Chapter 10: Treatment Plan

Chapter 10: Treatment Plan

On a terrace bathed in autumn sunlight, Audrey, wearing a fresh and elegant vacation straw hat, sat in a reclining chair and leisurely flipped through a fashion magazine.

On the small round table beside her were plates of exquisite pastries and a cup of black tea produced by the family estate.

Suddenly, she raised her head and looked toward the edge of the terrace. She saw Gehrman Sparrow, dressed in a black trench coat and silk top hat, walking toward her step by step.

Audrey turned her head and glanced at her personal maid, Annie, discovering that she, like the surrounding servants, seemed completely blind to the stranger who had appeared so strangely.

At the same time, Audrey also noticed that the surroundings seemed to have darkened slightly.

She immediately stood, lifted the hem of her dress lightly, and curtsied.

During this process, she had originally intended to discuss the Psychology Alchemists and Mr. Wrath in a relatively solemn manner. But after a thought, she instead revealed a smile and spoke in a light, cheerful tone that could infect others’ emotions:

“Mr. World, have you come to seek psychological counseling, or to deal with the matter of Wrath?”

If it were only the former, Audrey believed The World, Gehrman Sparrow, would have her meet him above the gray fog. That would be more convenient and faster. Therefore, this angel must also be carrying out a task given by Mr. Fool that needed to be completed in the real world.

At the same time, she keenly sensed that Mr. World’s emotions were quite complex. They held satisfaction and joy, but also dejection and sorrow.

For Gehrman Sparrow’s attending psychiatrist, this sort of state was not rare. It often meant that the other party might need a certain degree of guidance or comfort.

“Both,” Klein said, pulling over a chair and sitting beside the small round table.

“Would you like black tea or coffee?” Although Audrey had never actively investigated Mr. World’s information, she had met Dwayne Dantès many times and had attended meetings, dinners, and balls with him. Under an Audience’s keen observation, many details were not secrets.

For example, Audrey knew that when “Dwayne Dantès” was Gehrman Sparrow, his tastes tended toward sweet, oily, and slightly sour. He liked sugar rather than milk in coffee; he preferred lemon slices in black tea; among pastries, his first choice was anything with cream; he liked foie gras, the skin of roast spring chicken, ribeye steak more than tenderloin, and Desi pie far more than bread.

In addition, Audrey was certain without doubt that he was fond of spices and had high requirements for seasoning. In this regard, his tastes leaned more toward Desi County.

Based on these details, Audrey believed that with so many pastries on the table, it would be very impolite not to invite Mr. World to enjoy them as well. And what paired with these snacks was certainly black tea or coffee.

“Black tea,” Klein replied after thinking.

Miss Justice’s relaxed, natural, and warm attitude allowed him to loosen up considerably. He felt this state would be more beneficial to the “comforting” that was to come.

Since that was the case, receiving psychological treatment while enjoying pastries was certainly better than the alternatives.

“Bring another cup of black tea, with extra lemon slices,” Audrey turned her head and instructed her maid Annie.

Annie showed not the slightest surprise at this command. She felt everything was perfectly reasonable, turned, and walked toward the terrace entrance to relay instructions to the servants waiting there.

Audrey did not hurry into psychological treatment, nor did she ask about the reason for Mr. World’s complicated emotions. Instead, with a smile, she carefully introduced the estate’s specialties, using that as a comparison to Dwayne Dantès’s Rose Manor. In a natural manner, she explained the current situation of his butlers and servants.

Some had remained at the manor and continued their previous work. With Rose Manor’s output, supporting them was entirely no problem; there was even quite a bit of surplus left for repairing the buildings and donating to charitable organizations. Audrey only periodically sent an accountant, an assistant butler, and a staff member from one of her foundations to inspect.

Some felt that without an employer in the true sense, they could not make use of their abilities and were unworthy of their wages, so they chose to resign and seek other work.

Others developed an interest in charitable activities, found new meaning in life, and naturally joined one of the foundations under Audrey’s name.

Klein listened quietly, asking a question from time to time, as though chatting with a friend.

Once the black tea was brought over, he picked up the cup, took a light sip, and nodded in satisfaction.

After watching him eat a small cream cake, Audrey’s emerald eyes shifted slightly, and she smiled.

“For angels, food no longer seems to be necessary?”

“That’s right. It’s only a hobby,” Klein answered simply, then added, “It can be used to maintain one’s humanity.”

“Maintain one’s humanity…” Audrey repeated thoughtfully. “Is that to resist divinity? Does your current mental problem also fall under this category?”

Very gently, she guided the topic into the field of psychological treatment.

Klein gave a slight nod.

“Yes.

“You should have some experience with it already. Every Beyonder who obtains divinity will inevitably experience this, the only difference being the degree.”

Audrey recalled carefully.

