Although Raphael's words earlier seemed utterly mad, he was well aware that official Beyonders followed a complete set of procedures when dealing with cases. By the time they mobilized a Demigod, his carriage would have long since disappeared into the East Borough...
Raphael discovered that the 'Prisoner' and 'Criminal' Pathways actually complemented each other remarkably well.
When he first advanced to 'Lunatic', he had felt an uncontrollable urge towards some truly insane ideas, often acting without much consideration.
But ever since he drank the 'Criminal' potion, his back no longer ached and his legs no longer felt weak. He could climb five flights of stairs in one breath and even toss a brick from the fifth floor to assault rival gang members.
Most importantly, Raphael possessed the calmness befitting a criminal, though in terms of emotions and speech, he would still occasionally display madness...
...
Inside the carriage, the kidnapper, Raphael, appeared relaxed, appearing to have everything under control.
The kidnappee, Audrey, was also quite at ease, showing no awareness of being a captive.
In this relaxed yet peculiar atmosphere, the carriage traversed two blocks. At this point, Raphael peeled off the fake mustache glued to his upper lip, then wiped away the freckles on his cheeks with a handkerchief, revealing smooth, wheat-colored skin.
When he removed his hat, Audrey saw a young, handsome face; a particularly striking pair of eyes, and the corners of his mouth habitually curved upward into a roguish, mischievous smile.
Accustomed to the stern faces of proper gentlemen, Audrey found this expression quite unique, yet she couldn't find the right word to describe it.
If Raphael, sitting opposite her, were to describe it, he had a rather precise term: roguishly handsome.
Raphael took off his coat and pulled out an overcoat from under the carriage seat, changing into it.
At this moment, the carriage stopped, and he tossed Audrey a cloth bag, saying, "Change into the clothes inside. Hmm... you have two minutes. If you're not finished by then, I'll come up and help you change."
Raphael stood up and added, "Don't even think about playing tricks. Since you know so much about mysticism, you should be aware of the concept of Spirit World creatures. Incidentally, I happen to possess such a creature, goes by 'Miss Susie', and I'll have her keep an eye on you for me."
With that, he pushed open the carriage door and got out, giving her room to change. Then he headed to a secluded alley.
Audrey smiled to herself, thinking: 'You probably don't know, but Susie was sent by me...'
The golden retriever, Susie, who was maintaining a state of Psychological Invisibility, was momentarily stunned: 'When did I become a Spirit World creature? He even made it sound as if he summoned me here!'
...
In the quiet alley, Carter, Raphael's subordinate, also changed clothes. He tore off his hood and glued-on mustache, then grinned mischievously, saying, "Boss, aren't you going to watch that beautiful noble lady change?"
Raphael lit a cigarette, took a puff, and said, "She won't 'finish' changing for a while. I don't have the time waste through all that."
Carter smiled cheekily, giving him a knowing look, "Right, right~"
After changing, they immediately left the street. After walking for a while, they boarded a genuine rental carriage...
...
At this moment, Audrey suddenly felt her Spirit Body being elevated... a sensation she only experienced when entering the Tarot Club's gathering place, that mysterious space above the Gray Fog.
With Susie guarding her, Audrey wasn't worried about her safety. So she pretended to rest with her eyes closed while her Astral Projection had already entered the Tarot Club's meeting place.
...
~Sefirah Castle~
Within the magnificent palace hall with towering stone pillars... 'The World' (Gerhman Sparrow) had convened an impromptu gathering. Having ensured 'Justice' wouldn't be detected, he had pulled her here to hear her account of the entire encounter with Raphael.
Other members of the Tarot Club also participated in this impromptu meeting.
Mr. World first explained the purpose of the gathering, then asked Miss Justice to describe her observation of Raphael.
Upon hearing Mr. World and Miss Justice describe the task assigned by 'The Fool', everyone sensed the importance Mr. Fool placed on this matter.
The reason why Klein attached such importance to this matter is because; three months ago, this space above the Gray Fog had been awakened by a force other than himself and had projected its power into the material world.
For Klein, the space above the Gray Fog was his greatest reliance in this mystical world... So naturally, he needed to investigate what had happened.
The power projected by the space above the Gray Fog was something even Klein couldn't immediately locate, which worried him further.
Through continuous investigation and divination, he finally traced that previously projected power, pinpointing it to have landed on this person named Raphael.
This young man's Fate and memories seemed to have been... 'Fooled'. It took Klein a long time to come up with such a word to describe the phenomenon.
Just as he was contemplating how to approach Raphael, he learned of the young man's plan to kidnap Audrey. So, after confirming that Raphael posed no real danger, Klein decided to play it safe and let Audrey observe him first.
Now, using his identity as The World, he convened this impromptu gathering to hear everyone's thoughts on this Raphael.
Recently, Tarot Club members had jointly punished a vampire who provided false intelligence. So they already have experience conducting a joint operation in the material world whereby they had held several impromptu gatherings to discuss specific plans.
Mr. World's approach clearly continued that pattern.
After hearing Miss Justice's account, 'Judgment' (Xio Derecha) remarked, "What a true lunatic! Kidnapping the daughter of a powerful noble just to digest a potion!"
'The Hanged Man' (Alger Wilson), however, said, "I'm more curious about how he knows the Acting Method."
He paused for a moment, then said, "Neither the Churches nor secret organizations widely disseminate the Acting Method to peripheral members. And this Raphael doesn't seem like a core member of any organization. If a secret organization in Backlund were to kidnap Earl Hall's daughter, they would at least send one or two Sequence 6 Beyonders to be safe. They wouldn't let a Sequence 8 do this job..."
At this point, Alger suddenly trailed off, recalling that during his first Tarot Club meeting, he learned of the Acting Method from Mr. Fool.
'My life has changed dramatically since then...' he mused.
At this point, 'The Hermit' (Cattleya) said, "That might be precisely what makes him special. Otherwise, why would Mr. Fool take notice of him?" She then turned to Miss Justice and asked, "Can you describe the task issued by Mr. Fool in more detail?"
Audrey, nodded, "I can."
'Mr. World, who had also received a similar task, has already outlined the gist. Moreover, Mr. Fool's consent to this impromptu gathering means this isn't classified information...' Audrey reasoned.
After the momentary pause, she explained, "Mr. Fool said He foresaw a special Lunatic who would come into contact with me. He instructed me to observe the other party's actions and attempt to establish contact. Mr. Fool also said He had already 'Fooled' Raphael. Therefore, Raphael is missing many important memories and pieces of information, but I should still pay attention to whether his words and actions exhibit any peculiarities."
At the lower end of the long bronze table, Mr. World appeared to be listening quietly to Miss Justice's description, but inwardly he thought: 'Actually, it was the space above the Gray Fog that 'Fooled' him, not The Fool...'
After hearing Miss Justice's description of the task, Alger and Cattleya both looked towards Mr. World, hoping this Blessed of Mr. Fool might provide other clues.
The World spoke in a low, hoarse voice, "I performed two divinations on Raphael's background and obtained two completely different results. The first divination showed me the 'Devil' card. The second divination showed me the 'Temperance' card."
Cattleya, a Sequence 4 'Mysticologist', said, "Divination sometimes only reveals the symbolic meaning of something." She attempted to interpret, "Combining these two symbolic meanings might suggest that while some of Raphael's actions may seem evil, he possesses internal boundaries and understands restraint."