Chapter 24

78

"Beckland is dead? He died in Loen, assassinated by the Aurora Order?"

In a nobleman's manor on the outskirts of Trier, Intis, an old butler with graying blond hair was reporting to his master. The man looked not yet thirty, with sharp features and the red hair and green eyes characteristic of the former royal Sauron Family. Yet his hair was too dark a shade of red, looking almost reddish brown in dim light. Clearly, he was not from the main branch.

"Then let him be dead. He was only an ambassador. Did we get the second-generation Difference Engine Manuscript the intelligence department wanted?"

"No. We even exposed our objective." The old butler bowed slightly and answered respectfully, "The ambassador-no, the former ambassador's mission was a complete failure. The family members in the intelligence department discussed countermeasures and ultimately decided to leave the matter to you."

"...If you're going to die, at least minimize the losses. What a useless fool, making trouble for people even after death."

The young man clicked his tongue. "Loen will provide an official explanation and conduct their own investigation. Our people only need to go through the motions. Avenging him would be a complete waste of time. They have to dump even this on me? Have those old men in the family still not recovered the courage Father scared out of them all those years ago?"

"My hereditary title has been stripped away, and I've given away more than half my estate and properties. All these years, I haven't even intended to provoke them by marrying and having children. What else do those people think they can squeeze out of me?"

"Lord Traynor, please mind your words," the old butler reminded him. "The Archbishop of the Church of the Eternal Blazing Sun would like you to visit this afternoon, regarding this matter."

"...The Church wants me to make my position clear again? Surely not. Surely they aren't going to drag up those old grudges over something as minor as an ambassador happening to be assassinated by an Aurora Order assassin?" Traynor frowned in displeasure, but his brow smoothed again a few seconds later. "Very well. Hasn't the Archbishop been wanting to refurbish the cathedral's statues and pipe organ lately? Take forty percent of the gold, spices, and gems we obtained from Balam. Grease the wheels first, so the family can't use this opportunity to make things difficult for me. Anything money can settle is a minor matter. My biggest bargaining chip is my Parliamentary Seat, and I can't lose that."

"I'm the Sauron Family's War Bishop, not a devil's follower. That's all the Archbishop and the Church want to hear me say. I won't get involved in this matter. When the time comes, find some hotheaded youngster to conduct a cursory investigation and get it over with."

"Very good," the old butler said. "Lord Ernst sent a confidential telegram last night, requesting some supplies for winter."

"Winter? That fellow needs supplies all year round." Traynor waved a hand, turning to look at the garden beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows. "Handle it as we have in previous years. Import cotton from Feysac through our purchasing channels, and keep the price as low as possible. Make up any shortfall with cotton from the plantations."

"That will be all. Send the Archbishop my calling card. Since he wants me to state my position, I might as well be proactive. I'll visit this afternoon."

"Yes. Then I will decline your hunting engagement this afternoon and your invitation to tonight's ball," the butler said. "Miss Helene arranged a meeting with you two weeks ago, for two this afternoon. Should I cancel that as well?"

"Helene? ...Ah, her. I remember she belongs to an even less favored branch of the family. She's about to inherit the family business and become a traveling merchant." Traynor thought back to this clever relative. "Not many children can look at this face of mine and call me great-great-grandfather at our first meeting. Since we're both from collateral branches, I did give her a fair amount of initial investment. Cancel it, and lend her my protective charm. She needs safety more than pleasantries."

"As you wish. I will have someone notify Miss Helene."

"There's nothing else," Traynor said. "Go make the arrangements."

79

On Monday, the lady bodyguard's employment came to an end. Klein, who had spent this period in constant misery, regained his freedom and ease.

With Rosago's belongings, the "World" dummy had been successfully put in place. When the Tarot Club meeting began, the veteran members showed clear emotional reactions to the arrival of another newcomer. Miss Justice was mildly curious, using her Spectator state to analyze the new member's personality. Mr. Sun barely reacted, looking at him twice before withdrawing his gaze, while Mr. Hanged Man's body language revealed tension and wariness. He was observing and speculating about the newcomer's abilities, testing whether they would affect him...

Klein smiled faintly. First, he issued the simple mission of finding Lanevus, then made the World dummy speak:

"Mr. Fool told me that I can issue missions and gather materials here. Is that correct?"

