The Six Kings Festival boasted a vast array of stalls, ranging from classic festival street food to high-end dining establishments.
While the majority were operated by subordinates of the Six Kings, invited guests were permitted to set up shop provided they applied beforehand.
Elise, a high-ranking demon, was one of those who had secured a spot. Though her immense mana reserves granted her high-ranking status, she held no peerage title. She possessed absolutely no combat power and had virtually no connection to the Six Kings themselves.
However, Elise was a talented fortune-teller and magic tool crafter who made a modest living running a small shop. She maintained a thin connection with the Seditch Magic Tool Trading Company, and it was through that link that she had been invited to the festival. Deciding to seize the rare opportunity, she applied to open a fortune-telling stall—and that was how she found herself where she was now.
To be honest, she did have a small ulterior motive: she hoped that this chance might allow her to network with Count-class demons or other high-ranking figures.
Being a timid soul, she harbored no grand ambitions, yet she wasn't entirely without greed. She was, for all intents and purposes, a perfectly ordinary person. And that person was currently facing the most significant crisis of her entire existence.
"...I'd like... a compatibility reading."
"Hyai!?"
Having recovered from the shock of spotting a woman who looked exactly like his mother, Kaito was once again exploring the festival with Isis. The two had happened to take an interest in Elise's shop and decided to stop by. That was all there was to it, in theory.
(The... The Death King!? No way, it's her... it's the real one! No, this is definitely the real one! My body won't stop shaking... I'm so scared...)
To an ordinary demon like Elise, Isis was the very embodiment of terror. Just standing in her presence caused cold sweat to pour down her face in buckets. To make matters worse, because she possessed a high level of magic power, she couldn't even manage to lose consciousness.
(W-W-W-Why is the Death King at my shop... A-And the man with her... C-Could he be that 'Rumored Human'!? The human favored by the Death King... Ababababa...)
Though he was unaware of it, Kaito was quite famous within the Demon Realm. He associated with the Six Kings—the pinnacle of the world—and was the only human to hold a Black Rank Invitation. To Elise, he was someone who lived far above her station.
However, Kaito didn't seem particularly inclined to use the invitation that would make all festival facilities free upon presentation. He usually paid normally at the stalls, and he had no intention of showing it here either. Half of that was because he felt guilty about getting things for free, and the other half was because he hated how much attention it drew.
Of course, the moment he was seen with Isis, he was already drawing immense attention, but since he didn't realize that, he seemed to be a bit thick-headed after all.
(T-The rumors say the Underworld King lost to him, or that he slaughtered a hundred Black Bears in the blink of an eye, or that he overwhelmed the War King's subordinates, or that he won a serious battle against the War King himself, or that he punched out the Phantasm King and forced her into submission... That's him!?)
The contents of the rumors were enough to make the man himself hold his head in his hands, but this was the general impression ordinary demons had of Kaito.
(C-Compatibility reading? For these two? ...I-If the result is bad... I'm going to be killed!)
That was certainly not true, but seeing Kaito and Isis—beings who were practically celestial to her—Elise had completely lost her composure.
"...What kind of... fortune-telling... is it?"
(Wait! The Death King doesn't know how my fortune-telling works? T-Then I might be able to manage this! No matter what the cards say, if I just tell them they have the best compatibility...)
"According to the guidebook, it's a card-based reading. Since it's for compatibility... the woman and then the man each draw four cards. The fortune is determined by the patterns and the order they appear in. All the combinations are listed right here."
(What are you doing, human-san!? I mean, what's with that guidebook? Are all the combinations exposed? I want one of those... No, w-w-what am I going to do!?)
Her faint glimmer of hope was shattered by Kaito. With trembling hands, Elise took out the cards and placed them in two piles. For a moment, she considered rigging the deck, but she lacked the confidence to deceive the two of them. She was left with no choice but to proceed fairly.
"T-T-Then, Death King-sama... p-please draw four cards..."
(Now all I can do is pray! God, Creator God-sama, please. Let a good result come out.)
"...I understand."
Elise's compatibility reading used a total of twenty-eight cards: four each of Heart, Sword, Sun, Moon, Star, Flower, and Crown. The result depended entirely on the combination and sequence of the drawn patterns.
(Please. Draw a Heart! If it starts with a Heart, almost any result will be good...)
"...Moon..."
(Uwaaaah!? T-The Moon!? A first-draw Moon is a disaster! That makes a bad result almost certain!)
"...Star... Sword... Moon... I think?"
(...It's over. Death King-sama, that is the worst possible sequence... If the woman draws that pattern, there's no way to get a good result unless the man pulls 'four Hearts.' Pulling four Hearts in a row from the remaining twenty-four cards is impossible.)
The cards Isis had drawn belonged to a pattern with only one 'best result'—and every other possibility led to a terrible compatibility score. Elise's expression looked as if her soul had left her body as she turned her hollow gaze toward Kaito.
"...Kaito's... turn."
(...I'm going to die here, aren't I? I still had so many things I wanted to do and eat... Sure, I was a little greedy. I thought a connection with someone famous would be nice... but it didn't have to end like this...)
"Ah, okay... Um, it's a Heart. Next is... Huh? It's a Heart again. The third is a Heart too? ...The fourth one as well? What a strange coincidence. They're all Hearts."
"Are you for real!?"
"Huh!? A-Ah, yes."
Elise, who had been in a state of total despair, snapped back to her senses the moment she saw Kaito's cards and practically lunged at him. Startled by her sudden intensity, Kaito nodded. Elise's shoulders trembled for a moment before she pumped her fist and shouted.
"The best! It's the best possible combination! Your compatibility is off the charts! The red threads of fate are practically tied in knots between you two!!"
"I-Is that so?"
"Yes, you are truly the best couple!!"
"...With Kaito... best couple... I'm so happy."
Thanks to the absolute miracle of the result, Isis flashed a truly radiant smile and lovingly squeezed Kaito's hand. Kaito looked a bit embarrassed but squeezed back, and a sweet, romantic atmosphere began to envelop the two.
"...Thank you... This... is for the reading."
"Ah, yes... Wait, Death King-sama!? This is... a Platinum Coin!?"
"...No need... for change."
"Eh? N-No, wait... okay."
After handing the coin to Elise with a blissful smile, Kaito and Isis walked away together. After watching them go with a blank stare, Elise let out a massive, soul-deep sigh.
"Phew... Thank goodness. I wasn't killed..."
Of course, she wouldn't have been killed even if the result had been bad. It was entirely her own misunderstanding. However, the relieved Elise did not yet know that after hearing about this, the Underworld King and the Phantasm King would later visit the stall with Kaito in tow...
Extra: The Sources of the Rumors
'The Underworld King was defeated'
Underworld King: "They say if you fall in love, you lose, right? In that case, I've lost to Kaito-kun completely!"
'Slaughtered over a hundred Black Bears in an instant'
Death King: "...This book... I want Kaito... to be even more... active..." Bookstore Owner: "As you command!!"
'Overwhelmed the War King's subordinates'
Anima: "Listen up! If Master ever got serious, there wouldn't be so much as a speck of dust left of you! Understand that it was my intervention that saved your lives!" Twin Maids: ""Yes! Attendant Captain!!""
'Won a serious battle against the War King'
Megiddo: "I lost to Kaito. That guy really is something!!"
'Punched out the Phantasm King and forced her into submission'
Pandora: "...I'm so envious. I want Kaito-sama to torment me like that, too." Alice: "No, it's not like I particularly want to be hit by Kaito-san..." Pandora: "But it would feel good, wouldn't it?" Alice: "Well, obviously it—Wait, what are you making me say!?"