Chapter 76: Fate Convergence - I

Clementine and Taylor were struggling in their lab when someone knocked on their front door.

The sound was transmitted through the walls by the magic formation on their door.

"Urhk—! Ah!"

Taylor flinched.

It was not fun to suddenly be disturbed while in the middle of pipetting an ominous, green liquid. His hand was in the middle of moving the liquid from a volumetric flask to a flat, shallow bowl akin to Earth’s Petri dishes.

He almost missed the tiny herbal pill sitting at the center of the dish.

Luckily, he controlled his hand and successfully dripped one final dose of toxic venom onto the herbal pill.

—Shhhaaaa!

The herbal pill sizzled, releasing a faint haze that rose into the air.

"Done!" Taylor exclaimed in excitement.

But Clementine didn’t care about his achievement and rushed him: "Give it to me, quick!"

—Knock, knock, knock!

"And get the door!"

The Snakespawn was doing something hundreds of times more complex than what Taylor was struggling with. Thus, the latter refused to embarrass himself with any complaints.

He moved across the room, past humming magical artifacts and ducking under a growing medicinal vine.

—Clack.

He placed the dish containing the herbal pill down and exited the lab.

It was only after rushing through about thirteen hallways and descending ten whole floors that he finally made it to the front door.

Gasping for air.

"Miss Clementine’s house is really too spacious for a single person to live in...!"

Only now did the frail mage complain, fresh out of earshot.

—Click.

He unlocked the front door, and a pulse of mana deactivated the protective measures placed upon the entrance.

"Hello." Taylor smiled at their visitor, whose long blue hair instantly caught his eye. For a moment, he was dumbstruck, forgetting what he was supposed to say.

Instead, what came out was a soft mutter.

"...Beautiful."

—COUGH!

Realizing his mistake, Taylor choked on his own spit and swiftly regained his bearings. It was just half a second of reassessment before he put on a professional smile once more.

"What can I help you with, ma’am?"

At second glance, Taylor realized that their visitor today was a Snakespawn like Clementine. However, there was an air of superiority exuding from the scales on the woman’s skin.

’Ah,’

He realized that the scales on the woman’s skin weren’t just simple patches that acted as armor for their race. Instead, they swirled and streaked across her body, creating a natural, biological magic formation.

The woman’s body was a moving source of magic.

This characteristic was only seen in those Snakespawn who had undergone evolution.

’A High Snakespawn.’

—Gulp.

No wonder.

Just as Taylor fell into the abyss of admiration, the woman spoke, her voice like a hissing whisper in his ear.

"Is there a child from the Vielour Family living here? I was hoping to request a few of her medicinal pills..."

"Ah, yes! Miss Clementine is indeed of the Vielour Family. What medicinal pills do you need, Miss...?"

"Lillie. Please just call me Lillie. As for the pills, well, I’ll have to talk to your Miss Clementine for those."

"Understood, Miss Lillie. Would you like to come in while waiting for Miss Clementine? By the way, my name is Taylor. Please tell me if you need anything."

"Fufu~" A breathy laugh escaped Lillie’s thin, red lips. "A pleasure, Sir Taylor. Would it be alright to request a cup of tea?"

"Of course, of course."

Taylor opened the door fully and led Lillie into Clementine’s living room. They went up three flights of stairs before arriving at an open-air floor with a garden spanning the entire space.

A small stream swirled around the garden from above, creating miniature waterfalls before arriving at a wide fish pond at the center of the garden.

At the center of the fish pond, connected by a few stepping stones, was a small pavilion where guests could enjoy tea.

The tranquility of the garden effectively isolated this world from the chaotic, bustling streets of Walvaskaz—the noise pollution wrought by the myriad races could not ride the wind and bother those at the center of the garden.

"What a nice garden." Lillie walked lightly; her long, flowing robes seemed to flutter in the soft breeze.

Her long, blue hair sparkled despite the faint mist.

"Mmm~ Perhaps I should have a garden added to my residence in the future."

Taylor was surprised by her words. "You don’t have one, Miss Lillie?"

Didn’t all Snakespawn adore having beautiful gardens? They were all obsessed with making a tiny ecosystem in their homes, different kinds of terrain and plant life to create a space for themselves.

In a way, it was how they coped with the uncomfortable atmosphere of the empire.

How could Lillie—a High Snakespawn—survive without one?

"Ah, about that. I’m actually new to Walvaskaz. This is my first visit ever."

Hearing that, Taylor understood.

After all, he was the same, having ended up in the empire due to various circumstances three years ago.

He was just 14 when he was thrown into the hodgepodge of races that was Walvaskaz, with barely any knowledge of how to survive. It took him all of his brain power to comprehend the sheer diverse immensity of his surroundings.

It was no wonder he was so impoverished.

But, at least, he had survived since then—and even rose to become a Third Circle Mage.

Before Taylor even began to feel nostalgic, the clacking sound of heels descending the stairs sounded.

"Taylor, please, prepare the tea our guest requested."

Clementine had arrived, having taken off her lab gown and dirty clothes. Now, she wore a long yellow dress that complemented the subtle green glow of her scales.

"Good afternoon, Madame. My stock of medicine isn’t as vast as I want it to be. At least, not yet. Hopefully, the medicine you seek is available..."

"Hm~" Lillie hummed. "Is it alright to have a look at your catalogue...?"

** *

In Aventine’s Mage Tower.

[Power of the Sea].

[Power of the Sky].

Ink and winds swirled like a printing typhoon. A large amount of text appeared on every page caught in the swirl as Aventine pored through several Martial Arts manuals sitting all the way in Hau’goth’s library.

With <Mind Force> seeping into his blood, he could process a larger amount of information than before.

Though the growth in quantity was small, it eased the eternal headache that plagued him.

Thus, he had the freedom to take a peek at what his neighbors, Clementine and Taylor, were up to.

"...Despite having stepped into the threshold of understanding emotions, Bliekon is still playing to stereotypes too hard."

A seductive High Snakespawn who had a desire for good medicine.

Yeah.

It was truly the Snakespawn stereotype—magnified to the extreme.

However, the moment Bliekon—or, well, Lillie—appeared, Aventine felt a vague tug at his soul, pulling him in.

It felt as if someone plucked a strand of his intuition, alerting him of the nature of the coming events.

"A significant trio has finally met."

Even without [Absolute Awareness] parsing through Clementine, Lillie, and Taylor, Aventine could deduce it with his own abilities.

The surrounding strings of <Fate> were definitely stirring up a storm.