Scumbag Fate System-Chapter 81: Secrets (1)

Reinhard’s eyes opened to unfamiliar ceiling patterns. And then he quickly realized it was Sirin’s room. The memories of last night rushed through his mind, and he sat up quickly, then looked around.

Empty.

The side where Sirin should be was neatly made. He furrowed his brows before glancing around to see a single folded note weighted down by a crystal paperweight on the desk.

Reinhard crossed the room in three steps, then unfolded the paper. Sirin’s article covered the page.

Reinhard - Had to leave early. Meet me at the History Department Vault section immediately when you wake. It’s urgent! And be careful not to let anyone see you leaving.

The word "urgent" was underlined twice.

Reinhard frowned as questions multiplied in his mind. What was so urgent that Sirin couldn’t wait? Or wake him up before leaving? They’d gone to sleep past midnight, so she couldn’t have gotten more than a few hours of rest.

The History Department Vault was restricted access, requiring special permission from professors.

What had she found?

He dressed quickly in yesterday’s clothes, then checked the hallway and saw it was empty. Most students were still at breakfast or sleeping in on the weekend. He made it out of the female dormitory without incident, using the same broken side door from the previous night.

The walk to the History Department building took ten minutes. Early morning, the campus was peaceful, groundskeepers tended gardens, a few dedicated students headed toward the library, and birds sang in the trees.

And yet, for some reason, he felt something was off.

The History Department building was older than most campus structures. Reinhard entered the main hall and then descended the stairs toward the basement level, where restricted archives were kept.

The Vault section sat behind a reinforced door marked with warning signs about authorized access only. But the door stood slightly ajar.

Sirin’s doing, no doubt. She must have pulled some strings or used her club president authority to gain entry.

Reinhard slipped inside.

The space beyond was larger than expected. It was an underground chamber with books and objects behind glass cases. The runes were written in the walls all around, keeping everything from decaying.

And in the center of it all sat Sirin.

She was hovering over a table stacked with books. They lay open to marked pages, scrolls were weighted flat at their corners, loose papers covered in her notes, scattered across every available surface. She leaned over a particularly old tome, her finger tracing words as she read intently.

She looked exhausted, as if she didn’t sleep last night. There were dark circles under her eyes, and her hair was slightly disheveled.

"Sirin," Reinhard called softly.

She jumped, then spun around, relief flooding her face when she saw him. "Reinhard! Good, you got my note. Over here, I want to show you something I have been working on."

He approached the table as she gestured eagerly at the open books. "What is all this?"

"Sealing techniques," Sirin explained softly. "Specifically, techniques for sealing a person’s magic and Sigil. I’ve been researching for the last couple of days, trying to understand the method you used on Yor."

Reinhard raised a brow. "Why? Yor’s fine now. The problem is solved."

"That’s exactly why I’m researching," Sirin said softly. "Because it shouldn’t have been possible. I’ve found seventeen documented cases of attempted void sealing across the last three centuries. All of them failed. None of the seals could withstand the pressure of the void and would just be devoured... Yet somehow you succeeded."

Reinhard noted inwardly the awe and curiosity flashing in Sirin’s eyes. She wasn’t suspicious, but more like she really wanted to figure out the method.

But why? Is it just to know, or is there something more?

She flipped to a marked page. "Look at this. It’s called the ’Impossible Seal’! A theoretical technique that would perfectly contain void corruption while allowing the subject to access their power safely."

"Did it not work?"

"Most likely, since the Void is still a problem, but it’s a good start."

Sirin activated something in the book, which brought the ancient diagrams to life. Golden light rose from the pages, forming three-dimensional images that rotated slowly in the air above the table.

Seal patterns glowed and shifted, displaying strange symbols and patterns that shone in gold.

"Amazing, isn’t it? I only recently found it three days ago." Sirin whispered as she watched the glowing display. "The theory is perfect. But every attempt to implement it failed because it requires something that shouldn’t exist... A power source that can perfectly balance void corruption without being consumed by it."

Reinhard nodded with a sigh. "It’s beautiful..."

She pulled out another book, this one containing paintings instead of diagrams. Ancient artwork showed robed figures performing sealing rituals on subjects who writhed in obvious pain. But all of them showed the same outcome, failures that led to deaths. 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

"These were the attempts," Sirin said quietly. "Each one ended in tragedy because the seal couldn’t hold. The void energy would either kill the host or break free and spread to everyone nearby."

She turned to face Reinhard directly. "So how did you do it? Did you somehow recreate the Impossible Seal?"

Reinhard chose his words carefully. "I didn’t create it."

"Are you saying someone else figured it out?!" Sirin asked with a gleeful smile. "Could it have been your family? A teacher? Or did you find it somewhere?"

"I have no idea."

"Ahh... Really?" Sirin looks down with a sigh.

Reinhard gently caressed her face and asked. "Is it really that big of a deal for you?"

Sirin’s expression softened as she sat down heavily on the edge of the table. "In a way it’s... Last night, I couldn’t fall asleep. The fact that you were able to help Yor control her void powers was something too amazing."

"And you wanted to understand the logic behind it?"

"Yes... But I also hope it will help give me answers about you."

Reinhard blinks before saying. "About me?"

She laughed, the sound bright despite her exhaustion. "You’re the biggest mystery I’ve ever encountered, Reinhard. And I can’t figure you out. I’m supposed to be good at understanding people, at seeing what makes them tick. But you? You’re impossible in the most fascinating way."

Reinhard moved to sit down next to her but kept silent.

Sirin’s blue eyes met his silver ones with a hint of vulnerability shining through. "How did you help Yor when it should be impossible? How did you get a Sigil when it shouldn’t be possible? How does Yor power not affect you even when it affected everyone else?"

Reinhard chuckled and said. "I only got lucky, and I have no idea."

But to his surprise, Sirin continued staring at him. Her expression shifted to something softer—not suspicion, but gentle understanding.

"You’re lying... I can’t explain why, but I have a feeling." She said quietly. "You’re definitely not telling the whole truth."

Reinhard said nothing, as he seemed to grasp that Sirin had terrifying instincts. Those that don’t follow logic, but are just based on feelings.

These ones are the hardest to lie to because they can accurately feel a lie coming and identify it. He inwardly sighed, recalling a few challenging targets with such abilities.

Sirin stood and then moved closer to him, her warmth seeming to fill the space between them. "The more I look into this, the more I realize something doesn’t quite fit. The timeline feels off. The method doesn’t match anything I’ve read. And there’s something about how Yor describes the process that feels... different."

"Wrong how?" Reinhard asked with a raised brow.

"Like it wasn’t just a seal at all," Sirin said while studying his face with those bright blue eyes. "More like you fundamentally changed how her power works rather than just containing it."

"Yor said that?"

"Yep."

Reinhard was a bit surprised at how Yor described it. But regardless, he had to deal with the current issue. He wasn’t worried Yor would guess about the system. He was worried she might realize what Reinhard had done wasn’t normal magic.

That it was something entirely outside the known rules.

Sirin’s expression shifted; it was understanding mixed with a gentle kind of care. "You’re not ready to tell me yet."

"It’s not about trust–"

"I know." Sirin interrupted gently. "I can see this is something you need to keep private. And I won’t push anymore if you ask me not to."

"You won’t? Even though you spent so much time-"

"I won’t because I refuse to pry into the secrets of my friends," Sirin said, making Reinhard pause.

This woman...

The morning light streaming through the vault windows painted her face in gold and shadow, catching highlights in her blonde hair. Behind her, the glowing seal diagrams that she’d spent the entire night trying to unravel.

All because she wanted to understand him.