"It's a bit messy in here, please don't mind it..."
Fors flustered as she ushered the two of them into her home.
Their visit had indeed come rather suddenly, and she'd had no time to prepare at all.
Thirty minutes ago, Fors had still been puzzling over the opening of her new book. Twenty minutes ago, after racking her brain, she'd given up and collapsed back onto her bed for a nap.
Ten minutes ago, a black haired, red eyed woman had suddenly appeared and forcibly dragged her out of a sweet dream.
Fors's strongest impression of this woman was that she was beautiful to an almost excessive degree.
She wore an asymmetrically cut black dress that, strangely enough, suited her temperament perfectly, making the whole of her look like a finely crafted work of art.
The woman's presence was overwhelming, her scrutinizing gaze cutting across Fors's face like a blade.
Fors hadn't even had the courage to ask why the woman was in her home, only felt, half consciously, that her own messy room was utterly unworthy of someone so beautiful, as though she herself had done something wrong.
"Take this."
Fortunately, the oppressive pressure didn't last long.
After waking her, the black robed woman handed her a letter, then vanished through the spirit world. It wasn't until Fors saw the name on the envelope that she understood: the woman was a messenger sent by Mr. Temperance.
The letter's contents were simple.
In an utterly flat tone, Mr. Temperance informed her that he would be paying her a visit along with The World, to discuss how to deal with the Aurora Order going forward.
Honestly, after reading the letter, Fors had been completely stunned.
"Mr. Temperance is coming here? With Mr. The World?"
"I'm not prepared to meet them at all!!"
Once it sank in, she immediately fell into a panic.
Refuse?
The messenger had already left, and it was too late to send a reply even if she wanted to. Besides, when it came down to it, she couldn't really think of a good reason to decline anyway.
After all, this whole matter was something she herself had stirred up, so it was only reasonable that the other party wanted to discuss the details of their actions.
But meeting those two in person, in reality, that kind of pressure was simply too much!
And besides, why did the meeting have to be at her place!
At this moment, the homebody Fors felt as though her safest territory had suddenly been invaded. Terrified and tense as she was, she still had no choice but to let the two of them in.
Silas strode into the living room.
"Fors's place is actually pretty spacious... well, that makes sense, she's a bestselling author, her finances must be decent, and she shares the rent with Xio too..."
As he thought this, he glanced around casually. He noticed a room across from the living room, its door left ajar.
Through the gap, he could make out the scene inside: paper scattered all over the floor, stacks of books piled up, an ashtray crammed with cigarette butts, a coffee cup half finished with dried residue clinging to its inner walls...
Whoosh!
Fors appeared in a flash, slamming the door shut with startling force, then turned back around.
"Would you like something to drink?"
She forced her voice to stay calm. "Black tea, coffee?"
"Black tea, then."
Klein gave a courteous chuckle, his face the picture of a refined gentleman, though inwardly he'd already begun feeling embarrassed on her behalf.
As for Silas, he hadn't paid any attention to it at all.
"Hot water is fine for me."
He said this while seating himself on the sofa. Idly, he pinched up a strand of golden hair he'd noticed lying there, evidently belonging to the apartment's other tenant, Xio Derecha.
With just this one strand of hair, I could curse her to death...
Silas suppressed the dark thought that had suddenly surfaced in his mind, shook his head, and let the golden hair drop back to the floor.
By then, Fors had already brought over three cups of hot drinks.
"Thank you so much."
Klein maintained his gentlemanly demeanor, accepting the black tea with a perfect smile as he spoke to her.
But Fors was startled by it.
Mr. The World had seemed so somber up on the Grey Fog, yet in person he came across as warm and friendly instead.
The sense of dissonance built up inside her, and she found herself increasingly convinced that the man before her seemed almost split in two, possessed of some strange, inhuman quality.
Because of this, she didn't dare engage further with him, only nodded and sat back down stiffly.
"Two matters."
Once she'd sat down, Silas spoke calmly. "First, I'll be dealing with Lewis Wien within the week."
"That's wonderful news."
Fors had just been about to lift her cup for a sip of coffee, but hearing this, she hurriedly set the cup back down.
After weeks of waiting, she'd finally gotten a definite timeline out of Temperance. Now she could finally bring her teacher some good news. Still, she remained puzzled about the other visitor who'd come along.
Why had Mr. The World come here too?
If he and Temperance had shown up together, did that mean the two of them knew each other?
"As for the second matter... I'll let Mr. The World tell you himself." As if he'd guessed at her confusion, Silas turned the conversation over to The World beside him.
Yet what that gentle, courteous man said next left Fors instantly filled with dread.
"I'd like to extend some goodwill toward the Abraham family."
"!"
Fors's arm jerked, nearly sending the entire cup of coffee flying. She looked up sharply, staring at The World across from her with a look of shock.
How does he know I have ties to the Abraham family?
I never said that publicly at the Tarot Club!
"What do you want from them?"
Fors asked, her voice edged with wariness and unease.
Truthfully, within the Tarot Club, the two members she feared most were the somber The World and the ruthless Temperance. Now, with both of them showing up together, the pressure she felt was immense.
But even under that much pressure, when it came to the possibility of her teacher being harmed, the otherwise listless Miss Fors still managed to summon her courage.
"No need to worry."
Seeing her reaction, Klein chuckled. "I mean no harm. I'm simply hoping to receive some assistance, that's all."
Assistance... was it really that simple?
Fors studied that gentle smile, then recalled the somber expression he'd worn at the Tarot Club. Unease crossed her mind.
Still, she forced herself to say, "They're extremely cautious people. I'm not sure they'll accept your goodwill."
"You just need to pass the message along."
Klein smiled. "Please tell them that, as a show of sincerity, I'll help hunt down Lewis."
"But hasn't Mr. Temperance already agreed to handle that?"
Fors blurted out reflexively.
"It's not that simple. Lewis's high profile appearance might be a trap, and there are likely more enemies hidden behind him. To deal with him and the powerful figures behind him, I'll need some support on my end as well."
Silas explained, "And with The World's help, there'll be more spoils from the battle too."
As a fellow traveler from another world, he didn't mind putting in a good word for him here.