Chapter 414
The old woman smiled wistfully and grabbed Simon’s hand.
“Then let’s start with this young man.”
“...Ah, please take care of me.”
She pulled Simon’s hand onto the crystal ball, then placed her own hand on top of his.
“Close your eyes.”
Simon shut his eyes. The old woman’s hand gently brushed over both the crystal ball and Simon’s hand.
“What do you see right now?”
“Pardon? I don’t see anything.”
“Of course you don’t.”
It was Simon’s first time getting a fortune read, so he waited with a thumping heart. Since she told him to close his eyes, would an image form inside his head?
“Oho!”
A gasp escaped the old woman’s lips.
“I see it! I see it! I see the young man’s figure!”
She was the one seeing something.
“You’re flying! You’re soaring through the sky!”
For a while, she kept repeating things like “You’re flying!”, “You’re in the air!”
Simon, whose hand was being held, stayed quiet and waited, while Lete leaned against the wall, watching with an expression of disbelief.
“You’re flying! Flying! That... that thing! The one with wheels!”
“A carriage?”
“No, not that! The one merchants load up with goods and pull around...”
“A cart?”
“Yes, a cart! You’re on a cart, being dragged along!”
“...Didn’t you say I was flying a second ago?”
The progression was impossible to predict.
“Ah, ahhh!”
The old woman’s voice rose in pitch. And then, with her own mouth—
“Boom!”
She made an explosive sound and opened her eyes.
“That’s it.”
“???”
Simon pulled his hand away, wearing a puzzled expression.
Lete gave a half-hearted applause and stood up from her seat.
“That was fun. Well then, Granny, we’ll be goi—”
“Oh, no no! Missy, you have to try too! Where do you think you’re going!”
The old woman forcefully grabbed Lete’s hand and placed it on the crystal ball.
With a disgruntled look, Lete had no choice but to sit down.
“Close your eyes.”
Lete reluctantly shut her eyes.
“What do you see?”
“...Of course I don’t see anything.”
“Oho, oho, oh! Yes! I see it! I see the young lady’s figure!”
It was the same routine as before.
“You’re flying. Soaring! You’re soaring through the sky!”
Even this part was identical.
‘Are both of us flying somewhere?’
Simon watched with that thought, when suddenly the old woman’s expression twisted.
“Horrible!”
“Pardon?”
“Blood. Blood. There’s blood everywhere! Drenched in blood, the clashing of weapons. Flames. And screams and groans soaked in pain. Many people lie motionless on the ground.”
Lete’s expression subtly contorted as she kept her eyes closed.
“Ah! Aaaah! You’re standing in the middle of that blood-soaked slaughter!”
The old woman’s voice rose to a fevered pitch.
“You’re making strange gestures! And then, the people lying cold and lifeless on the ground start to rise! They pick up their weapons again and...!”
Pop!
Simon flinched.
Lete abruptly pulled her hand away from the crystal ball. Her eyes bloodshot, she glared fiercely at the old woman.
“L-Lete?”
She suddenly stood up and turned, storming into the alley.
“I-I’m sorry! I’ll go after her first!”
The old woman, unfazed, picked up her crystal ball and smiled gently.
“Take care now. May the Goddess’ blessing be with you.”
Step. Step. Step.
Lete bit her lower lip as she strode boldly down the alley.
Simon hurried after her and grabbed her wrist.
“Lete! Wait!”
Smack!
She shook off his hand harshly. Simon stepped in front of her and said,
“Calm down! What’s going on?”
“You heard it too, didn’t you!”
Lete shouted, her eyes wide.
“That scene just now! Anyone could tell she was talking about a necromancer raising corpses to fight! Are you saying I’m that awful necromancer?! Me?!”
Simon’s face contorted with realization.
When she was young, Lete had lost her parents in a necromancer attack and became an orphan.
At that time, the sight of necromancers raising her dead parents and villagers as skeletons had left a deep trauma.
It would be bad if her long-dormant hatred of necromancers flared up again.
“It was just a fortune for fun. You don’t need to take it so seriously.”
“Even if it’s just for fun, there’s a limit! I can handle whatever the future brings! But why that kind of...!”
Simon approached calmly, raising his open palm.
“Let’s pause the investigation and head back to the inn. We can rest a bit—”
“Don’t touch me! Necroman—...!!”
Lete, ready to unleash her fury, suddenly stopped.
“......”
“......”
Shaking slightly, Lete stood silent for a moment, then wiped her face with her palm and let out a long sigh.
“Sorry.”
Step.
Lete turned her back to him.
“Let’s continue the investigation.”
“...Are you sure you’re okay?”
“Yes.”
She gave a weary smile.
“I’m just... a little tired, is all.”
The last place the two headed to was the lord’s castle of the city.
However...
—The Lord is currently in an emergency meeting and cannot receive guests. We apologize.
In the end, they had to leave the castle with nothing to show for it.
Lete shrugged her shoulders.
“Well, of course~ No way the lord would meet with outsiders when the city’s in this state.”
“Yeah, I was being too optimistic.”
Lete acted as if nothing had happened earlier. Seeing her recover her composure so quickly, Simon felt relieved inside.
Of course, whether she was truly okay would have to be seen with time.
Now, they really did head toward the inn Israfil had prepared for them.
It wasn’t just any ordinary inn, but apparently one of the largest in the entire city.
“You’re our first guests in six months and two days!”
The innkeeper greeted them with a wide grin.
Simon looked around. Even though they were indoors, the cold air rushed in, making it incredibly chilly. You could even see their breath.
