Chapter 147: The Angels of The Fool

Chapter 147: The Angels of The Fool

The Queen of Mysteries’s abilities are all so dreamlike. No, they’re practically fairy-tale-like… Klein glanced at the fountain pen writing by itself, then took paper and pen from his pocket and wrote down the incantation for summoning his messenger. He also noted that each letter required one gold coin as postage.

Immediately after, he handed the paper to Bernadette, received hers in turn, and quickly skimmed it.

“Invisible creature that roams the higher world, strange spirit friendly to humanity, messenger belonging solely to Bernadette Gustav…”

This differs somewhat from the standard incantation, but the essence is the same… Mm, the Queen of Mysteries must have deliberately changed it this way to prevent others from testing out the summoning incantation and reverse-locking onto her through the connection between messenger and contractor… I don’t have that problem. My messenger is an angel. Only She threatens others; no one else threatens Her. Even if She ran into Zaratul, She should have the ability to protect Herself and escape… Klein muttered inwardly a few times. With a light flick of the paper in his hand, he shook out a ball of crimson flame.

Watching the paper turn into deep black ash within the flames, Bernadette, the Queen of Mysteries, asked in an emotionless voice, “Regarding stopping George III, what ideas do you have?”

Klein had long since considered the matter. Deliberately slowing his speech, he said, “First, we must not act recklessly, take risks we cannot endure, or harm innocents.”

If the Queen of Mysteries had not mentioned just now that she hated war and hated seeing innocent people harmed, Klein would not have spoken so directly. He would have avoided exposing his weakness and instead used a softer, more roundabout method to achieve the same goal.

Upon hearing those words, Bernadette gave a slight nod, expressing her approval.

“After that, there are only three possible approaches. The first is to destroy the ritual at the critical moment, causing George III’s advancement to fail. The second is to attempt an assassination ahead of time, preventing Him from holding the ritual at all.” Klein deliberately did not mention the third approach yet, first analyzing the feasibility of the first two. “Assassination is an option with extremely slim hopes. George III—or rather, the one who is to become the Black Emperor—should already possess the status of Sequence 1. He is not someone we can deal with.

“Even if He has yet to advance to Sequence 1, He has definitely acted in advance. Once He completes the preliminary ritual and consumes the potion, He will be able to digest it quickly and lay the foundation for what comes afterward.

“Of course, even under such an extraordinarily slim possibility, He must still possess the level of Sequence 2. And the Augustus family certainly does not lack Grade 0 sealed artifacts. Add the protection around Him, and you and I have no real chance of success.”

Here, Klein changed the way he referred to George III, using the divine “He.”

Bernadette listened calmly. After thinking for several seconds as though evaluating the situation, she said, “If a sufficiently good opportunity can be created, a Sequence 2 can still be assassinated. But at least one of us would die, perhaps both.”

The meaning of her words was clear: the Grade 0 sealed artifact in her possession was powerful enough, mystical and terrifying enough. But if she wished to fully unleash it, the price would be enormous.

So there really is a chance… because I lied just now. If we were truly going all out, I could also ask Will Auceptin, Pallez Zoroast, and Miss Messenger for help, and use Yesterday Once More charms to restore Them to normal condition for a short time. The problem is that I have no idea what price would need to be paid, what changes that might cause, or whether it would drag in Kings of Angels like Ouroboros and Amon…

If Mr. Azik were awake, that would be perfect. Four angels plus the Queen of Mysteries’s Grade 0 sealed artifact—if we could create an opportunity, we might even dare to set our sights on a Sequence 1. Of course, the probability of failure would still be enormous. After all, none of it could last… Klein’s heart stirred as he listened, but he did not pursue the topic further.

It was not that he was unwilling to be honest in a cooperation, nor that he distrusted the Queen of Mysteries. Rather, Will Auceptin and Pallez Zoroast were both in states of being hunted. If their whereabouts were exposed, they might very well fall. That was a development Klein absolutely did not wish to see.

He spoke vaguely. “If assassination truly becomes the only method left, I can invite at least two angels to assist.”

This referred to the Death Consul Azik Eggers and the Snake of Fate Will Auceptin, both of whom Bernadette knew about—the latter having been inferred through that drop of mythical creature blood.

A very rare look of surprise appeared on Bernadette’s face.

“Is that the will of that existence?”

Without The Fool’s permission, how could His blessed invite angels to help?

“He has tacitly approved it.” Klein spoke absolute truth.

The Queen of Mysteries’s blue eyes instantly became deeper. She said nothing more, only slowly nodding.

Klein then guided the topic back on track.

“Destroying the ritual may be relatively simpler, but it must be done at the most critical moment. Otherwise, for George III, it would only delay His apotheosis for some time. He has already obtained the tacit permission of the gods and no longer needs to worry about this or that. Even if His mausoleums are destroyed, rebuilding them would not take Him long.

