Chapter 6: Unexpected Fortune
The gray mist surrounded the elegantly dressed guy. Both noticed the other's reaction and the woman did too.
"Huh? Do you know each other already?"
The first to recover was Klein Moretti, the fortune teller William had wanted to hire to get his fortune told.
He quickly pulled himself together and looked at William as if he were an old friend. "That's right, we haven't seen each other in a long time, so I was a bit surprised." The woman seemed to understand and explained to Klein that this friend of his was the client who mentioned.
"Well then, is the Topaz room free right now?" William, who hadn't said anything since he met Mr. Moretti, just followed him after the woman nodded.
They came to a room with a round table in the middle. There were two chairs and traditional-looking furniture. They each took their seats, and an awkward silence settled between them.
"So... you're a Beyonder." William wasn't asking because it was clear the guy wasn't ordinary.
"And so are you." Mr. Moretti put his hand in his pocket, and William tensed, remembering similar scenes from movies. "I'll have to ask you some questions."
He agreed with a nod, not wanting to get into unnecessary trouble even with his newly-acquired powers. This seemed to relax the situation a bit and Klein took his hand out of his pocket.
"What's your name?" The fortune teller began to ask.
"William Hastur, sir." He thought about giving a false name, but his cover would probably not last long, and then everything would go even worse.
Klein, who had a scholarly aura around him, proceeded to ask more questions, such as how long he had been a Beyonder, if he worked for any organization, and more. William answered them truthfully, although he did not mention how he had obtained the formula for his potion, but instead lied that his grandmother had given it to him in her last moments.
"Finally, what is that sword?" Mr. Moretti did not feel any kind of spirituality from the object and yet he received a strange feeling of doom from it.
William lost his ability to reason for a moment as if his biggest and most shameful secret had been revealed. "Debris, you said they couldn't see you!" He only thought that, but he knew the sword had heard him.
"He shouldn't be able to see me or even feel me! Darling, it probably has something to do with that gray mist." Debris seemed as shaken as he was, but she quickly jumped to a conclusion, and William agreed with her. He sensed a feeling of total mystery and concealment in the mist and instinctively knew he shouldn't stare too hard at it.
This time, young Hastur did not answer and instead asked a question:
"What is that mist?" At his words, Klein staggered in the same way he did a few seconds ago, and at that moment, William noticed that they both had some similarities.
"Y-You can see it?" He stammered as he swept his hand into his pocket once more, this time pulling out a revolver.
"Wait!" The two stood up, and William tried to put his hands up in surrender, but just then Debris moved to his hand on her own. An oppressive feeling filled the room and Klein paled. He raised the revolver and aimed it at William, determined to shoot if things got even more out of hand.
"This runt, how dare he? How dare he threaten Darling?"
Debris was furious and William felt it. He decided he had to do something to not end up in a fight to the death.
"Enough." He spoke softly to the sword with his thoughts. "Please, I don't need enemies so soon."
The oppressive aura began to disperse. Debris's voice echoed in his head.
"Hmph, that boy is lucky. He will only stay alive because of you." Williams's eyebrow twitched as he realized that a sword was puffing out cheeks like a little girl. He heaved a deep sigh and raised his hands.
"It's fine if you don't want to answer, but let me keep the existence of this sword a secret as well, please."
Klein looked at him confused. "The sword moved by itself?"
He lowered the gun carefully but didn't pocket it again. The divination rooms were pretty well soundproofed, so no one heard the commotion.
"Okay, I won't talk to anyone about it if you don't reveal anything about the gray mist." William nodded in agreement but became worried after hearing his next words. "Besides, I'll have to take you with me. Lucky for you, since you're an independent Beyonder and just became one you'll probably be set free."
"Shit, I was right about the Beyonder organizations. Of all things, I had to get this one right! What do I do?" He began to sweat, but he knew he couldn't escape now that Mr. Moretti had seen his face. They probably had many ways to track him down. "Wait, maybe this is a good thing. I can talk to them and try to convince them to let me join. This way, I can stop constantly fearing that I don't have someone to back me up."
With renewed conviction, William smiled at Klein, which made him look at him strangely.
"Okay, I'll go with you. But I need you to promise me that you won't harm me." His mentality was still that of a 21st-century earthling, although it had started to change since he transmigrated and drank the Sequence 9 potion.
Klein thought for a second before replying. "If you behave yourself, there shouldn't be any problem. But I warn you, one suspicious move and we'll finish you off."
William laughed uncomfortably at the threat but couldn't help but think that the whole situation had resulted in an unexpected fortune.