Nicholas's thoughts drifted back to the events of October 20th. The lingering doubts that had been buried within him since that day now surged to the surface.
From the moment he undertook the Trial of Rebirth with the church, he had harbored suspicions all along. He remembered the sensation after consuming the potion—the feeling of a foreign entity attempting to infiltrate his body. At first, he assumed it was because he had never received proper training from the Order.
But now… his instincts told him otherwise.
Recalling what he had faced at the time, there was a strong possibility that the ritual had been interfered with by followers of the Moon Worship Cult. Perhaps the root of the failure lay within the potion itself—the very one prepared for the ritual.
If that were true, it meant there could be a traitor hidden within the Order or the Church— someone influential enough to interfere with a ritual that served as the very foundation of the organization.
The thought that the organization backing him had been infiltrated left him deeply unsettled. For now, it would be wiser to avoid bringing up the Moon Worship Cult to Romero for, at least until he could confirm the truth of the matter.
Nicholas glanced at the man before him. Although, he did not know the intentions of this man… but at the very least, he could not sense any hostility directed toward him.
"You know me?" Nicholas asked.
"You might find it hard to believe, but in truth, there is… a certain connection between us." The stranger replied as he lifted his teacup to take a sip.
"In fact, I first sensed this connection around the beginning of last month. I believe a significant event occurred involving you then—one that may have been the starting point of this shared fate."
Early October was the exact moment Nicholas had been transported to this world. This meant the "connection" the man spoke of was linked directly to him—not to the original Nicholas who had inhabited this body before.
"What should I call you?"
The question made the man pause briefly before replying,
"You may call me… 'Mr. C.'"
There was no doubt that it was not his real name, but rather an alias or a codename of some sort. Even so, from the corner of his eye, Nicholas could see a thin red thread slowly forming, linking him to Mr. C.
"How can I be sure that what you just said is true?" Nicholas asked.
"It may be the truth, or it may not, As I said, that is an answer you must seek for yourself."
Mr. C fell silent at this point, as if sensing something. A faint smile appeared on the face of the man disguised as a professor before he turned back to Nicholas.
"From now on, you and I are no longer strangers..." he said, his smile laced with hidden meaning "Let's talk about the reason I came to see you today…"
"In truth, I have established a collective—a circle of individuals dedicated to exchanging information and discussing the various events taking place in Ukus. As it happens, we are currently missing one final member."
He slipped a hand into his coat and pulled out a business card, handing it to Nicholas.
Upon inspecting it, Nicholas found an engraved symbol resembling a goat, along with lettering that read: Capricorn. He surmised that perhaps "Mr. C" was simply an abbreviation for this title.
However, what drew his attention the most was the line printed at the top of the card—the name of the organization Mr. C had just mentioned.
"Zodiac Council?"
Nicholas raised an eyebrow, murmuring the name under his breath. Seeing that title, he could finally make a loose connection between Mr. C's codename and the name of this organization.
He never imagined that the concept of zodiac signs would exist in this world as well.
"Consider this an invitation to join us," Mr. C said. "Who knows, You might find the very information you are searching for there— or information that could prove useful to you in the future. If you're interested… simply burn that card with fire, and I will know at once."
Mr. C took the last sip of tea remaining in his cup before turning to nod at Nicholas.
"…As for our meeting today, I believe it is best we conclude it here for now."
The moment Nicholas looked up from the card, the seat across from him was empty. Mr. C had vanished—leaving no trace, no sound, and not even a lingering presence to mark his departure.
The chatter of the café gradually returned, as though something that had enveloped their table had just dissipated—some kind of barrier that had concealed their conversation from others while muting the noise from outside.
Nicholas let out a sigh. It seemed a new puzzle had formed for him to unravel once again.
He quickly called for a waiter to settle the bill, but the moment he heard the total, his brows furrowed…
It appeared that Mr. C had left without paying for his food and drink. And since the two of them had been sitting and talking at the same table for quite some time, the staff naturally assumed that Nicholas would be the one covering the entire bill.
...vanishing like a superhero was undeniably cool, but for heaven's sake—couldn't he at least pay for his own meal first?!
.....
Nicholas returned to the law firm to check the case schedules and clear his backlog of pending work. He had to admit that the conversation with Mr. C had truly lightened his spirit—at least enough to give him the mental energy to sort through various matters.
It seemed this mysterious man truly did possess the ability to provide psychological therapy as he had claimed.
Nicholas pulled the grey mirror from his coat pocket. Ever since he had visited the antique shop on 13th Street, he hadn't checked the messages in the mirror yet.
Now might be the time for him to pay attention to it once more.
"Let's see what has changed."
"Congratulations! You have discovered the Cursed Object 'Vekvisor's Compass:
In the 7th Era, legends spoke of a pioneering navigator, Vekvisor, sailed the Blackwell across the seven seas.
The compass guided him to wealth and glory, and his name was spoken by sailors far and wide.
Though the legend has faded, this compass still bears the brilliance of a forgotten age."
The message seemed to be referring to the compass he had found in the antique shop. It was hard to believe that what the shopkeeper had told him turned out to be true in many respects.
Nicholas took out the old compass and examined it. Despite its aged appearance, its mechanism still functioned smoothly without the slightest hindrance, to say nothing of the exquisite, intricate patterns engraved within its casing.
He had learned some basic information about Cursed Objects from the Spirit Medium Order manual he received from Piers. At first, he had been worried that he wouldn't understand how to use this item, but it seemed that concern had been unnecessary after reading the details that followed.
" With a single press, you may swap positions with a living being within your line of sight.
Caution: Repeated use may cause disorientation.
Perhaps... you might find yourself lost in places you've never known."
He already knew that Cursed Objects came with side effects. Nicholas wasn't sure how severe they might be, but from what he could interpret, it seemed they might simply cause him to lose his sense of direction.
However, what truly mattered was this Cursed Object's ability.
The power to swap positions with living things within his field of vision didn't seem like something that would help him directly in combat. Rather, it would grant him greater mobility—allowing him to evade danger more effectively.
'A single press' According to the description, it likely referred to the small metal button on top of the compass. He assumed that pressing it was the condition required to activate the artifact's power.
"Isn't that an incredible ability?"
In theory… as long as there was a living being within his line of sight, he could switch places with it and escape almost any danger. It could even throw his enemies into confusion.
…This made Nicholas feel an immediate urge to test the ability.
Another thing he needed to find out was how many times he could use it without triggering side effects. As far as he knew... the more continuously a user employed a Cursed Object, the more severe the subsequent side effects became.
For some reason… Nicholas had a feeling he would get the chance to try it sooner than expected.
...As if heaven had heard his thoughts, Nicholas suddenly sensed a presence above him.
When he looked up, he found a child's spirit clinging to the ceiling—hanging upside down, staring directly at him.
…It was Yorn— Piers's bound spirit.
The creature, with a child's head fused onto an insect-like body, let out a faint, babbling sound before dropping onto the table in front of Nicholas. Even though he had seen it many times before, it still looked just as repulsive as ever.
The spirit extended a scrap of paper from Piers, informing Nicholas that he was being summoned for a mission at dawn the next day.
…Looks like the opportunity to test his Cursed Object would really come sooner than he had expected.
08.11.550
Nicholas Parlay
Spirit medium (Éna)