Evil Gods Don’t Save People

"Mr. Fool, about what you commissioned before. I contacted other nobles and cued them to invest in us…"

Miss Justice cheerfully reported on the advancement of their charity, Mr. Star occasionally chiming in to add something.

"Thanks to that, we managed to greatly decrease the number of tramps in the streets of Backlund."

As Audrey concluded her report, the Fool nodded. His Tarot Club members were very efficient.

Mr. Star spoke up next. Having nearly finished digesting his Sequence 6 potion, he requested some Tarot Club members' help for his advancement ritual. They each agreed to make preparations on their side and meet one month later.

The gray fog then fell into silence, everyone plunged in their own thoughts.

At that moment, another Tarot Club member spoke up, slightly hesitant.

"Mr. Fool, my teacher has answered. He has agreed to meet."

The others' attention turned toward her, wondering who her teacher was and making up hypotheses.

As she said this, Miss Magician stared at the Fool.

'However, who will the Fool send?' She thought.

Feeling like she knew the answer, Fors felt a bit uneasy.

Mr. Fool nodded.

"I see."

***

…And things unfolded exactly as she had expected.

Fors glanced at the god behind her before knocking of the hotel room's door in a specific pattern.

After a few seconds, Dorian Gray opened the door and habitually looked behind Fors, his gaze crossing Zhou Mingrui's.

"…"

For an unknown reason, goosebumps appeared on Fors's arms.

Dorian paused for a moment then confirmed that no one was looking in their direction before making way for the two to pass.

A tense atmosphere surrounded the three, none of them speaking up first.

Unable to bear the pressure, Fors, who arranged this meeting, cleared her throat first and broke the silence.

"Teacher. This is the one who wanted to speak to you."

Fortunately, she hadn't referred to the Fool as a god in her letter and only spoke about 'an acquaintance knowing how to solve the Abraham family's problems'.

Now how should she introduce Him? Zhou Mingrui? Gehrman Sparrow?

"…"

"…"

Finally, Dorian Gray Abraham sighed. He found a seat and sat down before pointing to the sofa opposite him.

"Have a seat."

Fors cautiously lifted the ends of her skirt slightly, sat down, and greeted, "Good morning, Teacher."

As expected, the man who also sat next to her didn't do so.

Fortunately for Fors, her teacher didn't take offense in this but instead addressed Zhou Mingrui.

"My student told me you knew of a way to lift the Abraham family's curse?"

Zhou Mingrui, who had reviewed what to say in such a situation during a Full Moon night when they had nothing to do, took out the memo the Fool and Miss Magician had written to fool Fors's teacher, and showed it to Dorian Gray Abraham—though, it's not like He really needed it, it's Fors who bribed Him to use a memo for this occasion.

Fors, watching this, sat there, keeping a straight face and making her presence as small as possible.

'That's not how you… Well, I guess it's still alright.'

She resigned herself to her fate.

Dorian, disconcerted by the young man's strange actions, looked at the memo with bewilderment. However, thanks to his student's warning about the person he would meet having a 'special' personality and to 'excuse any mistakes that person might make as they aren't aware of social cues' in her most recent letter, he began to understand what she meant.

The Fool, who had stolen Dorian Gray's thoughts, pretended He hadn't heard anything.

'1: (Say hello.) Talk about Bethel Abraham's state/ravings.

2: (Don't say too much information or else you'll scare away my teacher.) Introduce the way to help the Abraham family (and the price).

3: I'll take care of the rest.'

Dorian Gray lifted his head from the paper, looking toward the young man who was looking at another paper in his hands (more detailed memo number 1).

Then, Zhou Mingrui stared back at him and followed the first command on the paper, "…Hello."

Dorian Gray tried hard to maintain his composure.

'Not now, it should've been when you entered!' Fors repressed the urge to facepalm.

Zhou Mingrui answered with His gaze that she was the one who had insisted a lot on greetings.

Clearing his throat, Dorian Gray ignored the young man's strange manners and inquired, "Do you mean that our ancestor has something to do with the ravings plaguing the Abraham family?"

The Fool nodded and gave the most concise explanation He could.

"When going to the Moon, Bethel Abraham was corrupted by the cosmos and fell into madness. These ravings are His cry for help but causes those who hear it to lose control due to the difference in status."

Dorian Gray took a while to digest the information.

"…And you have a way to solve it?"

The Fool nodded again.

"Actually, there are two ways. The first one is to kill Bethel Abraham to completely eliminate the ravings."

Dorian Gray's mood subsided, as if he were splashed with cold water. As expected, if even his family hadn't found a way until now, there was no way it was this easy.

"…And the second?"

The Fool declared, "Ask for shelter from an existence with a status equal or superior to Bethel Abraham."

As for phase 3, explaining that his student actually believed in an evil god and inducing the family to recite His honorific name, it wasn't His role. Fors had asked to tell her teacher the truth herself.

Dorian Gray leaned back into his seat, tired.

"If the Orthodox Deities had answered our prayers, our family wouldn't be in the state it is now."

When he thought he had found hope, it turned out to be impossible.

It was at that moment that his student hesitantly spoke up, "Actually, Teacher, there's something I have to say."

Clenching her clothes, she summoned her courage and continued, "…I'm sorry that I hid it before, but I'm also affected by the Full Moon ravings."

She explained how using an artifact related to the Abraham family made her nearly lose control every Full Moon night, then—as agreed in advance with the god—disclosed that she had overcome it by reciting an unknown existence's honorific name who gave her shelter, and concluded that the existence in question was willing to help them as well.

Finally, she nervously bowed, "I'm really sorry to have deceived you, Teacher."

Dorian Gray Abraham fell silent for a long time, making Fors grow increasingly uneasy.

After an unknown amount of time, he then turned toward the young man.

"And what is the price?"

Zhou Mingrui replied, "Faith."

"…I see."

Maybe such an answer wasn't that surprising.

Zhou Mingrui then handed him another paper with His honorific name written on it.

Dorian Gray Abraham looked down at it before grabbing it.

The Fool, huh?

He hadn't heard about this existence before.

"I will need to discuss it with others."

What each individual decided would be their own choice.

Would they be willing to follow an evil god to escape from those ravings or would they resign themselves to their fate and continue to search for another way?