"Yes." With a strong sense of ownership, Miss Justice spoke with restrained poise. "But you must wait patiently. Next is Mr. Fool's exclusive reading time."

The Fool seemed to give an inscrutable chuckle. Mr. Hanged Man, who had been quietly observing, noticed the gaze of the deity at the head of the table fall upon him. He hurriedly bowed in humility and said, "Six diary pages again this time. I will give you the final remaining page next time."

Klein took the six diary pages the other man had manifested and lowered his eyes to read:

"February 9. I had my third child, and I named him Bornova. I gave him characteristics equivalent to those of a Sequence 5 Beyonder. This lightened my burden, allowing me to digest my potion faster and accelerate my advancement. Meanwhile, newborn as he is, he's already an Astrologer capable of displaying all sorts of extraordinary abilities."

"Zaratul visited me in secret. I asked him about my children's futures, but he wouldn't give me a single clear answer! Honestly, Seers always speak so cryptically. I really want to pry their mouths open and get a straight answer!"

"...I find it hard to believe. My sweet, kind Bernadette, who loves her little brothers, looks up to her father, and cares for her mother, will hate me, despise me, and turn her back on me someday? No, Zaratul isn't a Soothsayer. His divinations can't be trusted completely. Forget about this, Roselle!"

"..."

This feels a little like a melodramatic family drama... Klein mentally grumbled as he considered the information within, then thoughtfully turned the page:

"May 22. Florent of the Sauron Family actually wanted me to become his subordinate! His attitude was utterly intolerable. I swear I'll make him pay for what he did today."

"Still, some of the things he mentioned were genuinely interesting."

"The Sauron Family actually has over two thousand years of history, predating even the Church of the Artisan. Such a long history surely hasn't given them nothing but arrogance. They must have plenty of secrets and Sealed Artifacts as well. What a towering behemoth, standing upon the earth, that one hardly dares look at directly."

Accompanied by Roselle's curses and reflections on the Sauron Family and Florent, Klein cheerfully continued turning the pages.

"August 11. That dumbass Florent was showing off again."

"He said he's the member of this generation of the Sauron Family most likely to reach a high sequence, because he resembles his great-great-grandfather. Is there any necessary connection between those things? I've looked him up and down, left and right, and I can't see any talent in him. Besides, does talent matter in the world of Beyonders?"

"My fellow countryman's recent circumstances gave me a little amusement. A young lady of the Sauron Family has taken a fancy to him, leaving him with a headache and no idea what to do. But that young lady is only Sequence 6, and the Sauron Family actually tacitly approves of her behavior. Could they think they can win me over through my fellow countryman?"

"Haha! In your dreams!"

"Still, the main obstacles to reaching a high sequence are the difficulty of obtaining Beyonder materials and the trouble involved in the corresponding rituals. Of course, I must admit that natural-born Beyonders have more time to prepare."

"Florent's great-great-grandfather was a high-sequence powerhouse? Resembling him means having talent?"

It seems Emperor Roselle was still quite inexperienced when he wrote these entries. I can more or less understand what Florent meant by "talent"... Klein nodded slightly. If this portion had made him feel relaxed and at ease, the information implied in the subsequent entries left him profoundly shaken. Sequence 0 above Sequence 1, the level of true gods, Blasphemy Cards encompassing twenty-two pathways, the road to godhood... Every revelation was extraordinary information that could change the entire landscape of the Beyonder world if made public, astonishing news that could violently shake the Churches' supposedly impregnable institutions.

So Emperor Roselle regretted not choosing Seer, Marauder, or Apprentice because true gods had yet to emerge along those three pathways? Roselle's ambitions were greater than I imagined...

After finishing all the diary entries, Klein the Fool took a moment to compose himself, then manipulated the World into joining the free trading and discussion.

80

Edward sat on a bench in a garden in the middle of the street, holding a newspaper. He appeared to be reading the latest news intently, but was actually lost in thought.

First was the establishment of the Air Pollution Commission. The Loen Kingdom had finally begun paying attention to environmental pollution, but how much this commission, composed of members of the House of Commons, some nobles, anthracite merchants, and people with a certain degree of social influence, could accomplish remained unknown. Second was the recent string of murders. The number of victims was still in single digits, and neither the police nor the Churches had any leads. However, the killer's blatant actions clearly revealed an intention to spread panic throughout society.

