"The Fallen Creator... fallen..." Alger repeated the words. Alice quietly studied his expression, thinking that this gentleman certainly had a fertile imagination.
Alice saw him mutter something, then say with a hint of amusement, "Mr. Fool, your description is indeed more fitting. According to our observations, Beyonders who believe in the True Creator—no, the Fallen Creator—lose control at a rate far above the norm. Most of the rest are mad as well."
All mad? Alice raised her eyebrows in surprise. It suddenly occurred to her that a god's condition might affect that of their believers.
Then... what about the reverse?
Alice suddenly realized that she had been stuck in a mistaken way of thinking all along.
If the gods were fictitious, that would be one thing. But for gods who truly existed, why would they care about mortal faith? Besides, the churches' holy scriptures contained not only accounts of the gods themselves, but also biographies of saints and angels...
Since becoming a saint marked the beginning of merging with divinity, did that mean divinity could corrupt Beyonders just like Sequence Potions? And believers could help them resist that corruption...
Alice set aside these unprovable speculations. After all, she was still far from the high sequences, and she had little desire to advance. Perhaps she would never need this knowledge in her entire life—at that moment, that was exactly what she thought.
Meanwhile, Mr. Fool, who was racking his brains over how to ask about the Hermit Order and the Clown potion, considered his seemingly hopeless alternate identity while quietly setting his sights on Alice.
As Mr. Fool considered the possibility of asking Alice to make a purchase on his behalf at the next Tarot Club gathering, Audrey spoke with a mixture of wonder and curiosity. "That sounds terrifying. Hmm, Miss Fate, Mr. Hanged Man, could you tell me more about the various mysterious organizations and secret sects? I rarely encounter such things in my daily life, so I can only learn about them through you. I'll pay you. What would you like?"
"Leads on the School of Life or Beyonders of the Monster pathway," Alice stated her original request. "If I find any leads beforehand, I'll ask for something else."
Audrey readily agreed, saying that she would keep an eye out for relevant leads.
"I need a sum of money—1,000 pounds, preferably in banknotes without consecutive serial numbers. Alternatively, freshly mined gems, valued at the monthly average price on Backlund's jewelry market." Alger did not seem particularly disappointed. After a moment's thought, he stated his requirements.
The price left Alice somewhat stunned. What stunned her even more was that Audrey readily agreed, sounding cheerful and not the least bit troubled by it—she did not even mind Alice listening for free.
She really is rich, Alice marveled silently, gaining a little understanding of how Audrey could remain so innocent.
Alger also remained silent for a long time before providing the transaction location. Alice suspected he regretted asking for too little.
"Mr. Hanged Man, please go first," Alice suggested. "I'll fill in anything else."
"Let's begin with the Moss asceticism. It is the oldest secret organization. Of course, quite a few people believe the oldest secret organizations were actually the Church of the Evernight Goddess, the Church of the Earth Mother, and the Church of the God of War."
"What about the other four orthodox churches?" Alice asked sincerely.
"Those people must be members of the Church of the Lord of Storms, the Church of the Eternal Blazing Sun, or the Church of the God of Knowledge and Wisdom," Audrey countered sullenly.
"Those truths were buried in ancient history long ago. The only certainty is that no one has ever claimed that the Church of the Lord of Storms, the Church of the Eternal Blazing Sun, or the Church of the God of Knowledge and Wisdom was once a secret organization.
"Now, let's save some time and return to the subject. The Moss asceticism was originally founded by several humans who had viewed the Blasphemy Slate. They worshipped an impersonal god called the Concealed Sage..."
Alger began introducing the Moss asceticism and the Hidden Sage. It had once been a highly respected organization, and had remained so until the Hidden Sage came alive.
This sounds like a ghost story... As Alice's thoughts wandered, she remembered the eyes behind Old Neil and added, "The Moss asceticism controls the Mystery Pryer pathway. The Hidden Sage is suspected to be either the true god of that pathway or a high-sequence entity. At irregular intervals, that deity forces knowledge into all Beyonders of the Mystery Pryer pathway. Anyone who cannot endure it goes mad."
Alice had learned that Mystery Pryers were pursued by the Hidden Sage's knowledge after Old Neil was taken away for treatment—clearly, those eyes had belonged to the Hidden Sage.
Next, after Alger introduced several more secret organizations in turn, Alice pointed out one possible reason why the Demoness Sect's upper ranks were all women. "Hmm... Sequence 7 of the Assassin pathway is called Witch."
"Witch?" Audrey's eyes widened in surprise. "Then what would happen if a man drank the potion? How would he act as a witch?"
Alger, too, was bewildered and found it difficult to comprehend.
"If a man drinks the Witch potion, she can no longer be considered a man. In every sense, she becomes a witch." After saying this, Alice carefully observed Audrey and Alger, taking great satisfaction in their confused expressions.
As Alice admired the results of her words, she remembered the Hidden Sage, who had come alive through faith, and recalled her hypothesis that believers could influence gods.
After they exchanged information for a little longer, Klein announced the end of the Tarot Club gathering.
The next morning, Alice met Madam Daly at the Blackthorn Security Company.
"Good morning, Madam Daly~" Alice greeted Daily brightly.
"Good morning, Little Alice~" Daily's tone held its familiar teasing lilt as she reached out toward Alice.
Alice had anticipated this and stayed well out of reach of Daily's wicked hand. "Please spare me—I'm guessing you're here to see the captain, right?"
"Oh!" Daily withdrew her hand in disappointment, then smiled again. "I have some good news for you, Little Alice~"
"What is it?" Alice asked while keeping a wary eye on Daily's hand to guard against a surprise attack. Ever since they had met, Daily had loved patting her head, but she was already a big girl!
"I'm being transferred to Backlund," Daily replied, but her answer put Alice on alert.
Alice knew Daily's history. She had only been a Beyonder for five years, yet she had already reached Sequence 7. And unlike Alice, who had become a Sequence 7 by accidentally swallowing a potion, Daily had genuinely advanced one step at a time. That meant...
Alice looked at Daily curiously. "Are you about to advance again?"
Daily nodded and left, while Alice fell into deep thought. If Daily's rapid advancement was due to her having mastered the acting method, had the church's higher-ups guessed this and decided to transfer her to Backlund for that reason?
That would mean the higher-ups did indeed know that the acting method existed.
Before you continue