The club members took their seats at the moldy bronze table as soon as the greetings were over.
The silence that followed revealed, to the disappointment of two people, that once again there would be no new pages.
'We need Cattleya; with her contacts, collecting the pages of the diary would be much faster... Sigh.' Clicking his tongue inwardly, Adryan looked up at the crimson stars, his vision clouding slightly.
'It's hard to believe it's only been a week...'
So many strange things had happened in such a short time that it had slightly disrupted his sense of time.
Serena's promotion to Listener, Wayne Enterprises' first movie, Vivian's brief kidnapping, the existence of a humanoid species in the Mirror World and that his musician is one of them, the Note Pathway that seems to focus on music, the discovery that Hazel had fallen into the 0-08 script, the conversation with the Church and the revelation of that script, the Church's involvement, the rescue of his student...
Not to mention that most of these events occurred in the span of just three days, with the most annoying of all happening just an hour ago.
Thinking about that and with the double filter of being inside Sefirah Castle and Hunters Hallow actively covering him, Adryan reviewed everything he had taken into account to achieve it.
'To watch over Hazel, the Church would not resort to excessive force. A certain level of attention, as well as serious activity, would be detected instantly. Demigods could attract the attention of 0-08 due to their status as beings with divinity; the risk is too high. Only half-sequence Beyonders would act. Therefore, the surveillance of the team in charge of watching her would not be thorough...'
As varied as the methods possessed by the Wise Owls were, these same methods would be the chains that bound them.
The Wise Owls in charge of surveillance could not use all their abilities because, as with demigods, intervention at a certain level would be noticed by 0-08.
Whether through orders or hypnosis, the guards would not use extraordinary abilities.
Classic observation and minor skills would be the most they would use.
Quick glances, casual turns, and crossing streets on different sidewalks were the easiest methods to avoid detection—such minor things were not worth writing down in history, so they were very useful.
Although simple, these were the forces of an orthodox church. Knowing who the hidden guards were would not be easy for many.
Of course, that did not apply to him, who had eyes in the sky.
Through the spy pigeon, a team with beyonders no higher than Sequence 6 was easily discovered—mostly from the Reader Pathway, with one from the Mystery Prier Pathway and two Hunters.
While the Eyes of Mystery Prying of the Beyonder of the Mystery Prier Pathway could detect him behind Faceless mode, it was not a cause for concern. Due to the large number of forces in the ballroom, as well as either orders or hypnosis, it was clear that power would not be used.
The Hunters were not a problem. He was one, so he knew the best way to avoid them.
Sneaking up to Hazel was easy, disgustingly easy. He didn't even have to try.
Flora and the replacement soldier were sneaked into the bathroom with Dream Jump, with the help of the spy pigeon, while the redhead used the restaurant entrance in the guise of a weird old man.
The country's culture of knowledge sharing worked in his favor.
An old man sitting across from a young woman in a restaurant was strange. But an old man asking to see her notebook to review and correct her exercises?
A bit strange for strangers to Lenburg culture, but still within the norm of this country that pursues knowledge.
With that excuse, the coin and the note were handed over, and the rest was handled by his dear worm.
Again, the redhead sighed to himself.
'Truly, it has been a busy few days'
And there was still much to do, much more.
And the most urgent of these?
The safety of his student, of course.
Thinking about that, Adryan wondered who would win the bet this time.
Flora had bet that it would take the owls five days to notice the change; for his part, he bet on two.
With the last bet they had made, which ended in a tie with both of them losing, this would be the classic golden goal.
'It's ridiculous to think that the Church won't notice that the Hazel Match they're following isn't the real one; sooner or later, they'll discover the truth.' Adryan would be a complete idiot if he believed for a second that it wouldn't be discovered.
He doubted the Wise Owls overseeing her would notice the change; it would be their superiors who would.
This, of course, was also part of the plan.
He wouldn't try to hide his student too well, but would purposely leave some gaps for her to be discovered.
'Although I doubt Hazel will enjoy those gaps,' unable to help himself, his lips curved upward and, restraining himself a little, a slight chuckle escaped him.
"Ehe~"
At that familiar, twisted sound, several members felt a sudden cold sweat run down their backs.
'..' Audrey inhaled somewhat tensely; several memories in which she had been the reason for that same laugh stirred in her mind.
After having been teased so many times, refined instincts kicked in, and she subtly separated herself from the scene for a moment.
Hanged Man Alger did the same, not even looking at the back of the bronze table and focusing all his attention in front of him. The slightest show of interest meant another afternoon of unnecessary annoyance.
Fors immediately froze, not daring to move an inch. The writer knew that meant danger. Danger for her!
It was already strange for a team meeting to be canceled. But why was that lunatic laughing out of nowhere? With that horrible laugh of his?
