"How was this possible?"
After a brief moment of shock, he thought of a possibility. "Huh? I remember there being something called acting in advance, right? Apprentice..."
Well, he had spent three years studying at Hogwarts, and for almost two of those years, he had essentially been acting as a "magic apprentice." If that didn't count as acting, nothing did.
It was a good thing anyway. Edward didn't dwell on it. He settled his mind and sensed the changes brought about by becoming an Apprentice, as a passage of knowledge from the potion surfaced in his mind.
The Sequence 9 Apprentice had given him one... no, two Beyonder abilities (characteristics):
One was [Door Opening]. There wasn't much to say about this. It was an Apprentice's innate ability, allowing them to pass through walls and doors by making use of the Spirit World's unique properties.
The other was [Dullness], something he had never heard of: in your dullness, divinity could not awaken within you, you would not suffer corruption, and you would not lose control because of corruption.
"What the hell was this 'Dullness'?"
This [Dullness] effect seemed like a passive buff. Anywhere else, it might just be better than nothing, but in the world of mysteries, it was practically invincible! This meant I could face high-sequence Beyonders, gods, and even Outer Deities without fear... huh? Outer Deities? Had my deleted memories returned?
A cool sensation flooded his brain. The memories he had previously erased concerning Outer Deities, Pillars, Amon, Amon's older brother, and so on all returned. Every question caused by those missing memories was answered in that instant.
"Good grief. Did it specifically undo my Obliviate just to prove that it really worked?"
It took Edward quite some time to fully digest that knowledge. Then another question followed: where had this cheat-like "Dullness" come from?
A blessing from some god? Impossible. They couldn't even do this themselves!
A transmigrator's perk? Maybe.
Most likely, it still had something to do with that door!
Surely it couldn't be some kind of sinister plot. If it was, everyone might as well drop this book!
"Phew-"
Edward let out a long breath. "An Apprentice with [Dullness]... was that still the same old Apprentice?"
"I'll take things one step at a time. First, I'll go see Audrey and get our stories straight, so we don't give anything away later."
Inside the Hall Earl Family's luxurious villa in Empress Borough.
"What? You nearly lost control while drinking your potion just now?"
"What? And at that critical moment, you met a mysterious being called Mr. Fool?"
"What? You joined the Tarot Club too?"
Audrey was shocked three times in a row. "We haven't even been apart for a day, have we? And you've already been through all that?"
Edward shrugged.
"That's about it."
She blinked her emerald-green eyes and stared straight at Edward, hesitating over whether to tell him outright that she was also a member of the Tarot Club.
Unexpectedly, Edward spoke first. "Wait, you just said I joined 'too.' What did you mean by that?"
"Uh..."
Audrey froze.
A few minutes later, she had told him everything about joining the Tarot Club.
After listening, Edward immediately extended his hand with a smile. "Well, that makes us colleagues from now on."
She gave his hand a perfunctory shake, then continued:
"Since you're a Beyonder now, there are some very basic but extremely important things you need to understand."
She took out a paintbrush and swiftly wrote "digestion" and "acting" on her drawing board. Her serious, teacher-like demeanor gave Edward the illusion that "Little Justice's classroom was now in session."
"The key to a potion isn't mastering it, but digesting it! It isn't exploring it, but acting! And a potion's name isn't merely its core symbolism. It's also a concrete image, and above all, the 'key' to digestion!"
"Every potion is concocted from different Beyonder ingredients, so remnants of those Beyonder creatures' mental cores naturally remain within them. Those mental remnants are like a castle. To infiltrate it, breach it, and dismantle it, you must find its weaknesses and its key. The potion's name reveals the corresponding clues. Through acting, you can harmonize your body, mind, and spirit, disguise yourself as 'one of their own,' fool the 'guards,' and stroll right in."
"So next, you need to work out the Acting Rules for an Apprentice and slowly digest the potion. But there's one thing you must remember: you're only acting."
Audrey adjusted the nonexistent glasses on the bridge of her nose.
Sitting on a little stool, Edward raised his hand. "Teacher Audrey, I've already fully digested my Apprentice potion."
"Huh?"
She was dumbfounded. The "textbook" hadn't covered this situation.
"Perhaps it's because I've spent the past few years acting as a magic apprentice."
Understanding dawned on Audrey. "So you completed the acting in advance?"
She took out her little notebook. "Hmm, I need to write this down."
"Audrey, there's something else I need to tell you about my Sequence."
Edward felt there was no need to hide the existence of [Dullness] from her.
"When I became an Apprentice, some mutation occurred that even I don't understand. Besides gaining the Beyonder ability [Door Opening], I also received a Beyonder characteristic called 'Dullness': I can't be corrupted, and I won't lose control because of corruption."
