Chapter 108: Additional Wish

After the Blue Roses had finished up their investigations with Ainsworth and Deitrich, and the White Roses had patched up their minor wounds from fighting with the Nameless, they adjourned from the Eighteenth Floor of Etten-Leur. While Ainsworth and Deitrich had to proceed with their investigation into the Cattleya Family, Lumière immediately adjourned from Etten-Leur in order to make his way to the edge of Cobbler's Street.

It was important he made his way over to the Blackfeather Group's headquarters. He had already alluded to the 'leads' towards the Phantom Syndicate, and that was incredibly based on whether Constantine Adler had more information on them than he first shared with Lumière. 

'I can't believe I ran into Demeter once more! I had almost forgotten completely about him! But if he's not affiliated with Lord Sinner, what reason could he have to be watching over me? Is he with the Phantom Syndicate? No… they love chaos, and this seems far too orchestrated. What if his tip was really a trap? But why would he try and help me in the beginning? Is 'giving' me the idea of becoming a magician crucial to some sort of plan? Otherwise, why would he help me stay alive? But it is true that if Etta Aziz remains nearby, I will certainly be in danger! I need to find him! But even if I do, will I be able to defeat him? Perhaps with Thomas's help… but what if Etta Aziz is one of those Rememberers that doesn't wish to kill the Primordial Sin?'

'In any case, I need a way to locate Etta Aziz… is it possible he's still continuing to hide amongst the Dwindlers? Perhaps there is some way I can draw them out… after the attack on the monastery, they scattered throughout the lower borough, Etten-Leur especially. If I can just group them together somehow, I could easily locate him!'

'Demeter spoke of my uncle… Lewis Croft? I've never heard of such a man… is he someone that my memories have also lost? My mother seemed to know of him, even in her last moments speaking of him… this 'good and honourable man', why would I need to seek him out? How can he help me, and why did that mysterious magician seem to know him so well?'

As he walked through the lone streets, he glanced down at his blade. It had shattered during the fight. Lumière grimaced, cursing. 'This was given to me by Master Artois, now dead. I guess it had significant importance to me, once. Should I now kill White instead, to try and fill this hole I can't by feeling?'

'Moreover, if I have no blade, I cannot fight without revealing my abilities. Should I summon Juno and use the pretense of my visit to the criminal organisation to make my acquisition of another enchanted weapon logical? What kind of enchantments can you put on a blade, anyway?'

To that point, Lumière realised he had never directly inquired as to how the other Cursed Domains worked. All the knowledge he had obtained boiled down to the fact that they just did. 

He immediately ducked into an alleyway tucked between the harshly-formed stone buildings before closing his eyes, entering a meditative state before opening his eyes to the grand and vast abyss. He ignored the personae, complete and half-complete, that sat beside the ancient mysterious stone wall and grasped at a particular strand that was bound to him, digging into his flesh, sending illusory murmurs through it towards the secretive merchant Juno, wherever he may reside.

"House of Cards."

—

An hour later, Lumière walked in a calm and composed fashion into the House of Cards, using an entryway he had envisioned in the front door to a random house. It was quite convenient that the House of Cards could be entered from wherever one wished to. Then, he supposed that it was also the reason that this mysterious organisation could never fully enter the purview of the Peacekeepers or the Orthodox magical organisations. There was safety in exclusivity. 

Glancing up at the seat at the head of the fanciful hall, he failed to spot the Joker. Ever since his first dalliance with the House of Cards, he hadn't seen this mysterious figure even a single time. Was it possible that he happened to come to the hall on the days when the Joker wasn't present? Even if it was coincidence, wasn't it far too common for the convener to be absent?

Perhaps he was busy with other matters, Lumière thought. But what could such a powerful being spend his days doing besides leisure? Was the life of an inhuman being so different?

He glanced around the room, noticing the eyes of everyone on him. They were suspicious, hesitant, fearful, but also cunning, as if they were looking to spot any weakness in him in desperation, as if he could still become prey at any moment. After all, the Joker had called this man a 'dove', signifying his low-level in terms of power. He could still be targeted, even if he resembled more of a Criminal Boss than a lone man. How had someone like him immediately become such a figurehead surrounded by well-established members of the House of Cards?

A man with piercing dark eyes and slicked-back brown hair glanced over at Lumière, smiling slightly. It was the crazy merchant, drinking away as he awaited the magician. So, Lumière immediately went about ignoring the multitudes of gazes, tilting his head towards their private room's entrance as he looked towards Juno. Then, he simply waltzed through the door, unperturbed by those watching him.

After the merchant had joined Lumière in the private room, the table having been placed back in the center of the room, he took his seat and began to discuss the matter. Lumière first told him of his broken blade, which caused Juno to become inquisitive of how it came about, but after seeing him fail to provide further information, ceased his questioning and asked what he could do for the man.

"I want you to enchant a blade for me. I thought that if I were to replace mine, I might as well make sure it has the necessary functions to protect myself in the magical world as well as normal society."

There was a specific reason that Lumière had come to the merchant instead of Midas. First, he could obviously tell that he and Midas were not on the best of terms. Even though they had gotten through his fabricated performance together, likely strengthening his image in Midas's eyes, they still weren't 'friends' in the perfect sense of the word. If he were to approach Midas with such a request, it was likely he would be turned down. And above all, he wished for all of his magic-related items to be obscured by lack of origin. He did not want them to be traceable to a source. 

If he were to receive a weapon from Midas, it would be clear that he would be the first person a higher-up would ask were the enchanted blade to be discovered. However, just like he had lied about Cerces to Selaphiel, he was hoping he could do the same with the new blade. That was why it was important to separate it from someone he knew in the public purview. 

"What do you want me to enchant it with specifically?" Juno wondered, leaning back in his seat before resting his head on his hand.

