Using [Sea God] Against [Sea King]

"The Lord's teachings are like the roar of the sea, the towering waves containing timeless majesty..."

Inside the Church of Storms in Bayam, a sermon is underway. The bishop stands on the pulpit, proclaiming the doctrines of the Book of Storms in a melodious and rhythmic voice.

Behind him, Alger Will, dressed in a priest's robe, stood alongside the other assistant priests, disappearing into the shadows of the church.

Suddenly, a thick Gray Fog surged and filled Alger's vision, obscuring the Storm Emblem and Altar before him.

"Dear Mr. Fool, please convey my message to Mr. [The Hanged Man]. I have something to ask him and wish to meet him Above the Gray Fog."

In an instant, the wave patterns symbolizing power and tyranny were swallowed by the Gray Fog, and the bishop's hymn to the "Lord of Storms" on the Altar became barely audible. Alger could see was a figure bowing in prayer in the Fog, and all he could hear were the words spoken by that figure.

[World] Want to see me?

So, he hasn't left Bayam yet.

Alger calmly received all the messages, maintaining his original piety as if nothing had happened.

Until the Fog dissipated, everything returned to normal.

"The realm of Storm and lightning is open to everyone, as long as you believe in the Lord from the bottom of your heart and carry out the will of the Storm..."

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The bishop's voice rang in his ears again, echoing throughout the entire church.

It's open to everyone, isn't it?

Alger turned his head slightly, taking in the entire scene inside the church.

He saw well-dressed Loen gentlemen and ladies sitting in the front seats near the Altar, while ordinary-dressed Loen people and powerful locals gathered in the middle and back. As for the poor locals, they could only crowd outside the church. Yet they seemed to be the most devout, a group of them kneeling on the ground, listening to the sermons in Loenese with only a half-understanding, their eyes glistening with tears of emotion.

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Alger, who appeared to have some local ancestry, silently watched everything until the Ritual ended and he left alone.

Upon returning to his dwelling, far from the church, he bowed his head, called upon the Fool's Honorific Name, and said, "Reverend Mr. Fool, please tell [the world] that I have agreed."

Call!

Soon, a large expanse of deep red light appeared before his eyes, pulling his Consciousness away from the Real World.

"Um?"

Seated in the Bronze High-Backed Chair, Alger Hanged Man, Consciousness looked towards the end of the long table and, sure enough, saw the figure of The World. But at the same time, he also noticed the third participant.

"Why is Mr. Temperance here too?"

He spoke in a deep voice.

"Because this matter is also related to him."

[The World] offered a hoarse explanation.

"... What are you trying to do?"

Alger immediately felt uneasy; if the [Blood Bishop] was involved, then something would definitely escalate into a major problem.

"Oh, it's nothing serious. We're planning to infiltrate the Governor's Mansion in Bayam to ask you about some things first."

Luther answered casually.

-What did you say?"

For a moment, Alger even doubted that he had heard correctly.

"We plan to infiltrate the Governor's Mansion in Bayam."

So Luther repeated it again.

He looked at [The Hanged Man], "But Bayam's situation is a bit complicated, with at least two Sequence 4 and one Sequence 3 Sea King," making it difficult to handle. I heard from [The World] that you were here before, so I wanted to ask for your opinion."

What do you mean by "my opinion"? It has nothing to do with me, so don't drag me into this!

Alger really wanted to sever ties and leave the Gray Fog immediately. His head was starting to ache; he hadn't expected [Temperance] to give him such a big surprise right off the bat. But he understood even more clearly that he couldn't show weakness in front of these two, as that would lower their opinion of him and negatively impact his future standing at the Tarot Club.

"I don't know about the other two Demigod."

Alger remained silent for several seconds before slowly speaking, "But I know a little about how strong 'Sea King' is. He can unleash his full power at sea, and even the 'King of the Five Seas' cannot guarantee an advantage when encountering him."

His meaning was clear: trying to cause trouble under that person's nose was tantamount to courting death!

Does Arne Kottman have any plans to leave Bayam in the near future?

Luther asked.

He also knew how powerful a "Sea King" would be at sea; the advantage of having home ground was enough to overwhelm any extraordinary person of the same level. He should try to avoid such a situation if possible.

"My position doesn't allow me access to such nuclear intelligence."

Alger's eyes flickered, and he said.

At that moment, [the world] suddenly spoke in a hoarse voice:

"Then what if we get him to leave Bayam on his own accord?"

What's the meaning?

They both looked over at the same time.

[The World] then further explained, "Take 'Sea King' from Bayam."

According to Alger's description, this "Sea King" had an almost domineering desire to control his own seas. If anyone caused trouble in his territory, he would naturally fly into Wrath and chase after them. In this way, he drew the greatest danger away from Bayam.

"That's certainly a method, but what will you use to attract Sea King's attention?"

[The Hanged Man] Alger said.

If the commotion is too small, Sea King will ignore it; if it's too big, Sea King will lock onto it, and that would be troublesome.

But Klein already had an idea.

"I plan to hold Ritual to pray to [the Sea God] Kalvetua for a thunderstorm."

He possesses the "Sea God's Scepter," which allows him to detach from his physical form and lure "Sea King" from the Gray Fog. Although his strength is insufficient to destroy the opponent, attracting him, weakening him, and buying him time are always possible.

"That's definitely feasible."

Luther paused slightly, then frowned. "But isn't it a bit inappropriate to bring Mr. Fool in?"

Whether it can be achieved is another matter; this approach seems to involve exploiting the gods, which appears presumptuous. Although the Fool appears magnanimous, he might get angry... No problem, I, the [Fool], agree!

Klein thought to himself, but aloud offered a plausible reason, "The god we pray to is [the Sea God] Kalvetua, which is not directly related to Mr. Fool, and the Church of Storms cannot discover it. Moreover..."

He stood up abruptly and bowed towards the empty direction at the head of the long table:

"Dear Mr. Fool, is it permissible for us to do this?"

"Can."

From the other side of the Gray Fog came a calm yet grand voice.

This was naturally a one-man show performed by Klein himself.

"Thank you for your magnanimity."

But the Hanged Man and Temperance were unaware of this, and both of them stood up at the same time to thank the generous god.