CHAPTER 07
A man suddenly stood up straight, wearing a strangely shaped mask that covered most of his face.
“Oh, I’m sorry. Did I startle you? I was just trying it on while tidying up and forgot to take it off.”
The man tapped the mask lightly with his finger. The mask shrank as if sucked into somewhere and transformed into a small coin.
‘Oh, that’s a nice item.’
Everett couldn’t take her eyes off the man’s hand.
Noticing her interest, the man quickly placed several small coins on the table.
“Welcome to <Pan’s Magic Tool Shop>. I’m Pan, the owner. Miss, are you looking for a mask?”
Everett tapped one of the coins Pan had laid out. Just like magic, it instantly turned into a mask.
“Wow….”
“Amazing, isn’t it? We call these coin masks. They’re made to be easy to carry around.”
Everett looked up and asked, “Why would someone carry around a mask?”
“There are many people in this world who want to hide their identity. And there are just as many types of masks.”
Although there were only the two of them in the shop, Pan leaned forward and lowered his voice.
“There are even masks that make you look like someone else. They’re a bit hard to come by, though.”
“Magic really is… incredible.”
Everett opened each coin mask with curiosity shining in her eyes.
“Is there one you like, miss?”
“I don’t think any of these are quite right.”
“I see. Then, please tell me what you’re looking for.”
“Hmm, I don’t need anything too ornate. Something big enough to cover the eyes and nose, black in color. If it has a subtle shimmer, even better.”
Everett was planning to cover her face during tarot readings.
Even if she was just a baron’s daughter with no proper territory, she still had her status to consider.
‘It’d be ideal if it matched the spread cloth in color.’
A mask that matched the black cloth Kyle had given her would be best.
“A subtly shimmering black mask… Ah! I do have something similar.”
Pan retrieved a small black hairpin from a corner of the display case.
“This one’s not a coin but a pin-type mask. It looks like an ordinary hairpin at first glance, but…”
He gently clipped the pin to Everett’s side hair, then held up a mirror in front of her.
“Miss, try tapping the center of the pin.”
The moment she pressed it, half her face was instantly covered by a mask.
“Wow!”
Now she understood how Pan had forgotten he was even wearing one.
“It’s not uncomfortable at all. And not heavy…”
“Right? That’s the magic at work.”
Although it didn’t have the shimmer she initially wanted, it featured a unique pattern instead.
“This looks like a knot design. Does it mean anything?”
“The maker said it’s a modified ancient symbol. It represents infinity.”
Though it was just a combination of simple lines, the layered knot pattern was distinctive.
“I like it.”
Pan smiled contentedly at her words.
“Would you like to take this one?”
Everett folded the mask back into a pin and set it down.
“Yes, I’ll take it. Also, do you happen to have stiff paper, card-like, that I can draw on? Blank ones?”
“Hm, cards for drawing… If you don’t mind me asking, how do you plan to use them? If I know the purpose, I can find something more suitable.”
Rather than explaining, Everett thought it better to show. She picked up a toy card standing in a row nearby.
“May I use this for a moment?”
“Of course, go right ahead.”
Her hands had grown smaller than before, but that didn’t stop her skills from showing.
Shffff—.
Everett flicked through the cards with both hands at high speed, immediately catching Pan’s attention.
She shuffled, split, reshuffled, and split again.
Her fluid hand movements were dazzling, yet not over-the-top.
In fact—
‘To think I’d find shuffling cards beautiful…’
Pan couldn’t take his eyes off her hands.
Snap!
With a final flourish, Everett grasped the cards in her right hand and fanned them into a semicircle on the table.
“Oh, Miss….”
A gasp escaped Pan’s lips.
The table was narrow, but the fan of cards was flawless.
Something clicked in Pan’s mind, and he hurriedly disappeared into the back room.
“Sorry to keep you waiting. I had this stored separately.”
When he returned, he held a small wooden box.
“When I first received this, I didn’t know what it was for. But I now believe that every item finds its rightful owner.”
