Episode 05
The Card
Kirsch. She must be from a big city too.
Lumian’s gaze finally settled on the glass beside the woman’s hand.
Kirsch was a distilled liquor made from sugar and pickled cherries, its color and taste very popular among women. Of course, other fruits could be substituted for cherries, which would slightly alter the taste, but the difference wasn’t great.
Kirsch was also one of the few premium liquors available at Cordu’s old tavern. The tavern stocked it because of Madame Poiris, who, after a trip to the provincial capital Vigor, had fallen in love with this slightly reddish liquor. The wife of the local administrator and magistrate, Beost, Madame Poiris had noble ancestry, though the title had been abolished during Emperor Rochelle’s era.
Simultaneously, she was also one of the mistresses of the parish priest, Guillaume Bénet. Not many in the village knew this fact, but Lumian was among those who did.
Withdrawing his gaze, Lumian walked towards the bar counter.
There sat a man in his forties wearing a linen shirt and trousers of the same color. His thick brown hair, already thinning, was very disheveled, and wrinkles from ceaseless labor marked the corners of his eyes, mouth, and forehead.
Raymond’s father, Pierre Clégg. Another Pierre.
This was precisely why Lumian had joked yesterday in front of Ria and Renee’s group that if you called for Pierre inside the tavern, at least a third of the people would answer.
When villagers spoke of Pierre or Guillaume, they had to specify which family they belonged to. Otherwise, you couldn’t tell which Pierre or Guillaume. It wasn’t uncommon for fathers and sons to share the same names, so neighbors sometimes added prefixes like ‘old’, ‘big’, or ‘little’ to distinguish them.
“Father, why aren’t you chatting with others in the village square?”
Raymond approached his father.
The village men loved to gather under the shade of trees in the square or at someone’s house to play dice, cards, chess, or gossip about various rumors. Being at the tavern required spending money.
Pierre Clégg, holding a glass of red wine, turned his head to glance at his second son.
“I’ll go a bit later. There probably aren’t many people in the square right now.”
That’s right, where have all the village men gone?
Lumian felt momentarily puzzled. The square earlier had been clearly empty.
“Uncle, I came looking for you because I wanted to ask something.”
As Lumian spoke directly, a hint of wariness appeared on Pierre Clégg’s face.
“Some new mischief?”
‘The Boy Who Cried Wolf’ was quite a realistic tale after all.
Lumian turned his head and gave Raymond a look as if telling him to speak.
Raymond hesitated for a moment about what to say, then opened his mouth.
“Father, how long ago did that story about the mystic you told me happen? The one where it took nine oxen to finally move the coffin.”
Pierre Clégg took a sip of wine and expressed doubt.
“Why are you asking that? I also heard it from your grandfather when I was little.”
The province of Raston, which Cordu village belonged to, along with the nearby provinces of Olay and Suhit, were all located in the south of the Intis Republic. Famous as a grape-growing region, wine here, especially the lower-quality varieties, was very cheap. During some harvest seasons, you could even drink it like water.
Raymond looked slightly disappointed. His grandfather had passed away long ago.
Just then, Pierre Clégg added:
“Your grandfather said he saw it himself when he was little. He said he became afraid of owls after that, worried such evil creatures might steal his soul.”
Lumian and Raymond’s eyes both lit up simultaneously.
There really was a clue!
That mystic story was something someone had personally witnessed!
“Did grandfather ever mention where that mystic originally lived, or where he was buried after he died?”
When Raymond probed, Pierre Clégg shook his head.
“Who would care about that?”
Seeing Raymond about to continue questioning, Lumian reached out, nudged him, and said loudly:
“We should go to the riverside.”
Just as Raymond was about to follow Lumian, Pierre Clégg suddenly remembered something.
“Wait, Raymond, you said two days ago you’d become the ‘field-warden’, right? There are things you need to know.”
A ‘field-warden’ was someone who patrolled the nearby upland pastures and surrounding fields to prevent grazing during prohibited periods or livestock from damaging unripe crops.
Instead of eavesdropping on their conversation, Lumian headed for the tavern’s attached restroom.
After exiting, he deliberately and inconspicuously glanced at the outsider woman of indeterminable age drinking kirsch.
Lumian didn’t know how to approach and start a conversation. But observing and gathering information in advance could prove helpful at specific times. Just like how he had used Renee, Ria, and the others to expose the parish priest’s affair.
After a few surreptitious glances, Lumian circled around the corner, preparing to wait for Raymond by the tavern door.
At that moment, the woman in the long orange dress, looking languid, suddenly lifted her head.
Lumian’s gaze, which he hadn’t had time to withdraw, met hers directly.
Even thick-skinned Lumian felt slightly awkward. Simultaneously, various thoughts raced through his mind.
Should he, like with the parish priest or the administrator, seize the initiative to compliment her beauty and transition from observation to conversation? Or should he, like a fool, hastily turn and leave?
Just as Lumian was about to decide, the woman smiled and spoke.
“Been dreaming a lot lately?”
The abrupt question struck Lumian like a thunderbolt. His mind froze, all thoughts solidifying within.
