Mystery: When the Fool Meets the Masked Fool

Chapter 593 May this journey ultimately reach the stars.
This time, everyone's seating was slightly different from usual.

The seats opposite the Fool were empty, with men on the left and women on the right.

The seats that belonged to Serres and Padmon were also vacated, and people nearby moved forward to the first seat next to Klein.

As for Padma, she moved from her original spot to a high table with a round rug on it, to Klein's right, where Klein could easily put his hand on Padma's fur.

Padmon is Klein's memory spirit, an extension of Klein's memories, and in a way, a part of Klein, so it is natural that it can sit beside him.

This sudden summons clearly caught Audrey and the others off guard, leaving them momentarily stunned and surprised.

Before this, although they had visited Mr. Fool's kingdom outside of Monday afternoons, there were reasons for it. They knew in advance that they would be drawn here, either by applying for a small gathering or by avoiding the "Full Moon Talk".

It could be said that, apart from the first time, this was the second time they had been summoned by Mr. Fool without any warning.

Where did Klein go...?

Leonard, the "Star," was the first to notice the world's absence, and the thought of Mr. Fool replacing Klein suddenly made him panic.

Audrey subconsciously turned her head and looked at the bottom of the mottled long table, only to find it empty and deserted.

Then, she subconsciously looked at the changed seats and quickly noticed that Serres was also absent.

Audrey couldn't help but pause for a moment, her mind wandering inexplicably. The scene, which resembled a funeral, overwhelmed her with an overwhelming sadness.

In her heart, the image of "The World" Gehrman Sparrow had long since changed from a mad adventurer and an extremely dangerous extraordinary being to a friend who was outwardly cold but inwardly gentle, powerful, loving, mysterious, quite lonely, and burdened with many things.

"Demon" Serres is one of the most learned and powerful beings in the Tarot Gathering, perhaps even the strongest and most approachable one, almost equivalent to "The Fool" in Audrey's mind.

Now, it seems these two friends have met with misfortune, leaving only an empty seat.

She glanced around instinctively, then stood up as usual.

After the Tarot Club members, except for Russell and a few others, had all risen, Audrey, somewhat heavily lifting her skirt, bowed to the head of the long, weathered table.
"Good afternoon, Mr. Fool."

Once they were seated again, Klein suddenly let out a soft laugh, breaking the tense atmosphere that had been deliberately created.

Why is everyone so silent?

Are you afraid of something?

Upon hearing Klein's question, Leonard disregarded his "insignificant" strength and couldn't help but ask Mr. "Fool".

“Great Fool, I would like to ask, where is Mr. K... Mr. World?”

Klein didn't answer immediately, but instead smiled and asked in return:

"What, you only worry about the world and not about the demons? I always thought your relationship was quite harmonious."

Leonard was taken aback by this question, only then realizing that Mr. "Devil" was also gone.

Mr. Fool seems to be brimming with humanity today…

Audrey pondered to herself.

Thinking of what Amon had once said about Mr. Fool awakening inside Mr. World, Audrey felt a little uneasy.

It can't really be...

Before Leonard could say anything, Klein smiled and stroked the fur on Padmon's back.

Several identical booklets appeared in front of everyone.

What was written on it was the plan that Serres had described before.

Amon adjusted his monocle, a smile playing on his lips, finding it quite amusing.

“We have plenty of time today, so everyone can take their time and read at their own pace.” Klein gestured to the booklets in front of everyone.

"As for Mr. Star's question," Klein glanced at Leonard, who was still fidgeting, "we'll talk about it later."

After a pause, Klein added with a smile in his voice:

"I'll come talk to you then."

Soon, the room fell silent, with only the rustling of a few people turning pages.

Klein closed his eyes and propped his head up with one hand.

He saw images before his eyes, and through the spirit world, he saw various corners of the earth.

There was Captain Dunn grading documents, Ms. Daly clinging to Captain Dunn's back, old Neil reading a newspaper, and Triss, who had turned into a man and was now strolling with her "wife"...

The short booklet was quickly read. Everyone present was extraordinary; they read very fast.

The group looked at each other in surprise, except for a few people, including Amon, who seemed quite interested.

Finally, everyone's attention turned to Klein, who was petting the cat with one hand.

…………

In the vast and dark universe, Serres strode forward, step by step, in the vacuum environment.

Fragments of memories appeared around him, then quickly flashed back.

Serres smiled and swiped, causing the surrounding projections to turn off one by one.

There was no floor beneath his feet, yet he took each step with remarkable firmness.

A spaceship flew past him; it was Silverbend's "Rare and Unparalleled".

Clearly, he finally found his spaceship after leaving the dream world.

Indeed, how could he possibly find a spaceship in reality when he was in a dream?
He didn't notice Serres and continued straight ahead, heading towards the next civilized planet to spread his pure and beautiful light.

Serres smiled and looked away, raising his hand. Something that looked like a cloud or a bubble appeared beside him.

That's a husky.

Neat, upright characters appeared on the surface of the husky's body.

【What's wrong? 】

The husky seemed curious about why Serres would let him out, but also didn't seem that curious.

The cloud-like thing floated in front of Serres, who still wore a smile.

"What do you think of what's happened during this time?" Serres asked as they walked.

It was alright, quite fun.

The husky answered.

“Really? That’s great to hear.” Serres stopped and turned to face the husky.

The husky seemed to have guessed what Serres was planning to do, and floated at the same level as Serres, waiting.

The mask that Serres wore on the right side of his face lit up.

He faced the words before him, placed one hand on his chest, and bowed slightly.

"Look, the play has come to an end."

"A tiny planet, a vast universe."

"This story seems insignificant to the world as a whole."

"But as long as it brings joy, the story has meaning."

"Then, this story is dedicated to you, dear reader."

Whether you're listening to audiobooks or reading them, I hope you find joy in them.

"I don't care whether I laugh because the story is well-written, because of the jokes, or because the author is funny. As long as it makes people happy, my purpose is achieved, and I am happy."

"If you can bring joy to people, that is the greatest compliment you can give me."

"So, I wonder if you derived any pleasure from it?"

"Of course, you can say no, since I can't see it either."

"Since I can't see it, I'll just give it a positive review by default."

May joy become a part of your lives and a part of your daily routine.

May you always be happy and joyful.

May you always be smiling.

After he finished speaking, he bowed forward.

May this journey eventually reach the stars.

(End of this chapter)