Chapter 18 : Don’t forget that Medici was a Conspirer
I interrupted him.
« I don't know what you are talking about ? I am from the Hunter pathway and I feel nothing like that here, though ? »
Self-proclaimed angel of the Hunter pathway.jpg
Klein : So you were from the Hunter pathway ?!
Another misunderstanding has occurred !
Mr. Fool just closed His eyes and decided to ignore everything that was happening.
Medici realized that He couldn't feel the card anymore.
I asked playfully.
« So, what do I gain if I free you~? »
Medici answered :
« Nothing. »
I waved my hand.
« Too bad, then. I came here just to scare you anyway. Sharon, Klein, aren't you coming ? »
Medici was speechless as I began to leave.
I came back.
« Ah, wait, wait. I forgot something. *creating an illusion so that Klein and Sharon don't hear me* Don't you want to join the Tarot Club ? There are a few mid-sequence and high-sequence Beyonders to harass, as well as a few angels… »
And some gods, and a great old one… But in that case you'll be the one being harassed.
« And opportunities to get rid of Sauron and Einhorn (or Medici) in your body. And to could leave here too. »
After I convinced Medici, I caught up to Klein and Sharon then undid my illusion.
We returned to the hall and Klein lost himself in his thoughts.
Soon, Sharon finished setting up the explosives and, in passing, lit the fuse.
Startled, I saw Klein react and run.
I calmly followed him with the zombies then closed my eyes and put my hands on my ears.
Klein imitated me and understood why I did so.
Rumble !
The earth shook violently, and plumes of dust fell from above. Klein's ears buzzed, and for a moment he couldn't hear anything else.
If it wasn't for the fact that he was a Clown, he would've lost his balance and collapsed to the ground.
Since I wasn't a Clown and forgot to use the corresponding abilities, I lost my balance and fell to the ground.
The next moment, I stood up as if nothing had happened.
I sneezed repeatedly because of the dust flying in the air.
Klein walked to the entrance and confirmed that it was completely blocked.
« Let's call it a day. »
With an exaggerated snap of his fingers, Klein led the three zombies back to the basement of the house. As for Sharon, she had already disappeared.
In the spacious basement, Millet Carter was nervously pacing back and forth, looking at the secret door from time to time.
As soon as he saw Detective Moriarty and his assistants exit, he let out a long breath and asked anxiously :
« What happened inside ? »
Well, I traumatized an evil spirit at the angel level before convincing Him to join a secret organization. After that, a certain wraith just destroyed your underground structure with explosives.
Klein deliberately panted and said :
« That underground structure is too old, it hasn't been repaired in a long time. We were driving the snakes away, but with just a little bit of movement, it collapsed. The whole area has collapsed, but luckily we were close to the door and managed to escape in time. »
Wow, we sure did some amazing things~. I hope it was not me that repelled the snakes in that story, though.
"However, if you want him to believe your act, me and the zombies should at least be out of breath too." I thought while trying to wipe my face.
There is really a lot of dirt…
I ignored what they were saying and used the reflection in the monocle I had on me to look at my face and get rid of the dirt.
I sneezed a few times in the process.
I overheard Millet talking :
« Thank goodness I didn't hastily send someone in to explore but instead went to look for you, a professional. Otherwise, I would've had to bear the burden of the loss of several lives. »
Professionals indeed. It's more like a demolition expert…
Klein was paid and bowed to Millet Carter.
« Thank your for your generosity. »
He thought :
"Yes, if it were any other detective, even if they demolished the entrance and the passageway, they would definitely have nightmares upon returning. They would hear things at home, and their minds will turn weak. They would feel like they're being watched all the time and experience other problems. That's the corruption of the evil spirit's aura. It will take a very long time before the effects disappear, but we're different. Miss Sharron is like a ghost to begin with. As for me, I'll be completely fine once I go above the gray fog. As for the three zombies, they aren't even afraid of death, so what's there to be afraid of ? …But was Xin Jian affected by it ? Or is she fine because She's an angel ?"
Klein repressed a frown, bade Millet Cullen farewell and left his house.
While walking behind the zombies, I raised my gaze and mumbled :
« So, Mr. Fool, could you free Medici ? »
That's not a question, that's an order.
Well, that's how a new member was lured into the Tarot Club.
