Fortune tellers are an eccentric bunch.I’ve yet to et one who wasn’t.They either collect bizarre items or have so peculiar quirk.Casablanca, the fortune teller of this ‘World Tour Group’, seed to fit the mold perfectly.The tent’s exterior was adorned with animal skulls resembling hunting trophies, while mysterious totems and magical ornants exuded an eerie charisma.It was overwhelming in many ways.The long line of won was also surprising.There were unexpectedly few couples.
“Don’t couples usually seek love fortunes together?”
I’ve never done it myself, but I’ve heard couples often get tarot readings or love horoscopes when bored.Apparently, fortune tellers charging exorbitant fees spout plausible nonsense?When faced with a strong-willed woman and a ek-looking man, they say, “You should listen to the woman!” The woman then turns to her partner, saying, “Honey! Did you hear that? Listen to well!” effectively putting the man down.That’s the gist of love fortunes as told by a college friend.But among those lined up at Casablanca’s tent, only three couples, including us, were present. The remaining 30 or so were all won.As I pondered this, Brigitte whispered to .
“What if a couple enters together and the fortune teller says, ‘You can’t marry this man. Your soulmate hasn’t been born yet.’ Wouldn’t that be awkward?”“I see your point.”
There was certainly a chance of that happening.Of course, couples passionate enough to co here on their day off might storm out, exclaiming, “Hah, you fake charlatan! We’re soulmates and we’re going to get married!”But couples do fight and fall out of love. In those monts, one might say, “Rember when the fortune teller said we couldn’t get married…”If they break up, they’d claim, “See, we were destined not to marry.”Even if they do marry, during tis of marital strife, they might wonder, “Were we punished for forcibly marrying when we weren’t destined to?”
So, it didn’t seem wise for couples to seek marriage fortunes together.Now I understood why so many won ca alone.
Lost in these idle thoughts, it was suddenly our turn.We were given 10 minutes.Just 10 minutes for the hefty sum of 200,000 rene.I wondered about the fortune teller’s earnings as I observed the old woman before us.
She was elderly, draped in a purple robe adorned with various jewels.Her back was hunched, her teeth sparse.Her hands, wrinkled like an old tree, were laden with thick jewels, giving an impression of extravagance.
Overall, she exuded a mysterious and strange aura.She truly embodied the image of a ‘fortune teller’.
“A couple, I see.”
The old woman chuckled and instructed us.As Brigitte and I sat down, she spread out so curious cards and told us to pick one each.
“You must choose only one card each.”
Cards, huh.The layout looked like this.ㅁㅁㅁㅁㅁㅁㅁㅁㅁㅁㅁㅁ
From this arrangent, I chose the bottom left corner.It just appealed to .When I flipped it over, it revealed a wheel and a skeleton holding a scythe. Like the Grim Reaper? The card was crafted with great attention to detail.
“This is the ‘Death’ card. Now, young lady, your turn.”“Let’s see…”
Brigitte selected the top right card. When flipped, it showed a crowned woman holding a staff amidst sheep.
“This is the ‘Queen’ card. Your love fortune is quite poor. Arithtically speaking, the probability of you two marrying is less than 1%. It’s lower than the chance of a teor striking Freesia today.”
I see.She was clearly a fake.But, in a way, could it be considered accurate?What were the odds of , a 21st century Earthling, and Brigitte, a mage from the Pangea continent, eting and marrying?How many light years separate these two planets anyway?Then Brigitte asked.
“Then who will my husband be?”“Let see, I’d like to examine the young lady’s palm.”
Swoosh—As Brigitte extended her hand, the old woman closely studied her palm lines. Can one really glean information from palm lines?After a mont of intense scrutiny, the old woman spoke.
“Your childhood must have been quite challenging, but from a certain point, everything will improve and you’ll achieve great success. Your spouse’s fortune is favorable too. Young lady, you will marry a king’s grandson.”
