Moral Purity Complex

Klein froze for a moment. It was hard for him to describe how he had felt then. Somewhat moved, he said:

"Happy New Year, Alice... Hmm, would it make me seem emotionally clueless if I told you that you didn't need to wake up specially just to give me holiday wishes at a time like this?"

"No," Alice replied calmly. "Because I didn't wake up for that... Damn it, I just can't sleep!"

"..." Klein fell silent.

Alice took a few seconds to realize something was off. She gave a light cough and said, "Ahem, but I did deliberately time my wishes for this moment..."

Klein still said nothing, and Alice did not mind. Drawing out her tone, she called:

"Smile, Mr. Fool~ Don't you want to hear why I can't sleep? This is huge news~"

Klein spoke gloomily:

"To be honest, hearing you say that, my first reaction was that it definitely wasn't anything good. But...

"I remember you mentioning... Deity Position Succession several times before. Is it happening soon?"

As he spoke, Klein's voice grew deeper and his expression more solemn. Alice sighed.

"Yes... It feels like there's some enormous bell constantly ringing, and I'm getting closer and closer to it... It's too loud."

"...Sometimes, you really make people lose all romantic notions about authority," Klein commented. "So, can you sense the exact time and circumstances now?"

"I could sense it long ago, but..." Alice sighed gloomily. "I didn't dare say it, Mr. Fool."

She paused, then smiled again.

"Why don't you consider asking the Goddess? Hmm, perhaps I shouldn't call her that anymore... Never mind, whatever.

"In short, you should have guessed who this concerns already, right? Why not ask the person involved directly? At most, I'm merely a witness in this matter.

"Hmm, speaking of which,