“I- I understand,” Lucian replied simply.

  He knew they had not trusted him completely yet. Of course, he was no different, he had not trusted them either. As Seraphine had said, she would use him, and Lucian would use Black Index. Thus, he had not lowered his vigilance even once since he arrived here.

  Nodding at Lucian’s response, Kasturi further explained the Librarian turned Unread before them.

  “The three Unreads within her each represent different schools of knowledge, and each is a master of the knowledge it possesses. When her eyes turn golden, the Unread conscious within her holds vast knowledge of fate and the future, as it is a seer. When her eyes turn orange, the Unread possesses extensive knowledge regarding the Codex and the mysterious world of Librarians and Unreads. That is the Unread from whom we must obtain information about your Codex. And finally, when her eyes turn green, the Unread represents profound knowledge of poison and curses.”

  Lucian nodded, indicating his understanding.

  Kasturi stepped closer to the Librarian turned Unread.

  “We only need to know about your Codex. However, once it is released from its seal, we must ask three questions before sealing it again. You may ask two additional questions.”

  ‘How generous,’ Lucian thought inwardly. ‘Two questions. One regarding poison, and another about my future. Now the question is what? Agh, two questions suddenly feel far too few. I have far too many things I wish to ask.’

  “Alright, but it won’t demand some offering from me, will it?” Lucian asked, slightly apprehensive.

  “It will. You need not worry about that, I have already prepared for it,” Kasturi replied.

  Lucian drew a deep breath and nodded.

  Kasturi grasped the blindfold and removed it in one smooth motion.

  Suddenly, the once-silent small chamber trembled slightly. A heavy gust of wind forced Lucian back a step. He felt the gravity shift as he was pushed toward the wall. Using the inhuman strength of a Librarian, he quickly regained his balance and tightened his footing.

  The dusty scent of the chamber vanished, replaced by the fragrance of fresh flowers and burning incense, though neither was physically present in the dim enclosure.

  Then the only source of light, the yellow Nether-powered lantern, dimmed unnaturally, only for everything to grow even brighter than before.

  As the disturbance subsided, Lucian saw Kasturi standing casually, as if nothing had occurred. His gaze then shifted to the old woman seated on the chair. Now that the blindfold had been removed, her eyes were visible.

  In her wrinkle-filled face, her eyes were sunken deep, a mark of age.

  Within those narrow sockets, Lucian saw three pupils of three different colors.

  His hair stood on end as the horrifying pupils rotated slowly.

  They surveyed their surroundings and blinked three times. Then two of the pupils vanished, leaving only the orange one.

  The old woman gasped like a fish out of water and looked at the duo observing her in silence.

  “I will answer any question if I possess its answer, but in return, you must offer me the right eye of a deep-water Aparithon fish, which symbolizes hidden knowledge.”

  The old woman seated on the chair spoke in an ordinary elderly voice.

  At this, Kasturi slipped his hand into the inner pocket of his long coat and retrieved a glass jar containing what appeared to be an eyeball.

  He opened the jar, took out the eyeball, and tossed it toward the old woman as though feeding a fish.

  The old woman opened her mouth unnaturally wide and engulfed the eyeball without pleasure.

  ‘Agh, my stomach.’

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  Lucian held his stomach and turned his gaze away as she finished her meal.

  “What is the question?” it asked after licking its lips with a long tongue.

  Kasturi gestured toward Lucian. He raised his left arm and summoned his Codex as he had been taught previously.

  The dark, ancient looking Codex hovered in the air, floating up and down as though savoring its rare manifestation in reality.

  “Very interesting.”

  The Unread examined the Codex with visible curiosity.

  “No doubt, it is a Grimoire Eternum.”

  Its aged gaze turned toward Lucian.

  “How did a child like you manage to awaken a Grimoire Eternum, when no one has been able to do so in the last 1,468 years of this era?”

  “I don’t know,” was what Lucian wished to say, but for obvious reasons, he refrained.

  ‘…What should I answer? I certainly cannot reveal my bloodline to some bizarre old woman turned Unread. Should I pretend to be some chosen one, or claim it was mere coincidence?’

  After a long second, Lucian coughed twice and said, “It is my fate.”

  “Indeed,” the old voice agreed.

  Its gaze returned to the Codex.

  “I had thought I would never see a Grimoire Eternum with my own eyes. I should be able to interpret the symbol, yet I cannot. I cannot discern what this symbol represents.”

  ‘What symbol?’ Lucian frowned slightly as he noticed a complicated sigil engraved upon the aged leather cover of his Codex.