“But if we destroy it at the critical moment, it will cause His advancement to fail, making Him lose control and become a monster. No deity would allow such a creature to rampage in reality. There would inevitably be a descent to erase it. The problem is that, with a King of Angels providing warnings and assistance, George III will certainly not neglect this. He will absolutely arrange the most stringent protection. The difficulty might only be a little lower than assassinating Him directly.

“This means we must gather intelligence as soon as possible and find points that can be exploited.

“And whether it is the first approach or the second, it would be best if you could advance to Sequence 2 ahead of time and become a Sage.”

Bernadette nodded softly, indicating that she understood.

Then she asked, “And the third approach?”

Klein was silent for a few seconds before saying, “If the ritual succeeded back then, and the Emperor truly advanced to Sequence 0, then He still has a chance of resurrection. As long as we can find the arrangements the Emperor left behind and allow Him to return before George III ascends to the divine throne, George III’s scheme will fail.”

He did not follow Bernadette in referring to Roselle with ordinary pronouns, lest he expose his own identity.

The gaze of the Queen of Mysteries clearly flickered, then turned deep and restrained.

Her lips parted slightly.

“I will hand the selected diary pages to Cattleya.”

Klein did not discuss this matter in depth. Instead, he smiled.

“Actually, there is a fourth approach.”

Bernadette’s brows moved faintly, revealing her puzzlement.

“And that is to do nothing,” Klein said with a self-mocking laugh, “and let George III hold the ritual, attempt to become a god, and wait for Him to fail.”

On a Sequence pathway, the higher one climbed, the greater the probability of failure.

This was, in fact, a truth. Even with Amon’s brother writing the “script” and paving all manner of possibilities toward success, even if George III had perfectly digested His earlier potions, His chances of successfully becoming a god still would not exceed half.

Of course, Klein said this only as a self-deprecating joke.

The Queen of Mysteries did not respond at once. She studied Gehrman Sparrow seriously for several seconds before saying, “The feeling you give people this time is somewhat different from the previous times.”

“It’s the advice of my psychiatrist,” Klein said with a smile, describing himself as though he were a severe mental patient.

Bernadette said nothing more. She withdrew her gaze and looked at the fountain pen lying on the table.

“Then we will each begin gathering the corresponding intelligence and maintain contact through letters.”

At this point, she paused, then spoke again, her eyes still unmoved from the pen.

“Actually, I have been thinking… whether he might have already begun to revive, only that he is still recovering his former self… I do not know what details are hidden within the Black Emperor’s resurrection, nor do I know whether, in the end, he truly chose the Black Emperor pathway…”

Bernadette’s voice gradually became distant, carrying a few indescribable shades of feeling.

As Klein listened, he suddenly understood what the Queen of Mysteries was thinking and what she hoped for.

She somewhat suspected that The Fool was a revived Roselle. She suspected that the Emperor had deceived everyone back then and had not truly intended to switch to the Black Emperor pathway, but had chosen another route instead. Because of that, He now needed to collect old diary pages and Cards of Blasphemy in order to recover Himself.

Unfortunately, I’m only Uncle Zhou from next door… Klein had wanted to make a lighthearted quip in his heart, but his emotions slowly settled, growing too heavy to force into ease.

He said nothing. He stood, bowed, put on his hat, and exited the room.

After closing the door of the Golden Theater private room and taking two steps forward, Klein suddenly heard a tranquil, melodious tune.

The melody scattered ethereally, carrying a faint sadness.

Klein stopped and listened for several seconds. Then he turned back toward the hall and left through Flame Jump.

…

The City of Silver. A team had gathered at the city gate and was about to set out.

This was the expedition heading to Afternoon Town, preparing to explore the Giant King’s Court.

Derrick Berg stood in the middle of the group. He was the second shortest among them, holding a verdigris-covered, thorned cross in his hand.

On either side of him stood Joshua and Haim, both prepared to take over the Unshadowed Crucifix at any moment, in case Derrick’s Beyonder characteristics began to separate out.

A sealed artifact like this required three people to take turns holding it in order to resist its negative effects.

As Derrick lowered his head to examine the Creator’s relic, he suddenly felt someone watching him. Instinctively, he raised his head and looked over, discovering that it was Lovia, member of the six-member council and Shepherd elder.

This woman, the shortest person in the team, had silver-gray, slightly curled hair. Her pale gray eyes were fixed upon the ancient, mottled Unshadowed Crucifix, and there was actually a hint of fervor in her gaze.

Sensing Derrick’s look, the Shepherd elder moved the corners of her mouth, revealing an indescribable smile.

“This is the Lord’s item.”

Derrick inexplicably shivered. Then he heard Chief Colin Iliad speak.

“Set out.”