Every piece of information Audrey provided was more explosive than the last:
"George III is actually George I—an old man who has lived for over two hundred years, preparing for his ascension to the Black Emperor for more than two centuries?!"
"The war initiated by Feysac is actually part of George III's plan—meant to complete the final step of the Black Emperor ritual?!"
"The Seven Gods have already tacitly approved George III's ascension to the Black Emperor?"—Oh, that part he seemed to recall hearing before.
"This war isn't just that—multiple gods and Kings of Angels are engaged in a struggle behind it?"
And then there was that pair of prince-and-princess siblings…What were they scheming? Where did they get the confidence to believe they could stop the ascension of a deity?
What about the Psychology Alchemists' seemingly childish vote—what exactly was it meant to express? According to Audrey's own deductions, the Psychology Alchemists might already know about the Tarot Club and about him—meaning they were actually aiming for him?
But in the eyes of outsiders, he was more or less an "evil god." Was the Psychology Alchemists truly bold enough to provoke such a being?
Moreover, although Audrey was a member of the Tarot Club, her decisions and thoughts did not represent his decisions or thoughts. Even if she wanted to stop George III, that didn't mean he wanted to…
Just as these thoughts spun through his mind, another crimson star lit up in the depths of the grey fog—it was Lady Power, Bernadette.
Klein reached out, and her figure quickly surfaced within the foggy expanse. Her first words made him freeze:
"Mr. Fool, I intend to stop George III's plan."
"I do not know what stance you hold regarding this incident. Will my actions interfere with your arrangements?"
Klein silently pressed a hand to his forehead. What arrangements could I possibly have?
You're really giving me too much credit.
I'm just a fake god with nothing but empty appearances—merely a small Sequence 5.
What could I possibly do in a war involving multiple nations, multiple Kings of Angels, and multiple gods?
The key point was: even the Seven Gods had tacitly approved it, believing that George III's ascension as the Black Emperor would better help resist the apocalypse. So—was stopping him truly the right choice?
Perhaps because Klein had not experienced as much as his original self in the novel, he did not feel the same level of resentment or fury.
What lay before him was clearly a trolley problem. On one side, there was George III—George I—who had committed countless atrocities over two centuries in order to ascend to Sequence 0. On the other side was the possibility that, after ascending, he might genuinely be able to better resist the apocalypse.
If George III, after his ascension, truly could help the Seven Gods resist the apocalypse, then the number of lives saved would far exceed the number of deaths he had caused.
But Klein had one, and only one, doubt:
Could such a despicable man…
A man willing to sacrifice millions of innocents for his own interests…
Truly be trusted?
After a long moment, Klein extended his spirituality into Bernadette's crimson star, drawing her up into the Sefirah Castle. He asked calmly, "Tell me, Lady Power—why do you want to stop George III?"
Bernadette had not expected Mr. Fool to summon her directly. She was momentarily stunned—this time, she had not even had time to split off a stream of information, yet she entered the grey fog smoothly. As expected, Mr. Fool had been testing her before.
She then spoke truthfully, "Mr. Fool, as you likely know, my father—Emperor Roselle—in his later years forcibly switched from Knowledge Emperor to the Black Emperor Pathway for a certain purpose."
Klein: I didn't know that at all…
"And he was assassinated in White Maple Palace precisely during that transition. But at that time, he very likely had already completed the ascension, able to revive at any moment. That was why, afterwards, the Church searched for and destroyed every mausoleum he built during his life—to prevent his revival one day."
"However, after years of effort, the Church only found eight mausolea."
Bernadette said solemnly, "Therefore, as long as the last mausoleum remains unfound, Father always retains the possibility of returning—unless…"
Klein suddenly understood and said lightly, "Unless another Black Emperor is born."
"Correct."
Bernadette took a deep breath. "I do not care what George III has done to ascend, nor do I care what benefits his ascension might bring for resisting the apocalypse. I do not care whether the Seven Gods have tacitly approved him. Stopping him is solely for my personal reason—I will not allow anyone to cut off Father's chance of survival."
So that was it.
Although Klein had never met the Emperor from his homeland, the fact that he had successfully impersonated the "Fool" and progressed step by step to where he was now—most of that credit truly belonged to the diaries Roselle left behind.
Perhaps Emperor Roselle had not thought so far ahead when he wrote those diaries, but Klein felt he owed him a great debt nonetheless. He had more than once thought: if Emperor Roselle were still alive but trapped in some dire situation, then when he himself had enough strength, he must lend the Emperor a helping hand.
And now, with George III's scheme tied to the Emperor's life and death, Klein could only feel powerless once more, lamenting his own weakness yet again.
