Chapter 80

Lucrezia returned to Cardinal de Mare's residence, brimming with hope and passion. However, the words that had been so convincing when she heard them from the astrologer now seemed dubious once she was back home. She wondered if it was really too dangerous to put into action.

'That gypsy knew who I was.'

Lucrezia first heard about the female astrologer from a gypsy peddler. To be precise, a peddler from the Moorish Empire, who visited with goods, told Lucrezia that the astrologer close to the Countess Rubina, who usually accompanied her to the southern palace, was staying in San Carlo this year. This was top-secret information, as the Countess never let the astrologer out when she was in the capital. However, the peddler only told her where to find the astrologer, not how to arrange a formal meeting. Therefore, the astrologer could not have known who Lucrezia was from the peddler. At least, Lucrezia believed so.

'Did she really know I was the Cardinal's mistress through her supernatural powers?'

... And the crystal ball! The vivid figures of Isabella, Arabella, and Ariadne moving inside the crystal ball were definitely real.

'That must be true.'

Recalling the crystal ball filled with smoke where silhouettes danced, Lucrezia shook her head to dispel the thought that the astrologer might be a fraud. Moreover, the astrologer did not ask for any money. She couldn't be a fraud.

'If I just take the "Heart of the Blue Abyss," all my troubles will be solved.'

It wasn't even a permanent request. She just needed to take it for a while, perform the purification ritual, and return it to its place. Compared to what she would gain, the risk was almost negligible. With this in mind, Lucrezia resolved to carry out the task the gypsy astrologer had given her.

* * *

The sky was a clear, deep blue, and the sun was shining brightly. Although it was early winter, the weather on the ship was warm, with a gentle breeze blowing across the deck, much like an Etruscan autumn.

- Crack!

"Ouch!"

An old woman sitting on the deck, looking into a basin of holy water, jumped up in surprise. Her right hand tingled with electricity, and she shook it vigorously, holding a metal bell to dispel the evil energy.

"Whoever it is, they've cast the 'Curse of the Golden Rule' again!"

The old woman grumbled.

"Judging by the spell structure, it's the Amhara again! Do they even have brains?"

She wore a red skirt, had a tanned complexion, small, slanted eyes, and jet-black hair. She was from the equestrian people of the eastern continent, the 'Ballas Ordo.'

"Grandma, are you hurt?"

Her grandson, a boy around eight or nine years old, peeked out and examined her hand.

"I'm not hurt. I quickly pulled away, so there's no serious damage. I don't understand why the Amhara keep casting the 'Curse of the Golden Rule' in the Central Continent, which isn't even their land! Where do they find such bizarre cases?"

In the Central Continent, everything from the eastern continent was casually referred to as 'Moorish Empire' products. However, what Central Continent people thought of as the 'Moorish Empire' mainly referred to the powerful empire established by the Ethelköz people in the old Ysak region and the Amhara tribe living in the deep black land. In fact, there were three countries that Central Continent people couldn't distinguish well. The Moorish Empire was a loose federation where the leaders of five countries took turns being the supreme ruler. The old woman was a Salaman, a high priestess, of the 'Ballas Ordo,' who had established their empire in the far east. After suffering from a mysterious illness in her youth, she received the power of the divine and had ruled as the highest female Salaman of the Ballas Ordo. However, the problem was always the ruler. When the young Khan of the Ballas Ordo began to rule with tyranny, she was plunged into despair. As the foremost Salaman, she had the duty to advise the Khan. However, after using holy water to divine the heavens and seeing her only blood relative, her grandson, she left the capital without looking back. Thus, she was now traveling west along the Silk Road, aboard a ship heading to Etrusca, leaving the Ballas Ordo behind.

The ship, crossing the 'Black Salt Sea,' sped through the hot air of the southern land, relying on a single breeze. The journey was not easy, and her grandson asked the more grumpy old woman.

"Grandma, why is the 'Judgment of the Golden Rule' a curse? If you succeed, you can achieve anything!"

The old woman was shocked and quickly cast a protective circle by making seals in the four directions with the metal bell. Pulling her grandson inside the circle, she scanned the surroundings, and only after confirming that there were no 'High Ones' watching, did she scold the boy.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk, you fool! For thousands of years, thousands of people have tried, but who has succeeded?"

