LOM: Lord of Mysticism

In the municipal hall. Melissa, Selena, and Elizabeth sat near the door, waiting for the lecture to begin.

"If she delivers a bad lecture, we'll sneak out," Selena suggested.

Elizabeth agreed, "Let's go shopping at Harrods."

Sometime later, the lecturer walked to the podium. "Good morning, charitable ladies. I am Xaviera Hedda, and today I'll be sharing with you my experiences in managing family expenses."

Melissa listened attentively with her brothers' annual income in mind being already over two hundred pounds.

At this point, the red-haired Selena quietly said, "She seems to be a believer in the Lord of Storms. She's wearing a Windstorm badge."

"Mrs. Shaud, who told me about this seminar, is also a follower of the Lord of Storms." Melissa said.

"Yeah, I don't think there is a problem here. We are here to learn how to budget," Elizabeth said.

"But other than Melissa, we don't need to, nor do we have the right to govern our families' finances." Selena pouted.

Elizabeth rebutted, "But we'll get married eventually and form our own families."

The lecturer, Xaviera, addressed the class, "The foundation of any form of budgeting lies in respecting the man of the household, as he is the primary source of income and the pillar of the family. Therefore, creating a serene and harmonious home is essential. As the renowned philosopher, sociologist, humanities scholar, and economist Mr. Leumi once said, 'A woman is the angel of a household. She should stay at home and learn how to make a good sandwich.'"

Selena whispered, "Leumi, the person who said that humans are born free?"

Elizabeth answered, "Yes, but he is a believer in the Lord of Storms."

The lecturer continued, "Mr. Leumi further asserts that, due to the inherent flaws in the female brain, women are incapable of making sound judgments on their own. Therefore, they must rely on the wisdom of the father and husband, whose judgment should be regarded as equal to that of the church."

Melissa, Selena, and Elizabeth looked at each other.

"Let's go?" Selena suggested. Melissa and Elizabeth nodded. "Alright!"

They sneaked out without attracting any attention.

Melissa looked back into the hall and saw Mrs. Shaud, as well as many other ladies, clapping. She exhaled and left together with Selena and Elizabeth.

"Shall we go to Harrods?" Selena suggested.

"I plan on returning home to study. Also, I have to buy bread, beef, potatoes, and fruits... Klein needs to work today, and Benson went to the municipal library. So, yeah, I have to go back!" Melissa said.

Selena decided to keep her distance from Melissa and turned to Elizabeth. "Shall we go to Harrods together? Even though I've spent all my savings, it's still wonderful to window shop."

"Sure. Melissa, does your brother, Klein, have to work on Sundays?" Elizabeth asked.

"Yes, he rests on Mondays, different from ordinary jobs." Melissa said.

...

After leaving the Blackthorn Security Company, Klein boarded a public carriage to Howes Street. Upon disembarking, he took out a halfpence coin, his gaze darkening as he silently recited, "It is suitable to head to the Divination Club today."

With a flick, the coin spun into the air, landing neatly in the middle of his palm.

This time, the number 1⁄2 was facing up, indicating that he would encounter an unfortunate event at the Divination Club. Recognizing this, Klein turned to the opposite side of the street and waited for another public carriage.

Klein had just performed a subtle miracle by avoiding a potentially disastrous chain of events.

...

Howes Street, at the entrance to Harrods Department Store. Selena was just about to enter when she stopped.

"Did something happen?" Elizabeth asked.

Selena puffed her cheeks. "Elizabeth, my mysticism teacher, Mr. Vincent, passed away the morning after my birthday... Could it be because I peeked and used his secret incantations? I've always felt uneasy because of this... Besides, I've been rather unlucky recently."

"So?" Elizabeth asked.

Selena said, "I wish to go to the Divination Club and see if Mr. Vincent's death had anything to do with me."

"Can't you divine it yourself?" Elizabeth asked.

"Sigh, I cannot divine it given my current condition."

"Alright, let's head to the Divination Club first." Elizabeth agreed, and they both made their way to the Divination Club.

"Hello, good afternoon, Miss Angelica. It's a pleasure meeting you again." Selena was greeted at the reception area.

"I need to have a divination performed." Selena added.

"Here is the list of members... It's the weekend, so most of our members are here," Angelica explained.

They scanned the list together, and Selena said excitedly. "I used to just ask for my teacher. To think that the club would have this many members willing to do divinations this year."

She suddenly paused when looking at one of the names. "Klein Moretti? Isn't this Melissa's brother?"

Elizabeth nodded. "That's true..."

"Miss Angelica, is this Mr. Klein Moretti around?" Selena asked with sparkling eyes.

"My apologies, Mr. Moretti didn't come to the club today."

"Alright, we'll find someone else." Selena didn't mind and added. "I know that this can't be Melissa's brother, but I've thought of a headline worthy of the Intis Press."

Elizabeth asked, "What headline?"

Selena said, "Is it the decay of morals or a problem with society? A history graduate turns to divination over the weekends to make a living!"