"Most honorable Mr. Fool, I just encountered a friend of mine, and something about him has subtly changed."
After reciting the honorific title of the Fool, Audrey continued to recount what had happened to her:
"If not for the extraordinary item I was carrying, I might not have recovered until after everything was over.
That Beyonder is very likely at a high-sequence , with abilities tied to emotion and mental pathways. The reason he appeared in the House of Lords was most probably to assassinate Duke Negan!"
Having finished her report, Audrey lowered her head even further and said, "Most honorable Fool, I come to you with a plea. Please ask one of your followers to intervene and save my friend. He is still young. He doesn't deserve an end like this."
A kind of spiritual intuition told her that the person who had appeared before her was Howl Constantine, though she had no idea why he had been placed under the control of a more powerful Beyonder.
Howl's state was clearly off, but perhaps there was still a chance to save him.
Without question, the Beyonders dispatched by the Church would prioritize eliminating the threat above all else. If she wanted her friend to have even a sliver of hope, she could only turn to Mr. Fool.
"The trouble is, making this plea will expose my connection to Howl. Mr. Fool's followers may use that to figure out who I am."
The thought crossed her mind, but with a life at stake, she couldn't afford to worry about such details. She brought her prayer to a quick close, just as the carriage rolled to a stop in front of the Hall family's villa.
"Why were you driving so fast? What if the young lady had been thrown about?"
She heard her personal maid come out to receive her, expressing displeasure at the driver's reckless speed.
"Anne, I was the one who told him to drive that way."
Audrey came to the driver's defense, then took Anne's arm and stepped down from the carriage.
"My lady, what about those two?"
Anne was naturally asking about Xio and Fors.
"Something came up for them unexpectedly. Anne, are the Count and Countess at home?"
"The Countess has gone to a tea party. The master is home, though, entertaining a guest."
"Is he in the drawing room?"
After confirming the details, Audrey sent Anne away and went to the drawing room on her own.
Although she had already arranged for Xio and Fors to report to the Fool, she still felt uneasy and wanted to find her father and tell him everything in person.
---
At the same time, in the East End, within the territory controlled by the Luhman Gang.
"One day, the Lord was passing by a house when He heard a wall complaining to Him."
Inside the assembly hall, several hundred flock members had gathered to listen to Silas's sermon.
It was the factory's rest period. They had finished their morning shift and eaten their fill, and now they drifted in one by one. Their presence was entirely voluntary, not compelled by anyone.
It was early afternoon, and they had just had a meal. By all rights, they should have been drowsy, yet every one of them kept their eyes open, straining to catch every word Silas spoke from the platform.
The reason was simple: the honorable Reverend gave wonderfully engaging sermons.
Unlike the obscure, cryptic pronouncements droned out by priests of the orthodox Church, or the threats and manipulation of heretical cult members, the Reverend told vivid, lively stories.
These stories were entertaining on first hearing, and upon reflection, seemed to carry a quiet kind of wisdom.
Just by listening, they felt themselves grow a little wiser, no longer as easy to deceive as they had been during their days wandering the streets.
Up on the platform, Silas continued his sermon:
"The wall said to the Lord, 'Great Lord, look at these nails driven into my body. They torment me endlessly, piercing my flesh and causing me pain without cease. Please punish these nails!' And so the Lord looked toward the nails, and the nails spoke up as well.
The nail said, 'Lord, I too am a wretched victim. My head was struck again and again by a hammer.' Then the hammer made its own defense, saying it had only been wielded by a person, and that the person had only wounded the wall because he wished to hang a painting on it."
Silas finished the tale and looked out over the crowd below.
"The root cause of the wall's suffering was the person. Yet all it could see was the nail that had directly hurt it."
Just as the source of your hardships lies with the emperor at the very top, not merely the constables and thugs who torment you day to day.
He did not speak those last words aloud, only turned them over quietly in his mind.
The reactions among the flock varied. Some took the story simply at face value, while others fell into thoughtful silence.
A low hum rang out in his ears, as though carried from somewhere far away, and then boundless gray fog began to unfurl around him. At its center, a silhouette appeared, head bowed in prayer.
The tide within him stirred instinctively, but Silas pressed it down without hesitation.
"Very well. Today's sermon ends here. Go and rest, everyone."
He said this with no change in his expression, then turned his full attention to the words of the figure praying within the gray fog. Before long, the information conveyed through that voice filled him with surprise.
Duke Negan was to be assassinated again?
The assassin was a high-sequence Beyonder?
And that female voice... that was Justice, wasn't it? Why did she sound oddly familiar?
Silas listened, his brow furrowing. He studied the silhouette's clothing, picking out the color patterns until a spark of recognition struck him, and he connected what he saw to someone he had met that very morning.
Audrey Hall.
So she was the true identity of Justice?
An unexpected truth had suddenly landed before him. He recalled more details from their gatherings and from their meeting in person, and became only more certain. Still, the fact that Justice had disclosed her connection to a specific person in the real world during her prayer meant she had already accepted the risk of exposure.
And yes, he had heard the rest of Audrey's plea. He understood that she hoped for a follower of the Fool to step in and rescue her friend.
The prayer came to an end, and the Fool's deep, far-reaching voice resonated in Silas's ears:
"You may take time to consider before making your decision. This is not something you are obligated to accept."
It was clear that Mr. Fool was also aware that Silas, at Sequence 5, would have a hard time standing against a high-sequence Beyonder.
Silas's decision was immediate.
"I have no intention of saving him."
What was he thinking? The forces that wanted Duke Negan dead were far too mysterious and dangerous. There was no reason to go and provoke them. Far better to focus on tending to his flock, and on digesting the Shepherd potion as quickly as possible.
As for Miss Audrey's friend, there was little he could do.
Besides, Mr. Fool surely had far more powerful followers. Even if he declined, someone stronger would step in, and to far better effect than anything he could manage.
Having worked through all of this, he felt his last traces of guilt lift away.
After concluding the sermon, Silas boarded a carriage and set off for Cherwood District to call on Blaine. The strange murals he had seen inside the Amorn tomb had been weighing on him, and he wanted to consult his colleague, who had a much more thorough knowledge of history.
Cherwood District sat on the opposite end of Backlund from the Queens Borough. Whatever assassination plot was unfolding over there could hardly be expected to reach him here.