'Roselle actually did that?' Klein narrowly used his Clown ability to control his expression. His suspicion of the Emperor's moral character grew once more.
As he read further, even the Clown's control nearly failed him:
'Since the Witch pathway can turn any man into a beautiful girl, what about animals? Could I get my hands on a beast-girl? Hmm, I think I might need to collect the formula for the Assassin potion. Cat-girls are the best!'
'It seems my predecessor's moral standards weren't much better... Wait, assassin? Cat?'
Klein's brow furrowed as he realized the situation wasn't simple. He remembered that Mr. Devil kept a cat that appeared to be a supernatural creature. Could the Panreadax family have a tradition of raising assassin cats?
But cat-girls... hmm, they were indeed great...
Cough.
Klein forcefully dragged his wandering attention back to the seemingly comical diary entries and immediately spotted the key point.
The Assassin pathway belonged to the Iron and Blood Cross Order,or rather, the Demoness Sect. No wonder the high-ranking members of the Demoness Sect were all women.
In that moment, Klein recalled the intelligence he had gathered while investigating Tris, the Instigator. He finally understood why Tris seemed to have vanished into thin air!
'It seems Tris digested the potion by acting as an Instigator and then advanced to Sequence 7 in Tingen, becoming female. His last appearance in the black market was to buy the Beyonder materials needed for the potion.'
Klein speculated inwardly, but he didn't dwell on it. He merely added the knowledge of the Witch sequence to his mystical repertoire, planning to use it as a joke for his Tarot Club companions later to boost his prestige.
Once he finished reading the Panreadax diary, Klein picked up the six pages of Roselle's diary from Mr. Hanged Man.
The internal details of the War of the Four Emperors, the coup in Intis, and the indestructibility and conservation of Beyonder characteristics were all significant gains for Klein. However, he also remembered that the Panreadax diary had mentioned the Law of Beyonder Characteristic Aggregation. It was a pity it hadn't been described in detail. Mr. Devil likely knew, but Klein couldn't ask...
'If only I had an alternate account.'
The thought crossed his mind again, but he temporarily set it aside as he had a new idea.
He laughed calmly and said, "Roselle mentioned some suppressed history in his diary, along with some simple common knowledge. The latter reminded me that I seem to have forgotten to tell all of you."
Hearing The Fool's words, the members of the Tarot Club became visibly excited. Miss Justice spoke up immediately:
"Mr. Fool, what common knowledge did Emperor Roselle mention? I can pay for this information."
The Fool gave his best 'straight-man' a small smile and said generously:
"There's no need. These are just basics."
"After seeing these diary pages, as the convener of this gathering, I believe you all should know. Of course, I am aware that some of you have already mastered this."
"Thank you so much! Mr. Fool, you are so generous!"
Audrey's sweet, cheerful voice felt like a spiritual purification for Klein. He stopped tapping his finger and stated calmly, "The first constant: The Law of Beyonder Characteristic Indestructibility. Beyonder characteristics are never destroyed or reduced; they are simply transferred from one object to another."
Using Captain Dunn's tone without realizing it, Klein's lips curved slightly. Audrey was surprised to find that Sun, Devil, and Hanged Man all remained calm.
'So they all knew... Only I didn't? Mr. Fool brought it up specifically for me?'
Audrey once again praised The Fool in her heart. Mr. Fool then began to detail the laws of indestructibility and conservation, casually mentioning the neighboring sequences that caught Mr. Hanged Man's attention. While the other three members agreed to join the trade for this knowledge, Mr. Devil only smiled.
'Devil definitely knows about the neighboring sequences. He's the one most likely to hold intelligence on the Secret Order.' Klein thought of the elder "Mason" who had been intimately involved with high-ranking members of the Secret Order and sighed. He blocked Devil's vision and began explaining the concepts to the other three.
After all, Mr. Devil might know more than he did. If he let Devil hear and found any flaws, his prestige would be ruined!
Snow waited quietly for the silent pantomime to end. He then heard Mr. Fool ask Miss Justice and Mr. Hanged Man to cooperate with experiments for sacrificing and bestowing items, followed by Miss Justice recommending two Beyonders. When everything was wrapping up, he suddenly spoke:
"Miss Justice, for certain reasons, I need to learn the piano. I wonder if you could recommend a teacher?"
"Mr. Devil wants to learn the piano?" Audrey looked surprised. She felt such an ordinary request didn't need to be commissioned at the Tarot Club. But then she thought of her own piano teacher, Mr. Vikarnar, and his fees...
Well, Mr. Devil probably couldn't afford it.
After all, he was just a veterinarian.
Audrey wanted to agree immediately, but she found it a bit troublesome. Given her current status, it wasn't convenient for her to introduce a pianist to Mr. Devil. Aside from Mr. Vikarnar, she rarely met other pianists outside of social gatherings. If she introduced one in a social setting, it might spark strange rumors.
As for giving Mr. Devil a sum of money... with his social status, he might struggle to find a truly qualified teacher.
Miss Justice, who had just resolved to compensate Mr. Devil, found herself in a dilemma. After a moment's thought, she sighed.
'Sorry, Glaint.'
She raised her head and put on a confident smile.
"I have some confidence in my piano skills. If Mr. Devil doesn't mind, I believe I can handle the task. How about we meet at the same location as last time? Hmm, Mr. Devil should be able to get an invitation, right?"
"It would be my honor to be taught by Miss Justice." Snow was a bit surprised by her answer. He had only wanted her to sponsor a teacher's fees; who would have thought he'd end up with her as a teacher?
However, he accepted with gratitude. After all, who could refuse a young, beautiful, and wealthy private piano teacher?
[Translated and Rewritten by Shika_Kagura]
T/N: "Law of Beyonder Characteristic Indestructibility" (非凡特性不灭定律) - A core rule of the Beyonder world.
T/N: "Mason" (泥工) - A reference to Snow's persona or backstory.