Chapter 56: Misaligned Crosshairs at My Feet
“This is wrong. I feel suffocated.” A deep, strained voice pleaded with Sue. “Just… don’t meet with him if I told you not to.”
“What…?”
Sue frowned deeply.
“…Tell me why. I asked you, didn’t I?”
She was frustrated too. Leo was not only Noel’s relative, but also Sue’s friend. At least, that’s what she wanted to believe. So she couldn’t just cut ties with him because of Noel’s words.
If he doesn’t want me to see Leo, he should just tell Leo that.
Countless questions flooded her mind, and Noel knew it, but he couldn’t say anything more. There were too many reasons why Sue shouldn’t see Leo, and at the same time, he didn’t want to tell her those reasons.
“…Is something wrong, Noel?”
Sue finally asked the question she had been avoiding for a long time. She had deliberately ignored the possibility that Raines Noel might have other problems besides his love for Enzhe Lopetrefer. She was already exhausted from worrying about Enzhe, and she knew that Noel didn’t want to talk about it.
But she had to ask now. Whether he had simply had a fight with Leo, or if there was something more to it, she had to ask.
For Sue Byron to remain Raines Noel’s friend.
Sue waited for his answer. He looked down, avoiding her gaze for the first time. His blue eyes dimmed.
Noel clenched his fists and answered in a strained voice,
“…What do you mean, something wrong? There’s nothing wrong.”
He lifted his head. His usual cheerful smile returned.
“Really?”
Sue stared at him suspiciously.
“Yes, really. I told you not to see Leo because… he’s not a good person. That’s all.”
A gust of wind blew. It was probably because it was nighttime. It was a cold wind, even for autumn.
“…Okay.”
Sue nodded slowly. Noel’s gaze returned to her, and she instinctively averted her eyes.
“I don’t know why you want me to stop seeing Sir Leo, but I’ll think about it.”
She touched her neck and forced a smile, her usual brazen self.
“Thank you, Byron.”
He thanked her, his voice relieved. That’s all that matters.
But she felt a strange, inexplicable emotion rising in her chest. But she didn’t think about it or say anything more. If that was what her friend wanted.
So Sue Byron had nothing to say to her friend, who wouldn’t tell her anything.
***
Time passed, and the National Founding Festival was nearing its end.
Sue hadn’t seen Leo since the first day and had spent the past few days exploring the city alone. She had waited for him at the square on the second day, but he hadn’t shown up, and the image of Noel’s face at Lake Libra kept haunting her. So she didn’t bother waiting for him after the third day.
She had asked her knight escort and Ten to accompany her, feeling lonely, but they had politely declined.
Today was the fifth day of the National Founding Festival, and it would be over in two days.
The Imperial Ball and the September Festival were held simultaneously on the last day of the National Founding Festival, and the September Festival was the event Sue was most looking forward to. So she was planning to stay at her townhouse tomorrow, to get her dress fitted and rest up. That meant today was the last day she could enjoy the National Founding Festival.
As she was walking through the square, watching a band perform on the street, she spotted a stall with a long line. Unlike the other stalls, which were made of planks or carriages, this one was a black tent.
‘I don’t think it was here yesterday…’
The mysterious tent, enclosed in black cloth, stood out among the colorful decorations of the square. Curious, Sue walked closer. There was a sign in front of the black tent.
<<Fortunes Told. Anything!
☆★Fortune Teller: Former Chief Mage of the Imperial Magic Division★☆>>
“Imperial mage? …Won’t he get arrested?”
Sue muttered incredulously at the absurd sign.
In Atlantis, where multiple layers of barriers completely blocked monsters, magic held a higher status than in other countries.
So there was no way a former chief mage of the Imperial Magic Division would be running a fortune-telling stall in the middle of the capital’s main square.
But Sue actually understood the existence of this ridiculous sign. Many regulations were relaxed during the National Founding Festival, so this kind of advertisement was probably just a joke. But there was no way a former Imperial mage would be openly scamming people.
