197 – Empty Future
What kind of case is this again?
As soon as I showed kindness for an unknown reason, a defense mechanism emerged.
“…I didn’t pay?”
“This is so… Ah! The two of you came together, so it wouldn’t be nice if I only did it for one…!”
Her suspicions toward her deepened as she saw her stutter even as she spoke, contrary to what she remembered.
This is an astrologer who sends players away by telling them that there are clouds in the night sky if they visit without enough money in the game.
Because of that, the woman who was also called her miser cried out loud and blocked her path.
Sigh.
I was still on guard lest my identity be revealed, but as the unexplainable feeling of uneasiness increased, my body automatically took a step away.
“Wait a minute…! Don’t you wonder what kind of life you will be living in the future!”
She urgently tries to negotiate when I keep my distance.
‘Of course I’m curious.’
Because I was crazy curious about the World Tree.
But apart from that, she was not interested in the offer.
There is no favor without reason in this world. I think that the reason something comes out like that is because there is something you want.
More than anything, that attitude.
Slightly bitten lips and a confused tone of voice.
I can’t believe that an astrologer who always treated users in a relaxed manner before entering the demon world would show up like this.
‘It wasn’t like this in the game…. ‘
Of course, all that was visible was the lips, but that alone was suspicious enough.
“…We’re a bit busy, so that might be difficult.”
Quuk.
I was about to turn around and leave, thinking I was running out of time, but someone pushed me from behind.
“You can go back as soon as you finish, so Master, try it! It’s free!”
Chloe rolled her eyes when she heard that it was free and stopped me from leaving.
I felt sick to my stomach at the sight of my disciple blocking me.
‘I’ve been saying this for a long time that nothing is free in this world…’ .’
After returning to the capital. Whenever I had time, I always made Chloe sit in front of me and taught her the basics of being a thief.
-Listen carefully, Chloe. There is nothing free in this world. If someone offers you something without compensation, you should be skeptical until the end.
-But isn’t stealing ultimately free?
-Oh, it’s free, but you take on the risk of getting caught. Is it funny that you risk your life?
-That seems like just a thief….
-It looks like there are more thieves than thieves. Just steal it.
My theory that stealing is not something you get for free is a fact proven by the fact that I am a rich person.
Why is there such a saying? They say that if you like free stuff, you will go bald.
But seeing him reveal it like that, it seemed like it would be difficult for him to avoid female hair loss.
‘Do you really want to become a Sphynx cat?’
I couldn’t help but sigh as I watched the cat evolve from a tuft of pink fur to an Egyptian cat breed that didn’t have a single hair on it.
“It won’t take long, so just wait….”
Thanks to Chloe’s assistance, the astrologer started to solicit customers.
“I wonder what my luck will be in love, Master!”
With the betrayal of a disciple I didn’t really trust, my plan to get out of here was greatly disrupted.
Even if an astrologer does that, you shouldn’t do that.
A situation of a dilemma going back and forth.
“….”
In the end, I had no choice but to make a choice.
***
“…I’ll see then.”
With no choice but to sit down in front of me, the very nervous astrologer placed his hand on the crystal ball.
I was momentarily distracted by the sight of me trying to search for constellations again.
‘I know a few search methods that can be used in this day and age.’
Even in the era without smartphones or computers, there was a way to learn things you didn’t know.
Of course, it can’t be used by just anyone, and there are drawbacks in that you can’t try it multiple times.
However, as a result of observing from the side, it was a method that was quite trustworthy because it had a certain effect.
How long has it been since I distracted myself, thinking that someday I might have something to write about?
I was puzzled when the astrologer’s fingers did not stop even after a while.
‘What is it? ‘Why is it taking so long?’
Compared to Chloe, the situation is clearly different.
“Hmm.”
Since I was forced to read my fortune in the first place, I adjusted my posture and sat down without hiding my discomfort.
I flinch.
Then, the thin fingers that were busy moving stopped for an instant.
Although it was only a moment, I did not miss the slight shaking of her shoulders.
“Did you see anything?”
“Well, that’s it….”
She was fidgeting with her sharply pierced questions.
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“Well… You have so many women in your life…! Her children are so lucky!”
Her trust in me was greatly undermined by her difficult answer.
‘I’ve been single all this time. What are you talking about?’
Anyone could see that it was just a loose remark. Isn’t this reaction as if I was caught trying to be rude?
A swindler recognizes a swindler, and when I felt an energy similar to mine, I no longer had any expectations.
‘Maybe what you told Chloe wasn’t all a lie?’
“As expected, Master is a great person!”
Unlike me, Chloe, who had already become her admirer, looked up to me with a twinkle in her eye.
How can you defraud such an innocent child?
“Anyway, is this what happened?”
But what can I do? It’s the fault of the person who got scammed.
In the first place, isn’t human life all about repetition of being deceived and deceived?
Thanks to him, I am alive and well, so I decided to show generosity this time and got up.
“Hey, that’s…”
Then she tried to grab me with a wistful hand gesture.
“It’s nothing…”
But she soon gave up and put down her hand.
‘Are you worried about your food line being cut off? ‘No need to worry.’
Still, I am a person who knows how to reflect on myself. I’m not the kind of man who trivially reports or spreads rumors about things like this.
Even the warrior party found out about my skills, and at that moment, my skills may not have come out.
“Then let’s go.”
Still, I had a long time until the middle, so it seemed like I could do it. From now on, even if you cheat, pay attention to the other person.
***
When we left the tent, the sky had already become dark.
As winter approaches, the sun sets probably earlier.
On the way back home like that.
“hehehe~”
What was so good was that Chloe was humming her song and rhythm.
