Greatest Legacy of the Magus Universe

Chapter 2128: Fortune Magic

The room was simple yet opulent.

Wooden floors were made from the bark of trees centuries old. The curtains were white silk. When sunlight kissed them, they seemed to come alive.

Magical formations secretly ran across the floor, the walls, and the ceiling. Some provided lighting functions, while others regulated room temperatures. There was also a function that altered the gravity of the palace. Amongst other things.

The advanced thaumaturgy and arcanology were a delight to Genevieve’s eyes.

Having already lived here for nine months, she could tell just how advanced these applications were compared to what she had seen at the Sapphire Tower or read in the Citadel of Knowledge.

It made sense considering just how ancient and hallowed House Fortuna was.

Dice rumbled against the ceramic cup as she placed it upside down on the board. When she removed the cup, two dice were revealed, displaying five dots on one and three on the other.

Genevieve wrinkled her nose.

Across from her sat an old woman. Her figure was frail and her shoulders hunched. Her hair had already turned white from age. But her cerulean eyes were full of life, like the first morning of summer.

The old woman snickered. She rolled her own pair of dice. Six and six.

"How many times do you plan to lose?" she asked as her hands reached for the teacup on the table.

After taking a sip of tea and enjoying its smooth flavour, she sighed in satisfaction.

"Your mind keeps wandering. For the magic of probability to take effect, your mind must be sharp. Did you think that we simply waved our hands and things align in our favor?"

Genevieve lowered her head in apology. "I’m sorry."

"Don’t be sorry," said the old woman. "Be better."

Genevieve continued her training. The dice kept rolling. And she kept losing. But every time she lost, she learned from her mistakes. She improved. She got better. But she still lost. The opponent was a monster.

On the surface, the exercise seemed childish. She and the elder of her family would take turns rolling the dice, with the goal of consistently obtaining better results than her opponent. But there was far more to it than simply rolling the dice.

Every roll required calculation. Every possible outcome had to be considered. The number of permutations, the probability of each result, the previous rolls, the opponent’s likely results, and countless other variables all had to be analyzed in an instant.

And then came the difficult part.

Genevieve had to subtly manipulate those probabilities. Not enough to make the result impossible. Not enough to make it obvious. She merely had to tilt the countless possibilities toward the outcome she desired—easier said than done against the opponent sitting across from her.

To an untrained observer, it would look like nothing more than extraordinary luck. But behind that apparent luck was an enormous amount of calculation and analysis.

That was the true nature of fortune magic.

She had lost track of how many times she had lost. Finally, it was time to conclude the game.

"I’ve lost track of how much you owe me, lass." The old woman cackled in joy.

Genevieve awkwardly adjusted in her seat. "I... I’ve run out of money."

The elderly Fortuna’s eyes sharpened. "Well, well, well. I guess I’ll have you owe me then. With interest."

With that, she walked out of the room, laughing merrily.

Genevieve sighed in defeat. It was a good thing she didn’t have to spend any money while she lived in her family’s ancestral home. But whatever money she did have was being looted by the crone.

She rested her head on the table, her eyes lost and distant. She glanced at the raven-band around her ring finger and stroked it with love.

"Kree!"

A tiny figure patted her head.

"Vesper," Genevieve murmured. "Are you hungry again?"

"Kree! Kree!"

The pudgy little Shadow jumped on the table, excited to finally go out. He did a little dance for Genevieve. Then he stretched out his hands in an adorable manner.

Genevieve’s heart melted. She picked Vesper up by the shoulders, pecked him on the head, and then gently placed him on her shoulder.

"Kree! Kree!" The shadow leaned against Genevieve’s head and pointed out of the window.

"Yes. Yes." She rose to her feet and then left the chamber.

As she walked through the colossal corridors and hallways of the palace, she was deferentially greeted by maids and servants. Genevieve smiled at them and politely greeted everyone by name.

The palace was so huge that it almost took her thirty minutes to reach the stables.

There, she walked up to her horse. It was a beautiful white mare with an orange mane. From afar, it looked as though her majestic mane was on fire.

Genevieve mounted her horse and rode east for another thirty minutes, galloping along the cliff that overlooked the vast ocean. Soon, she arrived at the edge of a grove.

There, a person was waiting for her.

Genevieve, already in her training gear, dismounted from the horse. She patted its neck and pressed her head against the animal’s. The horse neighed before wandering off to graze on grass.

"Kree?" Vesper eagerly looked at Genevieve, asking for permission to hunt.

"Go." Genevieve smiled. "But don’t go too far."

"Kree! Kree!"

The Shadow bolted into the forest.

At last, Genevieve walked toward the man waiting for her beneath the shade of a tree.

He was a militaristic man, covered in scars and carrying an intimidating aura. He was not a member of House Fortuna. He was, however, one of the soldiers under Valentina’s command in the army. He had been sent here specifically to teach Genevieve to fight.

Genevieve glanced at him and tipped her head in greeting. "Sir."

The man glanced at her with aloof eyes, completely unbothered by the fact that she was a princess of House Fortuna.

He asked in a flat voice, "Progress report."

"Three cycles complete," Genevieve said. "My physical strength is now equivalent to a proper Squire."

Her teacher grunted. "You will continue to advance through the physique enhancement system for as long as your body permits."

"Yes, sir."

Genevieve never thought she would embark on the Paladin’s path. But this was something that her aunt deemed necessary.

Valentina was preparing Genevieve for war.

Although she did not expect Genevieve to match her Paladin rank with the Magus rank, she wanted her body to be strong enough that she wasn’t instantly killed on the battlefield.

"Very well." The instructor nodded. "Begin."

Genevieve inhaled slowly and deeply.

A rapier appeared in her hand. She assumed a fighting stance. The ends of her auburn hair drifted gently behind her.

Then she lunged forward.