Brigitte marrying a king’s grandson, what an intriguing notion.What about my fortune, then?
“Old lady, examine my hand as well.”
I offered my hand to the woman.Clicking her tongue and muttering, “We’re almost out of ti, tsk-“ she peered at my palm.After a seemingly thorough examination, she blurted out.
“You’re destined to die away from ho. Your palm lines indicate you’re fated to die while stealing!”“Is that so? Then how about this?”
Swoosh—I altered my palm lines and fingerprints.It was a thief secret skill ‘Fingerprint Manipulation’. Thieves of my caliber could freely modify their fingerprints and palm lines.However, the old woman appeared genuinely shocked, as if she’d never encountered this technique before.
“H-How is this possible? Just who are you? You’re no ordinary barbarian!”
Swoosh—Instead of answering, I presented the ‘Death’ card I had picked earlier to the old woman.Our business here was concluded.
# # #
“How was it?”
I inquired.Brigitte burst into laughter.
“They claid she was a skilled fortune teller, but it’s all nonsense!”
Brigitte seed convinced the fortune teller was a fraud.Wiping tears of laughter from her eyes, she said.
“Well, soone truly naive might be fooled. It’s common for mages to struggle in their youth and find great success later in life.”“Is that so?”“Also, my attire is expensive. We’re carrying nurous shopping bags too. It’s not unusual for wealthy and skilled mages to marry nobles or royalty. In the end, the fortune teller’s words were predictable.”
Now that she ntioned it, that was true.Ultimately, the fortune teller Casablanca was a charlatan.But perhaps not everything was a lie.
“Speaking of my grandfather. They say he sohow evaded the prosecution’s encirclent. There’s talk he might actually beco president now. Then I’d be the president’s grandchild.”
A president’s grandchild is quite comparable to a king’s grandson in the grand sche of things, right?In that sense, the fortune teller’s prediction wasn’t entirely off the mark.
Swoosh—Just then, a breeze swept by.Looking up, I realized evening had fallen, the moon already rising.The sun sets early in autumn, after all.We headed to a nearby inn called “The Adventurer’s Garden” for dinner. It was a popular spot among adventurers, evoking fond mories and putting at ease.
“I feel most content when I return to an inn after completing an adventure and sit down to eat.”
Brigitte remarked with a chuckle as she ordered drinks and food.I think I understood what she ant.
Our dinner consisted of 2 sets of the inn’s signature “Gold Adventurer Set”.We reminisced about our days as adventurers.Perhaps due to the alcohol, Brigitte’s face was flushed and her hands trembled slightly.She kept glancing at the ti.
8 o’clock.9 o’clock.And 10 o’clock.As the tavern’s noise reached its peak, Brigitte said.
“Isn’t it about ti now?”“Not yet.”“How about now?”“Still not yet.”“Then, now?”
Brigitte seed a bit anxious.Was it the alcohol’s effect?That’s when it happened.Clatter—The sound of shattering glass pierced the air.A fight had erupted in the tavern.
“A brawl really broke out.”
Clank— Bang— Clutter—Suddenly, there was a thunderous crash.A beer mug flew from sowhere, drenching both Brigitte and , leaving us soaked in cheap beer.
“At this rate, we really need to change upstairs.”
Brigitte examined herself, surprised yet amused by the turn of events.I nodded in agreent.
“Go change.”“…Judas, want to join ? Upstairs. You need fresh clothes too. You look like a mouse that fell into a beer barrel.”
Brigitte’s face was as red as it could be. How about mine? My face felt burning hot too.Perhaps due to the alcohol we’d consud, or the black snake-snake strawberry, my body was feverish and I could barely maintain composure.Brigitte added.
“Maybe, originally, I would have said, ‘I’m just going to change clothes, so don’t get any ideas.’ I’m certain I would have.”“I probably would have replied, ‘Okay. I promise.’ too.”
