Only a few minutes had passed since breakfast.
I sat in my room, testing one of the Sleepiness spell variants again.
As always—it failed. A sharp headache bloomed behind my eyes.
I rested my forehead on the desk, waiting for the pain to subside so I could try once more.
I wanted my body and perception to synchronize with the Sleepiness spells as quickly as possible.
When the headache finally eased, I slowly lifted my head, ready to attempt another variant—when a knock came at the door.
I lowered my hand, quickly opened an ordinary book in front of me, pretended to be reading, and called out,
"Come in."
William entered slowly. I was genuinely surprised—he had actually started knocking since last night. Before that he used to barge in like a wild bull.
After taking a few steps inside, William bowed his head quietly.
"My lord… what book are you reading?"
My eyes widened slightly. I hadn't even looked at the title—I had grabbed the first random book I saw.
Still, I forced an awkward smile and said,
"That's none of your concern…"
William shrugged.
"In any case… I wanted to tell you something interesting!!"
His tone was still far too casual with me. Over the past year I must have told him hundreds of times to speak more formally—but after only a few minutes he always forgot.
I closed the book with both hands and looked at him.
"Well… go on. What interesting thing did you find to tell me?"
William stepped closer to the desk, leaned in slightly, and said,
"Bring your ear closer."
I stared at him in surprise—but gave a small smile and leaned my ear toward his mouth.
When I was close enough, William whispered,
"This morning… while I was walking on the second floor, I saw John coming out of the library…"
Before he even finished the sentence I jerked my head back and—louder than intended—said,
"John was where?! Which floor?!"
William stepped back slightly, startled and a little afraid.
"Calm down—what's wrong? Did he commit a crime or something?!"
I slapped my forehead hard. The impact caused a brief flare of pain—but not enough to make me react outwardly.
I lowered my hand slowly and said,
"I told him… he was not allowed on the second floor. Only the first floor!!"
But William gave a carefree smile.
"Maybe he got lost. The manor is quite large, after all."
I stared at him mockingly.
"The manor isn't a maze—it has clearly marked stairs. Are you telling me he somehow missed the staircase leading to the second floor?"
William opened his mouth—then simply nodded.
"You're right… forgive me."
I was about to say something when William added,
"Come on—you didn't even let me finish what I wanted to say!!"
I stared at him.
"Fine… fine. Say it. Then go bring John to me."
William gave a quiet laugh.
"My lord… it seems you've forgotten—John is a university professor."
I coughed lightly—my throat still slightly sore from earlier—and said,
"You're… right. Very well. Now tell me what you came to say."
William's smile turned smug.
"Well… John performed a divination for me using the Crossings cards!!"
My eyebrow shot up.
I fell into thought.
Crossings cards?
Were those the equivalent of the real Major Arcana in this world?
If even the card system was different here… did that mean there were more cards? Or fewer?
If not—then what exactly were the differences?
I was still lost in thought when William spoke again.
"Why so quiet all of a sudden?"
I snapped my head up and looked into his eyes.
"No, no… I was just thinking—what kind of divination did he do for you?"
William smiled again.
"I'm not sure whether to call it divination or fortune-telling… but I asked him to show me my past, present, and future using the Crossings cards."
I nodded slowly.
"And… what was the result?"
William thought for a moment.
"I think the cards were The Riderless Carriage for my past… Symphony of Balance for my present… and Wheel of Eternity for my future…"
My eyes widened in shock.
I barely managed to stop myself from slamming my hand on the desk.
What kind of names were these?!
What did they even mean?
Did the Major Arcana even exist in this world—or were these Crossings cards the local version?
Before William could say anything else I came back to myself and said,
"Well… you can go now."
But William suddenly added,
"Why don't you go see John yourself? Let him do a reading for you with the cards!!"
I wanted to slap him hard—but aristocratic manners held me back.
I drew a deep breath.
"Maybe later…"
But William pressed.
"No, no—today!!"
I rose slowly from the chair and stood straight.
"Exactly how am I supposed to do that today, Mr. Helms?"
William's eyes trembled slightly—he looked almost frightened—but he said,
"Go to the university and ask John to perform a reading for you with the cards!!"
I pressed my fingers to my forehead.
"I… a great duke… go to the university… and ask a professor to divine my past, present, and future with cards?!"
William nodded with that same smile.
"You are a great duke—but you are still human. Not a god!!"
I exhaled sharply.
"I will never do such a thing."
But William said,
"My lord… I want to know what your past, present, and future look like!!"
I repeated,
"I… will never… do such a thing!!"
A few minutes later…
I still couldn't believe it—but because of Elias, I was now riding in the carriage toward the University of London.
Still… part of me saw the benefit. Perhaps I could finally understand what these Crossings cards actually were and how they worked.
In my previous life, because I had created so many theory videos on YouTube about divination tools and their interpretations, I had researched them extensively.
But that knowledge was worthless here—the card systems weren't even the same.
And yet… how did John Smith know how to read with cards?
Did they teach divination at Oxford in this world?
I exhaled deeply, crossed one leg over the other, and muttered under my breath,
"Whatever happens… happens."
I was about to close my eyes when the carriage suddenly stopped.
I was alone inside—no Frederick, no William this time.
I thought I would have to open the door myself—when the coachman opened it and bowed.
"Please, my lord. This is the University of London."
I stepped down calmly and looked at the building in front of me.
It felt very different from the university I remembered from my previous life—much larger, more intricate, with various gardens.
I even caught a glimpse through a corridor window of an enormous tree—its trunk perhaps two metres wide. Or maybe wider or narrower—I couldn't tell from that angle.
After a few minutes of wandering, I finally reached the third floor and found a door with a plaque that read "Professor" and beneath it "John Smith."
Probably chosen for aesthetic reasons—but I felt it would have looked better if both lines were aligned in a single row.
I opened the door quietly and stepped inside.
The room was fairly large and cozy—dark wooden walls, wallpaper, a desk, and several armchairs. Probably for meetings with students' parents or the students themselves.
As I looked around, my eye caught a curved sheet of paper lying discarded on the desk.
I walked over to see what it was.
When I got close, I saw two symbols side by side—not touching, not too far apart.
On the left side of the sheet: "֎"
On the right: "֍"
Both were drawn in red—as though written in blood or something similar.
I reached out to pick up the sheet—when the door suddenly opened.
I turned.
John stood frozen in the doorway.
I stared at him in surprise.
But John quickly recovered his usual gentle smile, bowed slightly, and said,
"Greetings, my lord. I was only hired yesterday—and today I already have the honour of a private audience with you? How delightful!!"
I forced a smile and withdrew my hand from the sheet.
"Yes… you are very fortunate. Also… you seem to have broken the rule I set for you."
John walked calmly to the desk, picked up the sheet, and slipped it under the desk.
"You mean going to the second floor? Well… in that regard, I must say one of your solicitors—Leonard Vance—asked me to go and fetch a book for him."
I walked to one of the armchairs and sat down.
"I see…"
John—still smiling that same gentle smile—said,
"Now… may I ask why you have come here?"
I gave a small, crooked smile.
"Fortune-telling… or perhaps divination. With cards."
John's smile curved slightly—almost into a smirk.
"You mean the Crossings cards? Correct?"
I lowered my head slightly, reached for the water pitcher on the table in front of me, poured some into a glass, and said,
"Exactly…"