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The restrooms in the corner of the dining hall were lined with patterned stone. A faint floral scent masked any lingering odors.
Lucian locked the wooden door from the inside, pretending to adjust his clothes before the mirror while carefully inspecting every inch of the room. Only after waiting in silence for several dozen seconds did he pull a fist-sized Dawnlight Crystal Ball and a cold-iron dagger from the wide left pocket of his coat.
He drew the blade lightly across his left wrist. A cold, sluggish sensation seeped into his brain as drop after drop of blood fell onto the washbasin.
Then, extending the index finger of his right hand, Lucian traced strange symbols in midair. Drawn by that invisible script, the scarlet droplets twisted and writhed together, forming an arcane pattern of moderate complexity — a Magic Circle.
This was the arrangement Lucian intended to use to mask the magical fluctuations that the crystal ball would inevitably produce.
How effective a hastily set up Magic Circle could be was anyone's guess, but the unease gnawing at Lucian's gut left him no room to deliberate.
The peculiar behavior of both Grey Fog Town and Baron Habelo had convinced him that a moment's hesitation, a single delay, would invite an overwhelming and inescapable danger.
The blood-drawn Magic Circle slowly pulsed to life, its eerie crimson glow rippling outward in soft waves that enveloped the crystal ball sitting at its center — translucent and beautiful.
Lucian extended both hands, hovering them over the sphere, and murmured incantations in a dreamlike, almost somnambulant voice — strange, obscure syllables that no casual listener could parse.
The crystal ball gradually darkened into an abyssal void. Star after star blazed into being within its depths, hazy but resplendent, like a reflection of the night sky made captive in glass.
This was the Astrology school's most distinctive and most difficult art — Divination Astrology.
After Lucian had become a formal mage and received the Dawnlight Crystal Ball, his thorough mastery of Elementary Divination Astrology — combined with the astrophysics knowledge he had brought from his previous life — had allowed him to learn the art with startling speed. And in both accuracy and clarity, his results slightly exceeded what an elementary-level practitioner should have been capable of producing.
It made Lucian feel all the more uneasy about the nature of "fate."
Wondrous and intricate celestial trajectories swept across the crystal ball's interior, and the captured starscape began to coalesce into a unique astrological configuration.
When the black of his eyes receded and Lucian returned to full awareness, he frowned and thought: According to the Divination's result, my Main Destiny Star is indeed dimming. Danger hangs over me constantly. And it seems the peril will only intensify as time goes on — there's even a possibility my Main Destiny Star could be snuffed out entirely!
His Elementary Divination Astrology, though marginally superior to others at the same level, still yielded only the vaguest of readings — a broad confirmation that danger existed. The specifics remained completely opaque: what form the danger would take, where it would come from, why it would grow stronger, who the enemies might be — none of it could be shown.
Even the "Prophet's" Divination had never been precise. It was always riddled with ambiguity and uncertainty. That was the nature of fate — its fundamental mystery.
Lucian stowed the Dawnlight Crystal Ball, then drew the dark-red Fireweaver Bracelet from his right pocket and fastened it around his wrist. Finally, he slipped the Ice Avenger ring — with its metallic luster and sapphire gleam — onto the index finger of his left hand.
Earlier, the guards had confiscated only the Vigilance longsword. But Lucian feared the Baron might be able to identify magical items on sight, so apart from the Solar Crown — already hidden beneath his clothes — he had removed the other two pieces in advance and tucked them away.
"The Divination results are too vague. I can't be sure whether the danger comes from the Baron at all — it might well be something that happens after I leave the castle. Am I really going to turn hostile based on nothing more than a gut feeling?"
"But if I keep hesitating and observing, by the time the real danger arrives, it may already be too late!"
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The principle of never harming the innocent and the survival instinct demanding self-preservation clashed violently inside Lucian.
But Lucian, who understood the urgency, did not linger in indecision. He concealed the Weakening Dagger in his sleeve with a reverse grip, scooped water from the cistern, and let it splash noisily.
"Just like Natasha said — no more hemming and hawing!"
"If I can't be certain, then I'll take matters into my own hands and force the issue. If I'm wrong, as long as I've kept some room to maneuver, there'll be a chance to apologize and make amends. But if I do nothing, then there truly is nothing left to do — because the dead don't need to do anything!"
"I have to seize the opportunity — eliminate this threat before the danger that could snuff out my Main Destiny Star arrives!"
Lucian opened the restroom door. His hands hung naturally at his sides, and he strode toward the dining table with resolute, decisive steps.
But after only a few paces, he was surprised to find that both Baron Habelo and Kaylin were absent from the table. His guard rising further, he asked with sharp composure: "Where have the Baron and Lady Kaylin gone?"
Though this change had already set a frantic urgency ticking inside him — a need to act quickly — his tone remained calm and natural.
"The Baron wasn't feeling well, so Lady Kaylin helped him to his bedroom to take some medicine. They'll be back shortly," Betty answered, a note of worry for the Baron's condition in her voice.
Lucian gave a slight nod, his gaze turning cold. "Then I'll go check on the Baron."
Was it his emotional loss of control during the earlier performance of the "Pathétique" that had triggered some internal deterioration? Or was the Baron preparing to strike? If the former, then barging in now while he still hadn't recovered would arguably be the best move. If the latter, an unexpected preemptive action would disrupt his plans even more effectively.
Of course, it was also possible the Baron was genuinely a good-hearted man suffering a relapse of some old ailment — in which case, all Lucian would need to do was apologize and make reparations. But compared to the mortal danger indicated by the Divination, that was a trivial concern.
"Mr. Evans, the Baron will be back very soon," Betty said, rising to her feet with open surprise. Simon, Joanna, and Wise did the same.
Lucian did not reply. He turned and walked out of the dining hall.