3. The Fortune Teller Who Sees the Future
3. The Fortune Teller Who Sees the Future
I wanted to live a life of value, one that I myself could be satisfied with.
It wasn't something I could achieve just by living a stable, comfortable life—like owning a home or saving for retirement.
In my past life, I'd followed my dad's truck all over the country and been through every kind of mess imaginable, so an uneventful life just didn't offer the stimulation I craved.
But if I'd been acknowledged as a Hero, that would be one thing. Expecting that from a power whose sole function was making people not forget my name? That was probably asking too much.
"Ah~ How long do I have to keep working as a damn porter~"
Grumbling into the night streets while half-drunk had become a daily routine, but the porter gig wasn't entirely bad, either.
Those so-called Heroes might all be ill-tempered scumbags to a man, but their combat power was the real deal, so joining a party guaranteed a certain level of safety.
And tagging along in that safety, I could get a taste of adventure vicariously.
Compared to steady manual labor like repairing city walls or cleaning sewers, it was a rare and valuable experience for me.
Anyway. If I didn't have the ability, couldn't I just save up some money and give it a shot?
Just work as a porter for about one more year or so, and with the money I save up, I'll go on an adventure of my own!
That's why, tonight, I'd once again soothed my exhaustion with cheap booze, and right after that, I'd taken the rest of my money to the bank to deposit, setting aside only the bare minimum for living expenses.
"Yes, Mr. Woo Hyosung of the Labor Union. Your time deposit has been confirmed."
The world might be going to hell, but something resembling civilization still existed.
It was a fantasy world, so the methods were analog, but since the bank was officially operated with the backing of the Empire and the various guild unions, it was a place you could trust with your money.
They even paid a bit of interest on top of that, so a time deposit was an excellent way to secure your future.
"Heh heh, that's quite a bit of cash saved up."
Was this another step toward my dream? For a moment, I looked at the amount recorded in my bankbook and smiled with satisfaction.
The bank teller, who'd been looking at the record with me, seemed to recognize my efforts too, smiling with a hint of admiration as she casually struck up a conversation.
"Looking at your records, you deposit quite a substantial sum for someone from the Labor Union. Are you perhaps saving up for a wedding fund?"
"...Excuse me?"
"It's usually the reason young people save money, you know~"
The teller had just uttered words I'd never expected, and in such a casual tone.
I hesitated, unsure how to respond, then finally gave an awkward smile and answered quietly.
"...Ahaha, I wish I could."
Love and a woman.
Trying to chase both rabbits as a mere Foreign Worker—this world was far too cruel for that.
***
Of course, I'm a man too.
A yearning for a relationship with the opposite sex had been a constant through my past life and into this current one.
So I occasionally found myself longing not just for marriage, but for the chance to be with a woman who fit my ideal type.
Even more so when I'd see idiots necking on the streets at all hours of the day, even in a world going to ruin.
"Honey, honey~ Do you notice anything different about me?"
"Mmm~ Did you cut your hair extra pretty today?"
"I'm saying I changed my pedicure color! Do you really not know me at all?"
I mean, if you dyed your toenails with balsam, you could at least take your shoes off before bringing it up.
But even that guy getting slapped around and grabbed by the collar by that selfish woman... even he seemed incredibly enviable to me.
Damn, even those whipped bastards probably get to do whatever they want behind closed doors, right?
They're probably grinning and bearing it, picturing themselves touching everywhere, lip-smacking, getting it on, and ending up with a baby... but I'm single as hell....
"Now that I think about it again, it's ridiculous. Even that piece of trash Oh Deokhun has a girlfriend."
Sure, that dumb bastard had gotten an insanely overpowered bonus and then got completely reverse-ambushed, but in the end, if the girl had accepted what he did without any disgust, wasn't that basically a pure love story?
I'd let it slide for today, but watching couples being all lovey-dovey on the street was starting to make me feel a real-time surge of hatred for people I actually knew.
That son of a bitch, next time I see him, I'm gonna start by shoving a bamboo spear right in his gut.
"*Sigh*, when am I ever going to date?"
But even if I burn with all that hatred, in the end, all I can do is drag someone down to my level.
No matter how much I, a lifelong bachelor, cursed all the lovey-dovey obsessed couples in the world, I still couldn't get what I truly wanted.
And it's not like dating is something you can achieve just by throwing money at it, so I'd like to avoid losing my head to the point of breaking into my adventure savings...
Damn it. The world's going to hell and there's a goddamn baby boom going on everywhere, so why is it that every single woman who comes into my life is some personality-disordered bitch with her limbs torn off by tentacles?
Was it because I set my standards too high?
I'm not even asking for a perfect beauty with looks, a body, and a great personality. I just want to sit face-to-face with some older woman who'd actually listen to what I say, and just talk.
"Excuse me, passerby. If you don't mind, could you spare me a moment of your time?"
As I was walking down the street, muttering those complaints aloud, a voice reached me.