We entered the sa room together.Up to this point, everything aligned with the diary’s account.But nothing more was written beyond this.I was at a loss for what to do next, and Brigitte seed equally uncertain as we awkwardly turned our backs to each other and changed clothes.
What should we do?I was deeply conflicted.It was a pivotal mont in many ways.That’s when Brigitte, having finished changing, retrieved sothing from her bag.It was a beautiful lily.Said to be from the desert with abundant vitality, it’s reputed to have a definite effect in treating infertility.Brigitte began chewing on the lily petals.She appeared to be steeling herself, but I suddenly imagined goats or sheep munching on flowers and felt like laughing.Struggling to maintain a straight face for the sake of the mood, Brigitte spoke first.
“Chewing on flowers makes feel like a goat, doesn’t it?”“……”
If I laughed even slightly, it would ruin the atmosphere.I exerted superhuman control to keep my expression neutral. Then I said to Brigitte.
“Brigitte, you seem quite composed for being alone with a man. Was that unicorn truly angry earlier?”
“What are you saying? That unicorn was fake, rember? You saw it too. It was just a narwhal tusk glued to a horse’s head!”“I don’t believe you. Prove it.”
Swoosh—I placed my hand on Brigitte’s waist.Startled, Brigitte exclaid.
“…Didn’t we agree we were just changing clothes?”“I’m not one for keeping promises.”“Hey…! Hey…! Wait, I’m not ntally prepaaared…!”
That night, Brigitte beca soone who could no longer ride a unicorn.The sa was true for .When morning ca, Brigitte and I awoke in the sa bed. Opening our eyes beside each other was more awkward than anticipated.I wondered if we’d ever grow accustod to it.
“……”“……”
I felt oddly embarrassed and struggled to speak.Brigitte seed to share the sentint.We ate breakfast as usual and returned to the mansion.Salo and Cariote glanced at us but remained silent.That’s when Naru, watering plants in the mansion’s garden, spotted us and waved enthusiastically.
“Mom! Dad!”
Seeing Naru’s radiant expression, both Brigitte and I felt imnse relief, as if we could finally breathe easily.—The future remained unchanged.It felt like a heavy weight had been lifted from our shoulders and chests.Warak—Naru embraced .
“Dad! Naru was good and didn’t cause any trouble yesterday!”
Naru’s body temperature was slightly higher than other children’s, as always, making her feel warm.Naru consistently slled of wildflowers.She possessed a genuinely cheerful and kind personality.How could such a child have co from ?
Swoosh—When Naru pulled away, she was crying profusely.I asked.
“Naru, why are you crying!”“…Naru wanted to say goodbye with a smile! I’m so happy to et Mom and Dad, but I can’t stop the tears!”
Sobbing heavily, Naru shouted.
“…Mom, Dad! Naru is sorry for causing trouble every day! From now on, I’ll be good, I’ll beco an SSR princess, so you have to wait for !”
Naru then rushed into Brigitte’s arms.
“Also, Naru will study hard…! I’ll listen well to Mom and Dad, get along with Cecily and Hina, be nice to Sifnoi too, and take good care of Molumolu! You have to wait for …!”
Brigitte also hugged Naru tightly, their cheeks pressed together as they both burst into tears.
“…You don’t have to study hard! It’s okay if you cause so trouble! Just stay healthy. You don’t even need to beco an SSR princess or anything, as long as we can et again in good health!”
Glow— Wave—Naru’s body began to glow.
“Naru, we’ll definitely see each other again! Definitely…”
The weight in Brigitte’s arms gradually disappeared. When she ca to her senses, Brigitte was embracing empty air.
“Definitely again…”
Sothing very small had vanished, but its presence was so significant that we montarily forgot how to speak.
“……”
Suddenly, I found myself pondering.What is life?…When does a person truly beco a person?In my view, Naru was already Naru.She was a daughter, a friend, and a sister nad Naru.At least, that’s what I believed.
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