  “Can you not even speculate? Compare it with other symbols,” Kasturi said.

  “I may be mistaken, but it might symbolize single-minded obsession.”

  “Single-minded obsession?” Lucian repeated. “Is that… bad?”

  The Unread turned toward Kasturi and chuckled.

  “If you are wondering whether you should accept the boy or not, that would be sheer foolishness. Only an imbecile would reject someone who possesses a Grimoire Eternum. You know what it represents.”

  Kasturi remained silent, showing no interest in responding.

  “Very well. My turn is over.”

  The orange pupil faded like a minor stain washed away, and a deep green shadow replaced it.

  “Oh my, it has been a long time since I was last awakened.”

  The old woman’s aged voice transformed, losing all resemblance to the previous tone. It now sounded like that of a young girl who had mastered the art of seduction.

  “You know my price, a freshly severed head of a venomous snake.”

  Kasturi retrieved another glass bottle and tossed a snake’s head toward the Unread. Once again, Lucian averted his gaze.

  “What is the question?”

  After finishing the head, the Unread asked in a soft, melodic voice.

  “…Am I cursed?” Lucian asked.

  He posed the question because of certain information he didn't disclosed to Seraphine, especially what had happened after the court had ordered him to live as though dead.

  “Oh my. Oh my… You have seven curses lingering within your body. You must possess remarkable willpower to still be alive,” it said.

  ‘Seven curses?! I did not expect that.’

  Lucian swallowed his mounting fear and asked, “What are they?”

  “Hmm, let me see. One of them appears to be nearly gone, resulting in the restoration of your memories. That was a powerful one. How did you rid yourself of it?”

  Lucian recalled the moment he had fully remembered everything. He looked down at his hand, clad in black leather gloves, and clenched his fist.

  “Coincidence.”

  “Coincidence? Very well, if you prefer not to tell me. It was not part of our bargain.”

  “What about the rest?”

  The Unread’s gaze intensified upon him, traveling from his face to his chest, then to his stomach, and further downward.

  ‘Eh, what is she looking at?’

  “Hehehe… your morning routine must differ from others your age,” the Unread chuckled.

  ‘Eh…’

  Lucian involuntarily glanced at Kasturi, who maintained his usual nonchalant demeanor.

  ‘Thankfully it is Mr. Tigerman and not Ma’am Seraphine,’ Lucian sighed inwardly.

  With a seductive smile upon her ancient face, the Unread continued,

  “But if you do not mind, you may join me in bed. I might be able to restore it to some extent.”

  Lucian stared at the wrinkled body of the Librarian turned Unread.

  ‘Agh, if I were not cursed, I would rather accept another curse than share a bed with you,’ he thought, shuddering.

  “You are thinking something rude, are you not?”

  “Ah, of course not.”

  “You see only this shell. My true body possessed divine beauty. When I was alive, men from different kingdoms traveled merely to behold me,” the Unread frowned.

  ‘Yes, I am sure,’ Lucian thought dryly.

  “What other curses do I have?” he asked.

  “Huh?” The Unread examined him again. “I am unable to perceive them. The caster is evidently powerful. However, if you were to free me from this place, I am certain I could help you remove them.”

  “Alright, enough. It is time to switch,” Kasturi interjected, preventing further manipulation.

  Lucian exhaled slowly. ‘Another incomplete answer.’

  The color of her eyes shifted once more, turning into the radiant hue of pure gold, reminiscent of a resplendent sunset.

  “In return for knowledge of your future, I ask that you seek my true name.”

  Her voice transformed again, now that of a refined, middle-aged woman of high society.

  ‘Eh, no blood or bones this time?’

  Lucian was momentarily taken aback by the request.

  ‘Are you not a seer? Why not discover your own name?’ he initially thought. Yet perhaps the request concealed a deeper reason beyond what her foresight could reveal.

  Lucian once again regarded the Unread as a woman.

  After a brief pause, he finally asked, “Where should I begin my search?”

  The Unread fell silent for a moment. Lucian wondered if his question had been too vague. He had phrased it deliberately so, to verify whether she could truly see fate. Just as he was about to clarify, the middle-aged voice spoke again.

  “Is vengeance the path you intend to choose?”

  “Yes,” Lucian replied in a heavy tone.

  “Very well. Give me your hand.”

  Lucian raised his hand, but noticed that the Unread’s hands remained nailed to the arms of the chair. Only then did he realize that the old woman’s entire body had been affixed to the chair with iron nails.