Chapter 75: Lucky Relief (1)

When they found Gina, she was surrounded by several people, all chattering away with questions.

It seemed that not only Misha, but the other students had also heard about Gina’s perfect score in math—they had all gathered around to find out more.

Unlike the excited, gossiping classmates, Gina’s eyes were blank under the crowd’s attention. Her gaze drifted somewhere into the air, appearing a bit dazed, as if she were daydreaming.

“…Gina, Gina! Alright, stop teasing us, tell us—what’s your secret for getting such a high score in math?” A girl standing to her left, who seemed to be close to her, saw Gina zoning out and couldn’t help but reach out to give her a gentle push.

“Uh… oh, that thing you mean,” Gina said, blinking as the girl nudged her. Her expression finally regained its liveliness. “Sorry, I guess staying up late these past couple of days has made me a bit distracted.”

“No worries, we understand.”

“Gina must have been studying really hard to get that tired.”

“Actually… not really…” Receiving unanimous praise from the girls, Gina felt a bit embarrassed. She lowered her head, reached into her pocket, and pulled out a small white plaster figurine. “Actually, the reason I got a perfect score is all thanks to this.”

“What’s that?”

“This is called a ‘Lucky Relief.’ It’s a protector and symbol of good fortune for the Bohemians, and it’s also the source of my perfect-score luck.” Gina placed the little figurine on the table and showed it to everyone from all angles.

The moment Everly saw the plaster figure, her danger senses instantly triggered. Cold sweat broke out across her back, and her heart thudded violently in her chest, as if it might burst out any second.

Fortunately, the warning amulet she wore didn’t react. The single glance had not caused any dizziness or deep mental contamination, which meant that simply observing the figurine posed no actual danger.

To avoid overreacting and drawing unnecessary attention, Everly forced down the impulse to turn and run. She stood at the spot farthest from the plaster figurine and, imitating the others, studied it carefully.

The figurine was only about half a palm tall, shaped like a small humanoid with blurred facial features. It stood upright, wearing a metallic crown above its head, ringed with spikes in a halo-like pattern.

Because the little figure’s face was indistinct, everyone’s eyes were immediately drawn to the crown when they first saw it. Its exact metal was unclear, but under the sunlight, the crown gave off a faint reddish glow.

Gina extended a finger and lightly traced the red spikes on the crown with her fingertip. Her face once again assumed that distant, almost dazed expression from earlier. “Of course, judging by its size, this is just a crude replica. The original ‘Lucky Relief’ is a huge bronze statue, and it still stands on the Charles Bridge in Prague, Czechia.”

“If that’s the case, how can this little statue still bring you luck on exams?” a curious girl asked.

Gina smiled and raised one finger, showing the fingertip, still marked with scars, to everyone. “Because I used a Luck-Borrowing spell.”

“A Luck-Borrowing spell?”

“Yes. Teacher Berlin taught me this. You prepare three plaster half-figures—any size works. On the night of a full moon at midnight, sit between the three figurines, facing northwest. Light a candle, prick your finger on the spikes of the Lucky Relief’s crown, and let the blood drip onto the crown while silently reciting a spell. Once the crown turns red, the ritual is complete, and the figurine in your hands will be linked to its original statue in Czechia. From that moment on, as long as you carry it with you, the Lucky Relief will protect your studies and inspire your creativity.”

“Does it really work that well?”

“You’re not joking, are you?”

“Why would I lie? Of course it’s real. Otherwise, with my previous math scores, how could I have gotten a perfect score on this SAT?”

Even though Gina swore it was true, some people still looked skeptical. Seeing this, Gina frowned slightly, reached into her pocket again, and pulled out two more plaster figurines with blurred faces.

“I still have two unused Lucky Reliefs here. Look—the crowns on their heads are still the original bronze color and haven’t undergone the Luck-Borrowing ritual. If anyone doesn’t believe me, just take one home and try it. The full moon is in two days… who wants one?”

The girls exchanged glances. Maybe they thought there was no harm in trying, and one by one, they raised their hands.

“Give me, give me!”

“Gina, let me try! I’ve never done such a fun ritual before.”

“Give it to me! We’re best friends, after all!”

“…”

For a moment, the classroom became as noisy as a big sale.

Everly, already aware that something was off about the figurines, naturally didn’t reach for one. Not only that, she also grabbed Misha, who looked tempted, and subtly shook her head at her friend.

Seeing Everly’s reaction, Misha quietly withdrew her hand.

Everly slipped into a hidden corner, took a photo of the figurine with her phone, and then pulled Misha out of the empty classroom.

“Everly, what’s wrong? Is there something wrong with that figurine?” Misha asked curiously once they were away from the classroom.

Everly nodded. “You should stay cautious too. Having seen things like the Monkey’s Paw, you should know that nothing in this world comes for free. If you want to gain something, you’ll inevitably have to pay a price—especially when the object of your wish is a supernatural entity. The cost will almost always be far heavier than what you gain.”

