Chapter 419: Fors: It's Great to Be Miss Audrey's Dog

Chapter 419: Fors: It's Great to Be Miss Audrey's Dog

After Klein finished reading Roselle's diary entry for this Tarot gathering, the Tarot Club members naturally steered the conversation towards recent events in Backlund.

"Was the meteor shower in Backlund truly divine punishment?" As The Hanged Man Alger raised this question, the Tarot Club members instinctively looked towards Audrey and Fors.

In previous conversations, it was established that three Tarot Club members currently resided in Backlund: the unreliable Mr. Moon, Miss Magician who had been aggressively asserting her presence lately, and Miss Justice, widely acknowledged as a Loen noble.

Oh no, I wasn't in Backlund this time and have no idea what happened there, Audrey thought to herself. She deliberately glanced at Miss Magician, naturally diverting everyone's attention.

She already knew Miss Magician's true identity was Ms. Fors, thanks to her clever and reliable Susie.

When the Tarot gathering was about to begin, Ms. Fors suddenly said she needed to take a nap, which immediately aroused suspicion in Audrey, who had prepared a similar excuse.

While pretending to be unconcerned, she sent her most capable assistant, Detective Susie, to investigate. Susie quickly uncovered Fors' hidden secret.

Miss Magician was Ms. Fors!

"..."

Fors, now the focus of all Tarot Club members, displayed a panicked expression. She hadn't been in Backlund either, having accompanied Miss Audrey to South Weil County. She knew little about the events in Backlund, only what Xio had told her, but she wouldn't reveal that she wasn't in Backlund.

She had a peculiar feeling that Miss Justice, who also lived in Backlund, might recognize her.

"This is retribution that the Augustus family brought upon themselves," Fors said, repeating Xio's words. She agreed it was fitting, as the Augustus family was certainly no good.

Alger murmured, "Retribution? Punishment from which deity? The Storm Lord?"

He also believed the meteor shower might have been caused by a powerful Beyonder of the Storm pathway, as some church insiders thought similarly.

King George II's recent frequent actions had displeased the Storm Church's upper echelons.

"Ahem," As everyone fell into a brief silence, the usually frivolous Mr. Moon, Emlyn, pretended to clear his throat nonchalantly.

When all eyes turned to him, he tried his best to appear mature and calm, saying gravely, "This is punishment from the stars!"

"Punishment from the stars?" Fors was the most surprised. As a Spectator, she was unaware of this, yet the typically unserious Mr. Moon knew about it first.

What a failure of a Spectator I am, she thought, feeling ashamed.

Audrey observed this reaction.

"Are you certain?" Alger asked skeptically.

"Of course," Emlyn replied haughtily. But upon noticing Mr. Fool's gaze, he lowered his head and quickly explained, "This is a divine revelation from our vampire progenitor herself. She instructed us not to provoke Spectators in the near future."

"Of course, this doesn't mean we vampires fear the so-called Spectators. We've always been peace-loving and dislike making enemies."

"Though the stars may shine, our vampire glory once overshadowed the sky."

The Tarot Club members naturally glossed over the last two sentences, focusing on the first one.

So it truly was the work of the stars.

Although he didn't need to explain the events in Backlund himself, Klein still privately congratulated himself on his accurate prediction.

Fors was also internally congratulating herself. As a genuine Spectator, even the vampire progenitor Lilith had issued a divine edict not to antagonize Spectators—quite an impressive show of status.

As for Mr. Moon's comments, they only showcased his immaturity and bluster.

After a brief shock, the group tactfully changed the subject, partly to avoid delving too deeply into affairs between deities, and partly to avoid seeing Emlyn's smug face.

If Mr. Fool weren't present, his tail would surely be up in the air, boasting about being the chosen vampire savior.

Audrey, not in high spirits today, didn't seem to care much even upon hearing that the Augustus family had been punished by the stars.

After the Tarot Club members concluded their discussion on this matter, she looked around at everyone and asked, "I have a patient with some mental health issues. What methods could effectively help him?"

As she asked, her gaze deliberately swept over Fors.

Fors was taken aback. Mental health issues? This felt familiar—wasn't this the symptom Mr. Hastur was experiencing?

Was it merely a coincidence, or did Miss Justice know Mr. Hastur?

Could it be possible that Miss Justice was actually Miss Audrey?

Fors was shocked by her own clever deduction. She scrutinized Miss Justice more closely, becoming increasingly convinced that Miss Justice was indeed Miss Audrey!

The two personas overlapped significantly—both were noble ladies from Backlund, with similar personalities and financial means.

