Chapter 34: Apparently, I Could Become House Alastor’s Strongest Demon

Two hours passed.

Silvano went through the entire deck.

All twenty-two Major Arcana, one by one, explaining each card’s natural specialties, the noble Houses that traditionally carried them, and the famous incompatibilities—cards that almost never functioned well together in the same deck for philosophical or historical reasons.

Adrián took notes in a notebook Silvano had handed him without asking.

He wrote a lot.

He wrote fast.

He wrote with the very specific feeling of a student sitting through the first lecture of a semester-long class that was going to be difficult.

When Silvano finished with the cards, he projected what Adrián could only describe as a mental slide—Adrián had no idea how he did it; the image simply appeared in the air in front of the whiteboard—showing the symbols of the five strongest Arcana in the Alastor retinue.

Five illuminated cards.

The other eleven were gray.

"The five strongest members of this House," Silvano said. "Memorize them."

"Okay."

"Rhea Alastor. The Reversed Empress. Mistress."

"Yeah."

"Kael Vandragh. The Emperor. Second-in-command."

"Yeah."

"Me. The Hermit. Third."

"Okay."

"And the remaining two."

Silvano pointed toward the last two illuminated cards.

"The Devil, currently held by Nikita Volkov. And the Moon, held by Lira Vex."

"Nikita and Lira are fourth and fifth?"

"Correct. With one exception. During a full moon, Lira temporarily rises to third place. During a new moon, she drops to seventh."

Silvano adjusted his glasses.

"Her card makes her ranking unstable."

"And me?"

Silvano smiled faintly.

"You, boy, are currently number sixteen in the retinue."

Adrián stared at him.

"But that’s only because you just reincarnated and don’t know how to do anything."

"Thanks."

"You’re welcome."

Silvano continued as if nothing had happened.

"Your theoretical potential, considering all three abilities of the Fool combined with the Thief’s Mask, places you somewhere between first and third."

Adrián stopped writing.

"...First to third?"

"Correct."

"..."

"Yes, boy."

Silvano looked directly at him.

"That is why Rhea is investing so heavily in your training."

He tapped the board once.

"You are not just another contract."

A pause.

"You are, potentially, the most dangerous card House Alastor has possessed in three hundred years."

Adrián remained still.

"And everyone—including you—needs to operate with that knowledge."

Adrián stared at the board.

Then looked toward Ishtar.

Still lounging in the armchair, she smiled around her lollipop.

"Brother-in-law."

"Yeah?"

"Welcome to the part of training where you finally learn why we treat you the way we do."

"..."

"Yes. You’re important."

She pointed the lollipop at him.

"You haven’t earned it yet."

Adrián frowned.

"But you will."

A beat.

"Or at least you’re going to try."

She shrugged.

"Everything else depends on how quickly you learn."

Silvano crossed out CARDS.

Then circled RELICS.

"Last hour before lunch. The Thief’s Mask."

He looked at Adrián.

"Let’s begin."

---

The explanation of Relics was shorter.

Silvano admitted, without trying to hide it, that House Alastor didn’t have all the answers because Relics were rare and poorly documented.

"What we know, boy, is this."

He turned toward the board.

"Relics are manifestations of the soul."

"They are born inside humans seemingly chosen at random by the universe. Most never awaken."

"When they do awaken, they take a form that reflects something essential about the bearer."

Silvano looked at him.

"Your Mask takes the form of a thief."

"Do you know why?"

"No."

"Neither do I."

Adrián blinked.

"But we’re going to find out."

Silvano began pacing slowly.

"It could be psychological. It could be related to your bloodline. It could even be connected to the card you ended up carrying."

He gestured toward the Tarot deck.

"The Fool has traditionally been associated with the archetypes of the traveler, the jester, and the thief."

He tapped the table with one finger.

"It’s possible the two resonated with each other when they chose you."

"..."

"What we do know with certainty is how the Mask functions mechanically."

Silvano raised one finger.

"Your Mask gives you four primary benefits."

"First: strength and speed far beyond human limits, comparable to a mid-to-high-ranking demon."

A second finger.

"Second: Void magic. An energy that belongs to none of the three factions and against which no supernatural species has natural defenses."

A third.

"Third: accelerated regeneration."

A fourth.

"Fourth: enhanced senses."

"Okay."

"There is also a fifth characteristic."

Silvano lowered his hand.

"One that is much harder to quantify."

Adrián waited.

"Relic bearers tend to experience anomalous luck."

Adrián stared at him.

"It’s a documented phenomenon. Improbable events happen to them more often than they do to the general population."

Silvano paused.

"For better and for worse."

Adrián immediately disliked where this was going.

"In your case, that effect is reinforced by your card’s Fool’s Luck."

"..."

"Which makes you statistically unusual."

Silvano adjusted his glasses.

"Extremely unusual."

Another pause.

"Far outside normal probability curves."

"..."

"You are going to experience extraordinary good luck."

Adrián nodded slowly.

"And extraordinary bad luck."

He stopped nodding.

"Sometimes simultaneously."

"Of course."

Silvano almost smiled.

"It’s something you’ll eventually have to learn to read, anticipate, and later channel."

"Channel luck?"

"Rhea will teach you the theory behind probability channeling later."

Silvano raised a hand before Adrián could ask another question.

"For now, I only need you to understand that it exists."

Adrián nodded.

"Silvano."

"Yes?"

"Do you think Elena had a Relic?"

Silvano looked at him.

"Yes."

No hesitation.

"We consider it highly likely."

Adrián’s expression tightened.

"The pattern behind the Fallen’s hunting behavior suggests that they specifically target humans with dormant Relics."

Silvano’s voice became quieter.

"If Elena was one of their victims..."

A pause.

"...then she almost certainly had one."

Adrián looked down at the notebook.

"We simply don’t know which one."

"...Okay."

"We’ll find that out too."

"Okay."

Silvano closed the book he had been using.

"Good. One last thing before lunch."

Adrián looked up.

"Before Lira destroys you this afternoon."

Adrián stared at him.

"Lira is going to destroy me this afternoon?"

"Lira is going to destroy you this afternoon."

From the armchair, Ishtar burst into a short, sharp laugh.

"Brother-in-law, don’t worry."

Adrián looked at her.

"I’m coming to watch."

"Ishtar—"

"I’m bringing popcorn."

"Ishtar, no—"

"Yes."

She smiled brightly.

"Definitely yes."

Then she looked toward Silvano.

"Give him the last part and go eat. I’ll take him downstairs afterward."

---

Lunch was quick.

Adrián barely registered what he ate.

Silvano had crammed so much information into his head that his brain was still processing it in the background, and he ate mechanically while Ishtar talked about completely irrelevant things with what Adrián would later realize was the very specific purpose of distracting him from his upcoming training session with Lira.

At three in the afternoon, they descended to the basement training room.

Lira was already inside.

She wasn’t standing in the middle of the room like Adrián had expected.

She was lying sideways on a rug she had apparently brought specifically for the occasion.

Dark violet.

Silver lunar patterns.

Her chin rested in one palm.

Her legs were crossed in a way that could only be described as indecent.

Her modernized kimono was open at the hip in a way Adrián noticed and immediately decided not to process.

A small cup of tea rested in one hand.

A folded fan in the other.

When the door opened, she turned her head.

Dark violet eyes focused on them.

That serene smile appeared as though someone had flipped a switch.

"Ufufu~ Darling. You’re here."

Her eyes slid toward Ishtar.

"And you brought an audience."

Her smile deepened.

"How nice."

"Lira," Ishtar said, walking in first. "No weird stuff today. Rhea gave explicit orders."