"The divine artifact is moving quickly. It's likely being carried by someone on the move."
The loli demon casually brushed a strand of pale blue hair from her temple, her dark golden eyes glinting with anticipation.
"At this speed, they might be using a vehicle… or, of course, it could be someone from the mystical side."
"Can't I absorb its power from this distance?" Lucius asked, hurrying along.
"To draw out the power of a divine artifact, you need to be fairly close," The demon replied nonchalantly. "The exact distance depends on the artifact's strength and how active its power is."
Lucius wasn't surprised by the answer. If anything, it made sense.
"There should be taxis around here, right?" The demon remarked, sounding bored.
"Following my senses and directing a driver to chase a divine artifact… Rome is a focal point for Italy's magical associations. I can't afford to draw too much attention." Lucius broke into a jog toward the indicated location, still finding time to banter with the demon.
Or rather, their conversations had become an essential part of his daily routine.
"Carrying a divine artifact and running around a city steeped in history like this? That's hardly the work of an ordinary person, is it?"
"Legitimate magical associations usually steer clear of divine artifacts due to their power and the risk of summoning a Heretic God."
"Someone bringing a divine artifact into Rome… if the local magical factions have caught wind of this, they're probably on high alert already. Better to keep a low profile."
And, of course, there was the most practical reason.
"Also… I'm out of money," Lucius said with a shrug, a touch of helplessness in his voice.
Rome was an international metropolis, and tourism was a significant industry here.
The hallmark of a tourist city: high costs, low income.
"That's… an irrefutable reason," The demon said, tilting her head. "They've stopped moving now, probably waiting for their companions."
Lucius said nothing more, focusing on his path.
"Excuse me, would you like a fortune reading?"
Lucius put on a confused expression and turned to look. Beside him stood a woman wearing a pointed hat and a flowing robe in the Romani style.
Seated on a simple mat, she held a crystal ball, with an unassembled tent nearby, looking every bit the traditional wandering fortune-teller.
The only thing slightly out of place was the bracelet on her wrist, adorned with a beast's tooth.
Beast teeth, even when specially treated, often yellowed over time. But this tooth was stark white, almost unnaturally so, its smooth surface marked with faint blood-red streaks. At first glance, it almost seemed alive.
"Please, trust me—my readings are quite accurate."
"Oh, I'm sorry, I don't have much money on me," Lucius said, feigning the flustered awkwardness of an inexperienced youth accosted by a stranger.
"Hm, that's alright," The fortune-teller mused. "Since I just arrived here, I'll do it for free. But—" She pointed to a box of trinkets beside her. "If you want to buy something, that won't be free."
"Is that okay?"
"I have a soft spot for people from your region," The Romani fortune-teller said with a warm smile. "I was helped by someone from there once."
As a Romani fortune-teller, she did indeed hold a fondness for certain foreigners.
Unlike locals, they often saw the Romani as mysterious rather than malicious.
Which made them… easier to deceive.
"So, because you're from there, I'll read your fortune for free," She said.
Such an offer wouldn't raise suspicion.
After all, free readings were common among Romani fortune-tellers. Fortunes didn't earn much—low fees were pointless, and high fees deterred customers.
Their real income came from selling trinkets afterward.
She was an ostracized Romani mage, but more often, she was a fortune-teller.
"Alright, but I'm warning you, I'm not buying anything," Lucius said, sounding troubled.
When the fortune-teller raised her hand, the beast tooth on her bracelet swayed slightly.
He exerted considerable willpower to keep his gaze from lingering on it.
After all, he was playing the part of an oblivious tourist boy.
"No problem," The fortune-teller said, her slightly hoarse voice emerging from beneath her robe. "Now, young man, give me your hand."
Lucius obediently extended his hand.
At the same time, the power within the beast tooth divine artifact on her wrist began to flow, trickling into Lucius's body.
The closer one was when absorbing an artifact's power, the better the effect.
"Ah, young man, I can see it," The fortune-teller said, clearing her throat with a mysterious air. "You're someone who refuses to settle for mediocrity."
"And I daresay your future holds no great calamities—a happy life awaits…"
Lucius calmly listened to her words while absorbing the power from the beast tooth.
For a moment, he recalled Caravaggio's painting The Fortune Teller, wondering if the figure in it was truly reading fates or slyly slipping a ring off the customer's finger.
Perhaps due to her profession, the fortune-teller left some things unsaid, but Lucius caught the subtext.
No great disasters, but no great glory either—just above average, a standout among the ordinary.
Mediocre.
She wasn't wrong. Her reading was fairly accurate. But that was the old him.
"If you'd like to boost your luck, I recommend this ancient Roman goblet—" She picked up a chipped cup from her pile of trinkets.
Selling wares was a Romani fortune-teller's true craft.
"No thanks, I don't have any money on me." Lucius shook his head and walked away.
The fortune-teller hadn't yet noticed that her wolf tooth bracelet was now marred with large patches of dull yellow, as if it had aged centuries in an instant.
The tooth had gained power through faith, becoming a divine symbol. Now, stripped of that power, the marks of time rapidly surfaced.
Having just drawn the tooth's power into his body, Lucius hadn't had time to fully absorb it. If she turned hostile now, he wasn't sure how to respond.
"Mediocre traits… not a suitable candidate," The Romani fortune-teller muttered, shaking her head as she watched him leave.
She wasn't here to tell fortunes.
To summon a Heretic God using their methods, they needed no small number of sacrifices. Blending into Rome was no easy task, so they had to source their offerings locally.
Compared to the mediocre, those with exceptional talents made better sacrificial material. This one, she'd let off as a genuine act of kindness.
Both parties, it seemed, harbored their own schemes.
With this divine artifact, the summoning should succeed, right?
She thought, glancing at her wrist.
And then—
What the—?
***
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