Mystery: When the Fool Meets the Masked Fool

Chapter 304 The Fool’s Punishment
On either side of the ancient, weathered bronze table, blurry figures stretched and lengthened within a crimson glow, then settled into stillness. The surroundings remained as quiet and empty as ever, as if no living being had dared to intrude for millennia.

Once Cattleya had adjusted to the changes, the sacred palace supported by stone pillars reappeared in her field of vision, along with the mottled, ancient bronze table.

Amidst Miss Justice's cheerful greeting, Cattleya also saluted Mr. Fool, who was still shrouded in a gray mist.

For some reason, she felt that Mr. Fool seemed even more mysterious today, as if the fog surrounding him was thicker. But upon closer inspection, her thoughts felt as if they were covered with a layer of paste, making it difficult to make a judgment no matter how hard she tried to concentrate.

Even before the Tarot meeting began, Klein had already integrated the spirit worm given to him by "Mr. Fool" into his own spirit body.

Even if the difference between the separated spirit worm of "Mr. Fool" and the original body is huge, in terms of status it can at least be compared with the true god of sequence zero.

By manipulating the power of the gray mist, Klein easily and briefly created a barrier of "deception" between himself and the other members of the Tarot Club.

Klein certainly wouldn't "foole" anyone, but that didn't matter; the Spirit Worm would. This Spirit Worm was now essentially a talisman crafted by the ancients themselves, a talisman that could allow Klein to temporarily become a true god in a real sense.

He smiled and nodded, watching as the members, led by "Miss Justice," exchanged simple greetings.

Among them, the hermit Cattleya undoubtedly appeared rather silent, and in Audrey's view, the other party was hiding a lot of worries.

Once the noise subsided and the members were seated, Fool Klein glanced at Miss Justice, instantly conveying his meaning to the "psychologist," who then subtly raised her hand to speak first.

He then glanced at the hermit, Cattleya, and chuckled lightly, seemingly unconcerned.

“You tell Bernadette that she can exchange certain things for the answer she wants.”

Because at least in this tarot reading, he was a true Sequence Zero, Klein said with great confidence.

This was the most enjoyable time he'd ever had showing off!
Bernadette… Hearing this familiar name, Cattleya's last shred of hope vanished. She understood that Mr. Fool knew everything, that her little schemes couldn't be hidden from Him.

This made Cattleya's mood even heavier, and she felt an overwhelming sense of fear, momentarily at a loss for what attitude or words to use to respond.

Out of the corner of her eye, she secretly glanced at the Wheel of Fortune, the High Priestess, the Emperor, and the Devil. Based on their names and her judgment from the previous Tarot session, she believed these were the people most closely associated with Mr. Fool.

Then, she lowered her head again, pondering what kind of punishment she might receive.

In her view, the true meaning of Mr. Fool's words was to convey this sentence, but only this sentence; nothing more, not even any hints, was allowed.

Cattleya believed she knew perfectly well what the implication was.

She had no idea that this was a punishment for her. She was unaware of the priestess's methods.

If Lady Fortune were to punish her, she might become unlucky.

Or perhaps, she'll be turned into a dumping ground by the Emperor's daughter?
She had investigated Mr. Devil's behavior last week. Her investigation uncovered two incidents in Backlund concerning the Tarot Society and Mr. Devil.

In Cattleya's view, this was the most terrifying of the several people who might punish her.

Being punished by others might only be miserable. But if it's Mr. Devil who takes action, it's worse than death. He truly lives up to his name, "Devil."

Seeing this, the members of the Tarot Club began to wildly imagine what was going on.

Bernadette? That's a common Intis female name. The Hermit made a private request, and the Fool's answer was "yes"? Audrey forgot to observe the other members; a series of questions flashed through her mind first, then, with the keenness of an "observer" and the calculation of an intellectual approach, she easily grasped the Fool's true intentions.

No, that's not it, it definitely isn't. If it were a private, reasonable request, Mr. Fool wouldn't have brought it up in front of us; he would have responded directly when Ms. Hermit asked. This was a warning. Audrey immediately understood; she had a hunch. Ms. Hermit had privately hinted at something about our Tarot Club to Ms. Bernadette, because she was eager for some answers.

Mr. Fool wasn't too satisfied with this, so he pointed it out directly, giving the first-time offender a warning.
With the audience's knowledge and understanding, Audrey was the first to deduce the specifics.

The ones who eventually figured out the general truth were Otto and Alger, who were just watching the show, and Alicia, whose IQ would skyrocket whenever she saw a beautiful girl.

Ha, how foolish. If you can't see the difference in strength, what's the difference between you and a stray dog ​​on the street? Alger scoffed inwardly, but didn't show it.

Otto and Alicia watched with great interest, wondering what would happen next.
The fool might not get angry, but a reprimand would certainly be inevitable. Otto put himself in Klein's shoes and considered the actions Klein might take.

Alicia, however, wasn't worried at all, because she could roughly guess what kind of person Klein was. Someone who could inherit the "True Self" imprint, even if not a compassionate savior, how bad could he be?

Magician Fowles shrank back, while Moon Emlyn showed disdain.

Even our vampire progenitor treated Mr. Fool with equality and sent me, his special envoy, to receive his training. You, a mere demigod, dare to try to make a move under Mr. Fool's watchful eye? Do you think you have too much time on your hands?

Indeed, I couldn't understand some of the ideas of short-lived species. As Emperor Roselle once said, insects that can only survive in summer can't truly know what ice and snow look like. Moon Emlyn, relaxed in his seat, shook his head without any attempt to hide it.

Sun Derrick and Emperor Star didn't think much of it, only vaguely sensing that something was off. As for Serres and Padmon, these two already knew the inside story and didn't react at all.

At this moment, Cattleya turned to look at the head of the long bronze table and said, without a trace of wishful thinking:

"Yes, I made some mistakes, and I won't make excuses for myself; they were indeed mistakes."

“Mr. Fool, whatever you do to me, even kill me, I am willing to accept.”

hypocritical.

Alger often encountered this kind of simple rhetoric, and he immediately recognized the problem.

If Mr. Fool wants to punish you, what can you do to resist?
The Hermit was still somewhat frightened... Justice Audrey sensed the hidden fear in Cattleya's subtle movements and choice of words as she turned to the side.

In her view, people who specifically emphasize that they are willing to be executed are often very afraid of dying.

Sun Derrick still hadn't figured out what had happened, nor why the Hermit Lady had suddenly asked for punishment. The rest of the group mostly adopted a wait-and-see attitude.

Klein tapped the bronze table twice with his fingers, nodded calmly, and uttered a single word:

"it is good."

Cattleya's body trembled immediately, and she hurriedly raised her head to look at Mr. Fool at the head of the group. At the same time, Klein slightly lifted the shield and deception of the gray mist, allowing Cattleya, who possessed the Eye of Truth, to see her blurry true form.

This wouldn't have been a problem in itself, but now he has fused with a spirit worm whose rank is equivalent to sequence zero.

Cattleya's dark eyes held a deep purple hue, shimmering with mystery as she pierced through the gray mist to see the Fool's blurry figure.

In a daze, she seemed to see a translucent worm.

(End of this chapter)