Cherwood Borough. 15 Minsk Street.
A satiated Klein sat in a reclining chair in the living room, beside a fireplace burning with charcoal.
In a warm environment akin to summer, Klein wore a white shirt, a black vest, and thin trousers, while having a newspaper spread open in front of him as he flipped through the section with the most ads.
A new type of transportation vehicle is in urgent need for investments. Details to be discussed in person... Klein read the advertisement twice before picking up a pencil from a small, dark red table to his side and circled the message.
If there were no commissions tomorrow or the day after, he planned on seeing if this so-called new type of transportation vehicle had any investment value—such matters were impossible to divine since there was a lack of sufficient information.
I hope it's a product similar to a bicycle... Klein mumbled to himself before suddenly hearing an illusory prayer echo in his ears.
Who is it? Miss Justice? Mr. Hanged Man? The Sun? Or some clerk at the Backlund Bank is copying my passcode? Thoughts flashed through Klein's mind as he put down the newspaper, returned to his bedroom, and locked the door behind him.
Taking four steps counterclockwise, he entered the world above the gray fog. He saw that to the side of The Fool's seat and by the edge of the ancient mottled bronze table was a clear and bright brilliance that emitted waves of radiance.
The experienced Klein calmly sat down and emanated his spirituality, touching the light ripples of light in response to the prayer.
The scene in front of his eyes suddenly changed. It was a blurry sofa with a petite woman in a knight's trainee uniform curled up on it.
She's not copying my passcode... She's reading a piece of paper... Klein suddenly realized the reason for this.
She should be one of the two Beyonders that Miss Justice mentioned that requires my vetting...
After nearly twenty seconds of silence, Klein didn't give any form of formal response. He planned on taking the next step deep at night. He would then test her reaction, attitude, and way of handling things to test her personality and abilities.
Of course, he would absolutely not force others to join the Tarot Club.
...
"The Fool that doesn't belong to this era..." Xio, who had just finished chanting the ancient Hermes sentence, froze for a few seconds. Then, she suddenly straightened her back and sat up straight.
This seems to be the honorary name of a hidden existence! She realized this in horror.
Furthermore, her knowledge in mysticism and the various rumors she had heard told her that once someone recited the full honorary name of a hidden existence, it would often attract the attention of said existence!
The consequences of such attention was mostly misfortune or could even be described as tragic!
Quite a few of those hidden beings were the incarnations of the evil gods and devils!
Furthermore, I recited it in ancient Hermes, completely unprotected... I'm so dumb. Why did I focus so much effort in identifying the sentence and actually read it in my head... Xio looked around in horror, terrified that an indescribable monster would suddenly appear in her house.
The sofa, tea table, cupboard, dining table, chairs, oil painting, and other items were all reflected in her eyes, without any changes.
After nearly a minute of heightened vigilance, Xio relaxed a little and comforted herself, "Don't worry, don't be afraid. I just said the honorable name and didn't follow up with a prayer.
"This is an incomplete ceremony, so it shouldn't attract any attention.
"Moreover, there's a good chance that the name might've been translated by the owner of the paper based on the special symbols left behind by Emperor Roselle. It might not be correct."
But, but I heard that if the evil gods and devils generate interest, they would still provide a response even if the ceremony is incomplete... I'm so stupid, really... As she thought over the matter, Xio's face scrunched up into a grimace. She felt that she had made a grave mistake.
After waiting for a few more minutes, she slowly exhaled as she puffed out her cheeks when she realized that there was no obvious response.
She stuffed the piece of paper back into the "History of the Loen Kingdom's Aristocracy" as she entered the bathroom with a heavy heart. She turned on the faucet and tried to use the cold water to clear her head.
Splash!
As nearly transparent water flowed down, Xio hunched her back and reached out her palms to cup some water.
Just as she was about to dab the cold water onto her face, she spotted a long, slightly curly brown hair in the mirror through the corner of her eye.
As for her, she had shoulder-length, unkempt yellow hair.
Suddenly, Xio's hair stood on end.
She stomped on the ground and, with a push of her hands, she shot backwards, turning her body halfway around and slamming the entity with her elbow.
Pow!
She leaned against a warm body, causing the other party to let out a familiar scream before falling to the ground.
Xio stopped any subsequent actions and looked at her good friend who was hugging her stomach in pain, tears in her eyes.
The corner of her mouth twitched without her realizing it as she said, "Fors, when did you get back?"
Fors didn't reply immediately. It took her quite a while to get over the pain. As she slowly stood up, using the wall as a support, she grumbled, "I j-just got back. Xio, are you nuts!? Why did you attack me without even looking clearly! And you hit me so hard!"
"Where did you come in from?" Xio asked awkwardly.
"Through the bathroom window. Why? Is there a problem? As an Apprentice, it's normal to not bring a key with me," Fors replied matter-of-factly.
Xio straightened her back and pushed away all responsibility.
"Then why didn't you go through the door? You really gave me a fright just now!"
Fors blinked her eyes and said, "If that's the case, I'll have to make one big round. That's too troublesome; I'm used to walking in a straight line."
She paused as she asked suspiciously, "However, wasn't your reaction a bit too much?"
