Chapter 988: Joint Operation

Emlyn couldn't help but clasp his hands together, lift up his chin, and

say to Miss Magician diagonally opposite him, "I've already confirmed

that the ancient abandoned castle in Delaire Forest is an internal test

that the Sanguine had given me, having hidden the key situation."

With that said, he felt as though a weight had been lifted off his

chest. He no longer felt as hesitant, embarrassed due to the difficult

situation he was in.

He surveyed the area and looked for Ma'am Hermit's and Mr. Hanged Man's

reaction. He realized that they appeared to have expected it, showing no

signs of surprise.

*From the looks of it, they had already an idea when Miss Magician

mentioned the problem with the intel...* Emlyn nodded his head

in secret and added before Miss Magician replied, "I'm very sorry. I

will refund you the 300 pounds for the intel fee. In addition, I'll pay

you another 300 pounds. Also, I will punish the Sanguine who

deliberately omitted information."

*Although Mr. Moon always wears a proud demeanor, he's rather sincere

when a mistake has been made. He didn't find an excuse to push the blame

onto... However, I've already obtained the ancient wraith's cursed item

and remnant spirituality, so the matter is already over. He didn't

deliberately wish to cause harm to me and Xio. There's no need for me to

get so much compensation...* Fors remembered Xio's exhortations.

Without looking at her, she said, "It's only a matter of oversight.

There's no need for compensation. Just refunding me for the intel fee is

sufficient."

Just as she said that, she suddenly thought of something. *Since the

ancient abandoned castle was a test of the Sanguine, didn't that mean

that Xio and herself had been targeted by the Sanguine?*

Fors finally couldn't hold back as she turned to glance at Xio. She

found Miss Judgment shaking her head slightly, indicating that she

hadn't discovered anyone monitoring them.

This... Fors felt puzzled and found it inexplicable.

She then allowed her thoughts to wander as she recalled the situation

back then.

*We did the exploration only after quite a while. The Sanguine had

already lost their patience by then?*

*The boss of the town's inn knew of the ancient abandoned castle. He was

a Sanguine in disguise? That's not right. Many of the locals knew of

this matter. However, that place was too far away and there wasn't

anything of value left inside. That's why, unless one was out hunting,

people usually wouldn't head in that direction...*

*That's not right. If the ancient abandoned castle were that dangerous,

why are the people who use it for shelter from the rain completely fine?

They only describe it as creepy and a little scary? Yes, the Sanguine

would usually seal off the passage that heads underground. They opened

it for the test? This means that there was some form of

monitoring...*

*Uh, because the ancient castle is too dangerous, the monitoring was

done outside the forest and not inside? As Xio and I got lost, we

circled around the monitors and weren't detected?*

*Mr. Fool didn't mention anything about it. It's probably not a huge

problem... More attention needs to be taken when I return!*

As Fors's thoughts raced, Emlyn said after some pondering, "...Okay."

He didn't insist on additional compensation, because he believed that

the best form of compensation was to punish Ernes Boyar instead of

giving money.

Then, he waited for Miss Magician to ask about the punishment, hoping

that he could take the opportunity to make an inquiry to the other Tarot

Club members. He wanted to see if he could get any good suggestions.

As for Fors, upon considering that it was an internal matter for the

Sanguine and that although she was a victim, Mr. Moon hadn't offered a

plan for action, she decided not to press further in consideration for

his feelings. Instead, she decided to wait for the conclusion to see if

it was satisfactory.

The palace that looked like a giant's residence turned silent as the

mood turned odd.

Audrey looked opposite her and glanced to the side. Pursing her lips,

she "curiously" asked, "Mr. Moon, how do you plan on punishing that

Sanguine?"

Phew... Emlyn silently exhaled as he subconsciously looked at

The World.

"He did so because of orders from the higher-ups. I believe that this

mistake isn't something that deserves payment with his life."

In between the lines, Emlyn was implying that Mr. World didn't need to

intervene in this matter. There was no need to escalate the matter.

Seeing The World having no objections, Emlyn cast his gaze forward.

"I plan on leading that Sanguine to a particular cathedral of the Church

of Earth Mother in Backlund."

Having participated in so many Tarot Gatherings, even if he couldn't be

concerned about certain details, he knew the requirement of hiding

matters regarding himself in the real world. Therefore, he didn't

mention the Harvest Church.

*The Church of Earth Mother only has one cathedral in all of Backlund.

That's the Harvest Church! The rest are all in the outskirts and

surroundings villages...* Leonard held back his laughter as he

looked up at the dome above.

"You wish to have the Beyonders of the Church of Earth Mother purify

that Sanguine?" Fors blurted out in surprise.

From her point of view, this was no different from directly killing the

person in question!

"Uh..." Emlyn was momentarily at a loss for words.

At that moment, Cattleya interrupted:

"The Church of Earth Mother has the habit of inducting the Sanguine into

the church, converting their faith and making them priests or bishops."