"But there was the Greek Prometheus! The bringer of fire, the prophet, the one who sees ahead!"

The old woman shook her head.

"So, did Prometheus become happy?"

The boy had to lower his head in response to his grandmother's question.

"No."

But his innocent enthusiasm couldn't be hidden.

"But he brought fire to humanity! He has been praised ever since! He is a hero in history!"

The old woman couldn't hold back and smacked the back of the boy's head.

"Bringing me all this trouble to take you to the land of the western barbarians is pointless, you brat!"

With her grandson holding his head, the old woman's nagging seemed endless.

"Even if we assume Prometheus succeeded after countless compromises, have you thought about the countless 'Judgment-seekers' who failed to achieve their goals? Logically, if one in thousands succeeds, do you think you'll be that one or one of the rest?"

The old woman's voice rose.

"Changing the past is not easy. Is it easy to break the chain of cause and effect? How many 'Spectes' hang by a single thread? Most are so entangled like a spider's web that you can't even touch them. Just because you prevent one event doesn't mean the 'Spectes' destined to happen won't occur!"

She earnestly warned the boy.

"Close your eyes tightly. We saw nothing. If you see 'Judgment-seekers' in Etrusca with two dots under each eye, keep your mouth shut and your ears closed. I don't want you to be a hero. I just want you to live a good life, eat well, and enjoy a long life."

To become a public figure and leave the private sphere, there was a clear price to pay. The old woman had lived long enough to make her own judgment about whether sacrificing individuals for the world's cause was worth it. However, she also knew very well that children would always make different judgments from the elderly.

"Please, let me feel that it was worth leaving everything behind to take you to a land where the chain of cause and effect is thin."

The boy, seeing his grandmother's unusually pleading tone, looked down at the floor and reluctantly agreed.

"Yes..."

* * *

Arabella, who had decided to apply to a music college, was enthusiastically composing. Besides the Missa Brevis, which was recorded as a joint composition with Isabella, she had already completed a couple of lute solo pieces and a string quartet. Despite this, Arabella wanted to include more in her portfolio. Currently, she was working on a soprano aria that she planned to use in an opera she intended to write someday. Ariadne, who had no expertise in composition, could only support her sister's efforts. However, she knew very well whose heart she needed to win to get into the convent's affiliated music college.

'In the end, the key is the recommendation letter that Cardinal de Mare will send to the abbess.'

While encouraging Arabella's work, Ariadne drafted the letter that Cardinal de Mare would send to the abbess. People who stamp documents are often lazy. Without a pre-drafted letter, Cardinal de Mare might delay and miss the deadline. Ariadne, sitting next to Arabella, who was wrestling with sheet music and instruments, completed the draft of the cardinal's letter in her spare time. It was a recommendation letter ready to be sent as soon as Cardinal de Mare signed it.

Ariadne spent more time in the parlor with Arabella and the other girls. Naturally, her study was empty for longer periods. However, since then, Ariadne often felt a strange sense of discomfort when she sat in her study.

"Sancha, why is the ink bottle on the floor?"

"I don't know... I clearly put it away properly. There's no one who comes in and out of the study."

Once she felt something was off, everything seemed suspicious. Following Ariadne's instructions, her direct maids took turns guarding her room 24 hours a day.

'This can't be...!'

The person most frustrated by this measure was Lucrezia. Lucrezia had sent the housekeeper Giada to find out where Ariadne kept the 'Heart of the Blue Abyss.' After thoroughly searching Ariadne's room, Giada concluded that the necklace was in Ariadne's safe in the study. However, during this process, she dropped the ink bottle, which heightened Ariadne's vigilance. Since then, progress had been at a standstill.

'Oh, I'm so frustrated. So frustrated!'

Lucrezia had planned to send someone to find out the safe's password, but they couldn't even get near the room. She considered bribing Ariadne's maids, but Anna disliked unnecessary trouble, and Bicenta was young and straightforward. Moreover, neither of them had access to the safe. The only one who could get that close was Sancha.

But the damn Sancha didn't even give her a chance. Giada, approaching awkwardly with a smile, was dismissed before she could even speak.

"Do you need something in our young lady's room?"

"U, um?"

"Seeing you come here in person, I can tell who searched the room!"

Sancha blew her nose and left.

Giada couldn't bring herself to tell Lucrezia that she had dropped the ink bottle, causing this trouble. In