Chapter 52: The Tarot Club

Chapter 52: The Tarot Club

Regarding Leonard’s “demonstration,” the demigods and Beyonders present nodded one after another, indicating that they fully understood what this Red Gloves captain wanted to express.

One Mandated Punisher raised an arm and took the opportunity to ask a question:

“In other words, the tarot card left at the scene represents the member who carried out the mission?”

“That should be the case.” Leonard did not answer too definitively.

The same Mandated Punisher continued, “Then what did the tarot cards scattered across Lanevus’s body when he died represent? There was no specific designation there.”

Leonard immediately picked up a piece of white chalk, wrote Lanevus’s name on the blackboard behind him, and drew a circle around it.

“I said earlier that the first incident involving tarot cards to truly enter our field of vision in the past two or three years was the Lanevus case. This may very well have been the beginning of everything.

“So, the tarot cards scattered randomly, with no specific designation, may have represented the whole. It meant that the organization using tarot cards as code names had formally stepped onto the stage of history—hehe, please forgive the poetic phrasing.”

“That makes a lot of sense.” Several Mandated Punishers were persuaded by Leonard.

Leonard looked around the room and continued, “Let me draw a comparison with the Aurora Order, which everyone here is familiar with. We all know the Aurora Order has twenty-two Oracles, each responsible for affairs in a region. That organization using tarot cards as code names may be similar. Members such as Judgment, Emperor, and Hermit should each have their own forces and exert influence in certain areas.”

Hearing this, a member of the Machinery Hivemind thought for a moment and said, “But Backlund has consecutively seen three card-holding members—Judgment, Emperor, and Hermit. According to your theory, does this mean that the organization using tarot cards as code names is not actually that large, and its members are all concentrated in Loen, or even in and around Backlund? After all, the Aurora Order has only one Oracle responsible for Backlund. As for the Dark Saint, he oversees all of Loen.”

Leonard slowly nodded, indicating that he understood the other party’s point.

After organizing his words, he said, “That possibility cannot be ruled out. After all, this is an organization that only appeared two or three years ago.

“Of course, there may be another reason: this organization may not divide its scope by region, but by matter—or rather, by field—deciding whether something should be handled by a particular member, and cooperating when matters overlap, as in the Capim case.”

Seeing that the Beyonders of the three great Churches and MI9 had no further questions, Leonard deliberated for a few seconds and said, “Everything above is only my personal conjecture, and there are still some issues within it. Perhaps these are directions for future investigation.

“The first question: What is this organization’s objective?

“If, like the Aurora Order, they seek to spread faith in an evil god, then why have we never discovered believers of The Fool? Even when there are such people, they are scammers using The Fool’s name.

“The second question: What do these few operations have in common? I have not yet found the answer.

“The third question: high-ranking members who use tarot cards as code names should not be low in Sequence and should possess their own forces, yet they have no reputation at all in the Beyonder world. This is very abnormal. As everyone knows, although the Aurora Order’s twenty-two Oracles all conceal their identities, they have more or less clashed with us over time. Under our ‘witness,’ they step by step advanced from Low Sequences to Mid Sequences, and finally took over the position of Oracle after their predecessor died or advanced. They have long been on our lists.”

At this point, Leonard paused before continuing, “If the organization using tarot cards as code names truly is an organization that believes in The Fool, then there is one person who may be able to answer my third question.

“That person is the crazy adventurer Gehrman Sparrow. Rumor has it that he believes in The Fool.”

This name caused all Beyonders from the three great Churches and MI9 to fall silent, as though they were swiftly recalling relevant files.

They had long heard that Gehrman Sparrow’s origins were mysterious, that he believed in The Fool, and they had grasped a fair amount of intelligence regarding him. They merely had not linked everything together in the way Leonard had.

“…Gehrman Sparrow is suspected to be closely connected to the former Death Consul of Balam. That is an angel who still walks upon the earth.” After several seconds, Saint Anthony, archbishop of the Church of Evernight’s Backlund diocese, spoke in a low voice.

This made the Beyonders other than the demigods sit upright in instinctive alarm.

They all knew about the matter involving Admiral Hell, but due to confidentiality levels, they did not know that “Death Consul” actually represented an angel upon the earth.

“…That Death Consul does not seem to belong to any faction of the Numinous Episcopate,” an MI9 Beyonder said hesitantly.

Leonard nodded with a serious expression.

“Perhaps He is also a member of that secret organization using tarot cards as code names.

“The Death card!”

Another silence filled the room. Sert, Radar, and the other demigods had no choice but to admit that such a possibility existed.

The status of that secret organization using tarot cards as code names instantly climbed to a level sufficient to stand alongside the Aurora Order.

“In short, Gehrman Sparrow is a clue.” Leonard quietly inhaled and slowly exhaled. “Your Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, I have finished.”

