After handling the "Divine Sword," Ebner turned his gaze to the "Black Knight," Sero Delien. After a brief moment of thought, he asked, "Do you still have any contact with the 'Men in Black' organization?"
Sero shook his head and replied, "That commander of the 'Men in Black' had long since grown suspicious of my identity. Previously, for the sake of the Delien family, he exercised some restraint… but after the 'Abyss Descent' incident, I've already sensed that he's been searching everywhere for my whereabouts… That's also why I've been hiding here all this time."
"I see… But that's fine. Make some preparations and go take over the two remaining teams of the 'Men in Black'… I'll instruct 'Hearts 1' and 'Clubs 12' to cooperate with you," Ebner said with a smile.
Within the "Men in Black" organization, "Clubs 12" was none other than the "Red Saintess" Margaret. She was now completely under Ebner's control and was about to assume the position of his agent within the Backlund Charitable Foundation.
As for the so-called "Hearts 1," he had once ambushed Ebner—mistaking him for "Amon"—within the mind of the "Parasite" Flora. The method used was broadcasting "Liu Bo." As a result, not only was Flora's only Sequence 3–level avatar turned into the sealed artifact "Pseudo-Voice of Faith," but Flora herself had completely become a fanatical believer of "Liu Bo."
As for the main body of "Hearts 1," he had not escaped the corruption of "Liu Bo" either—it was merely more concealed, to the point that he himself had yet to notice it.
And because of this layer of connection, Ebner could rather easily locate all of his avatars.
However, considering that this "Hearts 1" was fiercely loyal to Old Huang and had once saved Edwina, Ebner had no intention of killing him, nor of completely "corrupting" him into a puppet. It would be enough to simply alter his cognition of Sero.
For a "Cognizer," for a "Miracle Invoker," this was not difficult at all… even if that man's main body was very likely a Mentor of Deceit.
"Your will shall be obeyed, my Lord." On the other side, Sero raised no objections at all and respectfully accepted the task.
Ebner nodded, then suddenly recalled the words with which the "Divine Sword" had urged Sero earlier when he first arrived at the warehouse. He asked, "Do you have the ability to change your appearance?"
If not, I'll just have Zaratul go to the Secret Order and grab a 'Faceless One'.
"Reporting to my Lord, Sero once pastured a 'Faceless One.'" As he spoke, Sero immediately switched his "soul," activated his ability, and transformed into the appearance he had taken on the first floor of the Dream Labyrinth Tower, when he had impersonated that "Gun Dummy."
Ebner's mouth twitched, and he hurriedly said, "Don't use such an eye-catching appearance… Just switch to something more normal."
After that, Ebner went down into the warehouse to take a look at the place where Sero had sealed half of the Delien family's collection. He personally examined each item one by one, and only then did he leave this hidden warehouse, taking a single step to enter the residence of the Secret Order's vice chairman, the Scholar of Yore Daphne.
Daphne, who had just finished preparing a feast and was about to enjoy herself, immediately greeted Ebner warmly upon seeing his arrival and invited him to dine together.
"Divine Envoy, is there anything you need me to do in Trier this time?" After some pleasantries, Daphne asked while attentively serving Ebner food.
"There is indeed something I need you to handle…" Ebner lifted the glass of "Ormire" Daphne had poured for him, took a sip, and then continued, "Your Secret Order's chairman, Lord Zaratul, has already broken free. He will be holding a gathering next Saturday at eight in the evening, and all Saints must attend!"
As he spoke, Ebner took several badges out of his pocket. They were all transformed from the genuine "Spirit Worms" of the real Zaratul and could fully represent his will.
"What?!" Daphne was startled, nearly dropping the bottle of red wine in her hand that was worth 300 pounds. "This… this truly is the chairman's aura…"
Suddenly, she realized something and exclaimed in shock, "The chairman is also my Lord's…?"
"That's right. Lord Zaratul is now an angel under my Lord's seat." Ebner nodded, handed the badges to Daphne, and continued, "Your task is to convey Lord Zaratul's orders and deliver these badges into the hands of every Saint."
After Zaratul's disappearance, the Secret Order's development had stagnated. At present, there were only three vice chairmen within the Order, all of them Scholars of Yore, as well as five "Bizzao Sorcerer" and three non-core Saints who had joined through other pathways.
These people were now scattered across the Northern and Southern Continents. Informing all of them would not be an easy task, so Ebner left Daphne a relatively generous amount of time.
After receiving the badges, Daphne hurriedly bowed her head to accept the command. Only then did she cautiously ask, "Divine Envoy, may I ask where the gathering will be held?"
"You'll know when the time comes," Ebner replied with a mysterious smile. After all, those badges did not contain only Zaratul's aura.
After dinner, Ebner had originally planned to teleport to "Turen," to visit Fanny and, while at it, ask "Lion" Leon about Roselle's book concerning the "Three Sacred Artifacts."
However, due to suddenly receiving a summons from his avatar, he had no choice but to return to Backlund first.
—There was a time difference between Trier and Backlund. While it had just passed dinnertime there, it was already deep into the night in Backlund.
…
Time flowed on, and in the blink of an eye, several days passed. Monday afternoon arrived once more, precisely at three o'clock.
One after another, deep crimson lights shot up within the majestic palace, freezing into blurred human silhouettes.
"Justice" Audrey quickly scanned her surroundings, looked toward the head of the long bronze table, and led everyone in a smiling salute:
"Good afternoon, Mr. Fool~"
Just a few days earlier, at the charity gala celebrating the establishment of the "Academy Awards," Klein—attending as a "wealthy tycoon"—had seen Miss Justice's real-world identity for the first time. He had gained a much deeper understanding of the easy cheerfulness and vibrant sunshine naturally carried in her tone, and finally understood where they originated from.
However, Klein did not feel envy or jealousy, nor did he think she lacked the tempering of hardship. Instead, he felt that, in a world whose underlying rules were filled with chaos, distortion, and madness, the existence of such a young lady was truly a good thing.
It's just that Sharon seems a bit unhappy when she talks about her.
A faint smile appeared on Klein's face as he gently nodded in response to Miss Justice's greeting.
After the members of the Tarot Gathering finished exchanging pleasantries, "Hermit" Cattleya adjusted her glasses, turned slightly sideways, and bowed to the hazy figure shrouded in gray fog at the head of the bronze table:
"Respected Mr. Fool, there are three pages of diary this time."
The Queen Mystic has finally returned to normal… Let's hope there's no more of Old Huang's romantic escapades this time. Klein muttered inwardly, then smiled and said:
"Very good."
A few seconds later, having received permission, "Hermit" Cattleya manifested the diary pages and watched as they "leaped" into Mr. Fool's palm.
(End of chapter)