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North Borough, Backlund, Saint Samuel Cathedral.
Amid the prolonged rustling of pages, Soest casually asked:
"Has anything new happened in Backlund lately? Anything you think deserves attention."
Daly's eyes shifted slightly. After some thought, she said:
"Several Beyonders working with us have sent word that quite a few people have recently been looking for an organization that worships the Fool, and have provided the corresponding honorific name..."
After describing the Fool's honorific name in Loenese, she chuckled. "I seem to be witnessing the birth of a new cult. Of course, it might also be an incarnation of an old friend."
"Soest, what do you think?"
Soest gave it serious thought. "Nothing. I've never heard of any organization like that."
Just then, Leonard raised his head from the case files and said thoughtfully, "Could this be connected to the two tarot rituals we're investigating? The Fool is the beginning of the tarot, its most important major arcana card!"
Daly paused for a second, then nodded thoughtfully. "That's a very interesting idea..."
"But there's no evidence whatsoever. It's pure speculation, not even deduction," Soest said, not quite convinced.
Leonard smiled faintly. "Emperor Roselle once said, 'Make bold hypotheses and verify them carefully.'"
Hillston District, Quelaag Club.
Klein, who had headed straight here after leaving the Harvest Church, had barely entered the lobby when he spotted the riding instructor, Talim Dumont, sitting in a secluded spot, lost in thought.
Seeing that he still had a little time before lunch, Klein approached and greeted him with a smile. "Good afternoon, Talim. Have you run into another problem?"
Talim snapped out of his thoughts and hurriedly shook his head. "No, not at all."
You look as though you've done something you feel guilty about. Klein muttered inwardly, sat down, and smiled instead.
"What