Xio was still upset about her mistake on Friday and was forcing her to get up at 8 a.m. to "write."
If she now had to deal with her crazy boss as well, her hair would turn as white as Madam Flora's!
'What have I done now?! It's not because I'm taking too long to write the book he asked me for, is it? Xio, don't tell me you ratted me out, you traitor?! But I've already finished it! I'm just making some corrections before sending the sample! Do you have any idea how much I suffered to finish it in the time you gave me!? I don't even treat my publishers that well, you know! Don't I deserve a little mercy!?' Lamenting, Fors sank a little into her seat, losing strength, but that only lasted for a moment. Her back straightened just as quickly.
If this weren't Mr Fool's Divine Kingdom, she would undoubtedly have leaned back. But, knowing how disrespectful that would be to the Fool, who was her savior and protector against the ravings of the Blood Moon, Fors only slumped a little.
'I have to finish the corrections today...'
The Fool Klein controlled his eyebrows from twitching under the gray mist, suspicion shining in his eyes.
'What's wrong with this guy now?
That fox-like laugh only came out when he was or planned to bully someone.
'May the Goddess accompany that poor soul.' Touching his chest four times in a circle to himself, Klein could only pray for the unfortunate soul who had earned the eye of his soul brother.
Sun Derrick tilted his head to one side, his eyes shining with great intensity.
'Did Mr Chariot accomplish something this week? What could it have been? Another hunt? Another demigod, or was it some kind of monster this time?' The young boy could barely contain his desire to ask, the pounding of his heart echoing in his ears.
Feeling the atmosphere and the members' gazes on him, Adryan ignored all but one. One that he returned with a raised eyebrow in interest.
"Mr Chariot, I have news about your request."
A sharp smile broke out on the Reaper's face, and an elongated "Oh" escaped him.
Since no new pages had been delivered, this was a welcome surprise.
Making no attempt to hide his excitement, Adryan held his chin happily, "I'm all ears, Mr Hanged Man."
Alger looked at the man and replied calmly.
"An artifact with the qualities you need recently appeared at a pirate auction. I am currently tracking down the buyer."
"Ah, borrowing, eh? Quite daring of you." Snorting amusedly, Adryan tilted his head to the left, eyes shining under his hood.
While an artifact capable of resisting the effects of the Blood Moon did not in itself pose much danger, those who sought such artifacts did. There were many possibilities, but for the Reaper, one stood out above all others.
A member of the Indulgence faction of the Rose School of Thought who was trying to resist the curse of the moon.
With all the times they had talked about the organization in the Club, it was impossible for Mr Overthinker not to know the risks.
The fact that this old sea dog was willing to risk taking it surprised him even more than the fact that he had obtained information about the artifact.
'Would he buy it? Nah, does he even have the money for it? Then, it must be someone he knows if he's willing to try to take it...' Adryan was curious about who it could be, but not curious enough to pry too much.
If there was one thing he could count on with this overthinker, it was his experience.
Alger would never step into a battle he couldn't win. In that respect, they were both alike.
'Most likely a Werewolf then. Being Sequence 7, the current Alger has the means to face one and win. Not to mention, if he faces it at sea, it will be even easier...' Knowing that this was possibly what the pirate was planning to do, the redhead smiled.
"Wow, you're really going the extra mile, huh. Are you sure you're not trying to seduce me?" Laughing a little, Adryan winked playfully.
"Too bad for you, I'm already happily claim"
"..." Alger Wilson didn't know what to say to those words; he just blinked in bewilderment. What he had just heard stunned him worse than any mallet.
With her eyebrows touching her hair, Audrey couldn't help but cover her mouth with her palm. The drama in front of her had just taken a turn that almost made her scream.
'Mr Chariot has a lover?!"
With the kind of personality the man had, she really never thought that was even possible!
'But what kind of woman would go out with him? I know there are some young ladies who mention a recent taste for that kind of men, but that's just a fantasy, because of the novels they consume that romanticize them.
'Oh, of course, why would it have to be a woman? Mr. Chariot shows no shame or discomfort when 'flirting' with Mr. Hanged Man. Maybe he's attracted to both genders?' The young lady failed to see the sense in this, no matter how hard she tried.
Being teased and tempted with his every word and gesture, having every slip or mistake pointed out with mockery and giggles...
Who could put up with something like that on a daily basis?
Even if she ignored his personality, Chariot had a 50,000-pound bounty on his head from 3 churches!
Audrey really didn't understand.
Only a fool who didn't value their life would go out with someone like that!
'That guy doesn't waste any time, huh? Every Monday is something new...' While part of him was happy for his soul brother, Klein couldn't help but purse his lips under the gray fog that covered his face.
Was it wise to enter into such a deep relationship in this world, knowing that once they found their way home, they would have to leave it behind?
Was Joa capable of inflicting that kind of pain on someone?
