula from Snow, he would likely find it difficult to acquire the materials through official channels. After all, he wouldn't be able to explain the source of his formula.
'If my interference actually slows down Mr. Fool's advancement, that would truly be a sin.' Snow grumbled inwardly, recited the manuscript he had prepared twice more, and then quietly waited for the time to arrive.
...
Crimson light surged like a tide. Snow's vision brightened, and in the next moment, he once again appeared before the ancient and mottled bronze table. Across from him sat Miss Justice, who seemed to maintain her optimistic and cheerful demeanor at all times. To his right was Mr. Hanged Man, with his signature blue seaweed-like hair.
"Good afternoon, Mr. Fool. Good afternoon, Mr. Hanged Man. Good afternoon, Mr. Devil."
Miss Justice's sweet and lighthearted voice seemed to dispel all the gloom. Infected by her smile, both Snow and Mr. Hanged Man returned the greeting.
After the routine pleasantries, Miss Justice suddenly turned toward Mr. Fool and spoke, "Respected Mr. Fool, I haven't collected any of Roselle's diary entries this week. I had already contacted two Beyonders and intended to use their circles for collection, but for some reason, that Beyonder gathering was suddenly suspended..."
'Naturally, because Mr. A has come to Tingen.' Snow thought to himself, then spoke with equal respect, "Mr. Fool, my current situation is quite sensitive, and I am temporarily unable to retrieve any entries."
"I am still at sea and am also temporarily unable to obtain any entries."
Alger felt relieved seeing that neither of the other two members had obtained any entries. He even sounded somewhat confident when giving his excuse. However, he also noted that when 'The Devil' mentioned the diary, he said "retrieve" (qu hui) rather than "obtain" (huo qu). This highly likely meant that the man already possessed a significant number of Roselle's diary entries.
...
Regarding the situation of the three, Mr. Fool could say nothing. He could only lament his recent bad luck in his heart before speaking in his 'Fool' tone:
"You may exchange information freely now."
Audrey relaxed immediately upon hearing that Mr. Fool hadn't developed any emotional reaction. She actively entered the 'Spectator' state and spoke with a slight smile, "Lately, the situation in Backlund seems a bit unusual. The originally scheduled Beyonder gatherings have been suspended, and many planned literary salons and dinner parties have also been called off. Except for a few balls involving the 'decency' of major nobles that are still ongoing, it's as if the entire Backlund has entered a social off-season."
'This didn't happen in the original work! If it were just Mr. A leaving Backlund, it shouldn't be enough to affect the lives of the nobles to this extent, much less shut down gatherings like literary salons. Is it the influence of Ince Zangwill's new script? But the range of 0-08 should only cover a single city! There's no way it could cross regions to affect Backlund...'
As Snow listened to Miss Justice, he immediately fell into thought. Miss Justice, in her Spectator state, keenly captured the change in Mr. Devil's emotions and promptly asked: "Mr. Devil, have you thought of something?"
"Yes. Though I don't know if it's related to what you've mentioned, some things have indeed happened on my side." Snow nodded slightly, organized his thoughts, and then spoke, "Last week, traces suspected to be the gestation of the Fallen Creator's offspring were discovered in Tingen. An Oracle of the Aurora Order, originally stationed in Backlund, subsequently arrived in Tingen and clashed with official Beyonders of the three major Churches. This directly led Tingen to enter a state of martial law. However, a week has already passed, and the elite Beyonder squads originally scheduled to arrive in Tingen have still not appeared."
"An Oracle of the Aurora Order? What is that? And that child of the Fallen Creator... is it very dangerous?" Audrey had heard of the organization "Aurora Order" more than once from Mr. Hanged Man and Mr. Devil. They appeared to be an evil cult worshiping the "Fallen Creator," but her understanding went no further than that. Hearing about this organization again, her curiosity jumped uncontrollably once more.
However, she noticed that after she asked the question, both Mr. Hanged Man and Mr. Devil suddenly glanced at each other, then remained silent, as if waiting for the other to speak first. 'Could it be that this question might expose their identities?' Audrey realized she might have asked the wrong question. But after a brief silence, Mr. Hanged Man--who had given Mr. Fool a meaningful look--finally spoke first, "Because the Aurora Order has been targeting the Church of the Lord of Storms, the Church of the Eternal Blazing Sun, and the Church of the God of Knowledge and Wisdom, these three Churches understand the Aurora Order better than other organizations. I've learned some things from them."
'Here it comes, the classic "I have a friend"!' Mr. Fool grumbled inwardly. Then he thought of 'The Devil' from the Aurora Order and Miss Justice, who was about to join the Psychology Alchemists. He suddenly felt that his Tarot Club was truly a gathering of double-agents.
But...
Why was the target of the Aurora Order's hatred specifically the three oldest Churches?
Though there was no logical reason, Mr. Fool instinctively felt that Mr. Devil might know something. However, as The Fool, it wasn't convenient for him to ask. He could only wait calmly for Mr. Hanged Man to continue.
Alger knew he certainly couldn't hide it from The Fool. What he truly cared about was this "Devil" sitting beside him. Although the man had only joined the Tarot Club last time, his statements suggested that he likely belonged to some ancient Beyonder family and possessed significant resources.
It was just that the other party was far too cautious, giving him no opportunity to peek at his identity. Realizing his own identity might have already been exposed due to his blue hair, he began to introduce the Oracle and Saint systems of the Aurora Order with a slight sense of helplessness...
[Translated and Rewritten by Shika Kagura]