He concentrated spirit power into Enlightenment Crystal. It immediately turned a murky black color, and a large crack ran down its length.
“?!” The doctor’s eyes went wide, but then he sighed with relief. “Phew, that was close… I thought as much; this is as far as I can go.”
“What do you mean?”
“The divination revealed that if I examine you any further, someone will kill me.”
“What?!”
That caught me off guard.
“I admit, this divination even scared me. It appears I really am standing right at the edge of the line,” Dr. Happ muttered, staring at his cracked blade. He could apparently tell the results of the divination by the state of his sword. “I always consult Enlightenment Crystal when making a decision. I want to know what fate has in store for me before I decide whether or not to go down that path.”
Apparently, the doctor could change the future based on his reading of Enlightenment Crystal.
“I first knew something was off three days ago, when I chose to travel to Aurest, and a shadow appeared in my blade, warning me of minor misfortune,” Dr. Happ explained. “I’ve received many such warnings in the past, so I decided to come here anyway while keeping an eye out for anything untoward that may happen.”
“Okay.”
“I made many decisions after assuming my position here in Aurest, but nothing changed—Enlightenment Crystal still warned me of minor misfortune. However, earlier today, when I volunteered to perform your examination, the blade suddenly turned a murky black, warning of a terrible calamity to come. That in itself was enough to know that meeting you would be like stepping on a land mine.”
Dr. Happ took a sip from the coffee cup on his desk.
“But as I said earlier, I’ve wanted so badly to examine you. The world’s most delectable carrot was being dangled in front of me; I knew reaching for it would be dangerous, but I just couldn’t resist… And before I knew it, a sample of your cells was in my possession. I probably extracted it without thinking during your physical.”
“Wh-what…?”
This man clearly needed to learn better self-control.
“I then secretly examined the makeup of your cells and discovered their unusual hardness and exceptional ability to develop tolerances. That was when this happened,” he said, staring at his blade. It still looked like it was going to break. “This large crack in Enlightenment Crystal is an omen of death.”
“That’s how you reached the conclusion that someone would kill you if you examined me any further?” I asked.
“Precisely. Good to see you’re keeping up.” Dr. Happ smiled and nodded. “To be perfectly honest, I’m far from satisfied! I want to study you from head to toe, examine every last hair on your body! Alas, I cannot take the risk… I must let you go, as much as it pains me. I would very much like to remain in the world of the living.”
He slumped disappointedly, his eyes filled with desire and regret.
“Y-yeah! I think that’s for the best, too!” I agreed. This man scared me in more ways than one. He clearly had a few screws loose.
Dr. Happ clapped his hands. “Oh, yes. Since you’re here, I might as well divine your future, too!”
I was stunned. “I appreciate the offer, but isn’t that risky? You should keep your distance from me…”
“Oh, don’t you worry about that. The danger most likely stems from your body. There must still be a big secret hidden within you, so I should be fine as long as I avoid it.”
“I see.”
Enlightenment Crystal was his Soul Attire; he obviously knew it better than me.
“I also have a great interest in your future,” the doctor told me. “So please, don’t hold back on my account! Give it a try!”
Dr. Happ handed me Enlightenment Crystal, his eyes shining like a child’s. The blade became clear again, and the crack disappeared.
“I’m sure you’ve got a vague idea of how it works already, but I’ll give you the basic rundown. Holding Enlightenment Crystal and filling it with spirit power will give you a divination revealing either fortune or misfortune in your future. The blade displays the result. The brighter it shines, the brighter your future. A dark color or cracks signify a dark future. And if the blade breaks…”
“If the blade breaks…what?”
“That means you’ll die in the near future.”
Dr. Happ’s expression was grave.
“H-how accurate is it?” I asked.
“It’s never once been wrong.”
“Not once?!”
I’d agreed to this without too much thought because I didn’t put much stock in fortune telling, but hearing that from the person who knew this ability best made me a little nervous.
“Ha-ha, there’s no need to overthink it. It’s very rare for the blade to break. Just treat it as a little test of luck,” Dr. Happ said.
“Y-yeah! I shouldn’t be worried about something that has such a minute chance of happening!” I breathed out to calm myself. “Hoo… Okay. Can I go ahead?”
“By all means.”
I poured spirit power into Enlightenment Crystal, and it shattered.
“…Huh?” I said blankly.
“No way…,” Dr. Happ gasped.
The entire sword—blade, guard, handle, and all—had broken into minuscule pieces.
“D-Dr. Happ…? What does this mean?” I asked.
The doctor had said that Enlightenment Crystal’s blade breaking was an omen that death was near. If that was true…then what did its shattering into tiny pieces signify?
“I’ve performed divinations for thousands upon thousands of people, and I’ve never seen a result like this…,” Dr. Happ said, wide-eyed. He shook his head in disbelief. “One thing is clear, however… This is bad. I’m guessing that in the near future—likely within a year—you will suffer a fate more painful and despair inducing than death.”
“Really…?”
A divination device with unfailing accuracy had just revealed that I would go through something worse than death within the next year. That was a lot to process.