In just an instant, Moriarty withdrew the hand holding the banknotes, folded the twenty-pound note, and slipped it into his pocket, as if that pause had merely been Angel's illusion.
"'The Fool'? Are you referring to the Tarot Card?"
He picked up his cup and took a sip of coffee. Heat drifted up from the cup, fogging his glasses with a broad patch of condensation and obscuring his view of Angel.
If not for the momentary blankness this detective had displayed just now, Angel might almost have believed his disguise. Unfortunately, even a "Clown's" control over his body and expressions could not hide his instinctive reaction to such a sudden question from her sharp eyes!
"Stop pretending. The Tarot Cards you had me scatter around Capim Mansion already explained everything." She smiled confidently, folded her arms, and straightened up as she looked at the detective. "Go on, try to explain it. What were those Tarot Cards for?"
"Perhaps they were meant to confuse the official Beyonders, making them believe our objective was a vendetta or a Judgment rather than rescuing those girls. Or perhaps it was simply a personal habit of mine, flashy and ostentatious, just like my appearance on the rooftop as the 'Black Emperor'..."
Moriarty raised his brows and explained the meaning of the Tarot Cards scattered all over Capim's body as though he had long prepared the speech. But when he saw Angel's plainly disbelieving expression, he eventually shook his head and changed his tone.
"That's right. That deck of Tarot Cards does have a special meaning. They represent an organization, one that believes in the mysterious 'Fool,' and I..."
"And you are one of His believers, or perhaps a Blessed, hiding in Backlund and awaiting His instructions at any time?"
Angel took over.
Moriarty opened his