I stopped in my tracks and turned my head toward the source of the voice, sizing up the person there.
A single tent pitched in a secluded, dark alleyway with few people around.
But its presence was unmistakable, thanks to the faint candles lit here and there around it.
And so was the mysterious aura of the woman, dressed in a style more Asian than fantasy... something closer to an Indian or Mongolian design, from the far side of the world from Korea or Japan.
"...A fortune-teller?"
"Yes, exactly as you say."
The woman then swept aside a braid that had been hanging beneath her hood, clearly revealing the smile on her face before my eyes.
"I happened to sense worry from you as you passed by, so I called out to you. If it's alright, won't you entrust me with a consultation?"
Yeah, she was a damn pretty woman.
Unbelievably so for someone running a street stall in a back alley like this.
She was a mature, quiet type of lady, too.
"Uh, um...."
Facing a woman like that, I couldn't help but feel conflicted for a moment.
No matter how much civilization had taken root here, enough to even have a bank, this was still a world you could call doomed.
And no exaggeration—anywhere outside the capital that wasn't watched was crawling with highwaymen.
In a world like that, anyone setting up shop in a dark alleyway like this had to have something shady going on.
"Heh heh, I see you're looking at me with suspicion."
Seeing me on high alert, the woman gave me a fresh smile and spoke in a relaxed manner.
"But there's no need to worry. I am one who can see the past, present, and future... The reason I set up shop in an alleyway like this is because I foresaw that no particular danger would befall this place today."
"...You foresaw no danger?"
"Yes, at the very least, I am certain that I will leave this place safely today. That is why I made the offer to you, a passerby, without hesitation."
With a swish, the woman scribbled something on a scrap of paper with a pen.
Afterward, she fixed her languid eyes on me and quietly asked.
"Let me ask you one thing. You, standing here before me... are you a man of such loose conduct that you would lay hands on a woman doing business alone at this late hour?"
"Hey, of course not. Life's hard enough; I don't want to end up a criminal."
That was half-sincere.
The other half was more like... my wariness was telling me that rather than make a move, I had a strong urge to just run away.
"Hmm-hmm, is that so?"
After hearing that, she smiled a strange, bittersweet smile and then smoothly held out the paper she'd been writing on—before I'd even answered.
The following sentence was written upon it.
[Hey, of course not. Life's hard enough; I don't want to end up a criminal.]
"...Huh?"
What the hell? What's this?
Why are the words I just said written here?
"Name, Woo Hyosung. A Transmigrator summoned at the ritual hall of the Tares Empire."
But that wasn't the only surprise.
At some point, she had produced a crystal ball in her hands, and with her hand placed upon it, she began reciting information about me, piece by piece.
"Unfortunately, you were not recognized as a Hero. You received only the bare minimum of welfare before being discarded by the Imperial House. Now you're indebted to the Empire's Labor Union, eking out a living by tending to Heroes... One of the Heroes you recently attended to died, and you feel like you're getting the stink eye even from the Union. Is that correct?"
"......"
"Heh heh, you look surprised."
Yeah, there was no way I wouldn't be surprised.
Not just my personal information, but even recent events had just rolled off her tongue.
Unless she was a con artist deliberately trying to swindle me, didn't this mean I was dealing with something far more terrifying than a mere criminal?
"It is nothing to be so surprised about."
As I felt a chill run down my spine, she seemed to try and reassure me, stroking the crystal ball in her hand as she continued.
"I am merely one born with the ability to see the movement of stars, and thus read the flow of past, present, and future... Of course I foresaw that this place was safe, and that you would pass before me."
The movement of stars...
I didn't know what that meant, but I could immediately tell I wasn't dealing with an ordinary person.
Anyway, in a world where some people awakened to phenomenal power through otherworldly summoning, it wouldn't be strange for there to be a fortune-teller who could see the future.
"But it is not absolute. Without facing the subject, I can only gauge rough information and the immediate future... To perform a full precognition, I need to face you directly and exert my power."
After explaining her abilities, she placed the crystal ball before her, spread both hands, and spoke leisurely.
"Now, the chance to know the future has come to you. What follows from here is your choice... Will you live in anxiety, unable to see an inch of the future ahead, or will you listen to the future to come and adapt to it? It's for you to decide with your own hand."
She wasn't forcing me.
Whether or not to have my fortune told was entirely my choice.
But if she truly was a prophet who saw the future, she probably already knew what choice I would make in the 'immediate future' that awaited.
"...Do you also know I don't have any money?"
"Of course, I knew that as well when I made the offer. The first time will be free, so if the answer is satisfactory, please feel free to visit often from now on, or recommend me to your acquaintances..."
Well, damn. She'd proven her ability and was offering a free service on top of that—it would be a loss to leave without taking her up on it.
Even more so when the one making the offer was an 'older lady who'd actually listen to what I say'—which had been my ideal type up until just a moment ago.