Xio struggled for three seconds, choosing between losing her dignity or losing her life, before answering honestly, "It-it's because I made a mistake, a fatal mistake."
"What mistake?" Fors asked, rubbing her belly as she felt puzzled and concerned.
Xio hurriedly recounted the whole story of how she had discovered the interlayer in the book's cover and found an old piece of paper in it. Then, she had accidentally recited the suspected incantation in ancient Hermes silently. What she had recited seemed to contain the honorable name of some hidden existence.
"You... Where's your brain? It-it should be fine. The ceremony wasn't complete, and who knows if it's real or fake..." Fors looked around, and for some baffling reason, she felt a chill.
She followed Xio back to the living room and saw the yellowed sheet of paper, as well as Roselle's special symbols, and the sentence that was written in ancient Hermes.
After a quick glance, Fors, the professional researcher in mysticism, nodded and said, "It's not any of the evil gods, devils, and secret existences that I know of. It should be fine.
"Furthermore, nothing has happened up till now. That means that everything should be fine."
Seeing Xio relax, she thought of the pain in her stomach, so she deliberately added maliciously, "Of course, if something were to really happen, there's no way we can rescue ourselves with our meager abilities."
Xio's face paled as she blurted out, "Fors, let's sleep together tonight. Forget it, I'll just sleep on my own..."
Fors pricked up her brows and chuckled, "Alright. In fact, you don't have to worry about it. Think about it, I hear strange murmurs whenever there's a full moon, but I don't see any signs me going mad or losing control.
"Well... We should study the other three books. If there's the same piece of paper and the same incantation, it means that it's very likely to be a prank from Viscount Glaint."
The duo hurriedly flipped through "Study of the Coat of Arms" and the other books and checked them carefully, but they didn't find anything else out of the ordinary.
Xio looked at Fors, who looked back at her, turning the mood somber again.
"Should we sneak into Saint Samuel Cathedral's nave tonight?" Xio came up with an inspired suggestion.
That was the headquarters of the Church of the Evernight Goddess in the Backlund diocese.
"Why not Saint Hierländ Cathedral? I don't think the Evernight Goddess will protect me..." Fors subconsciously replied.
That was the headquarters of the Church of the God of Steam and Machinery, which was located in the St. George Borough, adjacent to many huge factories in the southeast.
The two ladies with different faiths fell silent again, and after a while, Fors sighed and said, "And that would make us end up being targeted by the Nighthawks or the Machinery Hivemind. That might be the goal of that hidden existence.
"Alright, go to sleep. We'll know the answer tomorrow morning. If nothing happens by then, it means that it'll really be okay."
...
In the middle of the night, the waxing crimson moon was obscured by clouds, and the stars were barely visible in the sky above Backlund.
Klein instinctively woke up, lifted his blanket, got off the bed, and entered the world above the gray fog.
He sat down on the high back chair that belonged to The Fool. He planned on responding to Miss Justice's companion and proceed with the ‘examination process.'
At that moment, he suddenly had a new idea.
Perhaps he could try and see if he could pull her into the world above the gray fog under the present circumstances!
The young lady must have fallen asleep, and even if I succeed, she would probably treat it as a dream that appears clearer than usual... Hmm... If I succeed, I can sever the connection in a timely manner to prevent her from seeing her surroundings clearly...
After repeatedly deliberating over the matter, Klein stretched out his hand and tapped at the rippling ring of light to form a connection with it.
Suddenly, Klein felt his spirituality surge out in an unstoppable manner, causing the mysterious space above the gray fog to tremble slightly.
Just when Klein thought that his spirituality would be completely drained, everything calmed down. A blurry, distorted figure appeared at the edge of the long bronze table.
In her reverie, Xio opened her eyes sleepily and saw the endless fog, the ancient high back chair, and a dark figure watching her.
Klein was overjoyed and immediately severed the connection according to his plan.
The hazy, petite figure disappeared, but within the grayish-white mist, a crimson, illusory star appeared.
Klein looked at this scene and confirmed one thing. As long as someone chanted his name, he would be able to pull that person into the world above the gray fog. The crimson star was a symbol of a stable connection.
However, there are certain limitations. With my current strength, at most, I can establish another connection... Hmm... Based on my previous experiences, my current spirituality can only pull in Beyonders who are a Sequence higher than me, and it won't necessarily be a success. It's just a preliminary judgment, so it shouldn't be a problem if it's someone at the same Sequence as me or lower... Klein thought, feeling satisfied.
There was no need for him to respond. His attempt was already enough.
...
Xio sat up in her sleep.
She had been worrying about the potential dangers of chanting an honorary name the entire time. Not long after she fell asleep, she dreamed of a mysterious space, and a gray foggy figure looking down on her from above.
The dream was so clear, so clear that Xio felt afraid.
She looked at the sleeping Fors beside her and thought with a tremble, Is it a nightmare caused by fear, or is it because of the attention I garnered from some hidden existence, resulting in being haunted by evil spirits?
Yes... There's going to be a gathering of Beyonders tomorrow night. In addition to buying the formula, I need to find a person who is good at exorcising evil spirits to purify myself.
