Of those present, the one most interested in Caron's suicide was 'Justice' Audrey — but she had long since noticed that 'Magician' Forsi was likewise curious about the matter, and so she asked nothing, sat as she was, and patiently waited for that bestselling novelist to open her mouth.
Within a second or two, 'Magician' Forsi looked toward the edge of the table in front of 'World' Gehrman Sparrow and, weighing her words, said:
"What's the truth?"
Klein had long rehearsed in his mind how to phrase it, and without the slightest hesitation he had the 'World' puppet say:
"The man pulling the strings is most likely Royal Adviser Hervin Lambis, who in all probability also holds another identity — a Councillor of the Psychological Alchemists' Council."
On hearing the first half, in 'Justice' Audrey's mind there naturally surfaced the image of a kind old gentleman — a man born into a noble family, a Perth University graduate, with vast learning and outstanding insight, who had served as Royal Adviser for more than a decade and was universally regarded as a scholar, a good man, a gentleman.
Audrey had previously suspected that the royal family might be steering the Caron suicide case, but it had never crossed her mind that the actual hand behind it would be the gentle, kind, witty Hervin Lambis!
When 'World' Gehrman Sparrow then revealed the man's second identity, she could no longer suppress her shock and disbelief:
Hervin Lambis is a Beyonder? A Councillor of the Psychological Alchemists' Council?
Which is to say, he may be a half-god, half-mortal being… I've seen him many times and never once felt he had ties to the mystical world; I'd always taken him for a pure scholar, a scholar of wide vision…
If Mr. World's investigation hasn't been misled, I find it genuinely hard to imagine that Hervin Lambis — famous for helping others — would so callously dismiss a life, coldly leaving a child without a father, a wife without a husband, parents without a son… The man is normally so cultivated, so kind-hearted… Hmph, politics is filthier than I imagined, and so is the royal family…
Speaking of which, I've never met a Councillor of the Psychological Alchemists' Council, never had any dealings with their upper ranks. I never thought that, in essence, this hidden organisation differs little from cults like the Aurora Order and the Spirit Religion… Our Tarot Club is better — Mr. Fool is forever blocking or sabotaging the schemes of evil gods and demons…
While 'Justice' Audrey's thoughts seethed, 'Hanged Man' Alger sharply caught the scent of gunpowder lurking in Backlund's political arena, sensing that the many forces tangled there and the secrets bound up with them formed a vast powder keg ready to be detonated at any moment.
The nobility, the royal house, the Church of the God of Storms, the Church of the Evernight Goddess, the Church of the God of Steam and Machinery, the rising moneyed class, the commoners teetering on the edge of the cliff, the wretched lowest dregs of society… The signs of an era of upheaval are unmistakable. How is it that, before this, I never fully grasped this point, but simply believed Zaringgis's words and his 'evidence' — that an age in which the old gods fade and new gods arise is approaching, that the tide of history rolls on, unstoppable… Alger sighed soundlessly, and in his mind seemed to see that lofty Gothic clock tower, and the 'Bell of Order' that hung from it.
And around that famous structure, currents took shape, lights dimmed — as if circle upon circle of storms were brewing.
In a daze, Alger was struck by a sudden thought:
What is emerging may not only be new gods — perhaps it is also the return of ancient gods from a far more distant age…
He instinctively glanced at the very head of the long bronze table, then quickly drew his gaze away. The waves in his chest were hard to settle.
In that moment, he felt strangely that his earlier aspirations and goals had been too small — that he had merely thought of becoming an Archbishop of the Church of the God of Storms, of being a holy man with a voice in the affairs of the whole world, capable of steering many things from the shadows.
Since the old gods fade and new gods arise, and since Mr. Fool is to return to His throne in the Astral Realm, why shouldn't I think of becoming an angel?
Only at that rank can one complete the qualitative leap of life-form, live a long life, stand above the host of souls, lead a great organisation, and grasp world-level power!
Thoughts flashed one after another. 'Hanged Man' Alger felt a tremor others could not detect, an excitement surging in his heart.
'Hermit' Cattleya, meanwhile, thought of the Mysterious Queen's movements over the past two months, sensing that her patron had spent a large part of that time in Backlund.
Is something really about to break out in Backlund? When I write next, I could try to ask Her Majesty about it and see what answer the Queen gives… Cattleya pushed up the heavy spectacles on the bridge of her nose and swept a glance over 'Justice' and the other Backlund-based members.
'Magician' Forsi knew certain details of the Caron suicide case — that the victim had acted of his own accord throughout, that no one had controlled him, and that the witnesses firmly believed Dawn Dantès was the cause. Contrasted with what really happened, this stirred in her a strong fear of the Psychological Alchemists' Councillor; she did not want one day to discover that her own thoughts and preferences had been planted there by someone else.
What difference is there between that and being a puppet? The high Sequences of the 'Spectator' Pathway are truly terrifying… Still, this is excellent material for fiction. In modern psychology, 'hypnosis' already exists… My next book will be about a sick-hearted heroine who falls in love with a gentleman and, by means of hypnosis, makes him love her in return — and at the end discovers that the gentleman is himself a master hypnotist… Forsi opened her mouth, closed it again, and asked nothing further about Hervin Lambis, since she didn't recognise that Royal Adviser at all.
Klein had shared the matter of Hervin Lambis mainly to warn Miss Justice, to make her watchful and on guard against this Councillor. Now that the goal was met, he turned and said:
"One more thing — keep an eye out for Cyunas Korg for me. He's the Vice-Director of Military Intelligence Section 9, with the rank of Major General. On the surface he is only Sequence 5; in reality he is already a demigod of the 'Black Emperor' Pathway, with quite strong inspiration and very sharp sensitivity to the gaze of others."
Cyunas Korg… 'Justice' Audrey repeated the name in her mind and found that she had no impression at all of this gentleman.