When Fors' examining gaze inadvertently met Audrey's meaningful look, she became less certain. It seemed the other party had already discerned her identity, hence the deliberate glance when mentioning this issue.

Fors' heart fluttered, and she quickly averted her gaze, deliberately affecting a relaxed and natural demeanor to conceal her inner turmoil.

Sigh, Ms. Fors must have realized my identity by now. I had hoped to keep it hidden a while longer, Audrey thought to herself. Yet she didn't regret her near-revelation at the Tarot gathering today. After all, Mr. Hastur's situation couldn't be delayed, and she needed to find suitable treatment methods for him.

Moreover, Ms. Fors had been accompanying her recently, so it wasn't a bad idea to deepen their relationship at this juncture.

"For mental health issues, guidance and catharsis are probably the best approaches," Alger said, as reliable as ever. Drawing from his experience, he shared numerous insights on this topic with Audrey, as well as potentially effective measures.

Audrey listened silently, occasionally asking for clarification on unclear points. Combining Alger's rich experience, she continuously refined her initial plan to help Mr. Hastur overcome his mental struggles.

Klein also listened with interest. He had recently felt some minor mental issues himself and might need to trouble Miss Justice for help in the future.

...

In Puni Port, immediately after the Tarot gathering ended, Fors left her room and came to Audrey's door. She wanted to knock but hesitated.

She only had suspicions and couldn't be certain that Miss Audrey was indeed the generous and wealthy Miss Justice.

"Woof?" Susie, guarding the door, looked curiously at the hesitant Fors.

After some thought, Fors' eyes brightened. She crouched down and whispered to Susie, "Um, Susie, are you standing guard here to cover for Miss Audrey?"

"Woof?" Susie appropriately feigned ignorance and confusion.

"I mean, do you know if Miss Audrey might have another hidden identity?"

"Woof?"

"..."

Before Fors could inquire further, the door creaked open. Audrey emerged, looking languid, her face showing weariness and fatigue—exactly like someone who had just been woken from a nap.

"Miss Audrey, were you napping?" Fors asked cautiously.

Audrey smiled, feigning innocence, "Yes, I always nap in the afternoon. Didn't you also take a nap this afternoon, Ms. Fors? Did you sleep well?"

Fors' expression changed slightly. She nodded, then tentatively asked, "Regarding Mr. Hastur's situation, how does Miss Audrey plan to handle it?"

"Well, of course, we need to find Mr. Hastur first," Audrey replied with natural innocence, causing Fors to swallow her next question. Faced with this version of Miss Audrey, she found it difficult to continue probing.

"Susie, it's time to get up. We need to set out to save Mr. Hastur," Audrey said, lightly patting Susie's head twice to signal her to follow. Fors silently fell in line behind them.

Once on the street, Audrey deliberately bought some high-quality dried fish. When Susie barked twice, Audrey also bought her some beef jerky, which she had recently developed a liking for.

Fors merely glanced at the prices of the dried fish and beef jerky before tactfully pretending not to have seen them. She inwardly marveled that Susie's daily food expenses probably equaled her own for three days.

Moreover, she had heard Miss Audrey mention that Susie needed two snacks daily in addition to her regular three meals.

It's really great to be Miss Audrey's dog, Fors thought, quickly suppressing this envious notion.

With their previous visit's experience, Audrey and Fors quickly entered the house where Hastur lived and successfully met Sharon and Aisala.

When Audrey produced the carefully prepared dried fish, Aisala's eyes flickered, but she ultimately closed them, lazily lying in Sharon's arms.

She was firmly on Miss Sharon's side and wouldn't be tempted by dried fish!

"Not to your liking?" Audrey frowned slightly, but quickly relaxed. "I suppose you're right. The dried fish here can't compare to the delicious meat from the northern ice rivers of the Feynapotter Empire. When we return to Backlund, I'll treat you to a proper tasting."

Aisala's eyelids quivered, and her opinion of Miss Audrey improved considerably. After all, how could a young lady willing to please an adorable little cat be a bad person?

Concluding her brief interaction with Aisala, Audrey turned to the silent Sharon. Seeing her demeanor, Audrey realized she would have to initiate the conversation.

"I encountered Mr. Hastur on the street earlier," Audrey began, noticing Sharon's apparent interest before continuing, "Mr. Hastur seems to be experiencing some mental health issues. I think we should help him overcome this difficult period."

Sharon didn't respond immediately, just silently observing Audrey. Hastur's sudden return during their last visit had led her to an unsettling speculation.

This Miss Audrey had only arrived recently, and Hastur, who had been missing for a long time, suddenly appeared. Could Hastur have returned because of Miss Audrey's arrival?