Additional Chapter! Thank kingoftheworld, Me, isaiah_man123, Thaddeus_090, Aethergrey314, and Nath_Lan for this additional chapter.
Enjoy!
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Evah handed the badge to Reinette Tinekerr, watching as she took it in her mouth. He explained, "This is the Trickster Club's emblem. When the club plans a gathering, the badge will glow. If you're ready to attend, just infuse it with spirituality, and it'll transport you to the meeting place."
He was telling the truth. Thanks to Mr. Door's tireless efforts, while the otherworldly space wasn't fully built yet, the badge's functions were already in place. For now, it couldn't send people to the otherworldly space, only to a fixed location.
Once Mr. Door completed the space, redirecting the badge's coordinates to it would be simple. Mr. Door had created a master control device—essentially the badge's core—with the distributed badges acting as extensions.
This was why Evah felt confident giving the badge to Reinette Tinekerr now.
"I understand…" "I will attend…" "the gatherings."
Reinette Tinekerr's three free heads spoke in turn.
Evah nodded, then turned to the past Bound God, Torznar, with a smile. "Until next time, Mr. Torznar."
He dismissed the Shadow of Time, bid farewell to Reinette Tinekerr, and used his Travel ability to arrive at the Aurora Order's Backlund outpost.
Mr. A, who'd been notified in advance, was already waiting.
"Your Excellency, here's what you requested," Mr. A said, handing Evah an iron suitcase.
"Thank you," Evah replied politely. He then pulled out a Trickster Club badge and handed it to Mr. A. "This is the Trickster Club's emblem. When it glows, infuse it with spirituality, and it'll take you to the corresponding gathering."
"Yes, Your Excellency," Mr. A said, accepting the badge without question and tucking it away carefully.
Evah, as if struck by a thought, said casually, "Admiral of Hurricanes Qilangos has arrived in Backlund. I want to know his whereabouts."
"Yes, Your Excellency," Mr. A replied respectfully.
...
While Evah did have half a mind to rope in Roselle, that wasn't urgent, so he set it aside for now, focusing instead on his immediate plans.
Meanwhile, after the Tarot Club meeting and a few more preparations, Klein was finally ready to submit a special application to Dunn for promotion to Sequence 8 Clown.
The Nighthawk headquarters responded quickly. Their reply covered not only Klein's Sequence 8 promotion but also Old Neil's situation and the official stance on the mysterious "Mr. Luciferiel."
In Dunn's office, Klein, Old Neil, and Leonard—who'd been taking turns monitoring Old Neil alongside Dunn—gathered. Dunn held the headquarters' response.
Dunn first addressed Old Neil, the issue weighing heaviest on everyone's minds. With a serious expression, he said, "Old Neil, headquarters has issued a reprimand for your actions…"
Old Neil gave a wry smile, unsurprised.
Klein and Leonard tensed, their hearts sinking.
Dunn recited the reprimand methodically, then suddenly smiled. "But for your situation, headquarters is sending someone to handle it. Don't worry—they're not here to eliminate you. It seems headquarters has a ritual that can improve your condition."
Old Neil blinked, then broke into a grin.
Klein and Leonard let out sighs of relief.
Dunn turned to Klein. "Klein, headquarters has approved your special application. Pass the evaluation from the team they're sending, and you can advance to Sequence 8."
Klein couldn't help but smile. He was finally moving up to Sequence 8.
With two pressing concerns resolved, Klein felt a weight lift. Looking at Dunn, he asked proactively, "Captain, what did headquarters say about Mr. Luciferiel?"
Though Klein knew the mysterious Luciferiel was Jack's teacher, Lucifer, he was curious about the official view of this suspected high-Sequence Beyonder.
Dunn glanced at the fax, a flicker of confusion crossing his face, but he answered, "Headquarters' stance is [leave Him be]. It seems… the Goddess issued an oracle."
Klein's eyes widened. Beside him, Leonard blurted out, incredulous, "Him? An Angel?"
"I don't know. Headquarters didn't elaborate on Mr. Luciferiel's identity, but since the Goddess issued an oracle, it means he's likely an ally, even if not part of the Church," Dunn said, shaking his head before smiling. "In that sense, Old Neil, you got lucky. You might've met a friendly Angel."
"My luck does seem pretty good, though that Angel, well…" Old Neil trailed off, likely out of caution.
But everyone present, familiar with that day's events, knew what he left unsaid—Lucifer's personality was, frankly, a bit rotten.
"At least He did help you," Dunn said, at a loss for better words.
They chatted a bit more before dispersing. Leonard, no longer on duty to monitor Old Neil, caught up with Klein, griping, "Can you believe you guys met an Angel? Come on, Klein, tell me more about Mr. Luciferiel from that day. I'm dying to know—what's an Angel like compared to regular people?"
Klein glanced at him. This wasn't the first time Leonard had asked. While the curiosity seemed normal given the circumstances, Klein had a gut feeling Leonard wasn't just intrigued by Luciferiel. It felt like he was probing, trying to confirm something.
Did Leonard know Lucifer?
Klein mulled it over, then threw out casually, "Leonard, do you know Mr. Luciferiel?"
"Huh?" Leonard froze, a flash of panic crossing his face before he regained his cool. "Why would you think that? I'm just curious. Aren't you curious about an Angel?"
"Of course I am," Klein said, as if buying the excuse, but inwardly he was certain of his hunch.
Leonard definitely knew Lucifer, or at least knew of his existence.
What are the odds… Oh well, I'm now used to it.
(End of Chapter)