Audrey looked up at him, her expression bewildered. "Sorry, did I mishear you just now? Could you say that again?"
He repeated himself.
"Are you sure? I mean, are you certain this 'Dullness' really exists, rather than being some evil god misleading you?"
"Uh... now that you've asked, you've actually made me a little less confident."
They stared at each other. Suddenly, Audrey's eyes lit up. "The Tarot Club meets tomorrow. You could ask Mr. Fool to take a look then!"
"Well..."
Mr. Fool couldn't answer that question.
"Oh, I almost forgot."
Audrey walked over to the wardrobe and opened its doors. "Look at what I've been researching these past few days."
She pushed aside the clothes hanging inside, revealing a space that had been opened up within it, nearly as large as the room itself.
"When did you learn the Undetectable Extension Charm?"
"I only meant to give it a try, but I succeeded on my first attempt."
She raised her chin slightly, her expression practically begging for praise.
"Your talent for magic probably rivals Professor Dumbledore's!"
"Hehe. Unfortunately, I still haven't figured out the knack of Transfiguration."
She waved her wand at the fountain pen on the table. After twisting and warping, it turned into a knife, only to revert to its original form a few seconds later.
"Right now, I even struggle to turn one inanimate object into another, let alone transform living things into inanimate objects or the other way around."
Magic in the Harry Potter World was a little like the power of "I reckon." It didn't follow logic; it only depended on whether you could firmly believe your magic would succeed.
"Well, that's just how miraculous magic is."
Edward glanced at the clock on the wall and stood up. "It's already this late. I'd better head back."
Audrey held the edges of her skirt and curtsied to him.
"Good night, Edward."
The next day, at the Divination Club in Tingen City.
After drinking Highland Coffee from Feynapotter and seeing off his last client of the morning, Klein stretched. "Time to head back and prepare for this afternoon's Tarot Club meeting."
Klein put on his coat and half-silk top hat. With his cane in hand, he was just about to leave when he saw Angelica hurry over. "Mr. Moretti, Ms. Christina..."
Before she could finish, Christina pushed her aside and entered the divination room, her face full of anxiety. "Mr. Moretti, my niece Megose... has gone missing!"
In a certain room, a quill was busily writing in a notebook:
"The baby in Megose's womb was growing increasingly mature and was about to enter a critical phase. At that point, she would feel an inexplicable summons and enter the Blackthorn Security Company..."
(Several lines were crossed out.)
"But at that moment, the baby in Megose's womb suddenly received a certain command and told Megose to leave Tingen City. Ince Zangwill tried to change her mind, but how could a mere Grade 0 Sealed Artifact possibly distort a god's will?"
"Megose disappeared. Ince Zangwill's plan fell apart, and for this, he would also pay..."
A slightly pale hand seized the quill and crossed out the words "and for this, he would also pay." Then, tightening its grip on the quill, it continued writing:
"Because the baby had absorbed excessive amounts of nutrients, Megose's body grew weak, causing her to collapse unconscious by the roadside. This was perfectly reasonable."
"A kindhearted passerby recognized Megose and intended to take her back to Tingen..."
"Things were far from over..."
Chapter 21: The First Tarot Club Meeting and Speculations on Spirituality
Monday, August 20, 1349.
Three in the afternoon.
After emerging from the crimson haze, Edward once again arrived in the palace that resembled a giant's dwelling-Sefirah Castle.
He sat beside the ancient, mottled Bronze Long Table, with three hazy figures around him. At the head of the table sat the Fool, shrouded in a thick layer of fog.
"Good afternoon, Mr. Fool. Good afternoon, Mr. Hanged Man."
As soon as Audrey arrived at the Tarot Club meeting, she began looking for Edward. Instead, she discovered two additional people sitting opposite her. She could identify one as Edward from his build and hair color, and instinctively glanced at him a few more times.
As for the other...
She entered her Spectator State and carefully examined the tall figure. He couldn't be very old... those movements indicated that he was a little nervous and ill at ease... yet he remained sufficiently quiet throughout, giving the impression of, hmm, a lone wolf. Yes, a lone wolf...
Klein caught Audrey's subtle movements and couldn't help feeling surprised. From the way Miss Justice acted just now, she seemed to have already expected an additional person at today's Tarot Club meeting. Although her gaze only lingered on The Tower for a few seconds, I kept getting the feeling that she knew him. With the Sun, however, her behavior was more like someone observing a stranger.
Could it be... that Justice and The Tower were friends in the real world?
He committed this discovery to memory and introduced them in an even tone:
"These two are our new members. Their titles are 'The Tower' and 'Sun,' respectively."
"This is Miss Justice, and this is Mr. Hanged Man."
Before you continue