NOVEL WEB Chapter 84 - Elunara
Lucien followed the scent wafting through the air. His nose guided him through the bustling street.
Before long, he stumbled upon a row of food stalls lining the path. Each one was sizzling with enticing aromas and colorful displays.
The sight tugged at his memories.
'It's been a while…'
Memories of his past life surfaced.
Back when he was still a student, he'd stop by stalls like these after school and feast on whatever his allowance could buy.
Fried. Grilled. Skewered.
He'd devour it all in carefree mukbang sessions.
But after dropping out completely, those carefree food runs had become a distant memory.
Now standing amidst the mouthwatering chaos once again, nostalgia hit him hard.
He scanned the stalls and realized something troublesome.
There were too many choices and they all looked incredibly appetizing.
The street stretched endlessly, packed with food vendors and long lines of eager customers.
Yet one stall stood out.
It was... empty.
No crowd. No customers. Just a small stand in one corner.
Curious, Lucien approached.
The girl behind the stall noticed him and immediately brightened. Her eyes sparkled with hope.
"Good day, customer!" she greeted enthusiastically. "Please try our food! I promise it tastes amazing!"
She looked to be in her teens. Her voice was tinged with genuine excitement. She was clearly thrilled that someone finally came.
Lucien gave a small nod and looked over her offerings.
Skewers.
Spring rolls.
Neatly wrapped handheld snacks.
They all looked simple… but surprisingly tempting.
Lucien picked up a skewer and took a bite.
His eyes lit up.
The meat was tender and perfectly grilled.
Each bite released savory juices that danced across his tongue, teasing his taste buds with rich, smoky flavor.
"Nice barbecue," he said between bites. "What kind of meat is this?"
The girl beamed. "Customer! It's actually orc meat."
Lucien almost choked.
'That explains the empty stall...'
Monster meat was edible but in this kingdom, it was still considered unusual.
Something avoided by the general public.
Eating monsters hadn't become normalized here yet.
But there was no denying the truth.
It was delicious.
Addictively so.
Lucien shrugged inwardly.
As long as it was tasty and didn't kill him, he had no problem eating it.
In most games, monster meat was shown to be both nutritious and flavorful and now that he'd tried it, he agreed.
He didn't hesitate.
Skewer after skewer. Spring roll after spring roll.
Lucien feasted.
Munch. Munch.
Before long, he was full.
He leaned back with a satisfied sigh. "I'll take the rest too. Pack them for me."
The girl's eyes sparkled with joy. "Right away!"
She quickly boxed everything up, and Lucien stored the food neatly into his INVENTORY for later.
Then, without hesitation, Lucien reached into his INVENTORY and pulled out five gold coins.
He placed them on the counter.
The girl's eyes widened.
"T-This..." she stammered, unsure. "It's too much."
"Take it," Lucien said firmly. "Food this good deserves more recognition."
She looked overwhelmed, clutching the coins with trembling fingers... but then paused.
Her gaze drifted sideways, toward someone seated nearby.
Lucien followed her line of sight.
Off to the side, at a modest table covered in a dark cloth, sat an old woman. A crystal ball rested in front of her. Its surface faintly glowing beneath the sunlight.
One could immediate tell that she was a fortune teller.
But what struck him most was something else.
He hadn't sensed her presence at all.
Her existence... simply blended in the surroundings.
The old woman turned her head, calm and poised... and addressed the girl gently.
"Take it. Then go back first."
Hearing her, the girl nodded quickly.
"Thank you again, customer!" she said, bowing to Lucien with genuine gratitude. She packed up her things and began preparing to leave.
Lucien watched the exchange carefully.
'They're connected,' he realized.
His attention shifted back to the old woman.
And that's when he felt it.
A distortion.
The space around her shimmered subtly as if the air itself was bent in layers.
Lucien narrowed his eyes and activated DIVINE SENSE.
A wave of awareness flowed over him and he exhaled in relief.
She wasn't malicious. Her aura radiated a soothing warmth.
Kind and even comforting. But it wasn't pure serenity.
There was something else.
A quiet storm swirling around her.
An undercurrent of uncertainty and quiet resignation.
It made Lucien gulp unconsciously.
Then... their eyes met.
And a heavy silence fell between them.
Lucien studied her more closely.
That's when he noticed it. A subtle distortion across her face.
Like a ripple on still water, it wavered for the briefest moment.
Basic Dark Magic spell: Illusion.
She was hiding her true appearance too.
Lucien narrowed his eyes and quietly channeled divine energy into them.
The illusion peeled away before his gaze.