If he were powerful enough, then faced with George III's indiscriminate slaughter of innocents, he would not hesitate with any trolley dilemma. He would simply smile lightly and say:
"Even if the Seven Gods permit it, what of it? The Fool does not agree."
Because you are not worthy.
After a moment of silence, he nodded. "I understand."
"Then go ahead and act boldly."
Klein hesitated for a few seconds, then gritted his teeth and said, "I will provide assistance when necessary."
Bernadette gave a slight bow. "Thank you, Mr. Fool."
"Mm. That will be all."
With a wave of his hand, he cut off the connection and let her silhouette dissolve from the grey fog. Then he infused spirituality once more to reconnect with Audrey. After briefly arranging his wording, he said calmly, "Noted."
"Lady Power's subsequent actions will represent my stance on this matter."
"As for the Psychology Alchemists' intentions, you need not concern yourself. Just ensure your own safety. If they are indeed aiming for me—heh—then let them come."
He sent this scene to Audrey.
"Since I've already said such big words, I have to speed up the digestion of the Marionettist potion and start gathering materials for the Bizarro Sorcerer potion." Klein leaned back, resting his chin on his hand as he tapped the table lightly.
"The main ingredients of a Bizarro Sorcerer are the Bizarro Bane's Main Eye and the True Soul Body of a Spirit World Plunderer. Bizarro Bane…I have absolutely no idea what that is. I'll have to ask the others during the Tarot Club tomorrow. As for the Spirit World, from the name, one can guess it probably exists within the Spirit World…"
"Also, the most troublesome part is the Bizarro Sorcerer's advancement ritual. One must, through their own power and planning, direct a grand theatrical performance before numerous witnesses—and use that to assassinate a demigod or an equivalent Beyonder."
"With a Sequence 4 Earl of Fallen Marionette, a Sequence 5 Traveler Marionette, plus my own strength and the Sea God Sceptre, it should be possible to kill a demigod."
"But the problem is—how do I ensure it happens under the watchful eyes of many spectators?"
Klein fell deep into thought.
"Tsk…I should gather the materials first and worry about the ritual later. Without the potion, even killing a demigod won't help."
Just as he was about to leave the grey fog, a crimson star deep within suddenly expanded and flickered. Before he could inspect it, another star lit up as well.
"Huh?"
A sweep of Klein's spiritual intuition left him stunned—neither of the two crimson stars belonged to members of the Tarot Club. Both had connected to the grey fog using the three-step honorific.
His thoughts turned quickly. "One of these is likely the friend that Miss Magician recommended. Then the other one…?"
Infusing spirituality into them, he watched as the two stars blossomed with faint radiance, revealing blurred images of the praying individuals.
The first star belonged to a very short girl. Under the urging of another girl beside her, she recited the three-step prayer anxiously, reluctantly, and with high alert.
Klein recognised the girl beside her immediately—it was Miss Magician, Fors. Then the short girl must be…well, it could only be Miss Xio.
As for the other star…
Even through the hazy mist, Klein recognised the praying man at a glance:
It was Leonard!
Klein was utterly astonished.
How was this possible?
How could Leonard be praying to him? And where had he learned the three-line prayer?
From eliminating the human trafficker Capim or helping Miss Sharron deal with the Rose School pursuer, he had indeed revealed the existence of a "group" marked by Tarot cards. But that was it.
As for Mr. Fool's three-line honorific, he had emphasised countless times that it must never be spread without permission. Everyone had cooperated extremely well…
Oh, except for that time Audrey accidentally let Edward learn it.
"…"
Klein frowned. Considering that he was Blessed of the Goddess, could Leonard's prayer have been instructed by the Church?
Could the Church have revealed to Leonard that he wasn't dead?
"Sigh…why am I overthinking this? I should just pull him up here and ask."
With that thought, Klein extended his hand and poured spirituality into Leonard's star.
———
Elsewhere—
Leonard sat in a room of the temporary lodging he had rented. After finishing the three-line chant, he still maintained a posture of pious prayer. After all, according to the old man's words, this was a resurgent ancient deity.
Proper respect was necessary.
Of course, Leonard couldn't avoid feeling somewhat uneasy and guilty. He had sworn himself to the Goddess long ago—declaring he would believe in Her forever, offering all of himself to the Church of the Evernight.
And now here he was, hiding in this room, praying to a so-called "evil god," even planning to join the organisation created by that deity—to worship Him.
Ah!
Goddess, I really deserve death!
But rest assured, I only pray to this 'Fool' because of Klein and Edward—only to infiltrate. I swear I will forever and solely be loyal to You, Goddess. If necessary, I can be the Church of Evernight's nail driven into this cult—ready to help the Church wipe them out completely!
———
[Note]: Don't forget to VOTE. It keeps me motivated.