“What is it?”
Inside the box was a small black pouch.
“This is exactly what you’re looking for.”
Everett’s face lit up as she pulled out the card-sized papers with a smooth surface and perfect dimensions.
She held one of the cards Pan handed over. They were slightly narrower than the tarot cards she was used to.
‘My hands are small now, so this size is easier to use.’
Each card had a unique embossed pattern on the front and back.
“This side is for drawing or writing.”
“What’s this…?”
“If you tilt it, the embossed design will become visible.”
Tilting the card slightly revealed a vine-like design extending on both sides.
“Is this… a representation of the World Tree?”
“Oh, miss! How did you know? Yes, it’s a symbolic depiction of the World Tree. And on the back…”
Pan flipped the card over.
There were twenty-two simple symbols engraved.
“I’m not sure what they mean either. The creator never told me.”
Everett let out a silent gasp.
‘These… These are the symbols representing the Major Arcana in tarot!’
There are countless symbols and signs in the world, but these exactly matched the Major Arcana.
To someone unfamiliar, they’d seem like random doodles.
But Everett knew them well.
“Who made these?”
“I’m afraid that’s a trade secret. I can’t tell you, miss. Sorry.”
‘It must be someone who knows tarot. Could it be… Angelus?’
Inside the box was also a short feather pen.
“Is this sold together?”
“Yes, that pen is necessary. You can only write on these cards using that pen.”
Magic cards, the pen, and the mask—Everett was very pleased with her shopping at Pan’s store.
“I’ll take everything.”
“All 100 cards?”
“Yes, all of them.”
Tarot cards consist of 22 Major and 56 Minor Arcana—a total of 78 cards.
There was always the risk of making mistakes while drawing or the cards getting damaged in use.
Pan quickly and carefully wrapped the mask and the box.
While he did, Everett browsed through various other magical items.
“Miss, feel free to drop by anytime—for a look, a chat, or even just some tea.”
Everett gave a soft smile and nodded. She was planning to do just that even if he hadn’t said so.
“See you often, Pan.”
Pan stepped ahead, opened the door, and bowed deeply.
“If something comes in that suits you, I’ll be sure to set it aside.”
After dinner, Everett returned to her room and flung open the curtains.
The full moon lit up the room, but she needed more light.
She gathered several candles and lit them.
“I have to finish this tonight.”
Now that she had the magic cards for her tarot deck, it was time to draw.
Every small dot of the images was etched clearly in her mind.
The problem was… her drawing skills.
“As long as I can recognize them, it doesn’t need to be perfect, right?”
With a solemn expression, Everett grabbed the magical pen.
“I’ll get it right in one go. This paper is hard to replace. Focus!”
Time passed, and the moon drifted away, no longer visible in the sky.
The melted wax on the table showed how much time had gone by.
“It’s done!”
Only after writing the number on the final card did she put down the pen.
“Ugh, that was rough. I’m never doing this twice.”
Looking out the window, she realized dawn had already broken.
She stretched her arms, slowly rolling her stiff neck.
“Pulled an all-nighter, huh? Impressive. Nothing boosts concentration like the prospect of money. Ow, my shoulders…”
She groaned while picking up some of the cards she’d drawn overnight.
“Even with a new body, I still can’t draw.”
The 78 tarot cards Everett had made.
True to their magical nature, the ink from the pen seeped into the cards instantly.
Unable to recreate the original images exactly, she had simplified them—focusing only on the key elements.
Everett clicked her tongue.
“The ship was perfect… it was the sailor who messed up.”
Only she could read these tarot cards.
“Now that I have them, I need to try a reading.”
She spread out Kyle’s black cloth over the table.
“This is way too nice to be used as a foot towel. Duke Kyle, I’ll put this to good use.”
She also clipped on the mask-pin she bought from Pan’s shop.
“Practice should always be as serious as the real thing.”
Wearing the black mask, Everett began shuffling all 78 tarot cards.
