Starting With The Sefirah Castle In The Anime World

[Lord of Mysteries]

[Obtained Sequence 9 Potion: Marauder]

"Not bad. My diary rewards are still only giving me Sequence 9 potions."

"But with this 'Marauder' potion, I've now completed the three foundational paths of the Lord of Mysteries."

The road to the Lord of Mysteries had been laid before him.

Now, all he had to do was keep walking down that path.

Ren wasn't particularly surprised.

He picked up the bottle and downed its contents in one gulp.

As always, the taste was absolutely terrible.

But this time, after consuming the Marauder potion, something felt different.

A tingling sensation spread through his wrists and fingers.

The skin on his palms and fingers began to crack, peeling away to reveal new skin underneath.

The freshly grown skin was as smooth and soft as a newborn's.

His hands were no longer rough like a worker's, they had become slender, pale, and delicate, almost feminine in their refinement.

"…So this is the perk of becoming a Marauder?"

Unlike Seer and Apprentice, which focused on perception and adaptability, the Marauder relied on dexterity and finesse.

This change made his hands unbelievably flexible.

"These hands could probably be used for a hand modeling career."

Ren chuckled at the thought.

Of course, that wasn't happening. Even if he got a job, being a hand model wasn't in the cards.

"No wonder they say a thief's hands are their most important tool. That wasn't just a figure of speech."

Now that he had firsthand experience, he understood why master thieves were said to have such refined hands.

Beyond the physical transformation, he also gained a new sense of judgment.

He picked up the Maple Leaf gold coin he had acquired earlier.

Aside from its natural golden shine, a faint blue glow now surrounded it.

It was as if his vision had been enhanced to highlight valuable objects.

"…This is pretty useful."

If he ever came across items of unknown value, this ability would allow him to judge their worth at a glance.

Whether in ancient times or the modern era, an ability that reveals hidden value is always in demand.

"If this were an ordinary world, I could probably turn this into some 'I have golden eyes' type of story."

The thought amused him.

Ren smiled and shook his head.

But now, there was another issue—Ran.

"…It's been two days. What exactly happened that made her take two days off?"

"Should I check on her?"

It was unusual.

Ran taking two days off from school was a sign that something was wrong.

With that in mind, he pulled out his tarot deck and performed a reading.

Nine of Wands, Seven of Pentacles, Two of Wands.

"…Huh?"

He stared at the results in surprise.

"Shinichi suffered a serious head injury, a massive lie, and… disappointment?"

"…Did Shinichi lie to Ran because of special circumstances, and now she's deeply disappointed?"

"…Wait. Did Ran find out that Shinichi faked his death?"

That shouldn't have happened.

Under normal circumstances, something like that should have been impossible.

A high school student turning into an elementary schooler? It was too absurd to believe.

Ran never even considered the possibility before because it was simply unbelievable.

And with Yusaku and Yukiko covering for Shinichi, she shouldn't have been able to find out.

Unless…

She learned the truth from another source.

Ren looked down at his diary.

"…I see."

"It looks like my guess was right. Ran really has the diary."

He took a deep breath.

"Which means… there are now three confirmed diary holders."

"Shinomiya Kaguya, Sanzenin Nagi, and Mouri Ran."

"They all have something in common, they're the heroines of their respective stories."

"And now, their life trajectories are shifting because of the diary."

"Well, we know this for sure with Kaguya. As for Nagi and Ran, it's still uncertain."

He hadn't had any direct contact with Sanzenin Nagi yet.

But Ran's situation was already exposed.

If her life had deviated from its original course, he could confirm it with another reading.

He shuffled the tarot deck again and pulled three more cards.

The Star (Upright), Justice (Reversed), The Lovers (Reversed).

"…Yikes."

These results were bad.

"Tsk, tsk… Shinichi, you really messed up this time."

All three cards indicated a massive breakdown in relationships.

"The fallout from the deception was too big."

"The diary's influence on Ran seems to be far greater than I expected."

"…So her two-day absence was her response to Shinichi?"

"…Then, did Shinichi still move into the Mouri household?"

The first two readings were already messy, but curiosity pushed him to perform one last divination.

High Priestess (Reversed), The Queen of Pentacles (Upright), Wheel of Fortune (Reversed).

"…Oh."

"A selfish plan was uncovered, he successfully moved into the Mouri household, but the plan completely fell apart."

"Did Ran… move out and start living with Kisaki Eri?"

"…Shinichi, your plan is in shambles."

Ren let out a low chuckle.

This was prime drama.

But Ran's decision wasn't surprising at all.

If she had figured out that Shinichi wasn't dead, and if she had realized that he deliberately moved into her house for selfish reasons, then it was completely logical for her to leave.

"Ran is still a kind person."

"She didn't expose Shi identity."

"Instead, she chose to remove herself from the situation and live with her mother for now."

"Honestly, that was the best possible choice for her."

"…Though Kudo might not see it that way."

Meanwhile, in the Mouri household, in Ran's former room, a bespectacled elementary schooler sat alone.

"Ah…"

Gazing out at the moon, Edogawa Conan—formerly Kudo Shinichi—was deep in thought.

Everything had backfired on him.

He had disguised himself as a child so he could stay close to Ran.

But in the end…

His own plan had driven her away.

"…I should have considered how Ran would react if she believed I had died."

The two of them had grown up together.

Of course his "death" would impact her deeply.

But what he hadn't expected was for that impact to explode in his face once she discovered the truth.

"In the end… Ran knows me too well."

If they hadn't been so close, she might have been able to accept things more easily.

But because of how well she knew him, it was impossible for her to ignore it.

"…Well, I just hope she can come to terms with it soon."

"For now, I need to focus on investigating the organization."

But as he thought about his current situation, Conan let out a sigh.

The Mouri Detective Agency wasn't exactly the most promising place for an investigation.

"…Yeah. I really need to come up with a new plan."

***

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