"Has it really been resolved?" Elizabeth asked.
Klein nodded casually. "Yes. It wasn't too hard."
Elizabeth didn't doubt him any more. She patted her chest and heaved a sigh of relief. "Thank you. You truly are a trustworthy gentleman. I was scared senseless just now. How is Selena? Is she fine now?"
"She might remain unconscious for the next few minutes, but she's completely fine now. Oh, two to three days of weakness is to be expected." Klein said.
He suddenly had a stern expression on his face as he asked, "Who taught her mysticism? Didn't he tell her about the basic taboos?"
Elizabeth straightened up a little. "Selena once mentioned that her teacher is Hanass Vincent. She met him a year ago at the Divination Club on Howes Street."
Hanass Vincent... On the surface, he didn't seem to teach anything questionable about magic mirror divination, but he has secretly been teaching dark divination... If I knew about this earlier, then I would have reported it to the Captain and had him raided... Klein felt some regret as he asked, "Was he also the one who taught Selena magic mirror divination?"
Elizabeth nodded cautiously. "Yes, but Selena had tried magic mirror divination a few times without any success. Oh, today she told me that she had a peek at her teacher's hidden incantations and that there would be no problems."
"Do you still remember the incantations she recited?" Klein asked.
Well... although Hanass Vincent had not voluntarily imparted the dangerous knowledge to Selena, it's obvious that he had been experimenting with it to extend an invitation to a mysterious, unknown entity.
"I remember a part of it..." Elizabeth recalled. "She recited it in Hermes. I was only exposed to Hermes just recently. All I remember is her using the terms'revolve,''spirit,,' 'reCreator,' and 'grace.'"
Creator? The True Creator? Many underground mysticism enthusiasts believe in this ancient entity revered by many secret organizations... Yes, an entity that appeared 1000 years ago during the early stages of the Fifth Epoch! Klein nodded. "Remember to ask Selena about the entire incantation after she wakes up, then find an opportunity to tell me."
"Alright," Elizabeth replied. But she then asked, feeling a little confused, "Mr. Moretti, why don't you ask her yourself?"
"I don't want to let Melissa know I enjoy mysticism. Can you help me keep that a secret?" Klein asked in return.
Elizabeth's eyes sparkled. "No problem. Melissa prefers machines to mystery."
Klein bowed a little. "Thank you for your understanding. As for Selena, you do know that she's not someone who can keep a secret."
"A more accurate description is that she likes to share secrets with others," Elizabeth agreed.
"Remember to tell Selena after she wakes up that she suddenly fainted and shattered her mirror. I think her memory probably stopped at the point when she began the magic mirror divination." Klein said.
Seeing Elizabeth nod, he put on a stern expression once again. "Remember, be it divinations or trying other mysticism rituals, do not pray to any other entities other than the seven orthodox divinities! You should immediately burn those types of incantations and stay far away from anyone distributing those materials!
If I hadn't noticed this in time, Selena would have turned into a monster or an evil spirit or the devil in ten minutes, and everyone here would have been massacred, myself included!"
Thinking about the ice-cold Selena in the mirror, Elizabeth gulped in fear and with no doubts about Klein's words. "I understand, and I'll remember. I'll also keep an eye on Selena."
"Alright, go and take care of Selena." Klein raised his cane and walked toward the staircase. As he walked, his eyes became darker. He took out a single penny with his right hand and flicked it into the air.
"Selena is alright now."
Klein quickly repeated the description, then caught the falling coin. He saw George III's face facing upward.
This was not a simplification of spirit dowsing but of dream divination that only a Seer could accomplish. Klein forced himself into a state of sleep with the aid of Cogitation in order to take a tour through the spirit world. The heads and tails of the coin were a symbolic manifestation.
Heads represented affirmation, while tails indicated dissent.
Great, everything is fine now. Klein twirled the bronze coin satisfied.
...
Elizabeth was staring at Klein's back and saw the tossed coin before he caught it. When Klein vanished down the staircase, she turned to enter the bedroom and saw Selena asleep on the floor with a shattered mirror beside her.
