Cersei sat up straight, her eyes widening to the fullest extent. "Have you gone mad, Petyr?!"
Kai lifted his hand, making Cersei hold back her tongue.
"I share his worries," he continued, "and my worries are not baseless. Petyr?"
"First, as told to us by my lady, Meg," he said, leaning forward, "there is no mention of Herpo the Foul in the main storyline.
"That means, if he is alive, then he has hidden himself well behind the curtains, to the point that not even Voldemort or Dumbledore could see a hint of him before their eventual death.
"Second, we don't know how many Horcruxes he had created.
"Voldemort proclaimed in the main storyline that he was the only one who had trodden the furthest on this path. But that's only valid in the absence of Herpo the Foul.
"This ancient wizard is the creator of this Dark Magic, and if he's alive, has lived for over 2000 years. The possibilities, dangers, and risks related to him are endless."
At the mention of Meg, Kai frowned.
His slave had brought no good news to him, Kai remembered.
Somehow, Contestant Aphrodite had found out her Code Name and had become her Sponsor.
Meg had told him that the Temple of Hastur would never divulge this info, despite her being an ex-priestess. The testament to her claim was the fact that other than Aphrodite, none of Kai's remaining 4 Sponsors had contacted her.
An even bigger matter of worry was that Kai was almost certain that Aphrodite contacting Meg was a result of divergence because of D-Mail.
Originally, Kai had contacted Aphrodite first.
But, after using D-Mail, he didn't contact her until much later. Perhaps, in between the use of D-Mail and him contacting Aphrodite after seeing Rengoku's Bankai, she just decided to contact Meg?
There was no way Kai could solidify his doubts, though.
Cersei fell into a deep silence after hearing Petyr's reasons and Kai's acceptance of his words.
"So," she said after some time, "this search the book — Daemonologie, In Forme of a Dialogue, is a trap."
"It's plausible," Kai nodded. "But the Inheritance is real, as confirmed by Shadow Origin's answer."
A silence fell over them, then.
Cersei stood up, seeing the empty glass in Kai's hand. She picked up the jar of wine and refilled his cup. Petyr swished his empty cup at her. He and his cup, she ignored.
Cersei's graceful figure and slender legs cast a thin shadow on Kai as she retook her seat by his side.
"I don't understand," she said, looking at Kai. "What's the relation between Eon Soul Dew, the question you asked to Shadow Origin, and Herpo the Foul's soul attainments?"
"I had a mind to ask the same question myself, my lord," Petyr remarked.
"Well," he intoned, "without the Philosopher's Stone in our hands, the answer to your question is meaningless. There is a second even more important reason. But I haven't decided about it yet."
"Before entering Hogwarts, it will be too hard to get the Philosopher's Stone, no?" Cersei asked.
"It will be," Petyr barked, pouring wine for himself. "However, need I remind you something, my lady? The Magical World of Harry Potter...
"... isn't the only Random World with the concept of the Philosopher's Stones."
Cersei paused, her gaze astonished.
Kai gulped down the entire cup in one go.
Yes. Ever since he had learned that he could mend his corrupted soul using the Philosopher's Stone, Kai had been thinking a way to get his hands on it.
With the limitations of Harry Potter Timeline, and having the privilege of being a Contestant, it was natural for him to not constraint himself to one Random World, and look elsewhere.
"You lost, my lord," Petyr suddenly said, smiling, bringing his white knight out.
"So what are your plans, my lord?" Cersei asked, ignoring Petyr.
"Hmm, there is a feast at home on Christmas Eve," Kai said, smiling, the fingers resuming the drumming on the wood. "I think it is time to plant a traitor in the enemy camp. It is never too early to prepare for the unseen future. Hehe!"
As Kai's encrypted words rang in Petyr and Cersei's ears, a black pawn laughed demonically, taking out a wooden dagger from its wooden body.
It moved according to Kai's intention and positioned itself far away from Petyr's knight.
However, with this pawn's movement, the entire game changed, all formations of the white toppling themselves.
Petyr looked at his white pieces, and then at the black pawn, and a hideous frown appeared on his face.
One moment he had been winning.
In another, he had already lost everything.