“The rooms are warm inside, don’t worry!”
The innkeeper said quickly.
“This place is so big, but you have no guests?”
“Haah, a few years ago we were fully booked with no empty rooms. But now, with the city practically dying... it can’t be helped. Anyway, your rooms have been cleaned spotless!”
The innkeeper glanced between Simon and Lete, then smirked knowingly.
“Have a hot and enjoyable time! Here, your key.”
He handed the room key to Simon and left, saying he had other matters to attend to.
Meals were usually available for an extra fee, but due to the current food shortage in the city, it wasn’t possible.
The two climbed the stairs up to the third floor.
Simon jangled the key he’d received from the innkeeper.
“Huh?”
“What is it?”
“Just realized this.”
Simon gave an awkward smile.
“There’s only one key.”
“!”
Lete made a horrified face, then quickly snatched the key from Simon’s hand and checked it with her own eyes.
“No way, seriously! I know there aren’t many guests, but what kind of service is this!”
She spun around and stormed down the stairs at a frightening speed.
“Hey, mister! It’s only one room!”
She shouted at the top of her lungs, but the innkeeper had already gone out.
Lete trudged back with heavy steps.
“Ugh, seriously—!”
“Let’s just go inside. Even if there’s only one key, maybe there are multiple rooms inside.”
A bit of color returned to her face.
“...Mmh, you’re right. If it’s something like that, then fine.”
The two walked back up to the third floor, chatting along the way.
“First thing I’m doing is taking a shower when we get in. Hopefully there’s a booth.”
“This is a rich city, so it seems like they’ve got plumbing. I think the water will work fine too.”
“Thank goodness. After being on Heaven Island, you can really feel the infrastructure gap in other rural places.”
“Same here. I first saw what a bathhouse was back in Keyzen. Ah, we’re here. I’ll open the door.”
Arriving at the door, Simon inserted the key into the lock and turned it. Click! The door opened with a sound.
He let Lete in first, then closed the door behind them as he stepped in.
“What’s wrong?”
Lete had stopped in her tracks and stood frozen. Simon stepped in after her, and just like her, froze in place.
“......”
“......”
The room was bathed in a strange crimson light.
Even the wallpaper was red-toned, and in the spacious room stood a single large bed. To top it off, the bathroom was enclosed with a glass wall, so the entire interior was completely visible.
Simon’s face turned bright red.
And then, he realized one thing belatedly.
Israfil had been too well-prepared this entire trip.
“...Haha. Ahahaha.”
Lete, as if she couldn’t believe her eyes, backed away step by step. Then, clutching the door with both hands, she said just one thing.
“Goodbye.”
Thud!
After slamming the door shut, her footsteps echoed as she ran off somewhere.
Simon opened the door again and looked down the hallway. There, Lete—her face filled with both fury and embarrassment—was yanking violently at the doorknobs of other rooms.
“I mean, seriously! This is crossing the line, like, way the fuck over!”
Bang! Bang!
She checked all the rooms, but every single one was locked. The only open room in the entire inn was that red one.
“...Ugh.”
Lete, who was in the middle of raking her hair in frustration, suddenly widened her eyes and lifted her leg high into the air. Simon panicked and shouted,
“Lete! Wait!”
“That room is yours alone!”
She clenched her teeth.
“I’d rather die than sleep in the same room as a man!”
BANG!
In the end, she smashed the doorknob with force and barged into the next room. Simon hurriedly followed her.
“What are you doing! We’ll have to pay for— Huh?”
But the interior of that room was far worse.
Dust piled up on the floor and the bed, cobwebs hanging everywhere. There was no heating, and it was insanely cold.
Lete, having seen a centipede wriggling across the floor, immediately shut the door.
Moments later.
“......”
Lete sat quietly on the bed in the red room, her bottom planted, defeated.
Simon chuckled and said,
“Didn’t you say you’d never sleep in the same room?”
“...Shut up.”
Simon laughed aloud and plopped onto the bed himself, groaning.
“My legs hurt like hell from all the walking. I just wanna sleep already.”
Thunk!
As he said that, a pillow dropped in front of his eyes. Simon quickly turned his head—Lete was bowing slightly.
“Good night.”
“Wait, hold on! This is not okay!”
Even patient Simon couldn’t take this.
Lete, clutching the only blanket like her life depended on it, wrapped it around herself.
“What do you mean not okay, huh! So I’m supposed to share a bed with a necromancer?!”
“If you’re making me sleep on the floor, at least give me the blanket!”
“Then you’d see my whole body!!”
Waaah, waaah—this time, the two of them were arguing over the sleeping arrangements.
After thirty minutes of discussion and quarreling, they finally settled it—Simon would sleep on the floor, and Lete would surrender all the blankets. She decided to just drape a robe over herself and sleep.
“How did I end up like this... O Goddess, why do you keep giving me such trials?”
Leaving her to pray at the edge of the bed, Simon took out his bag and began unpacking.
“Lete, want to wash up first?”
“......”
After finishing her prayer, Lete opened her eyes and said coldly,
“Don’t try anything stupid.”
“?”
Truthfully, Lete really wanted to wash up with hot water.
No, she desperately wanted to bathe.
But.
“Be realistic, could anyone wash in here?!”
She rattled the bathroom door.
It was glass, completely see-through from the room. Worst of all, the door didn’t even have a lock.
Calling it a door was generous.
“Well then.”
Simon stood up from his seat.
“I’ll wash up first.”
Lete’s eyes widened.
Superb.
When are we getting more free chapters?
Thanks for the new chapters