Capítulo 222: Chapter 222 : Do Not Look Directly at God
Leonard, left outside the door, felt utterly shocked.
Alice's words seemed like a revelation—no, they were practically a declaration, hinting at something significant.
For a brief moment, Leonard considered rushing back to Tingen City to dig up the grave of another "protagonist of this era" he once knew, just to see if it was empty.
Yet, as is often the case with humans, what should have been an unexpected thrill filled him with fear instead.
Why had his former colleague faked his death?
Driven by a mix of curiosity and dread, Leonard couldn't help but question if the truth was something he truly wanted to know.
...
Alice decided that she would not visit the Goddess' church until she went to Bayam—she sensed the Goddess probably didn't want to see her either.
Time passed quietly as Alice worked on her manuscripts, and soon it was 3 p.m. without her even realizing it.
Crimson light surged like a tidal wave, submerging the world before her. Alice instinctively closed her eyes and reopened them only once the light faded.
The first to notice the new member was Forsi, the "Magician," seated beside Cattleya, the "Hermit." She quickly registered the additional presence beside her and turned her body nonchalantly.
Next to notice was Audrey, "Justice," who had just risen to greet the new arrival. As she did, a curious thought popped into her mind:
It seemed that Mr. Fool had arranged for females to sit on one side and males on the other. Yet, as a deity, Mr. Fool surely wouldn't be bound by gender… or, wait.
Audrey glanced toward "The World" and Alice, her confusion deepening. By that logic, could it mean that Mr. Fool did not consider "The World" to have a gender, or even to be human, while "Miss Fate" was a female…
Well, "Miss Fate" did somewhat make sense, but did that mean that "The World"… No, Audrey, stop overthinking!
Suppressing her wandering thoughts, Audrey stood and cheerily greeted:
"Good afternoon, Mr. Fool~"
Klein gave a slight nod in response, and Audrey then turned to Alger, the "Hanged Man":
"Good afternoon, Mr. Hanged Man~"
After Alger returned the greeting, Audrey turned to Alice:
"Good afternoon, Miss Fate~"
Alice tilted her head, finally noticing something amiss—Audrey had not greeted in the order of the Tarot sequence but by the order of joining!
If she had followed the order, after the Fool it should have been the Magician.
Realizing this, Alice smiled and gave a small wave to acknowledge the greeting, then secretly laughed at Mr. Fool's loss of control over the sequence.
With Audrey's greeting, Cattleya and the other old members of the Tarot Club also began their usual process of observing one another.
An indistinct purple light shimmered in Cattleya's eyes, her gaze naturally drifting to Alice, who intrigued her the most.
At their last meeting, Cattleya hadn't dared to glimpse into "Miss Fate," possibly the Fool's kin, but this time, she sensed that "Miss Fate" wasn't being revered as a deity. She felt emboldened.
Unlike last time, when "Miss Fate" had appeared in nightwear, she now wore something incredibly strange—a clothing style Cattleya had never heard of, almost as if a sack were draped over her.
Suddenly, Alice seemed to sense Cattleya's gaze and turned to look at her. In that instant, Cattleya glimpsed a fleeting light.
...Light?
Frowning slightly, Cattleya's gaze lingered on Alice as the purple in her eyes deepened until...she saw the light again.
It appeared to surround her, encase her, or perhaps even emanate from within her. Cattleya couldn't discern its origin, only that the light moved toward her, gradually growing brighter and ultimately consuming her.
An overwhelming torrent of information flooded her mind, beyond her ability to decipher, fragments entangling and forcing their way into her consciousness, leaving her in throbbing pain.
"Ah!" she gasped, her face pale as she slumped back in her chair, vision clouded by dazzling afterimages.
Amidst the blurred, violently shifting images, a shadow came closer, and as it did, Cattleya barely made out a figure. The shadow spoke in a familiar voice:
"What did you see… in me?"
As the girl's shadow approached, Cattleya felt a strange absolution, the blinding light disappearing, her vision slowly recovering, and the chaotic thoughts in her mind fading away.
As her sight returned, she discerned a face with clear, blue eyes. The girl spoke again:
"What did you see… in me?"
Cattleya opened her mouth, but no words came, her mind echoing a single phrase:
*One must never gaze upon a god!*
Alice noticed the flash of fear in her eyes and became even more curious, frowning as she asked the question that had long troubled her:
"What exactly did you see in me?"
"...Light," Cattleya replied hoarsely. "I saw light… within you."
"Light…" Alice murmured softly. She recalled the waves of light that had once consumed her and suddenly felt a sense of inevitability.
Alice offered no comment on the answer, letting her gaze pass from Cattleya as she nonchalantly returned to her seat.
Cattleya, feeling some strength return, noticed the unusually silent atmosphere in the Tarot meeting. She kept her head low, not daring to speak.
It was only when Alice slumped comfortably in her chair that Klein chuckled, looking toward the group below and saying:
"Since she has no objections, let's leave it at that."
The tense atmosphere relaxed as the members shifted and silently contemplated the event's implications.
Although Mr. Fool had continued to use "she" to refer to Alice, there wasn't a single person here who still regarded Alice as "she."
Only Cattleya stood up, bowing slightly in Alice's direction:
"My apologies. My Eye of Mystery Prying is an instinct; it can only be strengthened, not suppressed, and must be sealed with a mystical artifact…"
Alice turned, propping her chin up, and replied:
"As a matter of fact, I only just realized your Eye of Mystery Prying could sense anything unusual from me…"
—
"Hey everyone! I'm back—sorry for the delay. Most of the chapters had some issues, so I had to delete them. I've also created a Patreon, but I won't be posting any chapters of this novel there. However, if you'd like to support me, you can still do so on Patreon. If you can't, no worries! Please consider subscribing to my YouTube channel, *Novel's Wonderland*."
Status de energia semanal
-- Ranking de
Poder 
-- Pedra de
Poder