Chapter 153 - 153: A Child?

The next day. Morning. As the first rays of sunlight slipped through the gaps in the curtains, they landed squarely on Lilith's face. She immediately rolled over, using her forelegs to hug her head, and continued snoring peacefully. Atop her head sat a dainty little red flower—her reward for passing yesterday's assessment. Though she claimed she didn't like it, she still wore it with great delight the moment she received it. After finishing his morning routine, Edward took out a gold coin and flicked it lightly. "Today feels like a good day to visit the Vampire Castle." The coin landed in his palm, numbers facing up—indicating a no. Alright then. Besides, there was a Tarot Club meeting today anyway. "Meow~" Lilith had somehow woken up and was already leaning in with concern. "Edward?" "Did I wake you?" She rubbed her sleepy eyes with her paw and let out a big yawn. Last night, to celebrate winning her little red flower, she had gone out to catch mice all night and didn't return until nearly dawn. Edward strongly suspected that she hadn't been catching mice at all, but rather instigating another gang of small animals into a turf war. Just then, her paw brushed against the red flower on her head. She froze, as if trying to remember what it was. A moment later, the memories of last night returned, and she hurriedly adjusted the little flower, looking up at Edward. "Edward, Edward, quick, help me check—did my flower get crooked?" "Nope, it looks great!" "Hee hee~" The little one squinted happily in a smile. "Lilith is amazing! She passed the assessment without breaking a sweat and won a red flower. She's obviously the smartest cat around!" "Of course!" She lifted her chin proudly, and the red flower gleamed in the sunlight. "Even Susie doesn't know as many words as Lilith now. Lilith's caught up and even surpassed her. That's incredible!" "Exactly! Caught up and surpassed!" "So…" Edward revealed his fox tail. "That means the next test—twice as hard—will still be a breeze for Lilith, right?" "Of course! A breeze—huh?" She froze mid-sentence, slowly turning to him stiffly. "There's…there's another test?" "But of course," Edward replied calmly. "Yesterday was just the most basic test. Next week, the difficulty will increase. If Lilith can pass that as well...she'll truly be the smartest cat." "..." Lilith wavered. Edward pretended not to notice her inner struggle and gently patted her little head. Just then, Audrey's voice came from outside the coat closet, "Edward, open up~" Today, she was dressed in a simple pale blue dress and wore a small veil hat—a common outfit among the daughters of middle-class families in Backlund. Edward looked at her curiously. "What's got you so cheerful this early in the morning?" Audrey showed a hint of smug pride. "I successfully advanced to 'Psychiatrist' last night!" Edward was surprised. "You didn't even tell me beforehand. At least let me watch over when you take the potion!" "Relax~ Don't forget, I'm your senior in mysticism. I only took the potion after fully digesting the 'Telepathist' potion and confirming the 'Psychiatrist' potion formula was correct. Didn't you say yourself? The Spectator pathway is the least likely to lose control!" Well, truthfully, it's also the most easily prone to losing control. But based on the original story, Audrey didn't have much trouble. She went on, "The 'Psychiatrist' potion gave me five abilities right off the bat—Awe, Frenzy, Psychological Cue, Placate, and Telepathy. Plus, with my Dragonbone Wand, my combat power's gotten a real boost." "Impressive." Lilith strutted over and lifted her chin. "Audrey, Miss Lilith passed the test yesterday!" Audrey crouched in front of her. "What test?" "A literacy test! I even got a red flower!" She shook her head to display the little flower, then immediately asked, "Can Susie pass the test?" "Hm, I think…probably not." Lilith immediately struck a commanding pose. "Then Susie needs to work harder!" "I'll make sure she gets the message." Seeing Lilith still staring at her expectantly, Audrey suddenly caught on. "Ah! Lilith, you're amazing!" "Right?!" The little one instantly beamed with pride. "Edward." Audrey finally remembered why she came. "Madam Norma invited me to another salon tonight. I came up with an excuse to decline last time. If I say no again, it might seem a bit rude…" "Yeah, a little bit." Edward thought for a moment and pulled out his divination crystal. "Will Audrey face danger if she attends tonight's salon?" After repeating it seven times, the crystal began rotating counterclockwise. "From the results, it seems there's no danger. Hm…for now, it's likely you'll only come into contact with the outer circle of the Psychology Alchemists. At most, they're just Sequence 7 'Psychiatrist.' Since you're also a Psychiatrist now, it won't be a big deal. I'll go with you, just in case." Audrey hesitated. "But once we arrive, they always pick a private room for the meeting. Even the maids aren't allowed in. And also…your disguise as Annie is still kinda obvious." "….." Edward suddenly recalled that the last time