The moment of the sun.
On the white clock tower, intricate machinery and gears turned slowly. Through cracks in the sunlight, they cast mottled silhouettes across the attic at the top of the tower.
Amid the platinum-gold light and shadows, Sparkle held a vintage monocular telescope in her hand, narrowed her left eye, and looked down from the clock tower's attic.
"The protagonists have all arrived."
After putting away the monocular telescope, Sparkle had the plants she had arranged beforehand begin their work.
She had not originally intended to take this job.
After all, she was a Fool, not a matchmaker.
But this assignment involved someone rather special—the person specifically chosen to be matched was also a Fool.
And a Fool from dozens of Amber Eras ago.
She had actually heard of that person back at The Tavern.
Things like "Tavern-Level Core Fool Award Recipient," "Advanced Tavern Leadership Pioneer," "Outstanding Young Fool Award," and "Rising Star of the Tavern Award"—that guy's name was on all of them.
No one knew whether it was merely a rumor, but supposedly, during the Swarm Disaster, that Fool had actually delivered the finishing blow to "Propagation," then merged "Abundance" and "Permanence," briefly creating a new Path.
Did you believe that? Anyway, Sparkle did not really believe it.
Yet the God of Amusement had left a recording in The Tavern, titled "Identifying a Universal Hit Joke," and played the video of the Aeon of Propagation, Tayzzyronth, getting desecrated over and over again.
Fine, fine, I believe it, all right?
Sparkle had no choice. The God of Amusement had personally gotten involved and had even taken a photo with that Fool and left a message. That gave it at least some credibility.
And she had also heard that when that guy had played himself to death—