Saint Anthony nodded gently, stood, looked around the room, and said, “So far, this secret organization using tarot cards as code names has not acted against us and has shown a certain degree of friendliness. And now, with the war situation tense and our manpower severely insufficient, it is difficult to launch any major operation. Therefore, I propose that we avoid conflict with them as much as possible and do not attempt to suppress or eradicate them for the time being.

“Of course, necessary investigations must be conducted. Such a secret organization, one that has an angel upon the earth, represents danger in and of itself. If we do not understand it and do not grasp enough intelligence, we will be unable to respond in time in the future and prevent possible conspiracies.”

Horamick and the other demigods thought for a while, then nodded one after another, expressing agreement.

Anthony Stevenson then swept his gaze around the room and finally stopped on Leonard’s face.

“You will lead this investigation and handle coordination.”

…Leonard solemnly accepted.

At that moment, the Deep Blue Officiant, Radar Valentine, said to Leonard with a trace of impatience, “Give them a name. We cannot keep saying ‘the secret organization using tarot cards as code names’ every time. That is far too troublesome.

“Do you have any suggestions?”

Leonard considered it seriously.

“The Tarot Club?”

“Good.” Radar stood. His voice was like thunder as he declared, “Then they shall be called the Tarot Club!”

…

Late at night, Queens Borough, inside the Hall family villa.

Tim, the personal dessert chef, suddenly awoke from his dream and stared at the ceiling in the dark.

He had just dreamed that he was enjoying a certain ice cream. The moment he tasted it, he woke abruptly.

The more Tim recalled the dream, the stronger his craving became. In the end, it defeated his reluctance to go to the trouble. He turned over, got out of bed, draped a thick sleeping robe over himself, left his room, and went to the nearby small kitchen.

As a dessert chef who had some reputation even within noble circles, Tim had been granted certain privileges by Earl Hall. Namely, he could enter the small kitchen at any time and use the ingredients there to test new ideas.

Tim had repaid Earl Hall’s trust with one high-quality dessert after another.

Of course, he also often busied himself here in the middle of the night because of sudden appetite—just like now.

After a careful and arduous round of work, Tim used leftovers from earlier and the ready preparations on hand to make several cups of ice cream. He happily ate half of them.

Then he patted his stomach, washed the utensils, and left the small kitchen in satisfaction.

The remaining cups of ice cream were left in the corner, as though completely forgotten.

…

Chorwood Borough, along the Tasok River, on an empty shoal.

Audrey, draped in a dark cloak, first arrived nearby using Dream Traversal, then walked here on foot.

With practiced motions, she arranged a ritual and prayed to Mr. Fool for bestowment.

Soon, a silver-black “jewelry box” inlaid with many gemstones passed through the illusory gate and landed in front of Audrey.

Audrey tucked a strand of blond hair behind her ear. Without delay, she picked up the Box of the Great Old Ones, numbered 0-61, aimed it at an area with only a few stones, and lifted the lid of the first layer.

Silently, without any disturbance, that region suddenly displayed long tables and chairs arranged messily, as well as several Beyonders concealing their faces through various methods. Among them was Forsi, wearing a hood.

Their skin swiftly changed from something close to toys back into the state of humans, and their eyes began to move.

As the highest-Sequence Beyonder among them, Forsi recovered the fastest. She looked left and right and was utterly astonished to find that she had unknowingly moved from inside an apartment to a riverside shoal.

Moreover, only the overall environment had changed. The situation around her was no different from before.

Where am I… What happened… Forsi cast her gaze toward the unmanned altar and, after thinking for one second, seemed to understand something. She asked in shock, “Is it over?”

“Yes.” Audrey, using Psychological Invisibility, gave the answer.

It’s over… Just like that, it’s over… Forsi was both stunned and bewildered as she asked one more question:

“What happened to the target?”

“Dead.” Audrey was multitasking, Manipulating the other five or six Beyonders, so her answer was very concise.

Dead… The Saint of Secrets Botis is dead… I haven’t even participated in battle. I haven’t even summoned Gehrman Sparrow’s historical projection… Forsi’s mouth opened slightly, and she felt as though she were dreaming.

She felt that she had only been afraid for one second, blanked out for one moment, and the mission had been perfectly completed.

At that moment, she saw the Beyonders around her “come alive,” yet none showed the slightest surprise at the change in environment, as though this riverside shoal had been the gathering location from the beginning.

With practiced movements, they destroyed the chairs and long tables and threw them into the Tasok River. Then, one after another, they left the shoal and returned to the area illuminated by streetlamps, each heading home.

…So this is a Manipulator… Terrifying… Forsi was startled and completely woke up.

“You go back first.” Audrey had no time to explain. She turned and used the altar from earlier, preparing to sacrifice the Box of the Great Old Ones above the gray fog.

Forsi glanced over, asked nothing, and said nothing. Her body quickly turned transparent and vanished from where she stood.