“I sometimes dream of a ball of light, a light that illuminates the entire world. Sometimes I hear indescribable, incomprehensible sounds, and see a blurry, strange, illusory sea that seems to contain many contradictory concepts. I am certain they are hallucinations, yet they feel so real.

“Hmm, I also occasionally dream of a giant cross and hear someone praying in a low voice, but no matter what, I cannot distinguish the exact content.”

The second should be indirect contamination from the Chaos Sea and the mental will inside it. The third seems to be Adam the Visionary beginning to exert influence upon Beyonders of His pathway… The first is the Original that awakened within the ancient Sun God—the ancient “God”? Klein thought for a moment, then said in a low voice, “The original Creator created all things and also split apart into various Beyonder characteristics. That is the source of the extraordinary.

“Therefore, all of us carry divinity and the will of that original Creator within us. As more and more Beyonder characteristics gather, He will awaken bit by bit and replace us.”

He explained the root of the problem in the simplest, vaguest, and least contaminating way possible.

The Tarot Club had already discussed this to a certain degree, so Audrey had no difficulty understanding. Thoughtfully, she said, “So humanity must be used to resist divinity. At the same time, anchors are also needed?”

“Correct. The light you dreamed of, the indescribable sounds you heard, and the illusory sea you saw all belong to that type of contamination. The giant cross and the prayers should be the influence exerted by Adam the Visionary upon Beyonders of His pathway.” Klein specifically pointed out the difference between the two situations.

Audrey instinctively straightened and looked around, appearing somewhat frightened.

Gehrman Sparrow had actually spoken the name that could not be mentioned!

“Don’t worry. By my side, He can’t hear it,” Klein explained.

Audrey withdrew her gaze, not hiding her shock and astonishment.

“You have already advanced to Sequence 1?”

That’s too fast… It’s only been a little over half a year since He became a Sequence 2 angel!

Klein answered calmly, “You could say I’m already a King of Angels.”

“…” Audrey was silent for several seconds. Then she pressed her lips together and smiled with a slight hint of “annoyance.”

“I almost developed a psychological problem just now.”

Klein smiled along with her.

“Speaking personally, becoming a King of Angels is not necessarily a good thing.

“Hmm. High-Sequence Beyonders of the Audience pathway especially need to pay attention to their mental state. For other pathways, the strengthening of divinity and deepening of contamination are relatively obvious. But that is not the case for Audience. You must constantly examine yourself, check yourself, and trace every tiny change in personality or cognition back to its source. You have to confirm that there is no problem and that it is a normal change. Otherwise, without realizing it, you may become someone else entirely—someone capable of coldly killing the very people you originally most wished to protect.

“Beyonders of the Audience pathway are not easy to drive mad, yet they are also the easiest to drive mad.”

Audrey responded with alert seriousness.

“I understand.”

Following this topic, she began to ask, “Your mental state is unstable and psychological problems have appeared because you became a King of Angels in a very short period of time, beyond expectations?”

“Yes.” Klein took a sip of black tea. “The will within me that does not belong to me has recovered to a very great extent. At present, I can only barely suppress it and maintain preliminary mental stability.”

While listening to Gehrman Sparrow’s description, Audrey used her Beyonder abilities to observe and analyze.

After he finished, she revealed a smile that seemed capable of soothing the mind.

“I have roughly grasped your current condition. The preliminary treatment plan is divided into two steps. First, I will enter your mind world and awaken more of your memories related to humanity—hmm, not the kind that would make you suffer so much that you wish to give up. Then, when divinity reacts, I will use Beyonder abilities such as Placate and Hypnosis to weaken the contamination and negative influence it brings, helping you suppress it better.”

Klein was silent for a moment.

“All right.”

He decided to use the special trait that allowed him to remain conscious when someone entered his dream or mind world to first gather memories related to The Fool and “graft” them onto the Worms of Spirit above the gray fog.

At that moment, Audrey had her maid Annie bring over a pale-white silk scarf.

Then she used the light, thin scarf to cover her own eyes and ears.

Klein watched this with some surprise and waited for Miss Justice to explain.

After tying the scarf in place, Audrey smiled faintly.

“This is a hypnosis—a hypnosis that seals spiritual perception.

“In this way, even if I enter your mind world, I will not be able to see or hear the awakened memories. Of course, I have retained spiritual intuition. Otherwise, I would not be able to find your island of consciousness, nor would I be able to sense changes in divinity.

“Originally, I could have simply hypnotized myself directly. But you are already a King of Angels, and I’m worried I might be influenced by your consciousness. So I’m using a symbolically meaningful ritual to complete the hypnosis and strengthen its effect.”

She explained slowly and unhurriedly, allowing Klein’s mood to calm without him realizing it.

He nodded gently.

“All right. Let’s begin.”