CH 132

Chapter 132 of “Mastering Magic in an Otome Game Part 4 (Eildart Castle During Winter Break)”

“Have you settled down?”

“Uh, yeah…”

I managed to get Oluris and the others, who were still sniffling, to sit down.

As a result of learning about my reincarnation, everyone, though not me, started crying for some reason. It was a chaotic situation, but the original quietness of the night soon returned to the room.

“Well, you know, let’s put the reincarnation thing aside for now. What I’m about to tell you is something that I haven’t yet confirmed yet…but it’s very important and must be kept secret, that’s for sure.”

“Secret…?”

I nodded deeply to Brother Will, who tilted his head. Yes, it was not my reincarnation that was important right now.

“Oh, that’s right. I almost forgot  because of the shock…The demon beast the magic circle…what was that?”

Connie shuddered as she remembered. I chose my words carefully, feeling sorry for scaring her.

“That magic circle was a pattern from cards used for fortune-telling in my previous world. There are a total of twenty-two picture cards called the Major Arcana, and fifty-six cards called the Minor Arcana, with each card standing for a variety of meanings.”

I cut off my words and wrote down a simple devil’s tarot on a piece of paper.

I deformed the demon into a cute little sheep so that it would not inadvertently exert its effects.

“Since the cards are used for divination, the meanings they imply are complex and ambiguous. In addition, there are two ways of reading the cards: ‘upright position’ and ‘reverse position.’ The meaning of the cards in the reverse position is generally the reversal or opposite of the meaning of the cards in the upright position.”

I held the fluffy sheep card in the upright position.

“In this position, the meanings can be read as ‘illusion,’ ‘slavery,’ or ‘chaos, ‘corruption.’”

“…….”

I heard a gulp. Then I continued, turning the Tarot upside down.

“In other words, the reversed position can be interpreted as ‘seeing through illusions’ or ‘breaking free from domination.’

“I see…but how did you know that it was an illusion and not a real demon beast?”

“Because the devil tarot doesn’t mean ‘materialization’ or ‘realization’…and the devil card often implies more evil and desire rather than the devil itself.”

Brother Oluris, who had been holding his hand to his chin and looking thoughtful, sharpened his eyes.

“I see…but…if this were to leak out…”

“…If this is leaked, it would be a big problem, right?”

Brother Oluris continued, and Brother Will also became tense.

“That’s right. If this is mass produced and circulated…one can instantly create hell by themselves without any complicated chanting, magic tools, or materials.”

“…!!!”

Connie turned pale.

It couldn’t be helped. It wasn’t just the existence of guards and the army that allowed ordinary citizens with little magic power to live without special self-defense, but also the fact that magic was essentially a troublesome thing that required procedures and sacrifices in the first place.

Of course, simple tasks such as producing a small amount of water, burning a flame, or moving plants and trees could be done with relatively short chants and standard magic power.

If one had a lot of magic power, they could do simple magic over a wide area, as the prince and I did.

However, magic that required a lot of delicate movements—such as manipulating and controlling specific hallucinations or exercising magic with multiple attributes intertwined—needed to be performed by a large number of people or required magic tools and magic circles made of high quality materials.

In other words, unless one was a genius magician with a lot of money and skills, they usually couldn’t do too much on their own..

But what about now?

If someone had this tarot card, they wouldn’t need to have any deep knowledge of magic…In an instant, they could even make it look like they had summoned Baphomet in the city.

I didn’t know how much manipulation was possible, but one might even be able to make it look like they were controlling a dragon, an army, or even a great monster. They might even be  able  to control people and make them think they are dead.

If such a thing were to happen in a country, it would inevitably cause mass panic. A coup d’état, an invasion, whatever you want to call it.

I felt a shiver run through me as I imagined it myself. At the same time, a question arose in my mind.

“Do all beasts use magic like that?”

If so, that would be too threatening. Brother Will answered that question.

“No, that’s not the case. We don’t see magicians very often, and ordinary magical beasts can only use simple magic.”

“That’s right…Also, is there anyone who studies the magic circles that magical beasts use? They can use dangerous magic without chanting, so has anyone ever been concerned about it?”

That question was answered by Brother Oluris. He growled as he recalled his memories.

“It’s not that there aren’t people out there who do…but most of the magic circles that Alice has seen have been hidden by the bodies of magical beasts, and no one has ever seen them in their entirety. Even if you try to forcibly uncover it, they seem to run away. In addition, there is a strong perception that magical beasts use magic…”

“You are right, Brother. For some reason, that’s how they are…”

Hmmm…There are too many indeterminate and unknown factors.

“But only my lady knows about this, right? Then, as long as you’re careful, shouldn’t it be okay…?”

Connie’s fluttering words gave me a bad premonition.

The doubts and sense of danger that had been hovering in my head quickly surfaced.

“No……There’s one other person who might know about besides myself.”

“Eh!?”

The brothers shouted in surprise.

“What do you mean? Because even Alice noticed this just now, didn’t you…?”

Brother Will’s voice seemed distant, as if he was in a state of fear.

I regretted that I had not clarified a certain fact that I had once suspected.

“Yes…I always thought it was odd, but if my guess is correct…and if they went through the same experience as I did…there is someone else who might realize the power of the Tarots…only one other person.”

“That’s…!?”

I put my hand on my forehead. My blood started to boil as I got a headache.

I couldn’t hide the bitterness in my voice.

“It’s Gabriella Verandel.”

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T/N: Just as an FYI, I have used two different translations for the monsters – “demon beasts” and “magical beasts,” but they are essentially referring to the same thing. Just wanted to let everyone know to avoid extra confusion. Thanks!