Above the gray fog, the ancient temple-like building stood quietly.
Klein, who had sensed something unusual due to a series of coincidences, entered this mysterious space after lunch, trying to confirm a certain guess in his mind.
He picked up the manifested round-bellied pen, paused for two seconds, and then wrote: "I have once again been drawn into a series of coincidences created by the sealed artifact '0-08'."
Putting down the dark red pen, Klein held the silver chain in his left hand and methodically began divination.
In the end, he opened his eyes and looked at the pendulum right in front of him.
The citrine pendant remained still, not rotating.
This indicated that the divination had failed!
It could be due to insufficient conditions to perform divination, or it could be that '0-08' was resisting... Both situations would yield similar results... Klein tried different statements targeting different objectives, but the divinations all ended in failure.
He tapped the edge of the mottled long table with his fingers, hesitating about whether to go to Red Rose Manor tomorrow or the day after.
If indeed there is no '0-08' or similar force arranging these matters, then suddenly fleeing would definitely arouse Prince Edsac's suspicion. No, fleeing might not even succeed; Prince Edsac's people live next door... Of course, as a 'Faceless,' it would be simple for me to find an opportunity to escape when going out, but is it really necessary to go to such lengths?
Tomorrow or the day after in the afternoon, if I honestly pay respects to Prince Edsac and hand over the task normally, I can 'leave'
If there truly is a sealed artifact or demigod like '0-08' influencing recent events, then from what I've experienced, I am merely a supporting character who accidentally wandered onto the stage and hasn't yet received much attention. In this case, fleeing would be equivalent to telling the other party: I've noticed 'you' exist! I'm a big problem!
If so, relying on the abilities of 'Faceless' may not be enough to shake off the 'gaze' that has locked onto me...
The best approach is still to go to Red Rose Manor openly, use the most normal procedure to exit the stage, gracefully take my bow, and fade out of the 'sight' from who knows where...
Weighing both factors, Klein finally decided to pretend not to have noticed anything, hand over the task according to the predetermined plan, and 'leave' Backlund.
…………
In the open-air camp, where flames always burned and someone was always on duty.
Just then, he dreamed of boundless grayish-white fog, dreamed of an ancient chair at the very center and highest point, and a figure sitting on the chair, looking down at everything with an indifferent expression.
"'The Fool'..." Derrick called out that name in his mind in a chanting manner.
Immediately after, he heard the voice of 'The Fool': "Prepare for the gathering."
Yes, Mr. Fool. Derrick silently replied, counting his heartbeats.
His eyes never opened, as if everything that had just happened was merely an interlude in a dream.
There was still a long time before departure, enough to attend the Tarot gathering... he thought rather fortunately.
He had originally thought that being part of the exploration team would make him miss this gathering.
After 1000 heartbeats, Derrick waited a little longer before feeling himself enter that silent and tranquil temple.
The moment he opened his eyes, scenes flashed through his mind one after another, as if an external force had suddenly poured all the lost memories back into his head.
Those scenes included: collapsed city walls; buildings with alternating white and blue; a temple of the 'Fallen Creator' similar in style to the
Such scenes repeated over and over again, a full five times, but each time there were slight differences in details: The first time, all the animal-hide lanterns outside the Temple of the Fallen Creator went out, nearly causing a tragedy. The second time, someone lost control and almost swallowed a 'mushroom,' but Chief Colin stopped it in time. The third time, the little boy Jack added a piece of information: he and his father had searched for the Creator's sanctuary in a boundless ocean and encountered a huge storm. The fourth time, Joshua was severely injured by the little boy Jack, who had suddenly changed without warning. The fifth time, the temple completely collapsed, blocking the exit to the underground area.
And each time, it ended with 'Demon Hunter' Colin killing the little boy Jack, and began with resting in the camp, preparing to enter the ruined city, forming a continuous loop.
We have explored the temple five times... We have been living in this experience, unable to truly end it! The more Derrick understood the sudden influx of memories, the more horrified and terrified he felt.
Sitting on the other side of the bronze long table, 'Justice' Audrey had originally intended to greet Mr. Fool and the others cheerfully as usual, but as she swept her gaze, she immediately noticed that little 'Sun' seemed off, so she asked: "Mr. Sun, what happened? Was the exploration of the True, uh, Temple of the Fallen Creator not smooth?"
'Sun' Derrick, as if grasping hope, quickly roughly described what had happened, and finally said: "After that little boy was eliminated by 'Chief', we all closed our eyes for a moment, then woke up in the camp outside the city, preparing to start a new exploration, without any memory of before.
"This process has repeated five times, only slightly different in details."