This was all part of Evah's scripted plan—worried about his friend's situation, he grows increasingly curious about The Fool, leading him to inquire about The Fool everywhere. Doesn't that fit Jack Jones' persona perfectly?
Surely, Justice Audrey would faithfully report today's events to The Fool. Given Klein's personality, even if he didn't pull Jack Jones onto the gray fog, he'd likely have Justice Audrey share The Fool's honorific name with him.
Of course, even if The Fool didn't do that, Evah had backup scripts ready.
Mr. Jack seems sincere. Who could his friend be? Could it be one of The Fool's believers in the real world? Audrey assessed Jack's emotions, forming a plan. After a moment, she offered comfortingly, "The Fool might not be some evil god. Your friend could be fine…"
"I know, but this involves a hidden entity, so…" Evah gave a wry smile, sighing. "If only I could learn The Fool's honorific name. At least then I'd have some basis for judgment."
I'm sorry, Mr. Jack. Without The Fool's permission, I can't share His honorific name… Audrey thought apologetically. She stole a glance at Xio and Fors' expressions, noting their lack of surprise, which suggested they likely knew about this too.
And Fors seemed particularly interested in The Fool. Why was that?
Curious but composed, Audrey decided to probe later and didn't show her thoughts.
The group soon dropped the topic, focusing on the Beyonder gathering. After it ended, Audrey returned to her family's villa, excused herself to her room, and began praying softly to The Fool.
Back in Tingen, Klein heard the faint prayer in his ears. He quickly found an excuse to head to the bathroom, ascended to the gray fog, and received Audrey's prayer.
"Mr. Jack, from an ancient family, a Seer, ancestors possibly tied to The Fool, and a friend connected to The Fool…" Klein's expression turned peculiar. Thinking of Jack, who'd mentioned returning to Backlund a few days ago, he rubbed his brow. "In a way, it's kind of lucky that Jack hasn't been nabbed by official Beyonders or dragged into some hidden organization's mess."
Amused yet exasperated, Klein felt a touch of warmth deep down. He knew Jack's zeal in investigating The Fool was for his sake.
"Fine. Instead of letting him keep poking around blindly, I'll give him some information. It might throw off his investigation, but…" Klein thought of what he'd learned about the Antigonus family, the dangerous Secret Order, and Jack's reckless streak, shaking his head.
He wanted more information on the Antigonus family's Fool, but he was genuinely worried that Jack's continued digging would land him in trouble. Before, he'd assumed Jack was mostly checking old records, which seemed safe enough. Now that he knew better, Klein wasn't about to let it slide.
"When Jack gets back from Backlund, I'll have him stop investigating the Antigonus family…" Klein decided, resolving to have Justice Audrey find a way to share The Fool's honorific name with Jack.
"But the Tarot Club? Not yet. Pulling him up would be…" Klein's expression grew odd as he thought of the Roselle Diary and the Zoroast Diary.
It wasn't quite social death, but having The Fool read someone else's diary in front of someone who understood Chinese would be pretty awkward.
…
"Could The Fool be planning to recruit Mr. Jack as a new Tarot Club member?" Audrey mumbled excitedly under her breath after receiving The Fool's response and her new task.
As one of the Tarot Club's founding members, Audrey felt the strongest sense of belonging to it and naturally wanted more members.
Jack Jones had clearly left a great impression on her during their interaction today.
"But why? Is it because of Mr. Jack's friend? Oh, he mentioned an ancestor tied to The Fool. Could that ancestor have been a follower of The Fool? Is Mr. Jack's family one that once served The Fool?"
Audrey's excitement grew, feeling she'd glimpsed a piece of The Fool's real-world influence.
But as a Spectator, she quickly calmed her emotions after the brief thrill and began strategizing how to complete The Fool's task.
"I could just tell Mr. Jack The Fool's honorific name directly, but that would expose my connection to The Fool…" Audrey mused, then her eyes lit up. "Wait, I remember the Glaint family has plenty of old books. I could have Glaint invite Mr. Jack, Miss Fors, and the others to browse them, then slip The Fool's honorific name into a book they're likely to read…"
"It might still get traced back to me eventually, but not right away. And once Mr. Jack joins the Tarot Club, it won't matter if it's exposed."
Audrey formed a rough plan, her mind already fleshing out the details.
…
'Audrey's probably reported my activities to The Fool by now. If all goes as planned, I should soon get The Fool's honorific name without a hitch.'
Elsewhere, after parting with Fors and Xio, Evah stretched lazily, boarded a trackless carriage, and headed to a certain street.
Recalling the original story's description of the underground structure where Medici resided, Evah quickly zeroed in on his target—a clearly long-abandoned mansion.
Sneaking into the mansion was child's play for Evah. He navigated the cluttered living room, reached the basement, and after some searching, found the hidden door leading to Medici's underground structure.
"I hope this goes smoothly. Though, if it doesn't, no big deal?" Evah chuckled, opened the hidden door, and stepped into the passage. After traversing a lengthy`lengthy passage, he arrived at a stone door.
Instead of rushing to open it, Evah reached into the air, pulling at nothing. A figure emerged from the air and merged with him.
Pushing open the stone door, he stepped into a vast hall filled with countless venomous snakes. As he entered, the snakes, sensing danger, scattered in all directions, quickly clearing the floor.
(End of Chapter)
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