𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐈 𝐜𝐚𝐧’𝐭 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐝𝐫𝐮𝐧𝐤
Kid was drinking at a bar in the castle town, brought there by Garnet.
As promised, Garnet came to pick up Kid and they had strong drinks at the bar.
However, something bothered Kid.
ㅤ
“Hey.”
“What?”
“. . . . . .Who’s that?”
ㅤ
Garnet had brought someone with her.
It was a hunched old woman, dressed in a purple robe, her wrinkled face bearing a sly smile.
She had been there since they boarded the horse carriage, but Kid didn’t mention her.
Since there was no topic of conversation and they just kept drinking, Kid eventually brought it up.
Then, the old woman spoke.
ㅤ
“Well, well. You finally noticed me. I thought you were blind.”
“Haha. Nakshatra, you kept quiet too, didn’t you?”
“Did I?”
ㅤ
The old woman, called Nakshatra, chugged down a drink with an amber liquid.
She immediately ordered another and said to Kid.
ㅤ
“I am Nakshatra. I am Garnet’s peer. People call me a 『prophet』 or 『fate』. Just call me the 『fortune-telling old lady』.”
“. . . . . .”
ㅤ
Kid didn’t respond and drank his Scotch.
For a while, the three drank in silence until Garnet initiated a conversation.
ㅤ
“Kid. Is something bothering you?”
“. . . . . .”
“Speak up. Keeping it all inside isn’t like you.”
“. . . . . .”
“Ah, are you upset about losing to Florentia? Did you by any chance come into contact with her ability?”
“━━!”
ㅤ
Kid finally reacted.
Garnet took out a pipe and lit her tobacco.
ㅤ
“In the past, Venus and I faced Florentia. . . . . .We couldn’t beat her. She overwhelmed us without even using her ability. . . . . .The nature of her ability remained a mystery. But I was surprised when I heard about Florentia’s ability from Leivinia. It’s a man-killing ability.”
“So? What are you saying? Should I give up on revenge?”
“Do you think I’d tell you that?”
“Of course not.”
ㅤ
Kid finished his Scotch and ordered a refill.
Nakshatra slid the Scotch glass placed in front of her towards Kid.
ㅤ
“Drink up. It’s on me.”
“. . . . . .”
“It’s troublesome. . . . . .You can’t win as a man, and just because you’re a woman doesn’t mean you can beat her. If there’s a possibility. . . . . .”
ㅤ
Nakshatra took out a beautifully decorated pipe. Along with a small box, she filled her pipe with the tobacco inside and lit it. From the scent, it was clear it was premium tobacco.
Nakshatra exhaled the smoke.
ㅤ
“The only possibility is that Ridelle girl.”
“. . . . . .!”
“Do you know? That Ridelle girl reached the same state as that boy with the right hand.”
“What. . . . . .?”
ㅤ
Kid learned for the first time that Ridelle had reached a state of 『Total Assimilation』.
Garnet exhaled his smoke.
ㅤ
“For now, I’ll tell you about how Albero and the others ended up fighting.”
ㅤ
Kid heard about how Albero and the others had fought two demons.
The demons, Bahamut and Midgardsorm. The attack of the demon beast. About Oswald. Kid listened to it all, gripping his glass of Scotch tightly.
ㅤ
“. . . . . .Tch. Those guys.”
“While you were rampaging on your own, those kids got even stronger…”
ㅤ
Garnet told Kid, who gritted his teeth in response.
It was just as she said. Kid lost and returned to the academy without any growth.
He didn’t feel like his usual self. He began to question why he came back.
ㅤ
“Kid. Show a bit more of yourself. It’s not like you to be troubled, is it?”
“. . . . . .”
“Losing isn’t a shame. You’re still alive. You didn’t win, but you’re not defeated. . . . . .maybe it’s a narrow victory?”
“What are you saying. . . . . .Are you an idiot?”
“It’s fine to be an idiot. If you’re alive, you can face the next battle. By the way, do you think you’re smart? Being smart refers to people like me and Nakshatra.”
“. . . . . .Tch.”
“So, are you in the mood to talk now?”
“. . . . . .”
ㅤ
Kid gulps down a glass of Scotch in one go.
He slammed the glass onto the counter and exhaled lightly.
ㅤ
“. . . . . .I lost. To that 『Lust』. My head was hot. I wanted to defeat her, even if I had to give up everything.”
ㅤ
Kid began to speak hesitantly.
And then, he finally realized.
ㅤ
“. . . . . .I was weak.”
ㅤ
Despite drinking strong liquor, he wasn’t drunk at all.
ㅤ
◇◇◇◇◇◇
ㅤ
“I see.”
ㅤ
Garnet and Nakshatra, having listened to Kid’s story, lit their cigarettes again.
They not only talked about the battle but also about the past.
Kid sips the grape wine served to cleanse his palate.
ㅤ
“Don’t tell them.”
“I understand. Now that we’ve heard the story, what’s the practical move. . . . . .What will you do?”
“. . . . . .”
“Currently, you can’t defeat Florentia. Not only will you not be able to scratch her, touching her will also be hard. The only possibility is. . . . . .having Ridelle fight.”
“That won’t work.”
ㅤ
Kid firmly denied.
The premise was different to begin with.
ㅤ
“This is my revenge. I won’t let someone else fight for me. . . . . .This is my battle. I have to settle it.”
“Then, you’ll need a strategy to defeat Florentia.”
“Is this where I come in?”
ㅤ
Nakshatra grinned menacingly, his wrinkles moving like worms. It was eerie.
Then, Nakshatra gently clapped her hands together and opened them.
ㅤ
“Turn, 『Gears of Fate and Future』.”
ㅤ
A transparent crystal ball appeared in Nakshatra’s hands.
Around the crystal ball, several small gears were spinning.
Kid was amazed at the intricacy of the gears.
ㅤ
“Usually, I charge a ridiculous amount for 『fortune telling』, but for Garnet’s sake, I’ll do it for free just this once.”
“Fortune telling. . . . . .?”
“Yes. It’s the fortune telling of Nakshatra’s Summoned beast. The appearance might be that of a suspicious old woman, but her skills are genuine.”
“You said one word too many. Seriously. . . . . .Aren’t you an old woman too?”
ㅤ
The crystal in Nakshatra’s possession glowed faintly, and the gears rotated.
Kid didn’t understand, but Nakshatra could see a glimpse of the future in that rotation.
Then, the gears stopped.
ㅤ
“. . . . . .I see.”
ㅤ
With almost no expression, Nakshatra murmured.
ㅤ
“The result is━━.”
ㅤ
The result of the fortune telling was astonishing.
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