It took him a second or two before he managed to force a smile and say:
“Dreaming is perfectly normal, isn’t it?”
The woman, resting her chin on one hand, stared intently at Lumian and chuckled softly.
“Dreams shrouded in thick fog.”
How does she…
Instantly, Lumian’s pupils dilated, and a trace of fear appeared on his face. Though he had experienced quite a few things, he was still young and couldn’t control his expression in this moment.
Stay calm, stay calm…
Lumian comforted himself while relaxing his stiff facial muscles to ask in return:
“Did you hear the whole story I told those three outsiders yesterday?”
Instead of answering, the woman took out a deck of cards from the orange handbag placed on the adjacent chair.
Then, looking at Lumian again, she smiled.
“Draw a card. It might help you uncover the secret hidden in that dream.”
What in the world…
Lumian felt both flustered and puzzled. His heart stirred, but his wariness increased.
Examining the deck, he frowned slightly.
“Tarot?”
It looked like Tarot cards, invented by Emperor Rochelle for divination.
The woman lowered her head to check the cards she had taken out, then laughed self-deprecatingly.
“Sorry, wrong deck.”
After putting the 22 Major Arcana cards back into her medium-sized handbag, she took out a new deck.
“These are Tarot too. But the Minor Arcana. You’re not yet qualified to draw from the Major Arcana. I also don’t have the qualification to let you draw one of those…”
The Minor Arcana, totaling 56 cards, consisted of four ‘suits’: Wands, Swords, Cups, and Coins.
What is she talking about? Lumian was utterly bewildered. The woman before him was beautiful and had an air about her, but she didn’t seem entirely normal. It was as if there was something wrong with her mind.
“Draw one.”
The woman, who seemed to be from a big city, began shuffling the Minor Arcana cards in her hand, a smile playing on her lips.
“It’s free. No need to pay, and it might solve your dream-related problem. Isn’t it worth a try?”
Lumian laughed out loud.
“My sister says free things are the most expensive.”
“A valid point.”
The woman thought for a moment before replying.
She placed the Minor Arcana next to the glass of kirsch and continued:
“But if you’re determined not to pay no matter what, how could I, a mere outsider in Cordu, force you to bear any cost?”
She’s right. What could happen from drawing a card… If I can finally get a clue related to that dream, it might be worth a try… It’s not some cursed object from a mystic, is it? Maybe I should ask Aurore for help?
Lumian couldn’t make a decision for a while amidst the various thoughts surfacing in his mind. The woman didn’t press or hurry him.
After about ten seconds, Lumian slowly lowered his body, reached out his right hand, riffled through the stacked Minor Arcana, and drew one card.
“The Seven of Wands.”
The languid-looking woman said upon seeing the drawn card.
The card Lumian drew depicted a man with a resolute face in green clothes, standing on a mountaintop holding a single wand, defending against six wands attacking from below.
“What does it mean?”
When Lumian asked, the woman smiled.
“Based on the image, it could signify crisis, challenge, resistance, courage, and so on. Of course, these aren’t important. What’s important is that this card has now come to you. Its true meaning, you will realize when fate arrives.”
“Come to me?”
Lumian grew even more puzzled.
This card isn’t really cursing me, is it?
The woman collected the remaining Minor Arcana cards, then picked up her glass and finished the last of the kirsch.
Afterward, ignoring Lumian’s question, she slowly headed towards the staircase on one side of the old tavern and went up to the second floor.
It seemed she was staying here.
Lumian felt like following her, but after taking one step, he stopped abruptly, conflicted amidst various worries.
Is it really just an ordinary card?
Since she gave this card to me, the incomplete deck can’t be used anymore, right?
Aurore would be able to see through any problem…
Just then, Raymond approached him.
“What are you doing?”
“Nothing. That outsider is just too pretty.”
Lumian brushed it off casually.
“I think your sister is much prettier.”
Raymond then lowered his voice.
“Lumian, what do we do now? Our grandfather passed away long ago.”
Eager to return home now, Lumian thought for a moment and said:
“We could find elderly people still alive who are around your grandfather’s age and ask them. There’s also the method of searching through the church’s registry. Hmm, better keep that as a last resort.”
Having exposed the parish priest’s affair, he thought it best to avoid the church for the time being.
In a rural village like Cordu with only one church, and with the administrator’s subordinates being extremely few, the church also partly handled government functions like recording funerals and marriages.
Lumian quickly added before Raymond could ask again:
“Let’s split up first and find out who the eligible elderly people are. We’ll start inquiring tomorrow.”
“Alright.”
Raymond agreed immediately.
✧ ✧ ✧
The two-story building on Rue Ancienne.
After listening to Lumian’s story and examining the wand card closely, Aurore said:
“It’s just an ordinary card. I don’t sense any curse or other strange presence.”
“Aurore—ah, sister, what do you think that outsider was trying to do? How did she know I have such dreams?”
When Lumian asked, Aurore shook her head.
“Since she showed her hand, we can only wait. I’ll keep a close eye on her for the next few days. Hmm, you hold onto this card for now. Don’t worry if any changes occur. I’m watching over it.”
“Alright.”
Lumian tried hard to relax.