Considering Joa's personality, Klein trusted the man knew what he was doing. Still, he would have a little chat with him after the club.
'He may be the oldest in the Beyonder World, but I am the oldest in adulthood. It is my duty to guide him in the complicated world of relationships!'
He wasn't going to let him fall into the same perversion as Roselle!
With that in mind, Klein tried to imagine what kind of person could steal his soul brother's heart.
The woman who was always by his friend's side whenever he visited him at work stood out among all the possible candidates.
'Could it be her?'
White hair and gray eyes. Standing with a noble and serene bearing, her head always held high. Someone with those features was hard to forget.
'I didn't think those were his tastes. Ice queens? Hm...' Klein snickered to himself while on the outside World gave a slight nod.
At least his brother had good taste.
Fors observed the reaction of the only other woman beside her as well as that of the man in front of her, expressionless.
She had already seen the kind of relationship her crazy boss had, so this was nothing new. Although she was surprised at how relatively normal it was. Totally contrary to what he was.
'I thought that if that guy ever became attracted to a woman, he would make her wear a collar. With a tag with his name on it, marking her as his. Showing off to the world that he had a new toy to play with and that he wasn't sharing. Maybe even a leash to show who was boss...'
As the ideas and possible scenarios ran through her mind, her vision became more clouded. At that moment, inspiration struck; a new idea for the detective novel she was writing had just been born.
Derrick stood in place, biting the inside of his cheek as he focused his attention on the table. A slight blush rising to his cheeks.
'Claim... That's one way of putting it.' The boy didn't have the courage to look the redhead in the eye.
The young giant was no stranger to the concept of couples.
Beyond survival, the City of Silver also offered lessons in relationships from age 10. Something that parents themselves also helped to explain and teach. With a population of around 63,000 and a single accident threatening their annihilation, it was for the City's continuity that everyone knew their responsibility to maintain it, young or not.
That was precisely why the way Mr Chariot had said it was so embarrassing.
How was he supposed to react if the person he saw as an older brother suddenly said he had been claimed? Like a trophy?
'Is it so hard to accept the idea that I have a girlfriend?' Raising an eyebrow at the Tarot Club, who seemed to have lost themselves in their own world, Adryan just shrugged.
Honestly, he didn't blame them.
Noticing that the conversations had stopped and didn't seem likely to start again anytime soon, the spectator entered the stage.
Looking at the other members, Audrey Hall spoke calmly.
"I've begun my approach to attract the Psychology Alchemists. I'll be reporting new developments as they occur."
Reaching out to Glaint was the first step; now it was only a matter of time before her friend began talking about her to his psychologist. When that happened, she would just have to mention that she was looking for the Telepathist formula and weave it into the Viscount's mention of her in one of his sections. If all went well, it shouldn't take too long.
The organization she was trying to join controlled the Spectator Pathway. The Tarot Club was already aware of what she was doing, and Mr. Fool had already given his word that he would protect her if she ran into trouble. Now all that was left for her to do was to secure this new channel of resources.
'Miss Piggy Bank is growing up,' Adryan couldn't help but feel a little proud.
Placing his left hand over his heart, the redhead lamented dramatically.
"Soon I'll have to take the training wheels off your bike, Miss Justice. Sigh. Little lizards grow up so fast. Ah. I still remember when you were just a fly…"
'What did I do now?!' Her teeth pressed against her lips; Audrey cursed inwardly.
At no point had she said anything that could be used as a target for attack, but she still ended up getting hit? That was unfair!
Besides, why did he even call her a lizard? What was the point of that?!
'Is it because the Spectator Pathway comes from the Dragons according to Little Sun?' Even if she saw the point in that, Audrey couldn't help but want to puff out her cheeks.
"Ah. So easy." Laughing softly, Adryan covered his mouth to hide his satisfied smile.
Teasing Justice was just too funny.
With his lips still curved, his attention returned to the Hanged Man.
"Mr Hanged Man, any news from the sea these days?"
Since one of his greatest hopes for obtaining the Iron-Blooded Knight formula lay in the turbulent seas, it was never too early to gather a little information.
'Mr Chariot plans to go to sea?' Alger held back his racing heart, his fingers trembling slightly.
'Something is happening in the waters that he needs to go check out. He wouldn't ask for information if he didn't plan to go there...' Internally, the pirate frowned.
Most of the information he had was easy to obtain with a little digging. And the information he considered valuable held no interest for Chariot.
'Chariot is extremely interested in the Rose School of Thought and anyone who has possible connections to them...' With that, he knew what he had to do.
After 5 seconds of silence, Alger nodded and spoke without haste.
If there was anything worth mentioning about the sea, it was definitely that.
"Captain Admiral Pale has significantly increased her assault on foreign ships. So far, she is responsible for the sinking of 15 cargo ships."