Misha stuck out her tongue and raised her hands in surrender. “Alright, alright, I get it! I know I was wrong. It’s just that Gina hyped it up so much that I couldn’t help being tempted… So, Everly, tell me—what’s really wrong with that thing? Is it some kind of evil magical artifact?”

“I don’t know either. Anyway, that figurine gave me a really bad feeling… You absolutely mustn’t touch it. Don’t worry about your math scores—I’ll help you catch up. Can you trust my teaching ability a little?”

“Mm-hmm, I definitely won’t touch it.”

After getting Misha’s repeated assurances, Everly finally relaxed. She opened her phone’s photo gallery, sent the candid photo of the figurine to Rebecca, and included a description of what she had just witnessed, asking if Rebecca had ever heard of anything like it.

[?]

[Lucky Relief? Luck-Borrowing ritual? What’s that? I’ve never heard of it.]

[Wait, I’ll ask in my group chat.]

Rebecca sent three quick question marks, then fell silent for a moment.

Everly realized she was trying to get answers from others, so she moved the chat aside and opened a search engine to look up information on the original “Lucky Relief” statue in Czechia.

The “Lucky Relief” is a national treasure of Czechia. It is a bronze statue wearing a halo-like crown. Even ignoring the face and just judging by its shape, it does bear some resemblance to the small plaster figurine.

The statue depicts a red-robed cardinal named Jan Nepomucky from the 14th century. He was thrown into the Vltava River by the king for refusing to reveal the queen’s confessions. Miraculously, at the moment his body was submerged, five brilliant stars appeared in the sky. The church later canonized him as a saint, and his statue became regarded as a talisman that could bring good luck to anyone who touched it.

However, while it’s called a “lucky talisman,” this reputation comes more from local culture and belief. Everly searched for actual examples of it bringing people luck but couldn’t find a single case.

Could a figurine whose value is more symbolic than practical really lend someone good luck? Or were those plaster replicas just cheap knockoffs riding on the “Lucky Relief” name?

Everly leaned toward the latter.

As she pondered, her phone vibrated—Rebecca had replied.

[I asked around. Nobody in the group has ever heard of this ritual. I suspect it’s either something someone made up, or perhaps a variant of some kind of dark ritual. The moon, while symbolizing purity, also represents mystery, madness, and unease. The disorder and chaos embedded in moonlight tend to concentrate and erupt on a full moon night.]

[Aristotle and Hippocrates both mentioned that a full moon can drive humans to madness. While that’s a bit extreme, there’s some truth to it. That’s why purification or blessing rituals usually avoid the full moon, performing them just before or after, when the moon isn’t perfectly full. Only a few materials, like clear quartz, are immune to the full moon’s chaotic influence. In addition, certain rituals tied to curses, contamination, or negative energy also tend to concentrate on full moon nights.]

[Since there’s no actual spell involved, we can’t analyze exactly what’s going on. In any case, whether the ritual actually works or not, it’s best for you not to try it~]

Everly typed quickly: [Got it, thanks.]

[By the way, a new batch of interesting items just arrived at the shop. If you have time, come check them out and help support my business.]

Everly: [OK, I’ll come this weekend.]

After arranging the weekend visit with Rebecca, Everly handed her phone to Misha so she could read the messages.

Her intention was to help Misha learn a bit more about the mystical side of things, so that next time she might avoid being so easily fooled, like she had today.

Unexpectedly, only a day had passed when Misha, holding a small slip of paper, secretly slipped it into Everly’s hand when no one was looking.

[You wanted the spell, right? Here, I got it.] Misha sent the message on her phone.

To avoid revealing their friendship at school, this was how the two of them always communicated.

Everly: [???]

[Where did you get this spell from?]

Misha: [I asked those two girls who got the plaster figurines. Hehe, Misha has lots of friends.]

[…]

Everly sent a string of ellipses back, then opened the paper and glanced at a complicated string of phonetic symbols. Well, she had expected it to be in English or Latin or something, but phonetics? Maybe they didn’t want to write it as regular text, fearing someone would just look it up online.

Everly’s second language was Greek—or if you counted it, Xia language—but she wasn’t very skilled in any other languages. She forced herself to read a few lines aloud but found them mostly nonsensical. Not wanting to study it further, she pulled out her phone, took a photo, and sent it to Rebecca—along with a 100-meter knife tip for good measure.

Money speaks volumes. Within ten minutes, Rebecca replied.

[!!!]

[Miss, where on earth did you get this spell?!]

[“As the moon’s power surges forth, the sealed gates of darkness open one by one. I humbly present three heads and the lowly, insignificant body of this servant, beseeching Your mighty power, O our generous and merciful Lord, the great King of Hell, supreme Archangel Paimon…”]

[—This is not a Luck-Borrowing spell at all. It’s clearly a self-sacrifice to Paimon!!!]