Lying on the bedroom floor, Fors's eyelashes fluttered slightly as her eyes slowly opened. She saw the bright full moon hanging outside the window, a crimson disk glowing intensely. The usual faint and hazy red veil had turned into a dense blood-red light.
I'm alive… I didn't lose control… That wasn't a dream… A mysterious and powerful "Fool" truly saved me… Fors sat up, inspecting herself. She found no abnormalities except that her hair had grown longer and thicker.
Just as she let out a sigh of relief, a figure by the bed suddenly caught her eye, watching her from the shadows!
Startled, Fors let out a scream and tried to get up, but her legs were numb from her awkward lying position. She stumbled and fell to her knees with a loud thud, the impact so painful that tears almost welled up.
Seated on the bed, Xio Derecha watched her friend's exaggerated antics, and the joy and relief she had felt at seeing Fors awake were quickly replaced by… what Ebner would call "a strong urge to complain."
"What on earth are you doing?" Xio sighed, rubbing her forehead as she got off the bed to help Fors up.
Finally recognizing who it was in the room, Fors, full of grievances, grumbled, "Xio, why are you here? You scared me to death!"
I thought Mr. Fool had descended into the real world through our connection…
"I came back because of the sudden Blood Moon. I was worried the strange whispers you hear might intensify and something terrible might happen… So I rushed over to check on you. When I entered and saw you curled up on the floor, I was terrified. But after checking, I found you were just unconscious, so I stayed to keep watch," Xio explained with a mix of truth and pretense.
She decided not to reveal that she was "Judgment" just yet, curious how long it would take Fors to figure it out.
Besides, Fors would have a hard time hiding her connection with "Justice" or her familiarity with me. If she learned I was "Judgment," Miss Justice might easily deduce both my and Ebner's real identities.
As Xio mulled over her thoughts, Fors's vision blurred slightly. Ignoring the pain from her knees, she glanced aside and forced herself to hold back tears. Using her usual sarcastic tone, she laughed:
"Where's your brain? Didn't I tell you? During a Blood Moon, the whispers definitely get stronger!
"But it doesn't affect me at all. See? I just fainted for a bit and now I'm perfectly fine… Look how spirited I am!
"Well, I am a bit thirsty though. Could you get the kettle from the table for me?"
Mr. Fool has already noticed Xio. Until I'm sure of His intentions, I mustn't involve her any further… Fors thought to herself as she spoke.
Hearing Fors's clumsy deflection, Xio sighed inwardly: Foolish girl… even now, you're hiding things and trying to shoulder this alone… And that excuse was so poorly thought out... Idiot!
Moreover, how have you not noticed that Justice and I are deliberately guiding you?
Xio's heart swelled with a mix of frustration and affection. While she wanted to confess everything—her identity, her connection to Ebner, and their involvement in the Tarot Club—her experiences had matured her beyond her counterpart in the original timeline. Now a full-fledged member of MI9, she could control her impulses far better.
Pretending to be distracted by Fors's excuse, Xio walked to the table, grabbed the kettle, and poured two cups of tea. She returned with the cups, handing one to Fors while lifting the other.
"Perfect timing. I was parched after rushing back," Xio said before downing the tea in a single gulp.
A still-dazed Fors absentmindedly took her cup and sipped, but her eyes widened as realization struck. She quickly reached out to stop Xio, but it was too late…
Oh no, that's the ale I kept hidden in the house… I bought it hoping to drown out the whispers, but it didn't help at all…
Now…
Xio drank it!
Xio drank it!
Xio drank it!
Steam… no, Mr. Fool, please protect us… Don't let her destroy the house… The landlady will definitely kick us out!
As Fors fervently prayed, Xio suddenly dropped her cup. A mischievous grin, unlike her usual demeanor, spread across her face as she grabbed Fors by the collar.
"Fors, you've been hiding booze in the house!" Xio exclaimed.
"I… I have my reasons…" Fors stammered, a strange fear welling up.
Mr. Fool… please save me again…
---
On Thursday morning, the ghost ship Blue Avenger docked at a private port in Bayam. Alger finally fulfilled his promise by "escorting" the endlessly talkative poet, Michael, off the ship.
Watching Michael happily dart toward a nearby tavern, Alger let out a long sigh of relief. That man had been an endless source of frustration, able to chatter for hours even when ignored.
At least I'm free of him now… Alger thought, though his mind soon turned to calculating which connections to use to safely claim his bounty.
Just then, a sailor approached him with a document. "Captain, there's a telegram for you—from Enmat Harbor."
Alger's spirits lifted. A telegram from Enmat Harbor… It must be news regarding my inquiry into Tingen's serial killer case.
That case concerns Mr. Tower's identity—the only clue he left in the Tarot Club.
Though elated, Alger maintained a calm exterior as he accepted the telegram, pretending it wasn't significant.
Once the sailor left, gleefully counting his reward coins, Alger retrieved his codebook from his pocket and began decrypting the message.
Suddenly, his expression froze, and his eyes widened in disbelief as he blurted out:
"Doctor Strange?!"
---
At Damir Port, Ebner and his group only returned to the "Stone Platform" on Thursday afternoon, delayed by the handling of the "Great Shark" pirate crew's aftermath.
As Ebner disembarked from the Aarunheim, he suddenly felt a change in his spirituality—his potion seemed to have digested slightly.
Surprised but thoughtful, he quickly formed a hypothesis:
Could a Tarot Club member have finally connected "Tower" and "Doctor Strange"?
Have the impressions of my "erudition" in the Tarot Club transferred to the "Doctor Strange" persona in reality, creating feedback and accelerating digestion?
(End of Chapter)