The next morning, I saw Klein decide to go out and asked to follow him.
We bought something to eat from the street stalls and chatted.
« It's unusual for you to come out when nothing special happens. You're usually holed up in your room. » Klein remarked.
I tilted my head.
Nothing special ?
In truth, today is the day you were supposed to meet Old Kohler. As I did with Old Neil, I thought that preventing you two from meeting would limit the impact of his death on you.
I smiled.
« Yeah. »
—————— I am the dividing line~
Today was the Tarot Club.
I went above the gray fog in advance and sat at my usual spot.
« So, did our new member recite your honorific name~? What is His codename ? »
Mr. Fool answered :
« The Hierophant. »
I blinked.
« What is the signification of that card ? »
I heard Mr. Fool's thoughts in my ears.
"Why ? Do you have an urge to insult Medici ?"
Well, yeah.
As if He didn't just lampoon in His head, He explained :
« The Hierophant is the masculine counterpart to The High Priestess. He is also known as the Pope or the Teacher… »
Well, Medici is indeed old, and it's true that the Hunter pathway is interchangeable with the Demoness pathway.
I would like to see Medici switch pathway…
« Its interpretation is : spiritual wisdom, religious beliefs, conformity, tradition, institutions
When it is reversed, it is : personal beliefs, freedom, challenging the status quo. »
Religious beliefs ? WISDOM ? Medici ? Pfft-
Did Klein make Him draw a card or something ? At this point, I would have been willing to let Him have The High Priestess card… Hahaha…
I sneered.
One minute later, Mr. Fool pulled in everyone and let Klein take His place.
Miss Justice greeted everyone then Klein presented the new member.
« Here is The Hierophant. »
Meanwhile, Medici's smile was frozen.
Maybe He was regretting His choice to come here.
He thought that there could be a Fool since Antigonus was still in the kingdom of the night but He was beginning to see that He was wrong.
He certainly did not expect that mixed with the "low and high sequence Beyonders and angels He could harass" there would be gods.
Orthodox gods at that. And The Fool was the head of that secret organization.
Will shrank in His seat.
After all, Medici was a believer of the True Creator like Ouroboros.
The other gods didn't seem surprised when they saw Medici and just looked at them indifferently.
He swore that He would take revenge for having been pulled here.
Unaware of this, I saw His gaze fall on Leodoro. It was like He was thinking : "Even Leod[e]ro ???"
I smiled mischievously.
Medici, do you want to see Leodoro's image be destroyed~?
I stood up and raised my arms.
« Guys, let's play cards ! »
All gazes fell on me.
I heard Mr. Fool's thoughts :
"You forgot to put on an illusion for the other members."
I froze while Audrey, Leonard and others wondered what I was talking about.
« Er, a blind fool please… »
Mr. Fool did a blind fool on everyone.
When they regained their senses, they saw me innocently sitting in my seat and thought that they imagined it.
Klein's lip twitched.
All the angels and above present here knew that They hadn't imagined it and shook Their head.
Medici, still looking relaxed : Wait, isn't "blind fool" a god-level ability ?
This time, I put on an illusion before standing up and raising my arms.
« Guys, let's play cards ! »
Will deadpanned.
Azik still a soft smile on His face.
(Somehow, I feel as if you're looking at me like I'm pathetic.)
Amanises and Lilith just did as if nothing happened and stood up too while Leodoro humphed.
Klein's lip twitched.
Ahhh… Too bad I can only hear Mr. Fool's thoughts and not Klein's here.
—————— I am the dividing line~
3rd point of view :
It was evening.
Xin Jian was in her room since she ate dinner. She should have already been sleeping. At least, Klein thought so.
Meanwhile, Klein was reading the newspaper while lying on the sofa.
At this late hour, he heard the bell ring.
He sat up and slowly went to the door before stopping with his hand on the handle.
He observed the person outside.
It was a man dressed in black armor that seemed to be splashed with blood. He had red hair that resembled fire, looking young and handsome and Klein's spiritual intuition told him that he was familiar.
Klein took out a coin and flung it in the air.
He caught it and looked at the result.
He had divined that it was dangerous to open the door.
He stepped back and took out his pendulum to do another divination when the person outside leisurely opened the door.
The man calmly entered and sat on the sofa, as if it was his home.
He exuded an aura that made others want to hit him.
