Chapter 10: No One Can Stop Me from Riding the Coattails!

Hermione wanted to curse, though she only did so in her heart.

Ouroboros, whom Hermione had earlier blindfolded with a strip of pitch-black cloth, now wore an expression of shock and indignation. This little fellow, who often seemed a few beats short of a full melody, clearly intended to reprimand this impudent woman!

Hermione’s hands were quick; she pinned Ouroboros’s little head down. Even with his head pressed against his own chest, one could still hear him muffledly muttering words like "honor" and "tarnished."

Hermione offered a sheepish smile to Lady Misfortune. "Lady Misfortune, what a lovely day it is today. You've returned quite early, haven't you?"

Lady Misfortune, however, said thoughtfully, "A sudden whim moved me to return early... It seems it had to do with this young human cub. Did he come to rescue you? To think he actually had the capability to make it here..."

Still pinned down, Ouroboros muttered, "Fortune is favoring me."

"Oh? I smell the scent of an elf." Lady Misfortune glanced over, a hint of a smile tugging at the corners of her lips. "A half-elf, mingling among a human tribe."

"A half-elf?"

Ouroboros had elven blood?

Hermione was so surprised she couldn't help but mutter it aloud. Her shock caused her grip to loosen, allowing the suppressed Ouroboros to jerk his head up!

The black cloth, caught by the force of his struggle, slipped away and drifted to the ground, revealing Ouroboros’s handsome eyes. Those eyes stared directly at the "Goddess of Misfortune" sitting on the rattan chair!

"No!"

With his exceptionally high spirituality, Ouroboros was staring directly at a powerful subordinate deity!

Hermione let out a cry of terror!

Yet, the residence of Lady Misfortune remained perfectly tranquil. There was no scene of Ouroboros losing control or undergoing deformity as Hermione had feared. Instead, Hermione’s scream caused Ouroboros to turn his head, looking at her in confusion.

Hermione’s scream came to an abrupt halt; she froze, caught in a staring contest with Ouroboros.

Only Lady Misfortune sat calmly in her comfortable rattan chair. She had crafted this chair herself, and it was a great favorite of hers.

***

After looking Ouroboros over and seeing nothing amiss, Hermione breathed a sigh of relief and asked in astonishment, "Are you alright?"

"I concealed the things he was not meant to see." Leaning back in the rattan chair, Lady Misfortune’s calm voice answered Hermione’s confusion.

So that was it... It was Lady Misfortune who had helped Ouroboros... As expected, Lady Misfortune was as reliable as ever...

Completely at ease now, Hermione finally had the presence of mind to probe Ouroboros’s earlier lapse in judgment. "Ouroboros, do you know how dangerous your actions just now were? Have you forgotten the dangers of your high spirituality?"

"But I am not a half-elf. I am human," Ouroboros insisted stubbornly.

Seeing Ouroboros’s uncharacteristic attitude, Hermione now had her answer regarding whether the child truly possessed elven blood. Though she wondered why Ouroboros would rather hide his noble elven lineage and identify as human, their years of researching extraordinary materials together and surviving life-and-death encounters made Hermione respect his choice.

"Calm down, Ouroboros. Even though you are young, do not forget that you are already one of the leaders chosen by the tribe. Our predecessors have cautioned us more than once: as a leader, one must ensure they remain calm when facing trouble."

Humans who dared to test potions on themselves were few and far between, and those who survived the process to become Beyonders were rarer still. Therefore, both Hermione and Ouroboros were the guides and protectors of their tribe.

Hermione’s words helped calm Ouroboros’s agitation.

Lady Misfortune, leaning against the rattan chair, glanced at Hermione and remarked thoughtfully, "Do you truly not care about lineage?"

Hermione patted Ouroboros on the head; he awkwardly ducked his head to avoid it. She spoke candidly to Lady Misfortune: "It’s not that I don’t care at all, but Ouroboros believes he is human, and the people in the tribe accept him as such... Isn't that perfectly fine? Why dwell on it?"

Hearing Hermione say this, Ouroboros lowered his head in silence, though he no longer dodged her warm hand as it patted his hair.

"However... I am actually a bit curious. Is there really someone who would abandon their elven status just to live a hard life with us humans?" Hermione, dropping her guard, ruffled Ouroboros’s silver hair and added.

Lady Misfortune shot a sidelong glance at Hermione and gave a slight, helpless shake of her head.

Ouroboros, who had been slightly moved, gave a low, bitter laugh. "Sister Hermione, such words are unnecessary..."

As Ouroboros said this, he realized his emotions were remarkably stable. It was rare for him not to experience a significant surge of distress over the topic of his heritage.

Ouroboros paused, then took the initiative to speak:

***

"My mother, being human, gave me all her love, while my father—the elf—left only terrible memories. That is why I only acknowledge that I am human."

"Is your ability not inherited?" Lady Misfortune suddenly asked.

"What inheritance?" Ouroboros asked, frowning. Having come from a human tribe, he did not know that Beyonder characteristics could be separated through reproduction.

Because humans were all too weak—so weak that, to this day, their procreation had never produced an infant born with supernatural abilities.

Hermione interjected, "When Ouroboros first came to the tribe, he had no supernatural abilities at all. It was only by joining us in our risky potion testing that he gradually grew to the level he is at today."

Lady Misfortune offered a rare word of praise: "A hymn of courage..."

The phrasing and syntax felt strange to Hermione, but she didn't dwell on it, instead asking Lady Misfortune, "Lady Misfortune, Ouroboros stumbled in here while looking for me... Is there any way you could send him away from here?"

Lady Misfortune shook her head regretfully. "If I could do that, I would have sent you out first long ago. Without the 'King's' permission, I cannot leave this territory."

"Is it bound by some sort of oath?" Hermione asked.

Lady Misfortune explained gently, "It is not an oath, but a necessity for protection... Though the 'King' is mad, He does not easily strike at subordinate deities like us. But without the 'King's' protection, subordinate deities like myself would only be prey for other gods."

Although Lady Misfortune spoke of a pathetic situation, Hermione did not detect any fear in her tone. Instead, there was a steady, calm strength. It was the mindset of one who, even in an inferior position, refused to be reduced to mere prey.

So... how did such a beautiful, strong, and ruthless Lady Misfortune fall at the hands of the Primordial One or the Evernight Goddess?

For the first time, Hermione began to doubt her own predictions about the future.

Perhaps... Lady Misfortune had simply changed her guise and continued to be active in later eras?

Considering the Sequence 2 Beyonders of the Darkness pathway still alive in the Fifth Epoch... the elusive Pope of the Evernight Church, the leader of the Anchorites, Arianna, and the Mother of Heaven, who had been turned into a vessel for descent...

Setting aside that foolish woman, the third one, it was quite possible that one of the first two was actually a disguise worn by Lady Misfortune...