The crimson light before "Hanged Man" Alger Wilson had barely faded when he saw a hazy, illusory figure reappear in the seat opposite him—the seat that had remained vacant ever since Miss Empress's death.
After Miss Magician joined, Alger had confirmed one thing: even if a Tarot Club member's seat's owner left forever, it would not be assigned to anyone else.
The new member, Magician, had been seated to Miss Justice's left, the third seat to Mr. Fool's left, while the seat closest to Him had remained empty all along.
He had never expected today's new member to sit in the high-backed chair that belonged to "Empress"...
But why did the figure behind the Gray Fog resemble Miss Empress so closely? The barely visible pale golden hair, the build half a head taller than Miss Justice, who was already above the average height of Loen women... Could this be...
"Miss Empress! Welcome back to the Tarot Club!"
Miss Justice, seated beside the figure, had already noticed the "new" member next to her and greeted her in delighted surprise.
So it really was Miss Empress... But hadn't Angel Granger died in Tingen City? Could the intelligence I obtained have been wrong? And Miss Justice didn't seem surprised. She had always known the other woman was alive... No, I learned of Miss Empress's death through my own channels. Justice shouldn't have such channels or capabilities, so she must have assumed Empress had merely taken a leave of absence...
Hanged Man was filled with doubts, but he still joined Justice in welcoming Miss Empress. Then came Sun, who had already met her, the newly joined Magician, World, and even Mr. Fool, who all expressed their greetings at the member's return.
Amid everyone's greetings, Hanged Man continued recalling the intelligence he had received more