Chapter 118: Journey [5]
"Lancel’s tarot reading aside, you’re far more powerful than you think, Dorothy."
"Uhm...?"
Dorothy looked genuinely confused. Usually, if someone asked a question, even when she had no clear answer, she could at least provide vague hints through her tarot readings.
But with Lancel, it had been different.
Instead of answering his question, the cards had revealed his fortune instead.
"Melissa’s tarot was special because she could obtain a reading regardless of the topic or the person asking," Faust explained. "However, in your case, Dorothy, your magic seems to pierce directly into a third party’s soul."
The three cards traditionally represented the past, present, and future.
However, from what Faust remembered, Melissa had never been able to peer into someone’s past the way Dorothy just had.
"Can I try next?" Faust asked. "Perhaps it was a mistake to let someone with no connection to Melissa ask the question."
Faust had originally remained nearby only to guide Dorothy through the process. However, after seeing her hold her own during Lancel’s reading, Faust was confident Dorothy could conduct the next one properly on her own.
"U-Uhm... okay," Dorothy said nervously.
Faust stepped forward and took Lancel’s seat across from her.
For the first time since they began, Dorothy tried her best to appear composed despite the nervousness obvious on her face. She didn’t want to disappoint Faust, her only ray of hope right now.
Faust rested her chin lightly against her hand.
"Then I’ll ask the same question," she began. "Where is Melissa Vignette?"
The air cooled.
Dorothy swallowed and reached for the cards. The moment her fingers brushed the deck, the flames around the candles began shifting unnaturally.
Slowly, she shuffled.
Then she drew the first card.
"...The Wilted Garden," Dorothy murmured.
On the card was a field of flowers beneath a pale sky. Yet every flower had already begun to rot, petals blackened and falling apart despite the absence of decay around them.
"It means... something has already ended," Dorothy said. "Like... something that faded away a long time ago without anyone realizing it."
The room fell silent.
Faust simply gestured for her to continue.
Dorothy drew the second card.
"...The Marionette."
Threads stretched downward from the darkness above, binding a figure whose face had been completely obscured.
Dorothy’s brows furrowed.
"This one..." She looked uncomfortable. "It’s someone being pulled into something dangerous. Or maybe... someone who got too close to people they shouldn’t have."
Once again, Faust didn’t say anything. However, Lancel could see the discomfort in her expression.
Then, Dorothy drew the final card.
The moment it flipped over, the candles dimmed.
"...!"
Dorothy froze.
The image depicted an endless black sea beneath a moonless sky. Something massive moved beneath the water, long enough to coil around the horizon itself.
Only a single golden eye was visible above the surface, as if it were watching.
Dorothy felt a chill crawl down her spine.
"...I don’t understand—"
"A Leviathan," Lancel said, glancing at Faust.
Faust nodded. "From what I understand..."
"Master is dead," Dorothy finished for her. "I... I should’ve known..."
It was the curse of those meant to know.
To uncover the fortunes of others, yet remain blind to their own.
Until now, Dorothy had never possessed any real means of learning what had happened to her master all these years.
But now, with even this vague reading, it felt as though reality was finally beginning to settle in.
"Actually..." Dorothy lowered her gaze. "I think I already expected it..."
Eighty years without a single lead.
If she were truly looking, Dorothy would have known by now. And if she were honest with herself, then no, it would not be a lie to say she had already given up long ago.
Deep down, Dorothy had always suspected her master had died many years ago.
That was why she had stopped searching.
Because a part of her had been afraid of what she might find if she kept looking.
"But we have a lead," Lancel suddenly said.
"...Pardon?"
"The people she got involved with," he continued. "It’s the Leviathan Group."
"...Leviathan... Group...?"
Unfortunately, Dorothy’s reaction was exactly what they expected.
Complete ignorance.
* * *
"A group capable of killing... witches..."
After learning what the Leviathan Group truly was, Dorothy felt a deep sense of dread settle into her chest.
In her eyes, witches had always been the most powerful beings in the world. While Dorothy herself was inexperienced, she knew the extent of a witch’s capabilities, especially her master’s.
To Dorothy, Melissa Vignette had been invincible.
