Chapter 40: Titania’s Very Brief Return!

"The name’s Zephra, as you may already know. I deal in foresight, fortune enhancement, and even prophecy reading. One hundred percent real Fey magic, my dear customers!"

She launched into her spiel with practiced enthusiasm, and Trish’s smile twitched like she barely believed a word of it. To her, this was the kind of place she would never willingly set foot in.

But since she was with me, she’d entered without complaint.

"Don’t look so offended, Trish. Think of it like alcohol, just without the intoxication."

I took the seat across from Zephra, and Trish followed suit. My little comparison seemed to ease her skepticism, or at least gave her permission to enjoy the absurdity of it.

"Well, I suppose you’re right, Reyn."

The way I saw it, a good fortune from a so-called fortune teller worked the same way a stiff drink did; it loosened the nerves and made people more open to what came next.

That was from my old world. Here, it was far from snake oil.

Zephra, for her part, didn’t seem bothered by our commentary. She couldn’t have cared less whether we believed in her magic. What mattered was that we paid and she did her thing.

It wasn’t her job to convince her customers.

"So, what will it be?"

I smiled. The services she’d listed weren’t the only ones she offered. It was faint, but there was a pamphlet pinned to a wooden board just behind her, half-hidden in the poor lighting.

I wasn’t sure if it was intentional or not.

Some secret menu for those observant enough to notice, or she genuinely just didn’t realize her best services were sitting under bad lighting, waiting for the right customer to point them out.

"I’ll take the test of courage."

"The test of courage? Good choice, dear customer. Let me prepare—"

"Before we start, let me do something real quick."

It was time to bring out Titania.

Zephra and Titania. It was only a passing detail in the novel, something mentioned in the background of the Fairy Tale arc. But for some reason, my mind had latched onto it and refused to let go.

The human brain really does work in mysterious ways.

The woman in front of me was one of Titania’s students. Which, if the novel was accurate, made her one of the strongest characters I’d met so far.

SLIT!

I drew a focused beam of light across my finger, splitting the skin. A bead of blood welled up, and I glanced at Trish, who already understood. She reached into her handbag and produced the fairytale book I’d had her pack.

"What are you...?"

Zephra’s question trailed off as I began drawing a familiar symbol on the fabric covering her table. Recognition flickered across her face, too late.

I recited the words of the passage.

FLASH!

The explosion of sparks. The smell of flowers and burnt sugar. And when the light finally cleared, I found myself shoved backward, with Trish standing between me and the summoning circle, a wall of darkness raised in front of her.

"Reyn, are you okay?!"

"I’m fine. It was intentional. You can lower your wall."

"Are you sure—?"

"Well, if it isn’t my favorite little mortal."

Titania’s voice cut her off, and her wall of darkness disappeared without her even commanding it.

The air in the tent thickened with the scent of burnt sugar and crushed petals. The summoning circle I’d drawn smoldered faintly on the tablecloth, wisps of gold smoke curling upward before dissipating into the dim light.

And there she was.

Titania floated just above the ground, her stained-glass wings catching light that didn’t exist, casting fractured colors across the canvas walls. Her arms were crossed, her head tilted with the particular brand of amusement she seemed to reserve for me.

"Titania...?"

The dark elf’s voice came out strangled, the realization that her quiet carnival booth had just become a royal audience chamber.

Titania turned her head, acknowledging her former student with a lazy flick of her golden eyes.

"Zephra. Pretending to be a fortune teller, I see. I thought I taught you better than to waste your talent on bored humans with too much coin."

"Oh, please. Unlike you, mortal society runs on coin. Some of us enjoy eating."

"As annoying as ever..."

Titania’s gaze slid back to me, her expression settling into that familiar, childish annoyance, as if she wasn’t a literal powerful monarch.

"You. Mortal. What do you want?"

"The test of courage. I want to skip to the last part of it with my companion here. And I want to pick my route"

I glanced toward Trish. She stood perfectly still beside me, her earlier wariness replaced by the sharp focus of someone who’d just realized this "fortune teller" was far more than she’d expected.

She was more skilled as a dark mage than I thought. She had a lightning-fast casting time.

Titania let out a long, theatrical sigh, the kind that suggested she was already regretting being summoned.

"I can’t believe you know about this one as well..."

"Know about this one?" Zephra’s gaze darted between us.

"It’s a long story."

Titania waved a dismissive hand.

"Just know this mortal knows more about Fey society than some fairies I’ve had the misfortune of ruling."

"Sounds like you should do a better job ruling."

"Just do what he asks. I’ll give you a special wand for it."

Zephra blinked. "Just like that? You’re not even going to ask for anything in return?"

Titania paused, considering. Her golden eyes drifted back to me, and I felt the weight of her gaze settle over my body like a physical thing.

She noticed the change. The lean muscle where softness used to be. The sharper line of my jaw. But more than that, she noticed the mana, thick and steady, moving through my channels like a river that never stopped flowing.

Even without specialized magic, I could tell she was looking. It felt like standing naked under a cold sun.

"No, I’ve seen enough..."

A small shiver ran through her, gone as quickly as it came. The memory of our first meeting still lingered; the way I’d answered her riddles without hesitation left her on her hands and knees in disbelief.

She wasn’t eager to repeat the experience.

"He has potential to be even stronger, and I’m much more eager to have that version of him owe me for the investment than to ask for something immediately."

She snapped her fingers, and just like before, she was gone. No flash, no sound. Just the faintest tear in reality, and then nothing. The summoning circle vanished with her, leaving nothing but the lingering scent of burnt sugar and flowers.

I let out a slow breath. That had gone better than expected.

But Trish—

Trish looked like she’d just witnessed the sky open up and swallow the sun. Her face was pale, her hands flowing with so much mana she could probably level the entire carnival.

"R-Reyn!?"

Her voice came out thin, stripped of all its usual composure. She had just seen a celestial power manifest in a tent.

I don’t blame her...

"Care to explain what just happened!?"