Edward paid a little attention to this, because the police and the Churches were plainly less useful than the aggregation of extraordinary characteristics.

The third item was the kingdom's intention to pass regulations concerning the Government Employee Examination. Newspapers large and small had been building support for it lately. Even Richard Ernst had specially written a short letter-sent by sacrifice, since mailing it cost money and wasted time-happily mentioning this regulation that would "benefit the people." Some of the educated young people at the Foundation who had excellent grades finally had another path available to them, perhaps a chance to cross class boundaries and gain better lives and futures.

Edward cut him down succinctly: "Why is the king rushing to introduce this policy? Is that all you see?"

Richard replied sincerely, "Even if the powerful are only doing these things for their own sake, it's still a tremendous blessing for the people."

Fine, thought the devil and Outer Deity, not bothering to discourage him further. Human thinking was difficult to understand, and such purely human sentiments were even harder to comprehend. A few scraps of kindness were enough to satisfy him. After all this time, he was still as simple-minded and easy to placate as ever.

More than half a month had passed since the Descent of the True Creator incident. The spies within the Aurora Order should already have relayed the deliberately leaked information. His ally had gone back over the past couple of days to assess the situation and see whether it was a good time to return, while also communicating with his main body and gradually transferring his power back to Sequence 7. Edward probably no longer needed to worry about the Aurora Order's affairs, and he was happy to enjoy the leisure.

It was noon, and there were few people on the streets or in the park. He took a sip of the drink he had bought to go from a café, then suddenly heard a faint prayer by his ear, both unusual and utterly familiar.

-Unusual because it was directed toward the Monarch of Decay.

"Roselle?" the former Earl of the Intis imperial residence muttered to himself. "Another nuisance call? Looks like he's in a pretty good mental state today."

He answered the "call." A dark, deep, utterly dilapidated scene appeared before his eyes, vaguely recognizable as the interior of a vast building. He saw a shadow seated upright upon a throne. Beside the emperor's hand stood an irregular stone stele covered in distorted shadows and writing. Red fissures covered his body, repeatedly tearing open and closing like eyes or phases of the moon, while pale blue-green flowering branches pierced the shadow and bound him to the throne. The shadow looked barely alive and shattered, yet even so, he continued to gaze at the other end of the world with cold, majestic eyes.

-The one and only Black Emperor, Roselle Gustav!

The instant their eyes met, a voice filled with utter madness and intense hatred was forced directly into Edward's thoughts. Unlike murmuring, this was a deranged curse born of a true god's extreme emotions!

"Insane angel, cold-blooded devil!"

Edward offered no resistance, and the vessel's instinctive defenses collapsed in an instant. Bang! Half his head exploded on the spot, ruptured blood vessels and shattered eyeball flying in different directions. Blood splashed several meters away, and the plants stained with the angel's blood immediately mutated into something sinister and terrifying. After a few seconds, the blood vessels that had boiled almost to bursting under the Black Emperor's malicious spirituality settled down. The resentful whispers echoing in Edward's mind fell completely silent.

"The country of my homeland has had a tradition since ancient times of burying loyal subjects alongside their ruler. My dearest executioner, when will you come join me in my tomb?"

His flesh writhed. He was in no hurry to repair himself, and he did not even loosen or tighten his grip on the newspaper.

"Doesn't our relationship warrant a gentler way of saying hello?" The Abyss Angel picked up the glasses that had fallen beside his feet, wiped the blood from the nonprescription lenses, and set them on the mangled bridge of his nose, of which less than half remained. He smiled faintly at the Black Emperor, who was still watching him with a cold gaze laced with madness, baring a neat row of eerily white teeth with his remaining half a head.

"I liked it," the Monarch of Decay's vessel said. "Thank you."

TBC

*A brief introduction to the new character:

Traynor Sauron Vaughn. Edward's biological son, a member of a collateral branch of the Sauron Family, and a "warmonger." Very handsome, changes girlfriends every month, arrogant and reserved. Currently retired and slacking off. Reveres strength but fears his father. Currently a Sequence 3 War Bishop, and will never advance further. A sort of enemy-side Fors.

*Edward: (reply) I'm actually quite interested in your grave. I really do want to visit. Tell me the address.

Roselle: (read without replying) (blocked)