Evil Gods Don’t Save People

"Look, it's not a big deal if you're a little bald, some ladies at the Red Theater may still want you—although it's nothing compared to my ordinarily handsome face."

Narrowly avoiding the attack aimed at him in response, Anderson added, "Calm down, anger issues accelerate hair loss!"

Anderson Hood was running away.

Some say luck is relative and cannot be quantified. To such people, the adventurer would like to say that it is nonsense.

Since the moment he saw that mural, he had clearly been cursed with bad luck, and it was worsening.

After all, why else would a demigod suddenly hunt him down for no reason? It was completely unfair!

Or was it because he had refused to pay for the damage of breaking some pirate's bar? Or because he killed his subordinates?

To his defense, the adventurer thought he wouldn't be found, but he had apparently underestimated his bad luck.

Who knew that random pirate would have the backing of a demigod?

…Or maybe it was because Anderson had also done a little prank to humiliate that demigod long ago and that beyonder had kept a grudge even after advancing?

Anyway, it was at that moment that the ground under him gave in, and he somehow ended up falling off a cliff.

Then, as he was about to search for a way to get out of this situation alive while free-falling, the ground getting dangerously close as time passed, he suddenly appeared on flat soil. He couldn't detect the demigod's presence around him either.

However, instead of being relieved of being in a safe place, Anderson was even more wary. With how bad his luck was, he may now be in an even worse situation than before.

Scanning his surroundings for any suspicious sign, Anderson felt something different in his pocket and took out an item. It was an antique mirror he had picked up while he was cursed by bad luck.

It had been treasured by the Secret Order, so he had thought it might be valuable. However, he had been unable to sell it until now.

Immediately, a light came out of the mirror and engulfed him.

Now, he was absolutely certain that the situation was even worse than before. And it was somehow related to that antique mirror.

Suddenly surrounded by gray fog and sitting in front of a long bronze table, he inspected his new surroundings.

If all this didn't feel so real, he would have thought he was dreaming. However, he didn't want to test his luck by not treating this as reality.

Keeping a stiff smile on his face, the adventurer's eyes landed on a figure, silently staring at himself from the end of the long bronze table.

Despite the ordinary impression the unknown man gave off, Anderson knew not to underestimate the stranger. The very fact that the man had brought him to this place proved that person's skills.

Moreover, the adventurer's years of experience warned him.

An angel, maybe even a god- This person was far stronger than the demigod from earlier.

The Fool, who had clicked on the unknown crimson light that lit up only to be greeted with the sight of a beyonder falling off a cliff, stared at the hunter He had rescued before bringing him above the gray fog.

"…Would you like to join our organization?"

What?

"It could help you get rid of your bad luck," the Fool added.

His life at the mercy of the unknown existence in this space, Anderson inquired, "…What does your organization do?"

It wasn't like he really had a choice, but he at least wanted to know what he was getting involved in.

The Fool gently rapped the long bronze table with his finger, organizing his thoughts.

"Low-Sequence Beyonders from different places anonymously trade items and information under my watch."

Probably. Somehow…

"…And how should I call you?"

"The Fool."

At least this title wasn't familiar. Should it be a good thing?

Never one to shy away from danger, the adventurer shrugged and accepted the proposal to join, "Why not?"

"Because secret organizations are shady and unknown existences are dangerous."

"…"

The Fool made a deck appear in front of the hunter, "Pick a card."

Afterwards, the Fool also told him His honorific name, confirming the adventurer's suspicions that the secret existence he was talking to was a god.

That's how Anderson Hood ended up joining an unknown mysterious organization called the Tarot Club.

When he came back to the real world, Anderson saw the antique mirror broken.

***

3 p.m. above the gray fog.

Dark red figures shot up along the two sides of the long bronze table, materializing into different blurry figures.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Fool~" Audrey greeted with a cheery voice as she bowed.

At the same time, she noticed a new figure sitting at the long bronze table.

After greeting the other members one after another, she turned toward the newcomer, waiting for him to introduce himself.

A man who looked young and had a medium build with short blond hair split seventy-thirty and a pair of emerald-green eyes.

'His sitting posture is even more casual than Mr. Star, but it feels more provocative than relaxed…' Miss Justice observed.

"I am the Tower."

A nickname chosen by picking a random card. How ironic given that he had run away from the Church of Knowledge and Wisdom.

'The Tower… this card symbolizes danger, crisis, sudden change, destruction, higher learning, and liberation. In mysticism, it is associated to knowledge… An intellectual?' Cattleya thought.

Fors deliberated for two seconds and said, "Mr. Fool, the Abraham family wishes to compensate you for hunting Mr. X."

By saying this, she implied that the family wanted to compensate the person that Dorian Gray met, not the god.

Fors had told her teacher that she had entrusted Him with hunting the traitor of the Abraham family. However, due to not being told how to call Him in front of her teacher—Zhou Mingrui or Gehrman Sparrow—she had only referred to the god as 'a friend' or other vague terms.

Her teacher thus only knew of Zhou Mingrui as 'a powerful Beyonder believing in a secret existence called the Fool'.

"How much?" The Fool answered.

Fors, who had received 10,000 pounds from her teacher, hesitated before deciding to split it evenly.

"5,000 pounds."

In the meantime, Anderson observed the other members' reactions, noticing their lack of surprise seeing someone converse so casually with a god.