As An Antique Shop Owner, It's Only Reasonable That I Know A Bit Of Magic - Chapter 97

Hearing Haley’s words, the others seemed to sense something was off.

Right then, Lucas, who was standing to the side, suddenly grimaced, clutched his throat, and doubled over!
“Lucas!”

Haley, already hesitant and the most sensitive among them, was the first to notice Lucas’s strange behavior.

Her startled cry alerted the others, and in an instant, everyone’s expressions changed.

Was what that shop owner said actually true?!

Was the curse happening already?!

But soon, Lucas lifted his head, revealing a playful, exaggerated grimace.

“Urgh ah… the evil power from the cards… I can’t breathe… save me~~”

His ridiculous antics and silly voice made the girls, who had been genuinely worried, roll their eyes.

“Oh, cut it out.”

Grant complained from the side, then gave Lucas a heavy thump on the back, producing a dull thud.

“Your jokes are the worst, Lucas!”

Haley, who had reacted most strongly, was the most furious among them.

“Don’t take it seriously, Haley, I just wanted to lighten the mood,” Lucas quickly waved his hands, explaining with a laugh.

“It was just a little prank, Haley.”

Elise stepped forward.

“This proves that the so-called evil power is just frauds pretending to be mystical. Don’t scare yourselves.”

“I think we should believe in science.”

Madeline chimed in.

“So, should we return the box or not?”

As soon as Paige asked the question, Lucas jumped in.

“Come on, we’ve already been kicked out by the landlord. Why go back? If they find out we took something from inside, they’ll be even angrier.”

“Go back for a scolding?”

“Besides, it’s not like it’s valuable. No need to be so serious. The landlord probably doesn’t even remember having it.”

Haley looked around at the group; most of them didn’t seem willing to make another trip.

“Compared to that, aren’t we forgetting our original reason for coming out?”

The chubby Paxton looked at everyone.

“The party isn’t over yet, folks. Let’s hurry up and buy the drinks!”

This suggestion was immediately agreed upon by everyone.

Everyone except Haley pushed the whole “evil tarot cards” matter to the back of their minds and headed together towards the nearest store.

As for Haley, she glanced at her bag and sighed.

Maybe she really was being too sensitive.

After all, even if this thing was evil, how evil could it possibly be?
After deciding to stop dwelling on it, Haley suddenly felt much clearer-headed and quickly caught up with her friends.

The night had just fallen. It was rush hour, but also the time for people to go out and relax.

The group soon bought cases of beer and, before the night deepened, successfully secured a new villa rental.

This new venue was much better than the previous villa located deep in the remote mountains.

It was situated right within a residential community.

The three guys and four girls made their way to the new location, moved the beer inside, and lit a bonfire.

After a few rounds of drinks, all seven were feeling tipsy, and the conversation truly began to flow.

Even ordinary social games became exceptionally fun under the influence of alcohol.

Except for Haley and Grant.

When the topic turned to relationships, Grant found an excuse to leave the scene.

The former couple ended up talking in separate spots about their reasons for breaking up, their ramblings nothing more than typical youthful dramas.

Soon, everyone gathered back in the living room.

“Haley, do you still have that box?”

Elise, her face flushed from alcohol, suddenly spoke up.

“Yeah, why?”

“Read my horoscope for me.”

Elise smiled.

“Don’t worry about all that stuff anymore. It’s my birthday today, let’s have some fun!”

“Come on, Haley, show us your skills!”

“Tarot reading? I want in too.”

“Don’t be shy. At least you actually know how to do this, unlike some fraud who just makes things up.”

Spurred by the alcohol and everyone’s encouragement, Haley finally nodded in agreement.

Everyone immediately scattered around the villa’s main hall, turning off the lights.

They found a placemat with a pentagram pattern and spread it on the round table in the center of the living room.

A match lit the candles. In the darkness, the tipsy group joked and teased each other.

“Woo~ Spirit guide, I summon you~~”

The chubby Paxton’s movements were comical, while opposite him, Paige laughed and recorded the scene with her camera.

With everything ready, Haley opened the box and took out the tarot cards.

Under the flickering candlelight, the ancient cards revealed themselves.

The yellowed paper was marked with jet-black ink, tracing out eerie patterns.

Seeing this, Haley seemed to sober up a little.

A gust of wind blew past, causing the surrounding candles to flicker uneasily.

This sudden occurrence also brought the playful noises in the room to an abrupt halt.

“…Maybe we should just forget it.”

Haley pushed the tarot cards away.