And then he saw her.
Golden blonde hair cascaded past her shoulders.
Her eyes were a deep, piercing blue.
Her skin was impossibly smooth, glowing faintly with a timeless grace.
But what struck him most...
Long, pointed ears.
Lucien's breath caught.
'An elf?!'
He hadn't met anyone of a different race until now.
Without hesitation, he activated INSPECT.
***
Name: Elunara ♀
Age: 97 years old
Race: Elf
Job: Fortune Teller
Level: 89
Title:
• The Banished Elf
• The Foreteller
Skill:
• Fate's Debt
Magic:
• Dark Magic (Advance)
Magic Affinity:
• Dark Magic
Favouravility: 20
Status: Curious
***
Lucien stared at the results.
'An elf... and a powerful one.'
Her level was high too.
And that skill... he didn't recognize it. Its name alone made him uneasy. It felt... weighty as if it carried consequences just by being known.
One thing was clear.
She wasn't just playing the role of a fortune teller.
She was one.
And judging by the subtle shift in her expression, she could likely see through his disguise too.
This meeting... wasn't ordinary.
"Hello, young man," the woman said. Her tone was calm but probing. "Would you like to know your fortune?"
Elunara's eyes narrowed, studying Lucien.
Lucien lowered his voice. His lips curled into a faint, unreadable smile.
"Miss Elf... I might be interested."
A heavy silence fell between them.
Neither moved.
Neither blinked.
For a moment, it felt like a battle of unseen wills.
Then, Elunara broke the tension with a knowing smile.
"Please have a seat."
Lucien obliged, settling across from her at the modest table.
Elunara's voice grew gentler.
"It must be fate that brought us together today. Let us begin. Please, lend me your hand."
Without hesitation, Lucien extended his palm, facing upward.
Elunara reached out.
She slowly traced the lines of his palm.
Then… she closed her eyes.
Moments passed.
And then—
She jolted.
As if burned, she yanked her hand back and gasped.
Lucien tensed.
Elunara's wide eyes locked onto his, filled with something between awe and dread.
"You…" she whispered. "Who are you?"
Her eyes narrowed again, this time with deeper scrutiny.
Lucien didn't answer right away. His expression stayed calm but his thoughts stirred beneath the surface.
"What did you see?" he asked, voice low.
Elunara exhaled.
She hesitated then glanced at him again.
Longer this time.
His aura wasn't just strange, it was overwhelming.
Dense.
Elusive.
Like looking into a well that had no bottom.
Finally, she spoke.
"Nothing," she said quietly. "I saw... nothing. You were supposed to be... dead."
Lucien raised an eyebrow, his expression sharpening.
Suddenly, a familiar voice rang out across the square.
"Nephew!"
Lucien turned just in time to see Edric approaching.
There's a bright grin on his face and a thick stack of banknotes in his hand.
He scanned the crowd briefly then spotted Lucien sitting at the fortune teller's table.
His gaze flicked toward the woman beside him.
Edric's brows creased.
He made his way over.
"Nephew," he said. "Don't let these fortune tellers fool you. They're mostly frauds. Come now."
Before Lucien could speak, a voice cut in.
"Boy. It's actually you?"
Elunara's voice.
It was directed not at Lucien but at Edric.
He paused, blinking in confusion.
"Do you remember?" she asked. Her tone was almost nostalgic. "You once came to me with your brother... to have your fortunes read."
At her words, Edric visibly jolted.
Something clicked in his mind. He stared at the old woman more closely.
And then it hit him.
"You—wait… Old witch, that's you? Ha! You're still alive?"
Elunara's ears twitched slightly at the nickname. Her eyes narrowed as she returned the stare.
"And you're still alive as well. It seems your fate changed after all."
Edric gave a dismissive snort.
"Still doing your little parlor tricks, huh? Nephew, why are you wasting time with this sham?"
Lucien stayed quiet, intrigued by their exchange.
He didn't know what history they shared but judging by Edric's attitude, it was layered in skepticism.
And honestly, if Lucien hadn't used INSPECT, he might have thought the same. Elunara's unassuming presence could easily be mistaken for a charlatan's.
But he knew better now.
This woman was far from ordinary.
Lucien glanced at Edric with curiosity in his eyes.
"What's the problem with her, Uncle Ed?"
Edric rubbed the back of his neck, his earlier confidence dimming slightly.
"When Maxim and I were younger, we came across her stall during a market trip," he said. "We got curious about her fortune telling... but then—"
He stopped mid-sentence.
A flicker of something passed across his face.
Recognition... then a shadow of dread.