“Is something good happening?”
“Of course it’s good! Chloe is having a child…”
Chloe looks up into space with ecstatic eyes.
“Well, he looks like a fraudster to me.”
“No!”
When I briefly told him the truth, he screamed.
“Apologize for what you said right away! Don’t deny my child!”
She is glaring at me frighteningly with vertically split pupils.
It’s not wrong, but the subject was a little strange.
As if I wasn’t the only one who felt that way, I soon heard whispering around her.
“Men are trash.”
“How can someone who has children say something like that?”
“You look like a newlywed couple because you bought so many things, but no matter how much you care for each other, it’s not enough.”
Everyone who was returning home started swearing at me.
“Ah, okay. That’s not what I meant, so calm down…!”
“Children are the fruit of love! No matter how much you are a teacher, I can’t forgive you if you say something like that!”
It was only after I finally consoled her that she was able to start walking again.
“Hmph!”
I guess I’m not quite as angry yet, but I’m walking a little ahead.
She decided to go back and think about what was going on with her and remembered her astrologer who had met her earlier.
‘I thought the story of the hero would go the same way, but there are cases like this.’
That was the time when I tried to ignore it, saying that it didn’t seem like the world was completely the same.
‘Wait a minute, what is this that I never thought of before?’
When she realized what she had almost overlooked, she stopped in place.
I can’t believe I’m finally remembering the title of the game I’ve been trying to remember for so long.
When I thought about it, it was strange. It’s a game set in the world I fell into, so it didn’t make sense that I’d forgotten about it.
“….”
What’s more strange is that there was no doubt about this fact until now.
I had an unpleasant aftertaste at the memory that came to mind naturally, like an event triggered by a specific condition.
‘It feels like I’m one step closer to something I don’t know what it is….’
At that time, I continued to worry for a while.
“What are you doing stopping there?”
I was brought out of my thoughts when Chloe, who had come next to me, called me.
“Is it because Chloe got angry earlier…?”
She looked at me with restless eyes, so I smiled and put my hand inside the hood and stroked her head.
“It’s nothing.”
It’s a little uncomfortable, but it’s not that big of a deal. It’s probably no big deal.
***
After Ian and Chloe left the tent.
-Sarak.
The astrologer, left alone, pulled back his hood and removed the veil he was wearing.
“How did this happen… I was told it was definitely a female prisoner…”
What she read in the night sky was that the last customer of the day would be a female beast with s*xy hair.
But in reality, there was one more person who came. He was a man who looked at him with eyes that seemed somewhat nervous.
“I’ve never experienced anything like this before, so why…?”
After thinking for a moment, she placed her hand on her crystal ball.
Although nothing appeared in her transparent crystal sphere, she was clearly visible to her.
Countless groups of stars brighten the dark night sky.
There was also a constellation of the female beast that had just visited.
‘The heavenly body is fine…. ‘Nothing was out of place.’
I looked carefully to see if I had missed anything, but there was no problem at all with the night sky reflected in the crystal ball.
‘If there’s anything strange, it’s probably….’
She stared blankly at the spot where the man had been sitting just moments ago.
Even if they are tiny creatures, stars exist. But the man’s star was nowhere to be found.
It was unprecedented, but if we were to be honest, it meant only one thing.
‘It doesn’t belong to this world…’ ‘What on earth is this?’
Is it too difficult to move on like this?
“Still, it was clearly him that she liked…”
I decided to trace his star based on the zodiac sign of the beast woman I had just seen.
But soon she became astonished.
‘Oh my….’
I found something that looked like traces of a man, but it was nothing like a star.
Void.
Several constellations surrounded the empty void.
“There are so many constellations…”
When she said that Chloe was a noblewoman, it was not nonsense at all.
Those who are close to heroes can have multiple stars.
She decided to take a closer look at the void surrounding the constellations. She wondered if she might be able to read something.
Then several scenes immediately came to mind.
A wave of demonic energy that covers the world and the end of which is unknown.
Destroyed walls of the empire and torn flags.
What was most shocking of all was the four women frozen as stone statues on an ominous ground reminiscent of hell.
‘What the hell is this…? !’
While she was freaking out, another scene came to mind.
A sobbing woman hugging an elf who appears to be her own kin in front of a giant rotting tree.
The image of a priest shedding tears while shouting at someone in the collapsing temple of the Holy Kingdom.
After watching similar dark scenes for a while, she began to wonder.
‘Is this the man’s future? ?’
There was something strange about the future of a man. Because the man was nowhere to be seen.
More than anything, when I thought about the zodiac sign of the female beast that I had just read, it was incoherent. How can such happiness come in such a dark environment?
At that time, when she was lost in puzzlement, she suddenly heard her voice amidst the ever-changing scenes.
-Can you make me feel comfortable….
An elf standing in front of a huge monster with its mouth wide open, looking as if he has no regrets about life.
-This is not it… ! This can’t be Ian!
There are black-haired men scattered around, and a wizard grabs one of them with ominous magic and beats him up.
-She seems like an incompetent goddess…. I resent you so much.
A priest standing in front of a cross hung upside down and showing his hatred toward God.
-….
Lastly, a scarlet-haired woman wandering the ominous land in a state of doubt as to whether she had cognitive abilities passed by one by one.
The moment when I suddenly thought that the women looked like someone else.
-Chaeok.
Without any warning, her crystal ball suddenly split in half, and with it the scenes she was watching disappeared in an instant.
It was as if the will had intervened, as if it could not tolerate seeing any more.
“….”
Fear came over her, as if she had seen something she shouldn’t have seen.