Eldritch Horror Theatre

Read their expressions and prescribe the right cure.

The charlatan fundamentals shared by that second-rate diviner, Kisaragi Chie, were remarkably suited for commercial application.

The Claire sitting before him still retained a degree of vigilance, meaning he needed to be tactful in guiding her.

So far, his pacing was clearly a complete success.

Catching the fleeting, expertly hidden flash of wariness in Claire's eyes, Fu Qian felt deeply satisfied and pressed his advantage.

"I not only know your husband's surname is Weasley, I know yours is too."

Humor was the lubricant of conversation. An ill-timed dry joke would effectively make a suspicious situation even more suspicious.

"Heh... you are much more approachable than I imagined."

Claire's expression stiffened somewhat, though she still offered an obliging nod.

"I will do my best to follow your advice... I'm sorry, but may I use the restroom?"

Rubbing the bottle between her fingers, Claire cast a subconscious glance at the metal canister by Fu Qian's hand before suddenly looking apologetic.

"Of course."

Always advocating that Guests Feel at Home, Fu Qian naturally wouldn't refuse such a reasonable request. He gestured to the side.

Not to mention that, as the Dream Dominator, he had somewhat fueled her current physical reactions himself.

...

The small restroom was quickly locked from the inside, followed by the sound of running water.

Out in the living room, Master Grimshaw waited for his client to return, his thoughtful gaze fixed on the metal canister beside him.

After waiting quietly for a few seconds, his movements suddenly turned swift as he pulled open a hidden compartment on the side.

Inside sat an identical canister.

Taking it out to swap with the one on the table, Fu Qian casually pushed the compartment shut again.

The entire process was seamless, producing absolutely no sound from start to finish.

His speed and dexterity made him look far less like a diviner and much more like a magician.

Naturally, this clever maneuvering did not prevent it from being completely taken in by a pair of eyes peeking from the restroom.

Something was definitely wrong...

Beside the running sink, her heart pounding, Claire carefully pulled back to avoid being noticed.

Looking at her own face in the mirror, she took a deep breath, telling herself that she couldn't afford to panic at a time like this.

His actions had been obvious. There was something wrong with that canister, and he was worried she would notice, so he had taken this opportunity to quietly swap it out.

But if 'her problem' had already been solved, what else could be wrong with the canister?

—The sight of the filth on his hand being purified by the liquid in the canister was an illusion.

It was nothing but a trick designed to deceive her.

Thinking deeper, were the bugs that had just appeared on her skin also part of the illusion?

Just like the magic shows she usually watched, some things were set up right under your nose, sometimes even before you walked through the door.

The man sitting out there wasn't a master medium. He was a master swindler.

He had been guiding her from the very beginning.

So the question now was, what was his actual goal?

Looking down at the bottle of blue liquid in her bag, Claire seemed to have her answer.

...

That guy's goal definitely wasn't the meager consultation fee.

With his methods, swindling that little bit of money wouldn't require so much trouble.

All of his actions were merely to get Rick to drink this bottle of liquid—by her own hand.

It was obvious her family had been dragged into some unfathomable conspiracy.

Gripping the glass bottle, Claire's body was already trembling faintly.

She could practically imagine it: this tasteless liquid would absolutely bring about a terrifying effect on par with death.

And when the time came, she would be the one who had murdered her husband.

No one would believe her story, and by then, this master would likely be long gone...

Stay calm. The first thing she needed to do was escape from here.

Pressing her forehead against the cold mirror frame, Claire repeatedly told herself to stay calm.

The most crucial thing right now was to absolutely not let him realize she had figured it all out.

His earlier methods had already proved that not only was he capable of magic-like illusions, he was even skilled at methods resembling hypnosis.

Under the combination of the two, she had been thoroughly deceived earlier.

In short, this guy was incredibly dangerous. If he found out, there was no telling what he might do to her... so she couldn't stay in here too long either.

Taking another deep breath, Claire finally forced herself to calm down and methodically went about taking care of her personal business.

...

"I'm sorry to keep you waiting."

A moment later, the restroom door opened. Claire hurried back to her seat, immediately offering another apology.

"It's fine. This is a service customers should naturally enjoy."

Master Grimshaw remained as approachable as ever.

"In fact, I should be the one apologizing. I haven't offered you any hospitality since you arrived. Would you like something to drink?"

"No, thank you."

At this moment, Claire naturally didn't dare drink anything from him, but she managed to decline naturally enough. As she spoke, she pulled the small glass bottle from her bag and gave it a light shake.

"I have to head back soon and figure out how to get Rick to drink this as quickly as possible."

Oh?

Unfortunately, even so, the master across from her didn't seem to immediately catch the humor.

His eyes narrowing slightly, Fu Qian evaluated her with a faint half-smile, remaining completely silent.

The originally amicable atmosphere froze at a visible rate.

The expression on Claire's face did the same.

"Indeed, it would be better to hurry."

Fortunately, right before her smile completely crumbled, Master Grimshaw finally nodded.

"Are there any other questions?"

"...This special potion is truly miraculous. Were those bugs completely dissolved? May I see what it looks like?"

Faced with the master's parting question, Claire hesitated, but still chose not to simply offer a polite farewell and leave. Instead, she pointed at the canister on the table.

This was a point she had already thought of while inside. Since the other party had made such preparations, it meant he suspected she might ask to see it.

Under these circumstances, not asking would only make her look more suspicious.

"Of course."

As it turned out, faced with her slightly impertinent request, the master's posture actually seemed to relax a bit.

And maintaining his consistently clean and decisive style, he casually opened the lid the next moment and pushed it over.

Crystal clear, the green liquid rippled gently. The repulsive creatures were left without a single trace.

Claire took only a single glance before letting out a gasp of amazement she found hard to suppress.

Naturally, when she signaled that he could put it away, she similarly exerted her utmost self-control to keep from glancing in the direction of the hidden compartment.

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