Wary, Klein politely smiled and carefully asked :
« Who are you ? »
Medi- (Author : Oops, I nearly revealed who he was in advance…) The man sneered and commented.
« A sequence 1 angel that doesn't even have a mythical creature form ? Pathetic. As expected, The Fool doesn't exist either. »
(Author : Since three sequence 1 Beyonder characteristics are needed to ascend to sequence 0, The Fool and a sequence 1 of the same pathway can't coexist at the same time ! Only three sequence 1 Beyonder characteristics exist for each pathway !
Xin Jian : Medici, if you're doing provocations, we must at least be able to understand it !)
Klein controlled his expression with his clown abilities and searched for where he could have seen such an irritating fellow.
(There was indeed a certain evil spirit that joined his Tarot Club and was annoying just by being there…)
Klein hesitantly said :
« …The evil spirit ? »
The evil spirit crossed his legs and leaned back relaxedly (punchably).
« You can call me… Medici. »
Xin Jian : You mean, Sauron-Einhorn-Medici, right ? And was this break just now to seem more mysterious ? You're the pathetic one.
Klein was shocked.
He had learned from Xin Jian who Medici was.
Medici smirked and said :
« Don't worry, I'm not malicious. But you'd better create a spiritual wall if you don't want anybody to listen to our conversation. »
Klein did so.
Medici continued :
« How do you think I came out of these ruins ? »
Klein didn't answer so He pointed to Xin Jian's room with His chin.
« Of course, it's your colleague right there who freed me. So, in all of my generosity, I came to warn you. »
Klein listened without saying anything.
« There was a saying in the fourth epoch. It was : trust in the power of the gods, but not in their kindness. Do you know why ? »
Klein had not heard of a similar saying from Xin Jian so he didn't know.
(Xin Jian : Oops, I missed something…(
Medici explained :
« The more you ascend in sequence, the more you will be affected by the influence of Beyonder characteristics, it is particularly the case after sequence 4. It is called divinity. For an angel, divinity should also far surpass humanity. »
Klein frowned. He guessed where this was going.
« So imagine how much I was surprised to see an angel with so much humanity. She must be faking it. »
In front of Klein's confused look, Medici chuckled.
« Look, I have no reason to lie to you here. I just came to warn you. »
Klein couldn't help but ask :
« But why would She do that ? »
Why would Xin Jian have faked Her personality until now ? Why did She pretend having so much humanity ? Was this really all an act ?
But it was too late, the seeds of doubts had already been planted in Klein's mind.
Medici still looked as relaxed as before.
« Right, why would She do that ? Maybe the church asked Her to approach you ? But I don't think She'd be the type to be loyal to a church. »
(Author : Of course, Medici isn't saying "She" to be respectful here.)
Even if Klein knew that he shouldn't listen to Him, it was true that He had no reason to lie to him.
With Medici's suggestions, Klein's mind began to gather the pieces of the puzzle together.
"Why wouldn't She attack Ince Zangwill when She saw him dead ? She just let him pass by Her. And She was able to erase a high sequence Demoness so easily, it couldn't have been that She was too weak to do it."
(Author : Do you remember ? Xin Jian thought she was too weak to kill Ince Zangwill and just let pass by and Klein didn't see that it was Amanises who erased the high sequence Demoness, he thought it was Xin Jian.
The era of misunderstandings has begun !)
Klein's mind began to suspect a lot of things like, why did Xin Jian never help Her when he was in danger, (why did She free an evil spirit at the angel-level who could be dangerous to people), was there another big calculation behind all this, etc…
Klein had always been a careful person.
However, he stopped his thoughts and tried to ignore all these questions.
« I have no reason to believe you, I won't listen to you anymore. »
Medici smirked and gave Him a last glance.
« It should be enough anyway. »
He left like that, leaving all this behind.
It was truly worthy of being a symbol of war, no, a previous "Conspirator".
—————— I am the dividing line~
Xin Jian's point of view :
When they put up a spiritual wall, I couldn't listen to their conversation anymore.
So, I made a decision, went out of the window and waited for Medici near the front door~.
While Medici was enjoying the fact that He had taken His revenge against me for pulling Him into a secret organization full of dangerous people (aka the Tarot Club), He closed the door behind Him and finally noticing me, He froze.