And yet now, she was being told there existed an organization capable of hunting down and killing beings like that.
It felt like a complete reality check. As if the entire world she believed in had suddenly been flipped upside down.
"A lead..." Lancel began. "Knowing the organization, it’s impossible they haven’t already established a network here in Humus. If I can find them, then I can destroy their operations here."
"I wasn’t planning on involving myself in your business," Faust said. "But... if it’s true they’re responsible for Melissa’s disappearance, then they’ll have hell to pay."
As the two continued discussing their next course of action, Dorothy suddenly spoke up.
"I-I’ll do anything to help!"
They turned toward Dorothy.
The two already understood the extent of Dorothy’s inexperience. Not just in magic, but in combat as well. Against the Leviathan Group, she would only become dead weight.
And for Faust, seeing the last connection left behind by her old friend stirred a protective instinct within her. Dorothy had to be protected.
"I’m sorry, Dorothy—"
"What can you do?"
Lancel cut in before Faust could finish.
Dorothy glanced nervously between the two before lowering her gaze.
"I... I can perform divinations," she said quietly. "If they really are connected to Master, then maybe I can help track them down..."
"That’s..."
Faust wanted to refute her immediately. However, Dorothy was smart enough to present herself as support rather than a combatant.
If her role was limited to divinations, then logically, she would remain on the sidelines and avoid direct danger.
"Okay, Dorothy," Lancel said.
"W-Wait," Faust cut in. "Don’t decide that so quickly."
Dorothy flinched at the sudden rejection. Faust let out a quiet sigh before rubbing her temple.
"Dorothy, you don’t understand. The Leviathan Group isn’t some ordinary underground organization. If they truly managed to corner Melissa... Then they are far more dangerous than you can imagine..."
"I know..." Dorothy replied weakly. "But Master raised me."
Silence fell.
Dorothy lowered her gaze.
"She gave me a home when nobody wanted me. Even when I was terrible at magic... she still kept me by her side."
Her fingers tightened around the hem of her skirt.
"If I run away now after hearing all this... then I think I’ll regret it for the rest of my life."
Faust looked at her, unable to say a thing.
That stubbornness...
It reminded her painfully of Melissa herself.
"...."
Cornered by those pleading eyes, Faust found herself with no real way to refuse.
* * *
Truthfully, the moment Lancel arrived in Emadestrin, his main objective had been to search for any leads related to the Leviathan Group.
The most optimal method was simple.
To use himself as bait.
A year ago, before his disappearance, the Leviathan Group had already marked him as a target for elimination.
When that attempt failed, Lancel vanished without a trace. However, knowing the nature of the organization, they would not immediately assume he was dead. That meant there was still a high possibility he remained an active target in their eyes.
And now, an opportunity had presented itself.
The Leviathan Group operated across the entire continent, but if Lancel could uncover even a single lead here in Humus, it would become a tremendous starting point toward dismantling the organization itself.
And with his current abilities, Lancel was certain it was possible.
As such, he began moving around Humus, first scouting the Adventurer’s Guild.
As an adventurer himself, Lancel openly advertised his presence. The goal was not work, nor reputation, but to grab any prying eyes’ attention.
He wanted the Leviathan Group to know he was alive.
During his time in Riviere, something like that would have been impossible. From what Lancel knew, the Leviathan Group avoided Riviere as much as possible.
The troupe incident alone had already served as a warning.
Human organizations, no matter how powerful, had no realistic chance of succeeding within Riviere. For them, witches were far easier prey outside their natural domain.
"Who the hell is this guy?"
"What a weirdo."
"Kids these days think being an adventurer is all sunshine and rainbows."
With the spectacle he had just pulled off, it seemed Lancel had attracted attention for all the wrong reasons.
Still, that worked well enough for him.
Attention was attention.
After leaving the Adventurer’s Guild behind, Lancel made his way toward the central district. Along the way, a poster caught his attention.
"...A Knight Tournament?"
Apparently, a tournament was soon to be held in Riviere.
Riiip——
Lancel tore the poster from the wall and headed straight toward the address listed at the bottom.
The moment he arrived, he slammed the poster onto the booth.
"How do I enter?"
If he wanted to catch their attention, then this was the perfect opportunity.