She held her breath and tiptoed into the room as she looked at the fragments of the mirror, making sure that the cold Selena was no longer present; instead, the fragments were reflecting the ceiling.
Put completely at ease, she heaved a long sigh of relief and nudged her awake.
"Elizabeth... What happened to me? Did I get drunk?" Selena asked weakly, the glow in her eyes having turned considerably dull while her eyes were filled with confusion.
Elizabeth thought before replying in a serious tone, "No, Selena, something happened to you. Your magic mirror divination invited a malicious entity."
"Is that so?" Selena weakly made her way to the bed with Elizabeth's help and rubbed her face. "All I remember is when I started the magic mirror divination."
Elizabeth told a half-truth, "You were a completely different person during the ritual. The you in the mirror was completely different from the you in real life... I was very scared. Using the excuse of giving you a surprise, I brought you into the bedroom before I snatched your mirror and shattered it onto the carpet. After that... after that, you fainted."
"Blessed be the goddess; you're okay now!" she added.
"I don't remember anything." Selena muttered, her face pale.
The more Selena tried to remember, the emptier her mind became, and the more afraid she felt. Subconsciously, she glanced at her desk and noticed that the placement of items was altered.
Just what happened exactly... Selena tried hard to remember, but she could only faintly remember a man in a black suit and hat.
"Selena," Elizabeth said seriously, "I met a mysticism expert when I went to the underground market to purchase the amulet. He said that we shouldn't pray to any entity other than the seven orthodox divinities. Otherwise, we would be sure to invite disaster. Promise me, don't try this anymore. I didn't even know if what I did could save you just now."
Selena was scared senseless and nodded in a daze. "No more, I'll never try this again!"
"And, just what did the incantations of your mysticism mean? If I have the chance to meet the mysticism expert again, I will ask him for you," Elizabeth asked, feigning nonchalance.
Selena tried to recall and said, "Spirit that revolves this world, the grace of the True Creator, the eyes that look at fate."
...
Tap! Tap! Tap!
Klein smoothed his clothes and walked down the stairs. After that, he took off his hat and returned slowly to the long dining table.
"Where did you go? It has been nearly 10 minutes," Selena's brother, Chris, asked as he folded his hand.
Klein replied, "To the bathroom, then upstairs to acquaint myself with the ladies."
"I appreciate your honesty," Chris praised in laughter.
He had the red hair and short build that ran in their family. He wore gold-framed glasses and had quite the personality; he was a capable lawyer.
You wouldn't say that if you knew that upstairs I pulled your sister into a room and knocked her unconscious. Klein replied humbly, "We were merely engaging in academic discussion."
He put down his hat and returned to his seat, receiving his two cards as the new round started.
Flipping up the corner of his cards, he saw the King of Spades and the Ace of Diamonds.
Looks like I became luckier... Is this what I received for doing a good deed? Klein took out a coin in preparation to place his bet and thought. Since Hanass didn't intentionally reveal the incantation to Selena, there's no need for me to urgently report this to Captain...
He continued his cautious playstyle in the following rounds, only betting when he had a good hand. He didn't take any chances to bluff and didn't win much. When the game ended at half past ten, he had won six pence.
"I won two soli and eight pence." Benson fiddled with the notes and coins in his hand.
"I didn't expect you to be an expert at poker," Klein praised.
"No, I don't play often, but I know that this is the same as negotiation. You have to hide your cards and figure out the hidden cards that people have before using various means to scare or entice them. Benson hadn't finished his sentence when he saw Melissa and the rest coming down from the second floor.
"It's time to go home," Klein said as he glanced at his sister and her friends. The throbbing pain in his head remained.
After that, Klein went to the bathroom once more and took the opportunity to walk past Elizabeth, obtaining the complete incantation.
Returning to his siblings, he said, "Oh right, I suddenly remembered something. I need to head back to the company for a while. Shall we go to Zouteland Street first? It'll be quick."