Divination Scroll

“Heheheh, you have a very interesting soul, don’t you?”

The old woman startled me with her first words.

“It’s my first time seeing a soul so entangled with so many ‘threads’ that it’s almost obscured.”

“…”

I couldn’t understand what this person was talking about.

And she seemed so eccentric… could she really help me find Ailena?

“Especially that silver ‘thread’… Heheheh, it’s wrapped very tightly~! It’s almost like a spider catching its prey!”

Hearing this, my heart skipped a beat.

…Silver thread? Was she talking about Ailena?

“Heheheh!”

Seemingly catching the surprise on my face, the old woman let out another strange laugh.

Her next words shocked me even more.

“That silver ‘catcher’ has gone missing, which is why you’ve come here so anxiously, seeking my help, isn’t it?”

“…How do you know!?”

“Heheheh!”

She responded with a strange laugh.

Her hunched figure turned away.

“Follow me!”

Following her into the shop, I saw that the interior decorations were even more bizarre than the outside.

Shelves were filled with all sorts of strangely shaped goods, yet none had price tags; the walls were covered with peculiar decorations, some exuding a strong foreign flavor just by looking at them.

“Heheheh! There’s nothing you need over there.”

She walked to the counter deep inside the shop, rummaged around for a while, then pulled out a scroll.

…Compared to the visual impact of the other items, this scroll, though stained with clear bloodstains, seemed much more normal.

“Heheheh! If you burn a part of the target’s body along with this divination scroll, you’ll know where the target is! A super convenient item!”

…With this, I can find Ailena!

“That’s it! Quick, sell me that scroll!”

“Heheheh! This one is very expensive, you know?”

“Any price is fine! We have plenty of money!”

“Heheheh! I never said I accept money.”

…What does that mean?

If not money, then… internal organs?

This shop certainly looked like a place that would deal in dark magic… it wouldn’t be strange to demand internal organs.

“Heheheh! This shop isn’t that kind of dangerous place~ While we don’t accept money…”

—But we do collect our customers’ memories.

She said with a sly smile.

“The more precious the item, the more valuable the memory we will collect…”

At this point, she looked me up and down, then laughed strangely again:

“Heheheh! But it seems I have an incredible ‘缘’ [karma/fate] with you? As a grand opening special, and a meeting gift, I won’t charge you this time.”

With that, she handed the scroll to me.

“However… as a piece of advice, I suggest you acknowledge your true feelings sooner rather than later, alright? Otherwise, only you will suffer~ Heheheh!”

I was about to ask her what she meant when I suddenly found myself standing at the doorway.

“…Huh?”

Looking back, where the shop door had been, there was nothing, as if everything just now had been an illusion.

Yet, the scroll was undeniably in my hand, its slightly rough texture confirming that everything had been real.

A shiver ran down my spine.

“…What happened?”

“I don’t know… I didn’t feel any magic being cast at all…”

My brother and I exchanged glances.

“…Anyway, let’s find Ailena first.”

“Since it requires a part of the target’s body, we’ll have to go back to the ducal estate to find Ailena’s hair or something, right?”

“No need to go back, I have Ailena’s hair on me.”

Saying this, I took out the strands of Ailena’s hair I had carefully preserved.

—Lately, I had grown somewhat dissatisfied with merely sleeping in the same bed as Ailena; now I would also collect some of her hair that fell on the pillow, pick out the longest strand, and secretly carry it as an amulet.

If I collected enough, perhaps I could even make some small dolls…

“Katarina… you…”

My brother looked at me with a complex expression.

You want to say I’m a pervert, don’t you? Don’t you?

Isn’t this a perfectly normal way to express affection?

However…

“I have to burn this…”

It pained me a little.

Perhaps it was my imagination, but my brother’s gaze grew even more complex.

Never mind him, let’s use the scroll quickly.

Even if it pained me a little, to save Ailena, everything was worth it!

And when Ailena came back, I would have even more hair!

Isn’t this what they call “you can’t catch a tiger without entering the tiger’s den”?

Thinking this, I placed the strands of hair inside the scroll.

“Brother.”

Understanding my meaning, my brother immediately used magic to ignite a flame.

Under the flickering firelight, the scroll and hair gradually turned to ash, and a pinpoint began to clarify in my mind…

“Move faster!”

A dagger tip pressed against my back, forcing me forward.

In the end, I never found an opportunity.

Daniel’s vigilance was simply too high; even if I scratched an itch, he would stare at me intently.

Even when he untied the ropes on my feet, there were no openings.

…Please, I’m a girl now, isn’t it rude to stare at me like that?

I originally wanted to complain, but my mouth was gagged, so I couldn’t speak.

Finally, we seemed to stop in front of a door.

“Get in!”

Daniel pushed me from behind. I couldn’t just stand there, so I followed his force and entered the door.

“Clang!”

It sounded like an iron door being shut.

Had I been locked up?

I had the sensation of going downstairs earlier… so I was probably locked in a dungeon.

…I actually feel a bit nostalgic; the last time I was locked up was… well, the last time.

But this place was different from a small dark room; a small dark room had poor ventilation, while here I could distinctly feel gusts of cold air.

They probably used a barred gate that made it easy to see the prisoners.

…This also gave me an opportunity.

“I’m going to report to the boss; you better watch carefully.”

“Yes!”

I heard the main gate close.

“Tch… that mere brat is really arrogant.”

…It seemed this guard was very displeased with Daniel.

After waiting for a while, and hearing no sound, I quietly gathered magic at my fingertips, lighting a small spark.

Heated by the flame, the hemp ropes binding my hands quickly snapped silently.

To protect my wrists, I condensed a thin layer of ice around them.

As for the unavoidable burning smell, I used wind magic to disperse it.

After briefly flexing my wrists, which were sore from being bound, I quietly lifted my blindfold and peered around at my surroundings.

Hmm… it was pretty much as expected, a stone room with a rusty iron barred door.

Through the iron door, I could see a bearded man holding a spear, dozing against the wall.

At the same time… there were other prisoners in other rooms.

Even with their eyes covered and mouths gagged, their fear was evident on their faces.

…Of course, a small number of people had already given up struggling, choosing to accept reality.

The entire dungeon reeked of decay and depravity.

Isn’t this the perfect atmosphere for an escape?