He fell completely silent, lost in thought.
Lucien noticed the shift immediately.
Elunara did too.
"Boy," she said softly. "You've realized it now, haven't you?"
Her voice was calm.
Not accusing. Just tired.
"You didn't believe me back then. Do you remember what I told you?"
Edric didn't respond but the look in his eyes said enough.
"I warned you," Elunara continued. "I told you your brother would face doom. And I said... don't trust anyone, even those closest to you."
Edric clenched his jaw.
He opened his mouth to speak then closed it again.
He was remembering. Processing. Regretting.
Lucien stayed silent, letting the moment unfold.
"You two were too confident in your skills," Elunara went on, her voice steady. "But there are things no calculation can predict. Things buried beneath smiles, cloaked in trust. Lies hidden within truth. That's where fate truly lives."
She paused then added,
"I even tested you back then. And you didn't believe me."
Edric's eyes lit with realization.
"That test," he murmured. "You mean... that question?"
He scoffed, more at himself than her.
"Hey now," he said, his tone defensive. "You asked a question, and Max answered it perfectly. He was never wrong when it came to math. That's why I called you a sham."
Lucien raised an eyebrow, intrigued.
A math question that Maxim couldn't answer?
He frowned.
'Surely it's not some unsolvable equation… I swear, if the answer turns out to be "Syntax Error," I'm walking away.'
"May I ask," Lucien said, "what exactly was the question?"
Both Elunara and Edric turned to look at him.
Elunara's lips curved into a knowing smile.
Edric, meanwhile, gave a smug little smirk. Arms crossed.
With a calm gesture, Elunara spoke.
"The answer," she said softly, "is Easy."
Then she looked Lucien straight in the eyes.
"If you divide one hundred by three, what is the answer?"
Lucien's mind paused... then clicked into place.
His eyes lit up.
'Ah... clever. Very clever! No wonder Perfect Calculation didn't help!'
Edric scoffed.
"See, Nephew? That's what I mean. Maxim gave the perfect answer, down to the decimal. But this old witch still said he was wrong! How could that be?"
Elunara gave a patient sigh.
"That's exactly why I said not to be overconfident in your skills. I wasn't testing his math. I was testing his perspective. But you two didn't believe me."
Lucien chuckled, unable to hold it back.
He turned to Edric.
"Uncle Ed, Uncle Max was indeed wrong," he said. "There was no need for Perfect Calculation. It's not even a math question."
Edric blinked, clearly skeptical.
"What do you mean it's not math?"
"Repeat the question," Lucien prompted.
"If you divide one hun—"
"No," Lucien interrupted. "From the very start. Word for word."
Edric huffed but played along.
"The answer is easy. If you divide one hundred by three, what is the answer?"
Lucien nodded.
"Exactly."
Edric paused.
His brow furrowed.
Then his eyes slowly widened.
"Wait… the answer is... Easy?"
Lucien grinned. "Perfect."
Edric's jaw fell slightly open.
"That's the answer? That's stupid."
Elunara laughed slightly.
"Hahaha! Boy, even this young man is more clever than you and your brother were. And you had the nerve to call me a sham. Sigh… it's hard to be a good person."
Edric coughed awkwardly, looking away.
"Ahem, ahem," he muttered while rubbing his neck. "That was our mistake, old witch. But really, why couldn't you just tell us our fortune directly?"
Elunara gave him a flat look.
"You really think you would've believed me?"
She leaned back slightly, voice calm but edged with weariness.
"And who ever said fortune telling was easy? Changing fate isn't like flipping a coin... it shifts the balance of the world itself. Preventing one tragedy might invite another, sometimes worse. Every gift of foresight comes at a cost. Every thread of fate I touch demands a price."
She looked between them.
"That's why I only give hints. Ambiguous clues. I can't interfere too much… or I pay the price."
Edric fell quiet, visibly taken aback.
For once, he had nothing to say.
"…Alright, alright," he muttered. "But don't call me boy anymore. I'm not that young fool from before."
"To me, you're still a boy," Elunara said without missing a beat. "And don't call me old witch either."
Lucien chuckled at the exchange.
Then Elunara turned to him.
Her eyes softened but deep within them was something else.
Contemplation.
Heavy and distant.
Like watching a storm build at sea.
And then, she spoke with quiet certainty.
"But you… young man..."
Her voice lowered to a whisper.
"You are not bound by destiny."
Lucien blinked.
Elunara continued.
"Fate's laws can't touch you. You exist beyond them. That means… you can alter the fate of others... without suffering the consequences."