“There’s an unwritten rule in tarot reading: you shouldn’t use someone else’s deck.”

“Who cares about that?”

Elise swayed as she stood up, striking a nonchalant pose.

“Let me go first.”

Seeing her friend so insistent, Haley pushed her newly arisen misgivings to the back of her mind.

“Alright.”

Seeing this, the others immediately cheered for Elise’s courage, and the atmosphere lifted once again.

“Okay then~~ Twelve tarot cards arranged in a circle, with the very important thirteenth card placed in the center…”

“It signifies the overall theme of the reading and can make the other cards clearer.”

“The card you drew is… The High Priestess…”

Haley smiled.

“You’re totally a Libra, right?”

Elise opposite her showed a surprised smile and nodded in acknowledgment.

“You have a natural love for inquiry, a need to understand the meaning of things, but your curiosity often leads you into unknown worlds.”

“You are on the path to success, but be careful. The reversed High Priestess is a warning. In the future, you may need to slow down. She might cause you to stumble and lead to devastating consequences.”

Listening to Haley’s interpretation, Elise picked up the central High Priestess card and examined it closely.

On it, a grim, gaunt High Priestess holding an inverted cross, her eyes blindfolded with white cloth, her maw split wide in a blood-red, gruesome smile.

The more Elise looked, the more frightening it seemed.

“That’s terrifying…”

She couldn’t help but murmur.

“This old deck is a bit strange, you know… otherwise I wouldn’t have asked that shopkeeper about it in the first place.”

“Okay, but I won’t be scared. Compared to devastating results, I feel more like I’ll keep walking straight down the road to success.”

“Alright.”

After Haley finished, the others were eager to try.

Next was Madeline.

Same steps: shuffling, dealing, drawing cards.

Madeline, a Pisces, drew The Hanged Man.

On the card, a man hung upside down, his head bent at a near ninety-degree angle.

Haley’s reading for her was about threads leading to something.

And The Hanged Man represents ultimate surrender.

“Things might be difficult for you right now due to Mercury retrograde, so many things may go wrong, and you might even find technology malfunctioning for no reason.”

“As a Pisces, your tendency when facing danger is to flee. This comes from your zodiac symbol of two fish swimming away from each other.”

“But in the next month, you need to overcome that impulse. Try not to be hung up on anything, and don’t run away.”

Paxton was supposed to be the third person, but he suddenly felt the need to relieve himself, so Paige went next.

Paige, a Virgo, drew The Magician card.

Paige looked down at the pattern. The crazed Magician was pulling a rabbit from a bag.

But with its mouth seemingly stretched to its ears and its eyes glowing red, it looked more like it was about to devour the poor rabbit in its hands raw.

“As a Virgo, you always seek logic in things. The next month holds some challenges for you.”

“You might feel pulled in two directions. Be careful, the Magician’s bag of tricks is deceptive and might prevent you from seeing the situation clearly.”

Paxton, returned from his bathroom break, joined the reading queue.

The card he drew was The Fool.

Empty eye sockets, a toothless grin, an emaciated jester contorting his limbs—it all looked exceptionally eerie.

“For you, a Taurus, drawing The Fool… the reversed Fool serves as a warning against impulsive action.”

“Follow those you trust. Judgment is in your fourth house, which relates to physical space, so no need to panic too much.”

“If you find yourself in trouble or trapped, remember: when one door closes, a window opens.”

“In the end, you will appear before your friends in an unexpected way.”

Hearing this, Paxton’s face lit up with excitement.

He imagined himself appearing before everyone as a wealthy man enjoying luxury and money.

This pipe dream immediately drew teasing and complaints from the others.

Next was Lucas.

“Capricorn, you follow rules and are down-to-earth, but you might be a bit sensitive sometimes.”

“You drew The Hermit.”

“Your financial situation will see some changes recently, and there’s also a romance appearing.”

At this, everyone started teasing meaningfully, all looking at Madeline, who responded with an embarrassed, annoyed smile.

But then, Haley’s tone shifted.

“But be careful. When The Hermit is reversed, it represents poor judgment. It’s also a warning. You might throw caution to the wind for love, but you need to be careful about where you’re heading. The Hermit’s light might lead you astray.”

Haley’s professional explanations, one after another, had everyone excited.

This kind of fortune-telling activity, revealing fate, always sparks interest no matter when.

However, the next subject was a bit awkward for Haley.

Because aside from herself, the only one left was her ex-boyfriend, Grant.

Haley was no longer all smiles like before, but rather restrained as she waited for him to sit opposite her.