Medici : I swear, the real master of Sefirah Castle isn't The Fool but Xin Jian !
I leaned forward and smiled.
« Medici~. »
He maintained His composure but was taken by next question.
« Do I have any sealed artifacts on me right now ? »
Medici disrespectfully looked at me up and down then sneered.
« Why, are you so poor that you can't even buy one ? Need my help now ? »
I continued smiling.
It should enough for Him to realize that I have nothing on me.
I raised my palm and demonstrated a few low Sequence Beyonder abilities.
« Then why can I use the abilities of different pathways ? Maybe I am the Lord of Mysteries~? (Or at least of His avatars.) »
Medici's smile froze for the nth time and He began to doubt life.
—————— I am the dividing line~
3rd point of view :
The next morning, Klein was eating breakfast when the doorbell rung.
Klein stood up and checked the identity of the person at the door.
It was a middle-aged gentleman with white sideburns, a thin face, and an outstanding temperament.
It was the private detective, Isengard Stanton, who could get an invitation from the police !
Klein opened the door in puzzlement and asked with a smile :
« Good morning, Mr. Stanton. Is there something ? »
Isengard took off his half top hat and smiled.
« Good morning, Mr. Moriarty. I wish to work with you. I believe you're an excellent detective. »
« Cooperate ? » Klein didn't hide his surprise.
Isengard tapped his black cane and replied in a deep voice :
« To find the serial killer behind the recent chain of serial murders.
The police has already offered a reward of 2,000 pounds. »
After hearing Isengard Stanton's words, the first thing that flashed across Klein's mind was to assess the amount of the bounty, and then he allowed his mind to wander and made many connections.
« What's your opinion ? » Isengard noticed that Sherlock Moriarty seemed distracted and pressed him.
"My opinion ?" Klein was momentarily stumped.
A normal private detective would've definitely agreed, both because of the bounty and because of the well-known detective in front of him. A friendship with Isengard would provide him with great benefits in the detective circles.
The problem, however, was that Klein wasn't a normal private detective. He was worried that he would run into the Nighthawks who were in charge of the investigation.
Klein hesitated for a few seconds then smiled.
« I've recently taken on a very troublesome case. I'm afraid I don't have much spare time. »
Before Isengard Stanton could speak up, he added :
« I can participate in the discussion and help to look through the information and analyze the clues, but I don't think I'll make any specific investigations. »
Holding the black cane in his hand, Isengard pondered for a moment and said :
« No problem. I've gathered more than a dozen detectives and have enough people to perform the investigation. What I admire the most about you is your excellent reasoning and analytical skills.
If we do capture the criminal and receive the bounty, I'll distribute the rewards according to everyone's contribution in a reasonable manner. Trust me, I have some credibility in this business. »
« Alright, I hope for a pleasant partnership. »
They shook hands.
« Likewise. » Isengard smiled and nodded.
At that moment, Klein realized that he was being somewhat impolite, so he smiled and said :
« Sorry, I forgot to invite you in, let's talk about this over coffee and tea ? »
« Thank you for the offer. I've already arranged for the detectives to come to my house at nine in the morning to discuss the case. My assistant is waiting for them there. We need to head over there to meet them. Will that be a problem ? »
« Not at all. Let me use the bathroom first and have a change of clothes. »
He glanced at Xin Jian's room then went to the bathroom.
They hadn't spoken since yesterday.
He tried to forget what Medici had told him the night before but it wouldn't leave his mind.
Was the goddess ordering Her to watch him ?
Did the goddess know about his transmigration or the Tarot Club ? Was She suspicious about him ?
But why did Xin Jian's let Ince Zangwill go ? Wasn't he against the church ?
Or was Xin Jian with the enemy from the beginning ? Should I report it ? But I'm not a Nighthawk anymore…
Klein was feeling betrayed that all these moments spent together were fake.
He was trying to find reasons to justify his actions but… If Xin Jian was really the cause of his captain's death, could he handle it ?
Although he did not spend much time as a Nighthawk after being taught by Xin Jian, all these moments were good memories to him. He couldn't accept that Xin Jian was just pretending all along.
"Everybody wears a mask after all." He consoled himself.
But Xin Jian had indeed told him that angels mostly possessed divinity.
Klein still couldn't stop thinking about it.
As time passed, his doubts were growing.