Reines and Melvin bring a difficult case to Lord El-Melloi II involving one of his former students, Mary Lil Fargo. Mary is the only daughter of the Fargo family, a branch of the family in charge of the Astromancy Department, the Animuspheres. In response to Mary's call for her former mentor's assistance, Lord El-Melloi II and Gray visit the Fargo estate to examine the dismembered corpse of Mary's father, Ernest Fargo. Quite separate from the traditions of Astromancy, this crime calls for the expertise of one versed in Modern Magecraft. Lord El-Melloi II dives in to solve the mystery!