Lumière let out a contemplative sigh, finally speaking after several moments. "I thought about that on the way here, but I really couldn't come up with anything that seems logical." 

In saying this, he had tacitly proposed that Juno should come up with suggestions for Lumière, without directly confirming that he had no knowledge as pertains to the Alchemist domain. After all, why would a Demon let their beloved vessel lack so much information? That might be tantamount to suicide, to let their one anchor to the physical realm act in such a dangerous world without the upper hand. Letting Juno know this fact about him might damage the reputation of Ophelia, and subsequently his development as a completed persona. 

It was annoying, the extent that he would have to go to protect each and every one of his precious lies, but it was an acceptable amount of effort. Even if his limbs were stretched outwards and apart as he desperately grasped at all of them as they pulled away, he would still try to keep every 'performance' close to himself until they tore him to pieces.

"Well, if you want to keep your blade from breaking again, I can definitely enchant it in a way that would improve its general durability, but you might lose some of its sharpness in the process. On the other hand, I could do the inverse, and prioritise the sharpness in exchange for its durability. Then, there's a matter of the excess runeage. I could do any number of things with that… do you want something specific, or should I just play around with it?"

Lumière nodded his head, smiling slightly. "I trust your expertise. Please make me a blade that I can use well."

'I really have no clue what he's talking about, but there's another matter…'

"How much will this cost me?

Juno paused for a moment, considering Lumière's request before responding.

"Five-hundred Len would be a fair amount… considering the risk and effort involved. I'll have to procure a decent blade first, and then I would have to drain a large portion of my stamina in the process, putting me at risk if I were to suddenly be attacked. Although the risk of it is low, it's still considerable enough for me to factor into the price, even forgetting the time it will take me to complete the enchantment on the blade…"

Lumière was unable to control his facial expressions this time, his face visibly twisting as he winced at the amount. 

'White gave me two-hundred Len when we first started his game, and I received around one-hundred Len when we took down Johan Basque. With the money I've saved from my prior performances, in addition to my final performance, which included a nice bonus from the Madame, I still fall short of the amount! If I factor in future expenses, it would be foolish to spend it all at once… should I just settle for a normal, yet high-quality blade instead?'

He quickly composed himself, but by that time, Juno had already taken notice.

'Oh? Does Mr. Ophelia not have that much money? Well, I shouldn't think about this much… oops.' Fearful that he might be listening through the connection, Juno immediately wiped the thought from his mind.

Juno cleared his throat, adjusting his posture in a more professional stance before speaking again. "If it's not possible at this time, there's another option we can use as payment…"

Lumière raised his eyebrow inquisitively, glancing towards Juno. "What would that be?"

"I would like another wish."

'Another wish? Yet, you haven't even used your first? From his perspective, the promise that a Demon will do anything for you, as long as it remains in the realm of possibility, is something that outweighs this deal by a substantial amount! For instance, couldn't he, on our next meeting, use one of the wishes to request that I pay him back five-hundred and one Len in an instant to put me in a precarious situation? Of course, this isn't likely to happen, but it demonstrates that he could use this extra 'wish' as a power play in any way he wishes… it could be too dangerous to give it to him…'

Lumière sighed outwardly, silver flames enveloping his face, his hair turning a stark-white colour, and his eyes a deep violet. As he glanced towards Juno, he saw a shift in the man's demeanor. It was far more reserved, more cowardly of such a brazen man. It was clear that at the very least, his half-completed persona already had a visible effect on others.

He sat and thought for a moment, not minding how he portrayed himself as Ophelia. Shouldn't a Demon seem casual and carefree, as if the world around them didn't bother them at all? Afterwards, he smiled and looked back up at Juno.

"I can offer this to you, or I can give you the money outright. Which would you rather have?"

This was a gamble Lumière was making in order to secure a better point of view from Juno's eyes. He was basically admitting that he had the funds necessary to purchase the blade for his 'vessel', Lumière, when in reality, Lumière didn't have any money at all. This would stifle the idea that such a great Demon couldn't afford to support his most prized underling, keeping his lofty persona afloat. 

He was just hoping that Juno would continue to choose the wish after his next statement.

"If you choose the wish, it will come with two conditions."

According to Lumière's expectations, Juno nodded his head. "I can accept any conditions that come alongside it."

'Of course you would. Isn't this just too enticing for you? I'm sure you have more than enough money, but the wish of a Demon is just too great to pass up…'

However, Lumière didn't intend to let this wish eat away at his psyche, the possibility of Juno using it at any time would simply cause him too much stress. He wanted to restrict its use as much as possible.

"The first condition is that it cannot be utilised for one year past the current date. If the commission we're undertaking is completed before that time, you can use the wish immediately after." Of course, Lumière didn't anticipate that they would take down the Phantom Syndicate in a year's time. He also didn't even know if he would be alive in a year's time. But by that time, he could certainly figure out a way to satisfy whatever Juno could possibly wish for.

Juno glanced at the Demon, his eyebrows furrowing. 'This is essentially a gamble that pertains to my life. If I die before this refractory period is over, then this deal will have been useless to me. He's also directly declaring that this deal benefits me more than it does One of Spades. In order to balance this out, he's saying I can't recoup my costs for a period of time, almost like it's a loan… but if I wait out this period successfully, I will benefit more than I spent. In essence, this is a loan with a very high interest rate!'

He smiled, nodding his head. "I can accept this. What is the second condition?"

"The second condition is that you won't tell anyone about this additional wish, especially those involved in our commission, the Mythos Garden."

Juno almost couldn't withhold a scoff. These terms were just too simple. How could he deny them?

"I accept, Mr. Ophelia."

Inwardly, Lumière chuckled.

'Good dog.'