I see... With thoughts in mind, Audrey glanced at Mr. Moon

without letting him notice it.

*Getting that Sanguine to become a member of the clergyman, to pray

daily at the cathedral and do voluntary work, so as to cleanse the

heart. He would be stuck doing this for a very long period of time...

Mr. Moon's plan for punishment is really vicious... However, I like it!

That fellow nearly made me and Xio turn into ancient wraiths due to the

corruptive powers behind the door...* Fors instantly felt her

interest piqued as she asked, "Mr. Moon, how do you plan on luring the

Sanguine into the cathedral of Earth Mother? Have you worked out a plan?

Perhaps I can provide some help. Uh, you have to be careful. You mustn't

enter the cathedral of Earth Mother in order to punish him. Th-that way,

the only thing you can do is to request Mr. Fool for help."

*Of course, that might be something Mr. Fool wishes to happen, allowing

"Him" to have someone on the inside of the Church of Earth

Mother...* After saying that, Fors silently added.

Upon hearing that, Leonard nearly laughed out. He was extremely certain

that Mr. Moon was the Harvest Church's Emlyn White. Clearly, this

Sanguine was already a priest of Earth Mother!

*This is slightly akin to a drowning person pulling others

in...* Leonard held back his laughter, glanced at The World, and

he found that his former colleague didn't seem perturbed. He appeared

extremely somber.

He couldn't help but think, *Is this the power of a Clown, or is it a

state that Klein is accustomed to?*

At the end of the long mottled table, The Fool Klein nearly covered his

mouth.

He never expected Emlyn to be so creative!

*This was a little like multi-level marketing, yet it's a little

different. After all, it's not necessarily a good thing for Emlyn to

know of that...* Klein leaned back into his chair as he awaited

the development with piqued interest.

He had always kept in mind Miss Justice's advice during his last

treatment session about not always wearing a thick mask. He tried his

best to do so when opportunities arose so as to maintain a healthy

mental state.

Upon hearing Miss Magician's words of concern, Emlyn felt even more

awkward because he went to the cathedral of Earth Mother several times a

day on a daily basis. He felt uncomfortable even if he skipped the

weekends.

He cleared his throat and said, "I temporarily do not have a thought-out

plan. I wish to get some suggestions from all of you. Yes, I hope that

we do not have too intense a battle. It's difficult to ensure that the

matter doesn't escalate, and I also do not wish for my identity to be

directly exposed.

"Miss Magician, there are no problems regarding your participation, but

we will absolutely not be meeting each other."

His idea of not directly exposing his identity meant that he didn't mind

that Ernes Boyar and the other Sanguine could guess that he did it. It

was a way to instill shock and awe in them, but it was best that there

wasn't any obvious evidence.

Fors tersely answered as she mimicked the other experienced members of

the Tarot Club.

"First, you need to tell us what Sequence that Sanguine is roughly at

and what he's good at."

Emlyn was already prepared as he answered, "It's equivalent to Sequence

5. He's quite experienced and is good at creating the effects of the

full moon..."

Effects of the full moon? Fors was taken aback as she turned

agape but was unable to say a word.

After Emlyn finished the introduction, Fors said with a hollow chuckle,

"I recall that I have other matters to tend to. It might not be

convenient for me to participate in this matter."

When in a state similar to the full moon, she would hear Mr. Door's

ravings!

And this meant that she would instantly be heavily injured by the

target, losing all her combat strength!

Emlyn frowned slightly, displeased with Miss Magician's sudden change in

attitude.

At this moment, Xio, who had been listening silently, said, "I can

participate. I just need a portion of the spoils."

*Miss Judgment's tone is very firm. It's like she wants to exact

vengeance...* Emlyn mumbled silently to himself and glanced at

Ma'am Hermit and Mr. Hanged Man, only to discover that they temporarily

had no intention of speaking. It appeared as though they wished to

observe what kind of plan the Backlund members of the Tarot Club could

come up with.

As this involved her friends and how it could be the first mission that

the Tarot Club members would participate in at the same time, Audrey was

rather intrigued. After some observation, she said in deliberation, "I

can hypnotize that Sanguine, allowing him to enter the cathedral of

Earth Mother himself.

"However, to not expose ourselves and to ensure a high chance of

success, it's best that he's in a lost or half-dazed state while I

hypnotize him. Mr. Moon, can you do that?"

Emlyn was summarizing his powers and items to consider a solution when

Leonard suddenly laughed.

"That's simple, but I'll only be responsible for making that Sanguine

unconscious.

"Of course, the premise is that there's sufficient intel, and it depends

on how we go about taking action."

Just as he said that, Xio nodded and said, "I'm good at tracking and

investigation. You can leave intel matters to me.

"Alright. First, Mr. Moon will have to inform me of that Sanguine's

name, address, and appearance."

"Alright." Emlyn heaved a sigh of relief before saying in a somewhat

lost manner, "Then what's my part in all of this? Also, what kind of

payment do you want?"