he'd disguised himself as Annie to visit Viscount Glaint, he had been seen through by Trissy with just a single glance. And Trissy wasn't even a 'Spectator' pathway Beyonder. Let alone those who specialise in observation. "Well then." He shrugged. "Rejected again. Once I advance to Sequence 6, I'm definitely going to record a few Faceless' abilities—make sure nobody can see through me." Audrey gave his head a habitual pat. "Keep it up~ Oh, right! Tomorrow is the memorial exhibition for Emperor Roselle. Want to go check it out together?" Edward blinked in mild surprise. "That soon?" He remembered reading in the newspapers that it was still two weeks away. So that meant…tomorrow Klein would obtain the Black Emperor card? Or had Edward's appearance already nudged the course of events onto a different track? A faint smile tugged at the corners of his lips. "Sure. I've been wanting to see the glorious deeds of our dear 'earthling' for a while now." ——— Afternoon. At exactly 3 p.m. Backlund time, one crimson beam after another flared to life within the grand and ancient palace, outlining hazy silhouettes of various figures. Class representative Audrey, in her ever-cheerful voice, greeted them one by one: "Good afternoon, Mr. Fool. Good afternoon, Mr. Tower. Good afternoon, Mr. Hanged Man…" Klein nodded slightly. Through his Spirit Vision and the unique perspective afforded by the grey fog, he noticed something new about Miss Justice's astral body—it appeared that the surface of her Spirit Body had changed again. She had advanced to Sequence 7? At that moment, Audrey's greetings suddenly paused. She noticed an extra figure beside her—a new member? That height…could it be Miss Xio?! No, that wasn't right. Even Miss Xio isn't this short. Wasn't this new member just a bit too petite? The Hanged Man, Alger, also noticed the tiny figure nearby and couldn't help but feel puzzled. Little Sun, on the other hand, was astonished. He had already thought the people of the outside world were short enough—but now this? Could it be a goblin, one of the supposedly extinct ones? But the person most shocked of all was Edward. What stunned him wasn't the girl's height—but the fact that there was a new member at the Tarot Club who didn't exist in the original novel! He had long known the plot of the Mysteries world was gradually going off the rails…but the Tarot Club gaining a new, non-canon member? That, he truly hadn't expected. Noticing Edward's reaction, Klein smiled with satisfaction and began the introduction: "This is our new member of the Tarot Club—Miss Death…" Priscilla gleefully waved her tiny hand. "Hello, big brothers and sisters~!" Big brothers and sisters? Judging by her voice… This tiny figure—was a child? The Fool spoke with his usual calm, "As you can see, our new member is indeed quite young, but you should all understand—age means little among Beyonders." Alger was the first to adjust his mindset. If the Fool had brought her here, then she must have "His" reasons—just like when Miss Justice first arrived, she'd only been an ordinary person. If this child had no special qualities herself, then her identity must be what set her apart! Now calmer, Edward turned his thoughtful gaze toward "Miss Death." Her voice was clearly disguised, and her appearance obscured by the grey fog—but something about her still felt incredibly familiar. And in this world of Mysteries, there was only one little girl he felt that familiar with— Priscilla! The Corpse Collector pathway…and the card corresponding to it was the Death card. That basically confirmed it. Unbelievable! The little girl who used to live next door to him in Tingen, first turned out to be a descendant of Mr. Azik—and now she'd joined the Tarot Club?! This world really was full of wonders! Priscilla chimed in brightly, "Don't treat me like a child, you can all talk to me normally~" A brief silence followed. Then Alger, the Hanged Man, was the first to speak: "Honourable Mr. Fool, may I present to you the final page of the diary." Soon after, Klein manifested the diary and began reading silently. "January 14th. I've discovered something..." The first entry detailed Roselle the Great's speculations about the mutual attraction between Beyonder characteristics. It immediately brought to Klein's mind several strange events that had happened around him, prompting him to wonder whether some of his experiences were due to the mystical grey fog above. Unfortunately, there was not enough evidence to draw any real conclusions. Klein quickly reined in his thoughts and moved on to the next entry: "January 16th. The taste of a demoness...ain't bad." Klein: "???" Oh, really now. The great Emperor Roselle... So you've even dabbled in "riding the bull," huh? Absolutely no shame at all! ——— [Note]: No Extra Chapter~ I feel bad, but rules are rules. If you guys want one tomorrow, we'd need to hit 730 Powestones. Go, VOTE! And if you are like me and want to read 40 Chapters in advance of the current story right now, you can support me on my Patreon. You'll thank me later~ Link - (P)atre(o)n.c(o)m/ Iseeblack [Remove the brackets]