“Imperial mage…”
Sue eyed the sign suspiciously. The line for the fortune-telling stall was much longer than the lines for the other stalls, perhaps because of good word-of-mouth. She wondered if the sign was really that effective, or if the fortune teller was actually skilled.
It can’t hurt to try.
Sue joined the end of the line. She had explored most of the city in the past week, so she figured she might as well get her fortune told and try her luck at gambling. If it was a scam, she could just leave, and if the fortune teller was somewhat skilled, she could be happy that she hadn’t wasted her money. And if it really was a former Imperial mage, she would have to try and get his help somehow.
After waiting for a while, it was finally her turn.
“Next! Come in!”
“…Why does his voice sound like that?”
Sue hesitated, frowning, as she heard the voice calling her in. It was a strange, raspy voice, as if someone was deliberately scraping their throat, and she couldn’t even tell if it was a man or a woman. The tone was also strange.
“Are you coming in?”
She reluctantly lifted the cloth at the entrance as the voice urged her again.
“…Wow…”
Sue gasped as she entered the tent. The entire space was pitch black, as if she had been transported to outer space. Or perhaps the night sky had been recreated, with stars twinkling in the darkness. The small tent, barely larger than ten square feet, was filled with an otherworldly aura.
“Take a seat if you’re done looking around.”
Sue snapped out of her daze at the strange voice and sat down awkwardly.
“Hmm, welcome. To the domain of this genius mage.”
The fortune teller’s appearance was as strange as his voice. The white beard that covered half his face was clearly fake, he was wearing a ridiculous rainbow-colored cone hat, and his shoulders were draped in a drab gray cloak, creating a dizzying visual effect.
His wide, staring eyes were so unsettling that she couldn’t even look at him directly, and she couldn’t even tell if he was old, male, or female.
“So, what kind of fortune would you like, young lady?”
The fortune teller asked, his voice suddenly changing to a folksy, countryside accent. Sue frowned, her body tense.
He looked like a scammer, but the strange atmosphere of the tent made her wonder if he really was a former Imperial mage.
“…Tell me my future.”
Sue closed her eyes, her mind in turmoil, and placed five silver coins on the table.
Alright, let’s just see this as entertainment. Just for fun.
“Ooh… What generous service.”
The fortune teller seemed to be quite fond of money. He tossed the silver coins into a box under the table and licked his lips with satisfaction.
“Alright, alright. I’ll tell you your future.”
His voice was deep and authoritative, like an old man. His tone had changed again.
“Hmm, what’s your name?”
“Sue Byron Chiqmefriar.”
Sue answered curtly, closing her eyes, suppressing her unease.
“Ooh, a high-ranking lady, I see.”
The fortune teller’s eyes widened in surprise as he heard her name. In Atlantis, only Skias had a third name, so he could tell she was a Skia just from her name.
He looked her up and down curiously, then cleared his throat and continued.
“Ahem, ahem. Well, whether you’re high or low, it’s my job to give you your money’s worth. Now, now. Ahem. Abracadabralililior… Hmu-ra-hamu-ra-himu-ra…”
Sue stared at him in horror as he chanted a string of nonsensical words. He looked like a complete charlatan, his eyes wide with fake intensity, his hand on a crystal ball, chanting strange spells.
“Hup!”
“Gasp!”
Sue jumped as he suddenly let out a strange groan. Her gaze naturally shifted to the crystal ball. It was glowing with a faint, cloudy light, as if some magic had taken effect.
The fortune teller abruptly stopped chanting and clutched his head, feigning shock.
“Oh my, this can’t be!”
“W-what’s wrong?”
“Woooaaahhh!”
He trembled, as if terrified, and let out a strange wail. It was incredibly bizarre. But his ‘prophecy’ was even more bizarre, overshadowing his strange behavior.
“Lady Sue’s future… This can’t be! Lady Sue’s future is filled with darkness! You have no future!”
“……”
She just can not catch a break lmao